115INAUGURATION OF NEW SANITARY WORKS AT PARIS.

sincerely do I hope that it will ever continue so. For myself,I take a great interest in it, because forty years ago I washere with my father, who was unable previously to lay thefoundation stone at the opening of the College. I am glad onthis occasion to be able to lay the foundation stone of thisLower School, which will increase the College and, I hope,in every sense its usefulness."The Venerable Robinson Thornton, D.D., Archdeacon of

Middlesex, the first headmaster of the College, then askedthe blessing of God on the laying of the foundation stone, andMr. J. Lumsden Propert, son of the founder of the College,handed His Royal Highness the coins of the current

year, with a copy of the Times newspaper and an illuminatedscroll, which the Prince deposited underneath the stone.Sir Joseph Fayrer handed the silver trowel to the Prince,who proceeded to lay the stone, assistance being rendered bythe architects (Sir A. W. Blomfield, A.R.A., and Sons), bythe Clerk of the Works (Mr. J. R. Harding, A.I.C.E.), and bythe builder (Mr. J. Dorey). The ceremony was brought to aconclusion by the singing of the ° Old Hundredth" Psalm,and (in the unavoidable absence of the Bishop of Winchester,the Visitor of the College, owing to ill-health) the Lord’sPrayer was recited and the Benediction pronounced by theVenerable J. H. Sapte, Archdeacon of Surrey and Rector ofCranleigh.The band of the Artists’ Corps Rifle Volunteers, by the kind

permission of the Colonel commanding, Robert W. Edis,T.D, F.S.A., was in attendance and rendered a good pro-gramme.The Prince and Princess having visited the College library,

their Royal Highnesses and suite left amidst a volley of cheersby the South gate and drove to the Epsom Downs Station,where a guard of honour was again formed by the East SurreyVolunteers.The trowel with which the ceremony was performed was

constructed of silver with an ivory handle and bore thefollowing inscription : "Presented to His Royal Highness thePrince of Wales on the occasion of his laying the FoundationStone of the New Lower School, Royal Medical BenevolentCollege, Epsom. July 8th, 1895."The Royal Medical Benevolent College was first projected

in 1851 by the late John Propert ; the buildings at Epsomwere commenced in July, 1853 ; and on June 25th, 1855, theCollege was formally opened by H.R.R. the late PrinceConsort, accompanied by H.R H. the Prince of Wales.Since then large additions have been made from time totime, and they now provide ample accommodation for over200 boys, besides those who occupy the Headmaster’sboarding-house. The new Act obtained by the Council lastyear definitely opened the school to all classes, and it wasdecided to build a lower school.The new buildings consist of a new complete school for

100 boys ; an addition to the present chapel at the east end,which is to form the commencement of an entirely newchapel to replace the present one. The new schoolbuildings consist of a master’s house, including bed-rooms and sitting-rooms for five unmarried mastersand a common dining-room, six dormitories, five class-rooms, and all other necessary accommodation. Thebuilding will be warmed by the induction of fresh airwarmed by hot-water coils, the foill air being extracted byventilating shafts. Red brick is being used in the construc-tion of the buildings, with Bath stone quoins and dressings.The roofs will be covered with permanent green slates.Messrs. Dorey and Co. of Brentford are the builders, andMr. Harding of Epsom is clerk of the works. The total costof the new school will be 12,320, that of the addition to thechapel being 2525. Sir Arthur Bloomfield, A.R.A., andSons are the architects.

INAUGURATION OF NEW SANITARYWORKS AT PARIS.

(FROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)

THE Congress organised by the Society of SanitaryArchitects and Engineers of France was preceded by theinauguration of the aqueduct and the irrigation fields ofAcheres. At ten o’clock in the morning on July 7th themembers of the Congress had assembled on the new ironbridge which crosses the Seine from Colombes, on the

peninsula of Gennevilliers, where the first sewage farm was

established, to Argenteuil. Under the carriage-way of the:bridge are four large iron pipes, which receive the sewageraised by the pumps of Colombes. Here there are enginesof 1200 horse-power that raise 2 cubic metres of sewage persecond from the altitude of 24 metres to a point at

Argenteuil at an altitude of 60 metres. From this eleva--tion the sewage will be able to reach by gravitationthe most distant irrigation fields. On the bridgea handsome verandah had been erected, with a platformunderneath. The chair was occupied by M. Poubelle,Prefect of the Seine ; and by his side were M. Baudin,Vice-President of the Paris Municipal Council, andrepresentatives from the Ministers of the Interior, PublicWorks, and Agriculture. M. Poubelle delivered a veryeloquent speech, giving a retrospect of the sanitary worksaccomplished. He explained that the Paris main sewera,threw into the Seine 391, 000 cubic metres of sewage per day,or 143,000,000 cubic metres per annum, containing perannum about 10,000,000 kilogrammes of nitrogenous sub-btances which might be estimated at about 20,000,000 francs.Thus £800,COO worth of fertilising agents are lost annually.Three generations of engineers had sought to prevent thiswaste-Belgrand, Alphaud, Mille, Couche, and Durand. Claye,the latter being " the sincere and persuasive advocate of theprinciple now accepted: all to the sewer and nothing to the,river.’ In 1900 the peoples of the world who would come toParis to pacifically celebrate the advent of a new century willbe able to admire and marvel at the perfect health the Frenchcapital would then enjoy. They will study the harmoniousworking of its organisation and will see in its innumerablecanalisations the realisation for towns of the principles of thecirculation of the blood in the human body. Like arteries

reaching the utmost extremities, so will pure spring water’be brought by pipes to every house and every tenement.Then from every dwelliDg, drain-pipes and sewers, like veins,will bring the sewage to be revivified in the pores of theearth, and by the action of the plants which will derivetheir nutriment from the impurities of these waters. The

contemplators of this system will understand the loftycharacter of the lesson in natural philosophy that resultsfrom these phenomena. They will celebrate under a multi-plicity of forms and appearances the grand unity of science,and they will carry away with them the conviction that thestudy of life and its laws can prove as beneficent for a town’as for an individual, and that man is all the nearer to truthas he succeeds more and more in borrowing from nature its-processes and in faithfully conforming to its laws."i M. Baudin spoke of the desire of the Paris Municipalitynot to compromise the interests of the neighbouring districts,but, on the contrary, to enrich their agricultural resources.They would find that the advent of sewage in the arid plainsthat would now be put under cultivation would not only savethe Seine from pollution, but would enrich the suburbandistricts. After some more speeches the members of th&

Congress, whose presence greatly increased the imposingappearance of this function, went to Argenteuil, where amidday banquet had been prepared. This repast was, ofcourse, followed by the toasts suitable to the occasion. Thenthe members of the Congress went by train to Herblay andcrossed over the Seine to the 800 hectares of the plain ofAcheres which are to be fructified by the Paris sewage.They were able to see the first trenches made for the receptionof this sewage and to inaugurate its advent on the farm.On the following Monday morning the work of the Congress

commenced at the Palace of the Liberal Arts in the Champ,de Mars. On behalf of the Minister of the Interior the sittingwas presided over by M. Monod, Chief of the Sanitary Servicesof France, who in his opening speech paid a handsometribute to the fifteen representatives of the British Associa-tion of Sanitary Inspectors present at the Congress. On theprevious evening these gentlemen, together with the othermembers of the Congress, had been entertained at theMinistry of the Interior by M. Leygues, the Minister. Theband of the Republican Guard discoursed sweet music in theilluminated gardens of the Ministry, alternated by sirgingand recitations in-doors, given by some of the most cele-*brated performers from the Théâtre Frarçais and other Paristheatres.The Congress has been organised in a very practical

manner. Its official sittings are held from nine to half-pasteleven each morning, and two subjects only are set down fordiscussion. A reporter for each subject has been appointed,and his report, generally terminating in a series of reso-lutions, has been printed and circulated among the members.Thus all the members know what will be discussed

116 THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND.

and on what they will have to vote. In the afternoonthe subjects of discussion are left to the initiative of privatemembers, and then follow visits to sanitary services. Thuson Monday the Congress visited the disinfecting establish-ment of the Rue de E6 collets. This is one of the most

perfectly installed disinfecting stations in all Earope. Itwas fully described in THE LANCET during the course

of the recent cholera epidemic. On Tuesday afternoon theCongress visited the pneumatic drainage works of the Societe- de Saluhrité at Levallois-Perret. On Wednesday the Con-.gress will inspect the sewers, and on Thursday the publicalaughter-house.

Paris, July 9th. _______________

THE

CHANGES AND ALTERATIONS IN THECHARTERS AND BY-LAWS OF THEROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OFENGLAND SUGGESTED BY THE

ASSOCIATION OF FELLOWS.

THE deputation from the Association of Fellows which was received by a committee of the Council of the Royal Collegeof Surgeons of England on the 10Lh ult. was requested todraw up a p’J’écis of the reasons adduced in support of their’suggestions for the amendment of the charters and by-laws.This has been done, and the following is the paper which thedeputation has sent in, and which is now being carefully con-sidered by the committee of Council. Although we insertthe paper with pleasure we do not wish to be considered asendorsing editorially the various suggestions of the Associa-tion of Fellows, many of them being open to criticism fromour point of view.

1. That it shall be lawful for the Fellows in meeting- assembled to appoint an annual committee or other com-mittee to consider and report on subjects referred to themand to confer when necessary with the Council.

The concession of half-yearly meetings of Fellows already granted by the Council requires to be supplemented by powerbeing given to the Fellows to appoint a standing committee.No large body of men ever meet without the capability ofappointing a committee to thrash out and summarise subjectsand elaborate details. Moreover, it is desirable that such acommittee should be in.tra-mural and official, instead of thework of such a committee being left to voluntary and extra-mural associations or societies of Fellows. Such a committeewould (a) elicit and collect the opinions of the Fellows onsubjects of importance, and would (b) act as a medium ofcommunication between the Fellows and the Council. The Iduties of the committee, therefore, would be to consider allsubjects referred to them by the Council and by the Fellowsat the half-yearly meetings, and to report thereon, and to Iconfer, when necessary, with the Council. It appears to the IAssociation that the committee could be advantageously.organised as follows. The committee might consist of twenty-- four Fellows, twelve of whom should be elected from the Fellows resident in the London postal district, and twelve i

from the Fellows in the provinces. The election of thecommittee should take place annually at the July meeting ofthe Fellows by the Fellows present at the meeting. Thefirst committee should be elected at the next ensuing meetingof Fellows after the establishment of the committee, noticeof the election having been given in the agenda of that

meeting. Subsequent annual committees should be elected asfollows. Each candidate should be nominated by threeFellows, such nominations to be sent in to the annual com-mittee a month before the July meeting of the Fellows. Itwoald be the business of the annual committee to prepare alist of candidates so nominated, and the candidates wouldthen ’be balloted for at the July meeting. The twelvemetropolitan Fellows and the twelve provincial Fellows withthe highest number of votes respectively would be the sue-cessful candidates and constitute the annual committee forthe ensuing year. Five members of the committee shouldform a quorum. The committee would appoint its own chair-man. The meetings of the committee should be held inthe common room at the College. Regular meetings of thecommittee should be held as often as requisite, but notless than once in three months.

2. That some change be made in the mode of election ofthe President of the College in accordance with the voterecently given by the Fellows.At the recent poll of the Fellows upon this subject, out of

418 valid answers 268 voted in favour of election by theFellows of the College, either with or without nomination bythe Council, and 150 for the present method, thus showing amajority approaching to two-thirds in favour of a changebeing made in the mode of election of President. In view ofsuch voting it appears to be due to the Fellows that theCouncil should take this question into careful consideration.

3. That no alteration m the constitution or external rela-tions of the College shall be effected without the body cor.porate being convened to discuss such proposed alteration.1

This proposition has always been regarded by the Associa.tion as a fundamental principle, and as an almost self-evidentconstitutional axiom. Although this principle has never beenseriously contested it has only been partially acted upon bythe Council. It is, however, so vital to the well-being of theCollege that the Association feels it to be essential that itshould be incorporated in a new Charter.

4. That the system of substitute members of council beabolished.The Association is of opinion that all the members of the

Council should be upon an equal footing in regard to theirterm of service, and that the apparent advantage to the con-stituency of the additional elections occasioned by theadoption of the system is outweighed by the inconvenienceand possible hardship to the individual members of theCouncil elected as substitute members. If the more frequentelections are considered by the Council as an advantage,such advantage would be gained better by sbortening theterm of office of councillors to six years. It has beenobjected that the system of substitute members is necessaryfor the satisfactory technical working of the elections, butif the Charter was amended so as to give each electedmember of the Council an eight-year term of office instead ofcompelling three members of the Council to retire annuallythere would be no difficulty. One year there might be moreand another fewer vacancies, as, indeed, is the case at

present more or less, but all the members of the Councilwould be on that footing of equality which is the object ofthe suggestion.

5. That members of the Council shall not be eligible forre-election after serving for two full periods of eight years.

It is felt by the Association that a period of sixteen years’service on the Council is ample from the point of view of the

interests of the College, despite the fact that this period hasbeen exceeded at present only in a limited number ofinstances.

6. That the Council shall have power to increase thenumber of the members of the Court of Examiners from ten,as now limited, to any number not exceeding twenty.

It is to be noted that the insertion of such a provision ina new Charter would not render an increase of the numberof examiners compulsory upon the Council, but would allowthe Council to appoint additional examiners if the necessityfor an increase should arise, as it may do at any time.At present the work of members ef the Court of Examinersis at least as exacting as they can discharge with advantageto the College and the candidates, and it cannot be expectedthat overworked examiners should discharge their dutiessatisfactorily. It would seem, therefore, obviously for theinterest of the College that the Council should have powerto increase the number of examiners, and such an increasemight be of service either with a view to a fairer divisionof labour than now exists to admit of the appointment ofexaminers in special branches or for a more comprehensiverepresentation of schools.

7 That members of the Court of Examiners of the RoyalCollege of Surgeons of England shall be elected annually andthat no member of the Court shall hold office for more thanfive consecutive years, and that at the expiration of this termhe shall not be again eligible until after a period of two yearshas elapsed.Under the present Charters a member of the Court of

Examiners holds office for five consecutive years and is im-

mediately re-eligible on the expiration of that term. This

regulation is at variance with the general rules observed at

1 In the original document sent to the secretary of the College the words "without the consent of the body corporate convened to discuss

such alterations "were used owing to the transcription by mistake of anearlier form of a resolution passed at one of the general meetings at theCollege.