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another, and that it would be sufficient almost for ever. It was not long before they found they had made a great mistake, because when a spring was tapped and its flow increased it soon began to run itself dry. The Commissioners’ experience was very slight; and they built a smaller tank to catch the water at a lower level. They caught more water, but not enough. Next, the town authorities went to Ecclesbourne valley, and the same thing happened there. The greater facility that was given to the water to run away the quicker it was all drawn off. The spring at the back of the Gas Works was taken, and that was certainly the most powerful in the town; but even that had partially failed; and if the boring had not yielded a large quantity there would still have been a great deficiency. After all these trials he thought the time had come when they must try elsewhere to provide for their wants. From the geological formation and strata of the district he thought they had no chance of obtaining a reliable supply within their own area. It must be recollected that whenever they sank into the ground a little way below the sandstone strata they came upon the wealden formation, which was perfectly impervious to water. In a different or inland position that formation might have done them good service in collecting water from the rainfall, but here it would not retain it for this reason – the action of the tides had cut away the face of the cliff, and thus allowed the water to run away from the receptacles or chasms in the sandstone, the consequence of which was that all that had been stored by the provisions of nature was used up, and although they sank lower and lower, the water-shed of the whole country round was exhausted and the springs were dry. His Worship then proceeded and referred to the recent visit of Mr. Barlow, who, he said had come at the request of the Board and had received very narrow instructions. Mr. Barlow was merely to report on Mr. Clark’s works, and on the practicability of making them join with those of the Board. He was not satisfied with the supply they had at their command, and he therefore went beyond the range of their own hills to seeks a source for an enlarged supply; and it was his (the May-