1895 was 61,226 (which includes 8,912 families), being an increase of 6,506 as compared with 1894. The first quarter of 1896 shows a considerable increase compared with the same period of 1895. The arrivals, which exclusively consisted of European immigrants have numbered for the quarter 17,949, against 10,337 in 1894, being an increase of 7,612, or 74 per cent. The influx of passengers and foreign immigrants has also been in excess of that of last year, as during the first quarter 34,150 were landed as against 13,341 at the same period of last year, showing an increase of 156 per cent. The great proportion of the immigrants are Italians and Spaniards.

The Argentine sanitary laws and regulations are put in force by both the Government and Municipal Authorities for the preservation of the health of the people; and these measures together with the fine climate and abundant space for all comers, keeps the Republic fairly free from pestilential or epidemic diseases. There have of course, been epidemics of yellow-fever and cholera, resulting in a great number of deaths, but they were the result of importations into the country, and led to the Government establishing stringent quarantine regulations as stated in a paper submitted to the Congress at Liverpool in 1894 by Mr. Hansen, Consul for Argentina. Under Government and municipal auspices there have been established hospitals of all kinds in Buenos Aires-hospitals for women, clinical hospitals, hospitals for women and children, maternity hospitals, hospitals for chronic diseases, isolation houses, hospitals for invalids, &c., and there are also French, German, Italian, Spanish, and English Hospitals. There are training institutions for nurses and health officials, conducted under the public authorities.

The Capital. Numbers of Deaths Yearly.

Situate upon the River La Plata, one of the finest rivers in America, Buenos Aires holds commanding position for commercial purposes. At the beginning of the century it had a population of about 30,000, and it had increased to between 80,000 and 100,000 about twenty years ago; whilst now, owing to the enormous influx of people from all parts of the world, the population of the city and its suburbs is about 700,000, with the prospect of a still more rapid increase in the future.

The number of deaths in the past eight years has been as follows: 12,367 in 1888; 14,736 in 1889; 16,417 in 1890; 13,014 in 1891; 13,014 in 1892; 13,000 in 1893; 13,402 in 1894; and 14,947 in 1895. It will be observed that though the population has been rapidly increasing in the last seven or eight years, the deaths have not increased in equal ratio.

The return of deaths from endemic diseases during 1895 is as

A comparison of the above return with those of the previous seven years shows that the deaths from fevers, diphtheria, and small-pox, have steadily decreased, and that "influenza" did not make its appearance until 1892-at least no cases are recorded under this head before that year.

The statistics of infantile mortality (under 2 years of age) are startling, as the following return for 1895 will show: Atresia, 442 deaths; bronchitis, 332; bronchial pneumonia, 603; croup and diphtheria, 100; and general debility, 321; gastro-enteritis, 670; meningitis, 692; pneumonia, 366; infantile tetanus, 228; small-pox, 76; and other diseases make up a total of 5418 deaths of children under 2 years in 1895.

Deducting the 5,418 children under 2 years of age from the death returns leaves 9,529 as the total deaths above that age last year in a population of nearly 700,000.

The National Board of Health. Its Regulations.

As already stated, there is a National Board of Health for the regulation of all matters connected with health and sanitation, under whose direction the municipal authorities put in force the law. The Board of Health is divided into two departments-one the administrative and the other the scientific. There is a central school for the training of male and female nurses, and hospitals are provided for infectious diseases, and are maintained chiefly out of public funds. All cases of infectious diseases must be notified to the public officials, and, whenever possible, the patients are removed to hospitals by a trained staff of officials. In cases where removal to a hospital is not possible, the doctor is authorised to order the isolation of the house in which the disease occurs, and the sending away of all persons whose attendance is not absolutely necessary for

the patient. Printed directions are issued for disinfecting the house and its contents. No clothing of any description is allowed to be removed before being washed in a strong disinfecting fluid, and then must be taken and put into the disinfecting apparatus provided by the authorities. All officials when employed on disinfecting work must wear special clothes, which are carried in a bag to the house and there put on, and when the work is completed, the hands and other parts of the body not protected by the special clothing must be thoroughly washed first with soap and water, and then in an alcoholic preparation mixed with bichloride of mercury diluted to a proper strength. Articles in the house must be washed and then taken to the fumigating apparatus at the hospital. The floors, walls, ceilings, have to be carefully swept and washed, and the entire house fumigated, and twenty-four hours afterwards it is reopened and free ventilation allowed for eight days, after which it may be re-occupied. The regulations are stringent, and, if thoroughly carried out, ought to ensure the country against the spread of infectious diseases.

Sources of Water Supply.

Argentina is well watered by its great rivers, the Uruguay, Paraguay, Parana, Rio Negro, Plato, Colorado, Chubut, &c., with their many affluents, all flowing from the high mountains on the western boundary of the country into the Atlantic, and from these rivers is chiefly drawn the water supply of the country, apart from the rain water.

Sir CHARLES CAMERON (Dublin) said that they could not separate that day without passing a vote of thanks to Professor Corfield for the manner in which he had presided over this Section of the Institute, and he rose to discharge that duty in no perfunctory manner. From his long friendship with the President, and from an intimate knowledge of the valuable contributions which he had made to sanitary science, and the great interest he had taken in promoting sanitation, he had the greatest pleasure in moving that the warmest thanks be given to the President for the admirable way in which he had presided over their deliberations.

Dr. ALFRED HILL (Birmingham) very heartily endorsed the commendatory remarks of Sir Charles Cameron in proposing that resolution. Dr. Corfield was a distinguished worker in the domain of sanitary science, and he was glad to have seen him in the position

he had taken at this meeting of the Institute, and he had great pleasure in seconding Sir Charles Cameron's resolution.

The resolution was carried with hearty applause.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE SECTION (Professor Corfield) said he was exceedingly obliged to his old friends Sir Charles Cameron and Dr. Hill for the very kind way in which they had proposed and seconded the resolution. He could only say that he had tried to do his duty, and if they thought he had done it, that was sufficient satisfaction to him. However they must not part without according a vote of thanks to the Secretaries, for to the Secretaries was due a great deal indeed of the successful carrying out of the business of the Section. Secretaries he thought had more to do with the success of the Sections than any one else. Dr. Sykes, Dr. Scurfield, and Dr. Beatley had been no exception to the rule, and he proposed that a hearty vote of thanks be accorded to these gentlemen. The resolution was cordially agreed to.

SECTION II.

ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE.

PAPERS AND DISCUSSIONS.

"The Treatment of Sewage by Chemicals in Perfect Solution," by HERBERT HENRY LAW, Assoc.M.Inst.C.E., F.R.Met. Soc.

(MEMBER.)

IT has been long known to chemists that to ensure the most rapid and complete chemical reaction substances should be presented to each other in a perfect state of solution.

In the case, however, of the treatment of sewage by means of chemical reagents it is only recently that an endeavour has been made to carry out this principle in practice.

Lime is one of the substances most generally used for the treatment of sewage, and owing probably to its requiring seven hundred times its weight of water to perfectly dissolve it, it has been customary to add to the lime only sufficient water to form a thin paste, known as "cream of lime."

The disadvantages attending this mode of dealing with the lime, however, are manifold, namely:

First. The lime, after being burnt, always contains foreign substances and portions imperfectly burnt, which are perfectly inert as far as chemical action on the sewage is concerned, and which are simply deposited with the sludge and add to its bulk.

Secondly. The consistency of the "cream of lime" is constantly varying, so that it requires the continuous attention of an attendant to endeavour as far as possible to regulate the quantity added to the sewage from time to time, but even with the best attention it is quite impossible to determine the actual quantity of lime being added at any given moment; sometimes it will be in excess of that required and sometimes the quantity added will be insufficient.

Thirdly. Owing to both the sewage and the cream of lime being more or less viscid the mixture between them is very imperfect, and it is certain that after even considerable trouble has been taken by agitation to promote a thorough admixture, much of the sewage will escape without having been brought into sufficiently intimate contact with the lime to produce any chemical reaction upon it.