APPENDIX H. A.NA.LYSES OF MUNDIC, AND REPORTS THEREON .. St. Kilda, 7th January, 1863. DEAR SIR, I beg to hand you a short progress report on the "Mundie" submitted by yourself for analysis, considering it desirable to put you in possession of what is doubtless important information. In addition to its other constituents, I have to inform you that 100 parts of the mundic yield not les8 than 22 parts of sulphuret of arsenic, an amount equal to the same weight of common white arsenic ofJhe shops, and of course poisonous in the extreme. The fumes of a furnace burning auch mundic must be not simply deleterious but dead~1J, yielding as it does fully one-fifth of its weight of solid poison, which must condense and be carried by winds in varions directions as dust. I am, yours truly, WM. JOHNSON. The Secretary of the Central Board of Health.

St. Rilda, 12th Janu!try, 1863. SIR, . I have th.e .honor to hand you my cQ~cludin~ rePc:rt upon the .mundic from COl'~ish :Unit~d Clann. In addition to the sulphuret of arSClllC mentlOned III my last, thlS substance contams Iron m several forms, viz.: peroxide, magnetic oxide, and 8ulphuret, the latter in small proportion. Traces of gold were also detected in fifty grains of the stuff, the quantity operated upon at one time. The following represents the proportion of the several ing, elients and minutely defines the exaet character of the arsenic-sulphuret of which there are several varieties known to chemists, containing very different proportions of the metal arsenic. , One hundred parts of'the mundic contain as follow:- (Bisulphuret of Arsenic (known as 5~riehie (metal)... 15'42 "Realgar") ,.. .,...... ~ u P Ul' ••• ... 6'58 22'0 Fixed I { Combined with oxygen as magnetic oxide and Ingredients j ron) peroxide, and very partially also with 'estimated. (pure sulphur as pyrites ...... '" .. . S~lica (quartz) ...... • .. . Lime ...... Gold .. . traces Volatile lOxygen combined with iron products, not 1Sulphur do. do. separately Carbonic acid and lime ... estimated. Water and loss... '"

100' The main point as to the general safety, or otherwise, attendant upon the roasting of this substance appears' to depend chiefly on two conditions, viz., 1st, how far the sulphuret may be ,converted from a comparatively innocuous (because insoluble) substance, into a very active (because soluble) poison, namely, arsenious acid, or the common white arsenic of the shops; 2nd, how far condensation may be effected in the immediate neighborhood of the kiln, without undergoing serious dispersion from wind and rain. . With regard to the first, I find from experiment that when roasted with free access of air part of the snlphuret of arsenic contained in the mundic becomes oxidised, and arsenious acid is produced freely, but that in close chambers the whole of the sulphuret or nearly so is deposited upon the sides where at all eool, in an urichanged arid solid condition. Witli regard to the second point, I have to observe that both the sulphurets and oxides of arsenic are after sublimation very easily condensed, and prone to fall upon the nearest body' (the temperature of which is sufficiently low) attaching themselves to it with considerable tenacity. I think, therefore, that should it be deemed necessary for the publie health, that anyrestridive measures be enforced upon the method of roasting, that very simple and efficacious contrivances may be devised, foi condensing these Bubstances, and of even recovering them in 'such a form as to be available for marketable purposes. , In conclusiOIl, I may further suggest the desirability of inspecting the different sites of th,ese kilns, and of seleoting from around samples of the waters of the neighbourhood, &0., to see hqw far these may have become pra!ltically affect by the grievance complained of. . I have the honor to remain, your obedient servant, WM. JOHNSON. ~alytical Chemist. The Secretary of the Central Board of Health, Melbourne.

Plank Road, Ballaarat, 10th February, 1863. SIR, I have the honor of transmitting, in accordance with the request of the Central Board of Health, the result of my analysis of the mundic of the Wellingtonia Gigantea Quartz Mining Company at Ballaarat. I did not conclude that analysis so soon as I expected. The following is the result :- Iron (pure) ... 4,2 Sulphur ... ' .. , 25 Arsenicum (metal arsenic) ... 24 Loss ... 9 100 47

It will be seen that there is a considerable difference between the result of' my analysis and DltTerenee with other tluit 'of Mr. Johnson; that gentleman evidently took the sample of tailings as forwarded, whereas I analyst. endeavoured to isolate the mundic as perfectly as possible. I give the result of my analysis as approx:imating to the truth, and not as absolutely correct; and a more rigidly careful analysis might fix: the relative proportion of substances at a little difference to those I give. The pyrites form a somewhat complex: substance, they cannot, I think, be considered a Composition of pyrites. sulphide of arsenic combined with a bisulphide of iron, as Mr. Johnson believes, but I believe them to be a combination of arseniuret, or perhaps more correctly biarseniuret of iron, and bisulphide cf iron, (Fe As2, Fe S2); theoretically, the relative proportions of the ultimate elements of which they are composed point exactly to that combination. The production of sulphuret of arsenic, when the pyrites are heated in closed vessels, is to be accounted for by the readiness with which arsenicum and sulphur unite when oxygen is not present. But, whatever may be the relations in which the ultimate Arsenical compounds the elements repose combined in the crystals of mundic when sufficient heat is applied, that substance result of burning. is decomposed, and It sulphuret of arsenic and arsenious acid are formed, the one or the other preponderating acc(lrding to circumstances, that is, the presence or absence of oxygen, and the presence or absence of any substance burned with the pyrites which would attract the sulphur. One. half of the whole of the sulphur would be retained by the iron in the composition of Comparative !lttle sulphur. slflphuret of iron, and such a large quantity of metal arsenic would take up a considerable portion ous acid gas produced. to form sulphuret of arsenic, while, "(lrobably, much of the sulphur liberated from the bisulphide of iron would'be taken up by the iron lIberated by the decomposition of the arseniuret of iron. Com. paratively little sulphurous acid gas would thus, according to theory, be given off in the ordinary furuace burning, and this agrees with such observation of facts as I have been able to make on the burning at Ballaarat. Reverting to the arsenical productions of burning, it will be seen that there would be produced Quantity of arsenical pro­ about 800 Ibs. of 8ulphuret of arsenic or arsenious acid from every ton of pure mundie. But there is a ducUons. good deal of economical difficulty in the way of separating the mundie from the quartz, and it would usually, probably, be burned with a very large proportion of sand, perhaps generally with half or two· thirds sand; but taking the stuff carried to the burning house as half mundie, the arsenical productions would be upwards of 4001bs. to the ton. In consequence of the great heat reqnired to keep the arsenical compounds in a sublimed Mode or pl'1lventing the escape of arsenlcal oom~ condition, as Mr. Johns<\n has already stated, they may be easily condensed, and an underground pound!! Into the atmos· flue being provided of about one hundred and fifty feet long, it would seem that no arsenic would phere. escape into the atmosphere, the greatest amount of arsenical deposit being said by Dr. Ure to be made at fifteen yards, or forty-five feet from the furnace. If this remedy should seem adequate, I should be greatly obliged if the Board would communicate its opinion to me. I have the honor to be, Sir, your most obedient servant, ROBERT BELL. To Fredk. W. Thomas, Esq., Secretary to the Central Board of Health, Victoria Buildings, Collins.street, Melbourne.

APPENDIX I. SUPERINTENDING INSPECTOR'S REPORTS. Amherst Creswick Malmesbury Ararat Daylesford Maryborough Avoca Dunolly Moonambel Ballaarat Geelong Rutherglen Ballaarat East Newton and Chilwell Sahdhurst Beechworth South Barwon :Eaglehawk Bunin.yong Gisborue Slllythesdale Carisbrook Heathcote St. Arnaud Castlemaine Inglewood Taradale Chewton Kilmore Williamstown Chiltern Kyneton Woodend. Clunes Maldon

AMHERST. 9th October, 1862. The district is stated to be in healthy condition. A~ the east end. of the township of Amherst a few additional buildings of brick have been ere?ted for c?tt~ge reSIdences duriug the current year, and. at Talbot several wooden buildings of varIOus descrlptlOns have been erected on the flat at the west Side of this township. Some of the more recent buildings in the business portion of Talbot are of brick, but the majority are either of wood or iron. At Amherst most of the buildings are of wood. I have in former reports described the relative positions of the two townships of Amherst and Talbot, which, though two to three miles apart, form but portions of the original municipality of Amherst. . There is no regular service of scavenging, nor .,,:oul~ such labor be of mueh avail under existing Clrcumstan~es; the water tabl~s throughout the ~umClpal~ty are a~ present. of mere earth formation, the only pitched channels belllg at three erosSlllgs at llltersectlOns of dIfferent streets in Talbot. Although the pitching of the respective water tables in both the towns is much to be desired the ?pening up the .thoroug?fare~, t? facilitate genernl traffic, h~s been considered of more pre;sing Impor~nce; b~sIdes wh]()~, It 18 to be o~served, that havlllg prosecuted public works rather extensIvely d~rmg the prevIOUS year, the avaIlable funds for the current year have been but limited. Exceptmg here and there, where the earth water tables from their worn condition do not readily free thcmselves from drainage, the more public thoroughfares are in tolerably cleanly 48

'?ondition. but t~e minor thor::mghfaree, or rights-of.way, in. severat spots req1l:ire conside,rable lIIlprovement, whICh the Co~ncll: hav~ called upon the r~spectI,ve owners of ab~ttlIig propertH'ls to effect; but the three months notice given them to accomphsh tIllS has not yet expired. , . The public w.orks ref~rred to in my previous report h.a;,e materially i~proved the general drainage of Talbot, though m one Instance, the result there anticipated respectmg the catch water drain at rear of the east side of Scandinavian Crescent has been fully realised, the drain having become a foul' ditch, containing every conceivable matter of offence. To obviatc this evil, the Council contemplate cutting another catch water drain farther back from habitations and filling up the present one. I understand that a site for manure depot, one acre in extent, and situated just within the south-eaBtern boundary of the town, was granted six: or eight months ago, but no indicators have been provideJ to dircct the public to the spot, nor have any deposits yPt been made there. '. }>rivy cesspits are. almost, i~ ,not invariably, m.e:e holes dug in the ground; I: however, met With only three -VISible nUIsances arlsmg from the conditIOn of these places. One premises, a lodging- house, ,":<18 unprovided with privy accommodation. . It appears that several privies have been placed on the line of back thoroughfares in Talbot, and will on that account have to be removed; and the Council hope in these cases in particular to be able to indnce the r~spective individuals to adopt one or other of thc anangements recommended by the Central Board of HealLh. . . There is no nightman here, so that when, persons are called upon to empty their privies they .\lave to manage as best they can. The practise of permitting h,rge quantities of manure to accumulate at rear of hotels and' other premises has. through tLle agency of the local inspector, been discontinued, manure being now turned to account on adjacent lands under cultivation. . , Butchers (of whom there are three in Amherst and four in Talbot) have been liccnsed since Februar.V last; they were previously required to fitly prepare their premises. The plan 'adopted for floors of killing places is, with one exception, a modification of that recommended by the Central Board of Health, In the exceptional cas!', the floor has been, covered with sheets of iron, which' havjng here and there worn into holes, allows blood alld other offensive matter to lodge beneath. .. There is- no prohibition to the keeping of swine, and not'l'ithstanding that the places where they are kept have been generally improved, it occurs in only one instance thut I have passed them without noting that a positive nuisance is occasioned by the presence (If these animals. ' , The office of inspector of nuisances is filled by a police constable, whose painstaking exertions have been attended with steady and satisfactol'y results. There is now but one'lodging-house within the municipality, in it Bufficicnt space, &c., is afforded. Pllblic-houses usually provide that accommodation which in former times was sought at lodging-honses. " The Lodging-house Act" has not yet been recogilised by the Council. • The public water supply for Amherst is from old holes originally sunk by miners close to the town, and for Talbot from wells sunk along the margin of the oreek on the wes(; side of this town. The proposed scheme referred to in my last report, to form a company who should introduce a supply of water from Mount Greenock, two miles south of the. town, has not met with support, since which the Council have petitioned Government on the subject. Th.e plans submitted to Government have, I am told, been appro\'ed and likely to receive favorable consideration, but the Council have been informed that no funds are available for this year to carry out the project. ' Daisy Hill CreeJ{, at Amherst, and Back Creek, at Talbot, are the natural and ready outlets for drainage of these resper-tive places. . At Amherst, a cricket has been secured for some years, and at Talbot reserves have been lately secured for park and public gardens, seventy-five acres in extent; cricket ground: six acres, and market place, nearly three acres; but, beyond the partial clearing of the cricket ground, no improvements have been yet effected. There is no bathiug.place available for the inhabitants of the district. The General Cemetery is situated about midway between Amherst and Back Creek; seventeen acres of it is enclosed with paling fence, the further portion of ten acres, subsequently granted, has not yet been enclosed, owing to the low state of funds in the hands of the trustees; and beyond repairing portions of the fence which were carried away last winter h] the flooding of·a creek which passes through the cemetery, bu~ little appears to have been done to improve thc grounds. The sexton resides in a tent, erected at his own expense, at the entrance of the cemetery. The old burial ground at Amherst has been closed for several years. J. N. HASSALTJ, Superintending Inspector.

ARARAT. 19 September, 1862. ·Besides the maintenance of works previously completed by the Council, the following have been effected l1} them during the past year, viz. :-Kerbing with bluestone, and permallently fo;-ming and gravel,ing. the footpath on the 'eastside of Ingor street, opposite the Camp !'eserve, for a distance or four .chain~; kerbing footpath on the ·South side of Darkly stl'ect, opposite the ,Market reserve, for a' distll-nce of tell chains; and, simultaneously providing water tables, which, however, are' of mere earth form!l!~ion, but which, on account of the solid Ilature of the ground here, answer well their requirements for the time being; fonnation of eight and a-half chains of roadway, and construction of bluBstone culyert at the southern boundary of municipality, to connect the Port,Fairy government 'road with the old main street of the township. ,- . ." , The right-of-way at the rear of the north side of Barldy street, which has been specially referred to'in my,former reports, on account of its very offensive condition; has been, by the Council, perma­ ne,ntly formed, and gravelled, and channelled on one side with blueston!', for alength of six chains, where it 18 i,lltercepted by another right:of~way, running at right angles, whicli the Council have likewise fo.r;med, lind gravelled, and channelled Oll one side, for a discance of two cbains. :These two last mentioned works are essential sanitary, benefits to the town. . ", ,At .the rear of Barkly street, on the south side, where by the practices of the public a manure depot appeared ,to have got established, the ground bas been sold, and in many instances enclosed, and converted into gardens, thereby.removing the greater portion of the nuisances whieh forinerly existed here. . • 49

The cleansi~g of public thoroughfares is occasionally attended to by men hired by the Council, but the favored position of the town, assisted by rain-falls, usually suffice for this purpose. I have, howeve:t:, to note, that the recently pitched channel, at rear of Barkly street, 'requires better scavengmg. ' The Serjeant of Police here still holds the office of Inspector of Nuisances. Butchers have not been licensed for the last twelvemonths, owing, I am informed, to there being no bye-law here for the management of these establishments: there are now but three of these trades­ men iu Ararat. The killing places of two are well pitched; but the practice of boilin" tripe, &e., on their premises was a nuisance complained of to me during my inspection of the town. The keeping of swine in one of these places is another source of offence, owing to drainage from the piggery running out into the public right-of-way at rear. Again, the parties last referred to occupy an allotment of land the opposite side of the right-of-way, where manure is deposited, and upon which I observed that the offal from slaughtering was cast. The premises of the third butcher are wanting general attention. The killing place is roughly covered, partly with bricks, and partly with slabs; it is in a dirty state, as is the whole o(his vard: this place is also deficient of privy accommodation. At two of the hotels here'I noted that the privies were full, and at one of them a two-fold nuisance occasioned by the keeping of swine, the drainage from the stye first running into a large hole abutting the footpath of High street, and from thence partially escaping along the footpath. Judging from the accumulations of manure on various premises in thc town, it would appear that very little, if any, use was made of the manure depot. At present there is no lodging-house there, the one that was in existence on my last visit has since been converted into !L mechanics' institute. During the past year a two-storied bluestone building has been erected within the Camp reServe for the post-office; a neat brick cottage within the Hospital reserve for the accommodation of the resident snrgeon, and three wooden buildings in Barkly street for a store and shops. , The municipal dam or reservoir at the rear of the .Market reserve has recently been cleaned out bv,the Council, and its embankment repaired. The water collected in it is, however, never likely to be fit for culinary purposes,' on account of deterioration, through passing over ground dug over by miners. The temporary structure erected upon it to accommodate bathers a summer or two ago, is now in a dilapidated state, and will probably be removed altogether; the dam having become too public a place for bathing in with decency. 'l'here is another reserVOlr immediately outside .the south-west boundary of the township, which was constructed by Government about eighteen months ago; it has since been cleared of dead timber, &c., and the laying down bitumenised pipes for about a mile in length to conduct the water from it into the towu, near to the Market sqnare, is nearly completed; bnt at present the water is too discolored to be used for ordinary purposes, and hence the public supply, at least for culinary purposes, is still procured from the river Hopkins. Nothing has yet been done towards improving the reserve for public gardens; but £100 has been rece'ntly granted to the Council to fence it in. A supply of plants and seeds have been furnished by Dr. Mueller for the gardens, which are being taken care of by the District Surveyor, who has obligingly converted the half-acre reserve attached to the Survey Office into a nnrsery for the same. The old burial ground is still used; the government grant referred to in my last report was at that time below the amount required to enable the trustees to complete the fencing of the new cemetery, they have however just accepted a tender for this work. The manure depOt is situate north, and about three-quarters of a mile distant from town. 'l'here is one licensed nightman h~re. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

AVOOA. September 24th, 1862. Since my last visit to Avoca the Oouncil have .fo·rmed the entire width of the :lfain street on its permanent l?vel from Bridport street northwards for a distance of sixteen chains. Footpaths, kerbed yvith 12 x 3-mch planks, have also been formed and gravelled for the like distance on either side the street, and earth water tal)les simnltaneously provided. South of Bridport street, about twelve yards in w!dth of the Mai~ Street, for a ~istance of six chains, have been reduced to the permanent level and partIally metalled WIth quartz by Government. ' '1'he pnblic thoroughfares here are free from refuse deposits or stagnant drainage. There are now three butchers in A voea; they have been licensed for the last four or five months; before .getting !heir licen.ses they were called upon to improve the condition of their killing places, bnt Just at that hme no brlCks could be procUl'ed, so the temporarv expedient of corrugated galvanised lIon was resorted to. In reference to the use of this material,"I would remark that, had heavy guage iron been provided, instead of the very thin c:r light $liage u~ed,. it might have withstood rough usage, and have been easl,ly kept clean, bnt then it WOuld be objectionable on ~ccount of its slippery surface, placing men in constant danger of slipping. and wounding themselves whilst engafjed slaughte~ng. AJ;ea~y some of these ir~n floors have got out of trim, and will soon leave the killing places qUlte as obJectJOnable as before thIS was done. . In my report for last year I specially referred to the condition of the premises of one of the butch?rs here, and .of ~he nlllsance he created by boiling down st~nkin.g .meat, &c., for pig food; he has smce moved hIS pIgs farther off to an allotment at rear of hIS orlgmal premises, and has been compelled by. the Oo,!!ncil to discontinue the offence .of boiling ~own stinking meat here. I notice that from a nelghbourmg butcher who keeps a dozen pIgS, the drallage from his piggel'Y, after passing down his yard, escapes through a box drain underneath the footpath into the water table of the Main street. An ordinary police constable still holds the office of Inspect()r of Nuisances, but, as noted in a former report, is not allowed sufficient scope for action. There are no lodging houses in Avoca. On m! last visit her~ I noted a very objectionable arr:anlSement fo; disposal of cesspool matter ~rolll the ~nvy !If the TImon I,Iotei, Mam street, Some bUlldmg operatIons were then going forward 10 cor~nectJOn wl~h those premIses, and I was assured that the defe~tive :£Irivy ~rrangement would be remedIed forthWIth. I find, however, that the same state of affmrs still e:usts, viz., that the only No.9,m. 50 cesspool is a shallow open space immediately' behind ~he privy with a con~~nuation channel down the adjacent garden ground, the· liq~id.matterrunrung down:,thel'cliannel,l the;~sdli~';beiifg:'occasionally spread about the garden. . ''; , ',' , ... '" '1 ... ,',' '" " , " 'Th,e ,u.sual mode adopted, wit~ cesspools of' recent '.construction; has been to'slab'and;- pudffi:c them, wInch IS equal to the plan of USlDg casks, as recommended by the Central Board of Health. ' 'I'here is no prohibition to the keeping of swine in, tIle' town\" ", !,< ~ , ,;!' :,' ,; , ~.,:~.'The, Municipal1Baths constructed here about three ,years ago"are' at ·present leased for the sum of ,£20 ~er imnu;n; the'small.population of Avo.c~'rlmderg\tliiS a: ratner ~nproductive uildertakin15!" '.' .. ,,'lh? . publIc water supply from the JliIunicipal, Well contmues' te aiford an ample quantIty of good .quahtywater. " .\ ',.. ,'. ' ,'1. No sites have been secured here ,for either a park or 'public' giirdenres'erve." ," '. No, further i~provement~ ,have been eifected at 'the Cemetery" durir:g the p~st year. It is, however, ITl'Very creditable coudltIOn. ,.,. ",', . " , !. The Manure Depot, as noted in former reports, is seldom if ever us'ed, ,I aminforine'd' that there is a good demand for all kinds of manure for cultivated ground in'the district.. '" " H' ',. , J. N. HASSALL, Superintendin% Inspector.

":.,' BALLA.ARA.T. 6th September, 1862. ',The opening of the railway to'; Ba1laarat has evidently operated as a stimulus ·'to building enterprise. One of the' principal hotels in the town 'has been very considerably enlarged by the addition of a new wing, and what is intended to form the'centre of-the new edifice, when completed. It is, so far, a noble structure, having internal arrangements to correspond. '. At the 'other'principal hotel adq,itional accommodation has been provided; it has also undergorie considerable improvement. Other ho~els·have been recently erected, as ~ell as stores, shops, and' dwellings; the hi.tter description of buildings having particularly increased on'Soldiers Hill, which, from its elevated'position, 'combined with th? plcasant prospect from a large portion' of,the locality and'proximity to the',railway; has 'secured for it a large share of patronage for private residences, ' , " , " . , , ,The approach to the railway station ill Lydiard street has "becna work of no small henMit to this part of the town, not only for its utility for purposes of traffic, but facilitating the drainage of the immediatelocality. It necessitated ·the' constrnction of:a culvert on the'Knarr Creek;which has been substantiallv built of bluesto,ne, at the cost of the 'Council; whilst ,the' expense of filling lip the original hollow, at this spot was borne by Government. A.' little distance' westward' of th' their' killing places are now invariably pitched, and on inspection'I found theni;'iv,ith but two ex:ceptions, in: a cleanly 'state,' Of other .arrangements connected with their premises, I noted that Seventee'u of. themkep't swine. , . , , " ';·'l'en had their privies full, ,. " , ' " ':.' : , 'One unprovide4 witli privy accommod~tion." . , "', t, Three'had accun:ru13:Li~~ of ~~nul:~·~in their yards~ I .' ' I. !;',. . 'One', yard (in, that"portion' near the 'killing 'pla:ce) 'smells very' badly, appal'ently from I' '., bloo~, &c.;~a:vin~ satu,rat~d the'low lying sJ?'ot. ' '. .' ' ': ::' " " .".!t,OM '(belllg tlie placeabov',e referred to as'havmg n'O prevy accommoaatlOn), the killing "d" , • '.' place, and piggery ~n foul:s,tate; and an accumulation'of ,tell ortw.eh:~ Xoadso,f ~a~ure .:; .. ' iIi' yard. On' 'prevIOus VISIts I have ha,d to 'note the generally ,pffer;'s!v? I,~ondlbon of , . these premises. ,,' , ' .' '."," , ':: ,'rJ9dging,~'6use~ ~?-ye in,creas'ed',~roni ~even to"tliirteen'during,the la!Jt year .. Theregulatiollil adppted sOl'.\le tmie SIllce by the, CounCIl have not, h?'Y,!ver, been yete~f~rced. ,The hpuses are !lot registered; but the Inspector informs nw that he occaSIonally pays ~h~m a VlSlt. -4-s reg~rds,the sleepl~g aecommodatlon provided" I find that in five houses tl,lesp;-tc~;allowe~ is about. corr~ct, III .four there,l,s an'~icess of one,third and in the other four double,that the regulatiOllS adullt; moreover,.the want of p'roper'ventilation; and in'some instanc;lS' of light, also render a portion of these'places unfit fqr their

present usc. , :~' " .'.'; , . .-' " ,t,,-. -h' ... : j ,.;. ~., 't ."'" '01:' • " " '" ~~ In"some 'of the lodging-houses 'sleeping apal)tments, ar~ eonstr,ucted at tb,e, slde'0t;.8Ides o~. ~he dining rooms, being partitioD~d ?if to w~tJ;tin a, few feet of th,e ceiling, the, ~p.ac~ above, the p~rtItlOn being the only means for ventIlatiOn lor gIVIng lIght ,to the ,sll:me, .. When'tak!n~, the measurell}ent, of these"cqmparti:nen~~ I h~ve t~ken; the wl:101e 'space 'of the din,mg ~0?p1 !IDd,sleepIng' apartll}~nts,.whlCl:t. t~ws\ gives anip,le space, .'~herea,s If the ro9ms were properly partitIOned ,oif,. theY'.wQu,lq nel;t1?-er aif9rd s§ffiCient space, ventilation, or light. " • . ,.., . :,' ~ , 51

I noted that in eight cases the privies attached to lodging-houses were full,swine kept at three, and accumulations of manure, &0., on three of this elass of premises. The long continued rains have had the effect of filling over one-third of the cesspools attaclied to lodging-houses and butcher's premises, and there is every reason to believe that a further examination of these necessaries would show that a similar statc of affairs existed to a corresponding extent throughout the town, owing to their ill construction, which'is usually a mere hole dug in the grouna, hence rain-falls soon fill them, and when dry weather sets in their contents invisiblj decrease by' percolating the surrounding soil. . .. . , . . Acting'upon thc recommendation of the Central Board of Health, the Council of this municipality passed a bye-law to ensure the constrnc.tion of efficient cesspools, but, on submitting it for approval of the Government in :March last, it was refused to be sanctioned, ,on the ground that the Oouncil had no power to compel persons to buifd cesspools according to prescribed plans.,' " There are two nightmen licensed for this municipality. In consequence of the site of the original manure depM at Soldiers Hill having been taken for building allotments, a new site has been s'elected by'the Town Surveyor three-quarters of a mile north-east and outside the municipality. Four acres has been selected for the new depOt, which is now being used. Several notice-boards have been placed on the line of road to direct the public to the spot, and the Oouncil have applied to Government to have the same gazetted. ' The manure deposited on the old site is being used for gardens, into which a good deal of the ground has been converted. . . At the period o~ my last. visit here, the· Oouncil appeared in earnest to speedily erect a public. bath, but the probability of the water supply from Yuille'~ Swamp failing to meet the ordinary demands for' this alid the eastern township, militated against the carrying out this undertaking. As this impediment may now be said to be overcome by the new water works for the district, there is every probability of the Oouncil constructing a large swimming bath on the municipal reserve, near to the railway station, with little delay, A company has also' been formed to construct Turkish baths, which will, I believe, be in close proximity to the municipal bath, The outlet for waste water from these establishments will be all that can be desired. ' , Yuille's Swamp is still the source from which this and the Eastern llIunicipality obtain their supply of water, but works for a very extensive snpply are now going forward; the particulars as furnished to me are, that Government have purchased Kirk's dam, on the Fellmongers Oreek, for £3,000, and have further expended £2,000 in raising the embankment twenty feet higher; it covers an area of sixteen and a half acres, and is estimated to contain seventy-nine millions of gallons. 'rhis dam is at an elevation of 270 fe~t above the main road, Ballaarat east, or 180 feet above Yuille's Swamp (the present source of supply). The dam at the deepest part is thirty-five feet, and is stated to contain at the present time twenty-five "ect of water. It is distant from Ballaarat about four miles eastward. In the same direction, four miles from the dam referred to, another of larger capacity is to be constructed on the Lal-Ial Oreek; this will cover an area of eighty-one acres, estimated to contain 153 millions of gallons; the gl'!,atest depth of this' dam will be sixteen feet; it will be at an elevation of 150 feet above Kirk's dam, thecommllnication from the former to the latter to be by an open race, but from Kirk's dJim to Ballaarat by cast iron pjpe~, which have been ordered for the purpose, to connect with those at present in use. '1'he water sheds wherewith to supply these dams are each seven square miles in ex!e:t:lt, ~e.sides·a furtlier large extent' of ground, whi?h will b~ made available by catc~ water cuttings. It IS antICIpated that an abundant snpply of water WIll be avaIlable to meet every reqmrement that the district can need by the summer of the ensuing year. In addition to the £5,000 fer the purchase of and raising Kirk's dam, Government contributes £10,000 for carrying on the works, on condition that the Oo'uucils of the two municipalities, within two years after the £10,000 has been expended, shall, out of lo~al revenues of the districts, expend £15,000 to complete the works, The revenue jointly derived by tj1e two 'municipalities from the· present limited source is estimated at, over £2,500 per annum, so that the 'condition to be complied with does not appear a'very difficult one to deal with. , No iniprovemerit has yet been made on the Park reserve, but the Oomicil, having just obtained £400 for this purpose",are about to commeuce fencing it in, &c. The extent of this reserve is 320 acres of 'tnangnhir shape, at the extreme south-west end of the municipality. The Butts at present occupy a portion of this ground:; . ,,' • ", , , The' Recr'eation 'ground coniains nine acres, and, as stated in my last report, kept in very excell(mt condition." , ' , , , The new Cemetery ground has not yet been opened for interments; planting and other improvemel1ts are still going forward here. . , ' The old Cemetery is preserved in very good order; but is filling up fast. ',-;' Oonsiderable interest is"still manifested by the trustees, or committees, of the charitable institutions 'Here: 'Both the Hospital 'and the .Benevolent Asylum have been very much increased. At 'the Hospital' the north wing is jnst completed, and tlie centre portion, which is being rebuilt, will likewise sbon be finishelJ, 'forming an extensive and '&ubstantial stuccoed edifice. ! '" \' "Since nlY last visit" a'noble bric'k centr!> has been added to'tne Benevolent Asylum, besides minor improvements; 't'eIidin~ ~o, ~he. c,onveniel!ce and .:yelfare of its inmates.' ., ".'. I have, however,'tQ brmg under the notlOe of the Central Board of Health that serIOUS offence is' caused by-drdinage fronl' the cesspool of tile Hospital being allowed to flow out into the public thoroughfares. Owing to the complaints made to me on'the subject I IIiade enquiry, aOO ascertained that it was customary to pump up the liquid from the cesspool, whi~h, after .passing· through a long llndergro~nd drain, escaped; into, the. street· a'butting", It is 'stated at the Hospital that rainfalls' constantly fill up the cesspool; and that the liquid pumped out is little else than this water, not so, liowever, 'is .the 'complaint about it. Another l).uisance here is the manner in which other objectionable matter is 'disposed of, Viz., that holes aredul:; from time to time within the enclosure, and the refuse t,hrown in a~d ()~vered ,u}l as ea?h hole becomes full. . ,U [, Upon paymg a VISIt to the Cemetery here on Sunda:y: afternoon, I nohced about one hundred persons ~e~e there also. I remarkyd in ~ fo~er repor~ that the thcn, sexton h~d displayed IIi.uch taste and lab?r t9 Impr9ve'the appe!lrance"and condItIon of the grounds, whICh are eVIdently appreCIated ·by the pubhc . ..:" , The public gardens are too distant from the town to'·render them, in their present stage, very attrll-ctive' to. the public, for,' although the Committee of'Management have.done much to forward them, tlie' vety,l~mited resources'placed at ~heir disposal ~a,:e neces.sarily, cr!ppledtheir·o:per~tio~s. I am, hqweve,r, mfor,me~ th~t ~411aal'at, WIll be. dealt: With more hberally ill the next dlstnbuhon of the Government grant for lmprovement, &c" of pubhc gardens. " J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector. 52

BALLAARAT EAST. , nth September, 1862. In my report on this municipality for 1861, I stated that the sum of £5,000 had been voted by the Legislature for carrying forward \vorks ill conuexion with the. Caledonian channel, and was led t~ expeet that the money so voted would have been expended on the outlet; that is, earrying on the channel to below the 'White Flat bridge, where it is affirmed the beds of the channel and the Yarrowee creek respectively would form such a fall as would allow the storm water and drainage of the . municipality, if uninterrupted by other agencies, to readily eseape. The sum above referred to has, it appears, been expended on tributary. drains instead; a work of great benefit if the outlet was completed, but as matters now stand the beds of several of the tributary channels are lilled to oQ-e-half their depth with solid matter, whilst in the lowest lying portions of Lhe town a considerable quantity of sta.qnant drainage lodges in t,hem, withont the possibility of eseapc. Tlw existing state of affairs, 80 much te be deplored, can, however, only, be remedied by engineering skill, and the further outlay of several thousand pounds. . The formation and coating with quartz or !,'Tavel various portions of streets, together with formation of water tables, and the construction of four bridges over storm water channels, are amongst the noticeable works effected by the Council during the past year; a considerable amount of their funds has also been expended on the maintenance of works previously performed. 'I.'he· Council have likewise erected beir Town Hall and offices, at a cost of between £3,000 and £4,000, since my last visit here. This building, which is attached to the Eastern Police Court, on an elevated and commanding site in Barkly street, is of brick; the respectiv!;l munlcipal offices occupying the ground fioor, and the Council chamber and Chairman's room the upper story. , Excepting a small portion of the Plank road (which for a year or two has been without an outlet for the drainage or storm water which lodges in its original side drain) the public thoroughfares generally are free from stagnant drain!lge or deposits of refuse. . The keeping clean, &c., the G.overnment roads is performed by Government under a main- tenance contract, and the various other pnblie th~roughfares by the Conncil, also under a contract. For any special matters a man is occasionally employed direct by the Council. • Shortly after my last visit, the sergeant of polIce here "Was appointed Inspector of Nuisances, with a gratuity at the rate of £50 per annum. One good result at least has accrued from this arrangement, viz., a considerable improvement in the condition of numerous back yards aUached to premises in the township; many of which on previous occasions were noted by me as in very objectionable state, are , now raised, gravelled, or otherwise improved. This officer possesses an aptitude for this additional dnty, which renders his services highly valuable. Butchers are still aunually licensed, but from some cause or other tIle requirements set forth in "The Management of Towns Act," 5 sec. 19 c1., have never yet been satisfaetorily observed. In company with the local inspeetor, I inspected the premises of forty-two of these tradesmen. But few of their killing places are in a condition that I could recognise as entitling them to procure licenses for carrying on their trade till further improvements were adopted. The period of their present license expires on the 1st of October next, which affords a good opportunity for the Council to insist upon an imp:t;ove­ ment being effe0ted before issuing licenses for another year. Having now an efficient officer to act as inspo(,tor, there is little doubt but that instructions given to him in these matters would be properly attended to. . . As remarked. in my last report, no cognizance whatever is taken of lodging-houses by the Council, and as then stated most of them contain an excess of accommodation, varying from a third to double what the prescribed regulations would permit. . . I am unable to report any general improvement with regard to the condition of privies here. The excuse invariably made by parties' whose ce~spools I observed to be full, was, that they had become so by rain or surface drainage getting into them.' This must ever be the case till persons having inefficierrtly constructed cesspools a~e induced to amend them. . Swine are still frequently kept by,butchers and lodging-house keepers, with the usual nu!sance arising from their presence. Several of the butchers have boilers constructed in their yards wherein to boil down stale meat, &c., for consumption by their pigs. In two or three instances this process was in operation whilst I was engaged inspecting their premises, and I had thereby the benefit of the filthy stench thus produced. ,- Complaints were made to me against two parties carrying on candle works in this municipality. On inspecting the premises of one, I found that the principal objection arose from his collecting and spreading sheepskins to dry about his premises, and likewise allowing. manure and other objectionable matter to accumulate in his yard. For these offences the local inspector summoned and obtained a. conviction against the individual during my stay at Ballaarat. At the establishment here referred to I found that the melting down was done by sterllIl in a closely covered vat which requires to be further. provided with a condenser and a pipe to lead therefrom to beneath the furnace to enable the process to be carried on withont offence. In the other case, the melting is d!)ne in open pans, and although no lIuisance was perceptible on the two occasions when I visited this place, inasmuch as only very fresh fat was then being melted, I am satisfied that the complaints whlChhave been made to the Council, and repeated to me, would not be without just cause. In the' main street, at the western end of this municipality, some substantial brick buildings.' have been completed dnring the past year, and others of the like character ,are rapidly approaching completion in the same locality. An extensi'\-e hluestone building for. a theatre, on the site of the original Charlie Napier Theatre, in the Main. road, is also far advanced. The other conspicuous building in this municipality, the Town Hall, I have before referred to amongst the public works or the Council. 'rhe only recreation ground granted for this l)1unicipality' is the nine acres next the terminus enclosure, which is chiefly used as a cricket ground. . Although a reserve of fifty acres was .granted twelve months ago for a cemetery, and provisioll, made by Government towards fencing in the ground, nothing further has been done beyond corresponding with Government respecting the appointment of trustees; the Council desiring that the members for the time being should be entrusted with the management of the same. In the interim~ the ce,metery within the western municipality is available; There is no manure dep6t for this district. One nightman is licensed here; he informs me that thouo-h he had permission from the Council, under certain'Testrictions, to deposit night soil, &c., into- ~ . . 53 deserted shafts on the old Eureka lead, finding that other ,individuals unceremoniously deposited offensive matter on open !:V0und in the vicinity, to the annoyance of some residents in that locality, he discontinued using the old, shafts several months ago, and has now to eart all such matter to the western depot. The water supply is ,rocured from Yuille's swamp, but will shortly be superseded by the new water works; particulars 0 whieh are set forih in my report of the western municipality. At present no measures are in progress for the construction of public baths here. J, N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

BEECHWORTH. 12th December, 1862. Mining, operations in the immediate vicinity of Beechworth continue at a very low ebb, thc anticipated bcnefits for thc mining community upon completion of the Beechworth water works not having been yet realised. I am now informed that another object of deep interest to this place is the prospect of quartz reefs, close to the town, turning out favorably, which as yet have not been fairly tested, owing to the poor facilities at present available for crushing. Since my last visit to here two iron foundries have been established, at one of which single castings weighing thirty hundred weight each can now be produced. . The population of Beechworth is considered to have remained tolerably settled during this, as well as the previous year; and the general health of the community throughout the district is stated to have been good. Some cases of diphtheria were, however, mentioned to me as having occurred, viz., in June last, at the residence oI a gentleman occupying healthily-situated and naturally well­ drained premises in Beechworth ; and, very recently at Bowman's Forest, seven miles distant. amongst a family in the more humble sphere of life. In the case first referred to, the mother, four children, and servant were attacked, the father alone escaping, but all recovered; in the other case, the whole family, consisting of father, mother, and three cl:iildren, were severy attacked, with fatal results to two of the children. In neither ease could I ascertain that the outbreaks were assignable to any cause. During the current year several premises in High street, which had been closed for some years, were re-opened as public houses, and one small brick building, in the same street, has been recently erected and opened for the like trade. . At the London Tavern, in Camp street, the proprietor has supplied what has long been wanting in Beechworth, viz., cO:;p'fortable sleeping apartments, several well.ventilated brick· built bedrooms having been recently adaed to others previously constructed by him; he has likewise furnished a capital bath'room, which is supplied with water from a well sunk on the premises. In these respects, at least, the proprietor of this establishment now affords the best accommodation to be met Wlth at either of the hotels in the town. • The public thoroughfares of the town present. generally a cleanly appearance. Winds and rainfalls usually suffice for this pUrpose, but in cases of emergency, day labor, as heretofore, is employeq. for scavenging. No public works of importance have been conducted by the Council in the town during the current year, most of their income having been expended on their water scheme. About three chains of stone pitching along the west side of Oamp street, near Finch street (where drainage was very defective), and repairs to roadways previously made, are the principal items that have been attended to. An attempt has been made to remedy the nuisance referred to in my former report, arising from the underground drain in Ford street ;. the plan adopted opposite the Star Hotel appears to answer, but that opposite the Commercial Hotel is unavailing, so that the offence here is still complained of."", At several of the hotels, and also at one of the breweries here, I noted accumulations of manure, refuse, and rubbish, a good deal of the latter, though probably inoffensive, by no means contributes to the orderly appearance of the various premises referred to. The manure depot appears to be seldom, if ever, used, but a little off the Sydney road, near to Hewitt's soap works, I noticed that a considerable quantity of refuse had been deposited. The Council have put a stop to the practice referred to in my last report, of depositing refuse, &c., at the corner of Last street and William street. . No general improvement has been adopted in regard to the construction of. cesspools, which are mere holes sunk through the decomposed granite. I n(\ted that four of these places were quite full, and a similar number nearly ~o. With regard to the latter, they, in all probability, are as full as likely to be, owing to percolation disposing of the li9uid soil. There is one licensed nightman here, who IS required by the Council to pay an annual fee of £4 for his' license. The imposition of so heavy a fee appears very objectionable, as likely to prevent any' other party following the like occupation, thereby encouraging a monopoly which affects the pockets of such of the ratepayers as are necessitated to employ the licensed individual, whose charges are complained of as very high. ' , As reported on previous occasions, no slaughtering is allowed in the town. The butcher of whom I ma.de special mention in my last report, and who then resided at Newtown, has since removed into Camp street, Beechworth, and unless constantly watched will doubtless be a perpetual nuisance to the neighborhood. I noted that he kept nine pigs, the floor of the stye was mere earth and strewn with old bones, forty to fifty sheepskins were hanging about his fences; and upon making a subsequent visit, I found him slaughtering a sheep, which he excused himself for doing, on the plea that it had got injured. , The nuisance occasioned by sour drainage from the breweries remains unabated .

.. Opposite the Star Hotel is the head of the drain, wnereat .. small self-aCting door is placed with hinges at the top, which allows it to open and shut according to the 1lojV, or otherwise, of water. Near tbe Commercial Hotel, which Is the opposite and lower end of tile street; on imperfect affair, Intended for'" stink.trup. !las heen eoncltruct0

. Swine are kept at ~even hotels in the town and at two butchers; with the,latter parties the keepmg of these ammals 18 attended with decided offence. " . The sergeant of ,police, who filled the office of Inspector of Nuisances here for some years past, has recently been transferred to another distriet. The Council have not yet appointed anyone to the vacant office, to which circumstance might be attributed an increase of nuisances observed by me beyond those on my former visit. . . There is no establishment at present recognised in Beeehworth as a lodging-honse ; the only one whlch was,in existence on my last inspection has s~n(le been closed. .The,numerous pttblic-houses r~ferred to I!l th~ for!Der part of my report as having been re-opened in High street, !low afford ample aecommodahon III thIS respect at moderate charges. At a private boarding estabhshment, the east end of the town, conaiderable additions have lately been made; the building is of brick, and the honse most ereditably conducted. . The ,:ater supply for the town is still procured from wells on privll,te premises, or the' public pump l? HIg~ street. 0 Complain~s ,continue to be made of the quality of the well water, owing to perco~atlon of Impure matter, thereInto. My report for 1861 furnishes particulars relative to the Deechworl,h water works, which were completed to the present contemplated extent a few weeks since. The embankment of'the reservoir is ,thirty-five feet in height, giving a storage area of about forty-six acres. The cost of. these ,,"corks has , been £12,000. . Owing to delays whereby the 'Yorks were not completed in time to store last winter's rains, there IS ll;0W but a small stock in the reservoir, which is chiefly kept up by contributions ft'om numerous sp'rmgs on the gathering ground, continuoualyfiowing into the reservoir, by means of drains provided for the purpose. , The Councilllow !tte in, a position to supply only five sluice heads, *, 'but calculate to be able to , furnish to the miners five or six times that quantity next year. I am informed that the Royal Mining, Commission, who lately visited this district, expressed their unqualified approval Of these water works as carried out, and their gratification at the success which has thus far attended the efforts of the corporation to initiate and execute so generally beneficial a project as this canuot fail to prove. During my present visit to Beechworth a meeting of the ratepayers was held, \,·hen resolutions were adopted, having in view the introduction of a supply of water tor the town, from a subsidiary 'reserve about a mile and a half distant from Beechworth. Th9 cost of the proposed arrangement is estimated at about £7,000. ' The creeks on the north, south, and west sides of the town form ready outlets for its drainage. Beechworth is pretty well provided for ill re.pect to recreation reserves. On the north-east side is 'what is commonly known as the Racecourse, which is enclosed and otherwise improved; a portion of it is used as a ericket ground, on which part in particular much attention has been bestowed. An additional approach has lately heen opened up to this' reserve, by the continuation of Lock street through private lands, the requisite width of roadway being gratuitously mlljle over to the Council for 8l,lch purpose. There is also the public garden reserve, where, however, the attempts of the Council to cultivate shrubs, &c., have hitherto been unsuccesaful. I would here mention that an acclimatization society has been formed in Beechworth, and that the Council have given them permission to occupy a po;tion of the public garden reserve, which, by the way, is, I understand, far from suit~ble, the site belllg too e:;:posed for the early procedure of the society's operations, whereas at the OppOSIte end of the town is some ground, which is considered in every respect most eligible, though application would in this instance have to be made to Government for its occupancy. t A few ,months ago the Council obtained a grant of seven acres of land for public abattoirs, about two miles north-east from the town, hut nothing further has yet been done in the matter, In ,1';111 last, the Agricu~tural and Horticultural Society, who have hitherto held their~xhib.itions , on the mUUlcipal reserve, obtamed from Government a grant of three acres of land, at the JunctIon of the Yackandandah and Chiltern roads, near to the eem~tery, A pUblie market has lately been formally opened, on the reserve secured for that purpose, adjaeent to the Town Rail. No public baths have yet been established here, During the current year the trustees of the Beechworth cemetery have, erected a neat three­ roomed weatherboard cottage residence for their sexton, immediately within the cemetery reserve, in lieu of the temporary calico accommodation hitherto used. Some additional planting has b'eeu done, and further labor bestowed upon the paths. The ground generally is kept in good order,. but a portion of it is very wet, and hence objectionable during rainy Seasons. Complaint is made to me that at times, when re-opening a grave for the purpose of burying another body in the same grave, very offensive exhalations are observable, probably occasioned by the moisture of the ground, and it has been sug"ested that when necessary to re-open a grave, lIme or some other 'deodorant, should be made use of. ' On the, south-east side of the town, on the opposite side of Spring Creek, is an Clld burial ground, where probably twenty interments have been made within an area of about half an acre. 'l'his has recently been fenced in by Government, - At the Hospital here, which has ever received a liberal support from the distric~, eo~siderable additions and improvements have been made, and at the present time the frontage. IS belllg both ornamentally and usefully extended, the material used being granite stone. At this institution some new privies have recently been built, at a cost ,of £150, to wliich i~ attached a deodor\sing arrange­ ment, consisting of a bed of saud and vegetable charcoal, but until a few months ?ave lapsed, so as to allow an accumulation of Boil in the eess-pit, it will not be competent to speak of Its efficacy. Should it, however, fail, the pits are' so constructed that the arrangements referred to in t~e r~port of th~ Central Board of Health for the year 1861.2, "as a successful operatIOn at the Lymg-m·hospital, could be readily adopted here. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

.. A slulce..lIead Is 120 gallons of water per min~te, running for the full day of twenty~four hours. t The spot to which I refer is immediately at thu: rear cif tho Roman Catholic reserve. It ,Has been surveyed for building allotments, Ilnd once offered for sale without a lIiet. The ground i& very rocky, it comprises about three acres,land hil~ a considerable fall tQwards Spring C{eek. 55

BUNINYONG. September 13th, 1862. The small income .of this municipality during the past year has been chiefly expended on the maintenance of roals throu"hbut the district. A work, however, of much public benefit, has been completed at the low lying portion of Forest street, where the Oouncil have constructed a wooden drain four feet by three feet, for a distance of about thirty-five yards along Forest street, to communicate with the main drain in ,,'if arraneep street. The proprietors of variou8 properties abutting a right-of-way in this locality are now availing themselves of this municipal work by constructing a smaller branch drain the whole length of their right-of-way, which has been referred to in each of my previous reports, and which for years past has been in a very objectionable condition. In a former report I described the dilemma in which various properties were placed ill during rain-falls, when the storm water from adjacent hills rushed over them, and for a time kept them flooded. The combined works above referred to will obviate, or at least very materially mitigate, the evils set forth, qy carrying off, not only the storm waters, but also offensive drainage, which otherwise would lodge about here. . The public thoroughfares throughout the town are in a very cleanly state, which is naturally secured by the good fall it possesses, and the general scouring it receives during heavy rains. For nearly twelve months there was no in~pector of nuisances her,}, but the original officer, the sergeant of police, was re-appointed to this post about two months since. Butcliers are still unlil!6nsed; there are five of these tradesmen in Buninyong, and, as noted on former occasioJ,ts, their killing places are floored with slabs, which in three instances I found in an offensive condition .. Privies attached to three of their premises were full, and the back yards of a corresponding number in foul state. There are now two lodging-houses here; thpyare not registered or subjected to local supervision. The airy construction, however, of the buildings so occupied, considerably lessens the objection to the excess of accommodation provided in the different apartments. • The local inspector informs me that the manure depot is now more frequently used, the difficulty of finding it having been obviated since I was last here by posts and notices indicating its position. At the public garden reserve, several shrubs, &c. have been planted, but at present, the improve­ ments effected, make but very little show. N otlling has been done towards fencing in. or otherwise improving the park reserve. Buninyong is abundantly supplied with water from springs of fine quality. The pipes. which were expected to have been laid down by Government, to bring the spring water from the two small reservoirs into the town, have uot been laid yet, nor does it appear to be a matter occasioning present' inconvenience to the community here. The public cemetery is preserved in very creditable condition, except that the ground at the lowest portion, through which a small creek passes, has been recently damaged through the bursting of an adjacent mining dam, when a quantity of sludge spread over the low ground, leaving an uusightly appearance where it flowed. The limited resources of the trustees have prevented their doing more than merely to maintain the ground, as before stated, ill creditable condition. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

OARISBROOK. 6th OetQber, 1862. Owing to the particularly flat and low site on which the principal or business portion of this town is situated, there has always been a doubt whether the drainage of it could be satisfactorily, provided for. I am now able to report that progressive measures have been adopted by the'Oouncll , since I was last here. having special reference to this verr important subject. Urquhart street has been selected in consequence of its low level to carry off, by means of earth water tahles, provided for the purpose, a considerable portion of the waste water which. during wet seasons, has heretofore lodged . about the surrounding ground till absorbed or evaporated. At the north-west end of Urquhart street was a swamp, known here as the" upper swamp," and a little further on, in the like direction, was another of much greater extent, called the "lower swamp." To rid the upper swamp of the water naturally collected therein, and to dispose of the additional quantity which would be eondueted into it from Urquhart street, It somewhat novel arrangement was ·decided upon, viz., to sink a dOV\'ll-cast well at one end of the swamp, sllfficiently deep to reach the drift-gravel or Sl1nd, which is known to extend throughout the flat on which the low part of the town stands. In sinking this well very great difficulty was experienced, in consequence of the heavy body of water which flowed into it as the work progressed. After sinking to a depth of thirty-two feet, which was within about six feet of the drift, the pressure of water became so great, that the machinery at command was insufficient to resist its force, so that this arrangement has not been fnlly completed. The well has, nevertheless,. carried off the greater portion of the water .from the upper swamp, though at too slow a rate to be satisfactol'Y. The lower swamp has been emptIed by means of an earth drain cut therefrom to the creek; and f understand that the council now decide to cut a channel from the upper swamp to connect with the outlet just referred to. There is, thereforll, no reason to apprehend but that the drainage of this flat portion of the town can be effectually disposed of. One of the cross streE'ts of the town (Green street) through which a good deal of storm water flows, has been provided ;with a well pitched water table on its eastern side for a length of ten chains, the outlet from.thence being a culvert across Bucknall street, and then by open earth channel into the creek. The income of the Oouncil from' rates and Government aid for the past year has been about £1200, during which period ' Twelve chains of roadway have been formed and metalled with quartz. Thirty chains of roadway have been formed only. A mile-and-a-half in length of footpaths have been formed and gravelled. - A mile and a half of earth water tables provided. Ten chains of water tables pitched, and the abutting foothpaths kerbed with blue stone. About thirty chains in length of drains cut, from the swamp to the creek, previously referred ~ , Three brick barrel drains constructed, and one small but substantial timber bridge built across the Dunolly road, with approaches thereto. 56

These public works have produced a very visible improvement in the general eondition of the town.., ' "',' .' , .. , " qn . fqrm,er,:qe.casions,.I noticed that manure and rubbish was' deposited on the ground lying between the. nOftli.eas~,.side of Bucknall street and the· creek, which has since disappeared, in con· sequence of the, Council, a few months ago, at the request of some of the residents of Caris brook, applying to 'GoverJ;lmentto survey arid sell the frontages to Bucknall street of this land, which request was acceded to, since which three or four buildings have been there erected, and other allotments enclosed,l1J:\d cultivat.~d.' The .only scavenging done in Carisbrook is by a man occasionally employed by the CO~lllc,il when anythirig speciiilly occurs. . The office of Inspector of Nuisances is filled by a police constable, to whom a gratuity at the rate of £15 per annum is paid by the Council. Tlier'c' are three butchers in' Carisbrook, but no killing is now done on their premises in the to'lfn. Two of them have slaughteryar

. CASTLEMAINE. . 18th November, 1862. . . The disti-!ctof CasjJemaine is st!l;te~ to ~e gimer.a~y in v~ry healthy' !loilaition" inclu~ive ot the' Chinese population, amongst whom very httle SICkness IS now saId to be known. ". " . . T~e pOP!llatio)l ?f ~he i~~ediate tow.nship appeat~ to be about Btat~onary" bu~ that ?fthe district hag been conSIderaBly aUgIDeIltllq by Ghinese, who have lately established an extenSIve ,camp on Governmellt land, abOut threerhiles from thll town, on the Guildford road, near' a place called'the ]'ive Plags. There, are. probably 2000 Chinese . located on this, si~" which is well ad~pterl for their 'oC!lupiincy,..., ' . , . . '" '. .:, ' . Most of the buildings i;t the towIl, of Castlerp.aine. a,re of brick or stone, b~t around t'/,le im,mediate township they are still of a v.er-y miscellaneous character." , . , Two centrally situated hot.els have been recently rebuilt in a substantial manner; with excellent accommodation; but generally, spea~g;-private enterprise 'in regard to. building op'er~tions appears t9 have been very.quiet,oflate.: " .. , ."" . ., -. ,~ A sta{!' of men, in thc employ of the Council,are constantly engaged, l111der'the supervision of the town surveyor, in: cleansing the pitched cnannel~ and public thoroughfares of t~e town,. the .rUbbi~h accnung therefrom bcing. c;Lrted to tlie manure depot. I have, however, to repeat 'that, owing to tHe 'want of water to occasionally flush the channels, they are oftentimes iii a very offensivll . state, the foul drainage' from various premises, particularly butchers and the numerous 10dg~J?gihorises in the princip,al part of the town, iscbnstantly' passing therefrgm in/;<> the. public streets, and l~ging in the channels till absorbed or evaporated, causing very noxious odours to taint the atmosphere, I have, on different occasions, noticed the stench to be so bad, that it would scarcely be exceeded had cesspool matter bccn permitted to flow along these cha~nels, .,The earth water table, also in Forest stre.E!t, near the corner of Urquhart street; referred to iIi my' ,previous report as a constant offencc, to the g~neral public, still 'remains in its objectionable condition." - ., The public thoroughfares 9f the town, with the !llxceptjo,n .of..the m~Hers.ab6ve referred to, are kept in very satisfactory eonuition. :~~ '"'-' :, i ....~:,:, .; ;:::':', .',,:.. ;,:;.,,:, " • "', .' , 57

The manure dep6t is situated a little to the westward of the gaol, and close to it is the municipal slaughteryard, together with an Epdensive piggery, the stench from t4~ laUer powerfully pervades the atmosphere for some distance • .At the time these sites were first assigned for their respective purposes, their position in relation to the town would, I conceive, have been unobjectionable; but as population has since been gradually moving in this diredion, the existence of these places at their prcsent site is a source of constant .offence to numcrous individuals whosc pursuits lead them in this direction. I had some conversation with the district surveyor on the subject. He is decidedly of opinion that the present depOt and slaughtoryards are now too close to town; hc is not prepared at the moment to suggest more eligible sites, but assured me that he would give the subject early consideration. There are too licensed nightmen in Castlemaine, but judging from the condition of the manure depot, I imagine that very little if any night-soil is carted there. I am told that this commodity is in ' .demand for agricultural purposes in the vicinity of Castlemaine. I find that-improvements are progressing in regard to the construction of privy cesspits, there hre now very many of these places bricked, but it docs not appcar that thc very essential work of puddling them is adopted; I particularly noticed two places where brick cesspits had been provided, both of which were operatf!d upon by the weather, i.e., the contents rising nearly to the surface during ,wet, and again subsiding during a drought. ' With but few exceptions, I lind that private yards are free from accumulations of manure or refuse matter. . There are eleven butchers in.the town of Castlemaine; thesc have been duly licensed, and their killing places. as reported last year, are all pitched with brick or stone, and excepting Russell's premises, in Mostyn and Barker streets, the rest are in a very creditable state. There are also about an equal number of these tradesmen outside the town boundary, but within the municipality; these have not yet bcen licensed, though in most cases thcy have been required through the agency of the late inspector of nuisances to brick the Hoors of their killing placcs. I understand that it is now contemplated to compel all butchers within the municipality to take out licenses, and to conform to the regulations to properly pitch or pave, their killing places. . Under an old byc-law of the council the keeping of swine is strictly prohibited within a given area; this rcguhtion is very creditably observed, but beyond the prescribed limits these animals continue to bc kept by some of the butchers, but with more regard to cleanliness than used to be observed. I noticed that about a score of pigs were kept by Chinese, at a little encampment near to Cornish and Bruce's iron foundry, the drainage from the piggery escaping into Forest creek. As this piggery is in close proxtimity to the tents occupied by the Chinese, the fourteenth clause of "The Public Health Act" would be sufficient to meet this case. The sergeant of police, who was appointed Inspector of Nuisances in February, 1861, was transferrcd from this district in July last, and in the following month the Market, Inspector, who has been in the employ of the Council for the last five years, was appointed to the vacant office of Inspeetor of Nuisances. I was accompanied by him during my inspection of the town, and though I am of opinion that. as a rule, no person is so well qualified to fill tllis office ¥ the sergeant of police, I should certainly make an exception in the ease of the present individual, judging from the universal respect he has obtained, and the credit accorded to him for steady persevcrance in matters hitherto entrusted to his charge. JJodging-houses have all bcen registered, and are now only requircd to be re-rcgistered in the event of changing hands. There ar.e at prcsent eighteen in the town; they are occasionally visited by the local inspector, but hitherto no regulations have been adopted by the Council as to space or ventilation. At eleven of these houses double t1;!e number of beds are provided to what the prescribed regulations would admit. .At one thera was an excess of one· third, the remaining six are about correct. In one instance I found that a pcrson who established a lodging.house some years since in Hargreaves street, which, though on most occasions has. been more or less overcrowded, but otherwise most, creditably condueted, has lately had several additional bedrooms built of brick. The new rooms are each intended for one bed, but neit,her of them, seven in number, affords the requisite space. I allude to this circumstance to show the fallacy on the part of thc local authorities in neglecting to fulfil the trust devoking upon thcm under" The Lodging-house Act," whereby hardship, if not injustice, is liable to accruc to parties who, like the individual referred to, might, in ignorance of the law, build places of insufficient capacity.;; The public water supply continues to btl procured from wells sunk on the margin of the creeks, and carted to the inhabit>1nts by water carriers. The quality of the water thus obtained is very indifferent; it has a mawkish Havor, as is usually the case with drift water taken from the vicinity of . th t . d . . t d f . t diggingsO~Wlllg' to e presen expensIve an lllconvemen mo e 0 procurmg wa er, no more seems to be used in Castlemaine tlian barely suffices for domestic requirements, so that, excepting' during rainfalls, the water tables of the streets never gct flushcd, although, as I have before represented, such a process is much needed to' cleanse them of the stinking matter which is oftcn to be notioed slowly trickling along these channels. '1'he Council anxiously hope that Government will not much longer delay the carrying out of the long talked of "Coliban water soheme," but speedily provide from this source an adequate supply of good water for the distriet. . The natural outlets for drainage of the district are the Forest Creek, Barker's Creek and Oampbell's Creek, but owing to mining operations, whereby the beds of the creeks are frequently worked and re-worked, or else getting choked up with sludge, thcir How is often seriously impeded. At the present time, the portion of Forest creek, or rather the new cutting, running parallel, a little to the south of Forest street, upon which a large sum of money was expended by Goverllment not long since, is being re-worked by Chinese miners, who have completely destroyed its course; and Ilear to Messrs. Cornish and Bruce's foundry, the bed of the creek underneath the new stone bridge has become filled np to within about three-feet of the centre of the arch, which places the bridge in danger of destruction by sudden Hoods. •

.. In Ballaamt I met with a somewhat Similar case. A person there ilaving bUilt sever.l sleeping apartments, intended by him to eontain two bcdsln eilch, for which the! were too ~mall, though unncccssarUy)argc for one occupnnt. No.9, o. 58

A conside~able extent of road making is going forward in Castlemaine at the present time, the greater portion bein~ carried forward at the cost of Government, ina~much as it was requisite to provide approaches to the railway. Owing to the very hilly site upon which the towu of Castlemaine stands, the fo.rrnation of many portions of the roads has been attended with excessive cost, the cuUings if\) some instances have been to the depth of fifteen feet, and in most cases through solid sandstone. Very excellent paving stone is procured within a short distance of Castlcmaine; it is said to be equal to imported stone, and can be got in very large slabs, and laid at a cost not exceeding that for similar work in Melbourne. Between 700 and 800 square yards of additional flagging has been laid on foothpaths during the current year. Additional earth water tables have been provided simultaneously ,\ith the formation of extension of respective roadways, but no further extent of pitching has been done. 4 The park and public garden reserve, seventy acrl's in extent, does not yet appear to be much appreciated by the public. In addition to its entire enclosure with posts and rails, seventeen acres of the low flat portiol} running parallel with the Sandburst road has been securely fenced with sawn pickets, and is being gradually brought under culth;ation, a number. of shrnbs and trees, &c., from the nursery annexed to the Council Chambers, together with a further supply from the Melbourne .Botanieal Gardens, have been planted here. Q . There are two or three other recreation grounds for the use of the inhabitants in the vicinity of the town.. . A private individual has recently constructed a swimming-bath opposite the Camp reserve, . and near to the creek. The sides and bottom of the bath are bricked and cemented it is forty­ two feet long. eighteen feet wide, by a depth varying from three and a-half to and a-half feet; six dressing-rooms, also. of brick, are provided. The bath is supplied water by pumping by manual labor from tanks constructed at rear, the water being of similar character to that with which the town is ordinarily supplied. A drain is provided at the lower end of the bath, whereat to discharge water into the adjacent ereek. . _ The Cemetery continues to receive due attention at the hands of the trustees. The Benevolent Asylum at present contains forty-five inmates, viz., fifteen men, seven women, .and twenty-three children, the ages of the latter varying from eleven months to eleven years. The work at this asylum is performed by some of its ordinary inmates, who, however, are usually in too enfeebled a state to render much service, the only paid individual at this institution being the matron. The funds are stated to be so low as barely to meet existing demands. Ventilation of the apartments here has been generally improved. . The Hospital, which for some years has been complained of on account of its inadequate size, at present contains seventy.eight patients, though sixty are as many as could be well provided for in it. The ventilation here generally appears to be very defecth'e. The ophthalmic ward appeared to he particularly overerowded. Several cases (ninel were referred Lo as suffering from rheumatism, injury to spine, and paralysis, which, being incurable, are desired to be removed to the Benevolent' Asylum, but low state of funds of the latter iustitution h,18 presented a formidable obstacle to the. change. . J. N. HASSA.LL, Superintending Inspector.

CHEWTON. 22nd November, 1862. III anticipation of £1000 grant in aid, on establishment of this municipality two years since, the Council entered upon works aecordingly, imd as the Government grant was only for £500 instead of £1000, the Council found themselves considerably in debt at the close of the first year, hence the prineipal portion of the income of 'j,his municipality for the current year has gone to liquidate the former ye!1r'S expenditure, so that beyond maintenance of roads and footpaths. &c., 'previously ,constructed, no public works have since been effected here. As stated in my former report, the portion of Chewton assuming the most township appearance extends for -about half a mile along the main road between the 'Mount Alexander altd the Golden Hope hotels; At the ,present period there is no appearance of offensive drainage lodged in the temporarily formed water tables of the to",:n, but it is much complained of that during wet weather the ease is otherwise, at a spot near to tbe premises of two butchers named Dnnsden and White, where the outlet for draina~e is very defective; and I am informed that a few months ago several cases or sickness prevailed in this particular loeality from diphtheria and low fever. No service of the seavenger has yet been called for on the public thoroughfares, which are self preserved in very eleanly condition, excepting at the place just referred to, where the culvert erossing the road appears' to be quite inadequate to present requirements. The sergeant of police still holds the appointment of Inspector of Nuisances, and I Hnd that under his directi.ons some nuisances have been abated; but unless the Council interest themselves and . give specific instructions to their inspector for carrying out sanatory regnlat:ons, it can searcely be expected that mnch improvement will be effected. . Butchers are not licensed, their ,killing places are much as when I was here last, the primitive .style of earth floors being in some cases still adhered to. , . ·r have !J,gain to note the objeetionable offence created by two or three of these tradesmen, who boil down stinking meat, &e., for pigs food, 01' for the purpose of extracting fat therefrom. At present there is no lodging-house in Chewton. . The Council have not yet adopted the lodging-house regulations. The primitive style of cesspool construction, by merely digging holes in the ground is still p1lI'su~d he~e; Dur.ing dry and 110t seasons, as .at the present period, percol!ttion prevents these places becommg V181b1e nUlsanees by actually ovcrfl:owmg. There is no nightman here, nor is 'there any manure depot provided or applied for. Of the fellmongery establishment referred to in my last report I now hear no complaint. N\'lm~rous compla.ints are made respeeting the public water supply for this township. The water contained in most of the old mining holes is very brackish, and in olher instances from where 59

tolerably good water used to be procured, the holes have become dry, or the water in them turned bad and unfit for use. At Golden point, about a mile and a half east of the main road, is a large reservoir which was completed by Government about a year and a half ago, it is at present quite full of water of excellent quality. From this source it was purposed to have supplied the town by means of pipes at a. cost of nearly £3000, but it appears that, pending the decision of the Coliban water scheme, any fnrther outlay in connection with the present reservoir has been stayed. Tantalising as it is to have so good a supply nearly within reach whilst the commu!lity are suffering from such a want, it nevertheless appears undesirable for the welfare of the d2:striot to expend the required sum in connelltion with the reservoir works, which would do little beyond benefitinF; the immediate township;whercas the Coliban scheme would abundantly furnish the much needed element to the whole mIlling community, and therebv contribute to the general pro~perity of the district. ' -The subject of constructing baths has not been entertained by the CounciL No supply of water is available for such a purpose. '. The recreation reserve, comprising thirty acres and situated near the Chewton Cemetery, is about to be fenced iu at a cost of £65; the Council have obtained £50 from Government towards this expense. Some improvements have been made at the Cemetery here, but, owing to the very low state of fuuds, little can be accomplished. Drainage of a portion of the ground' is much needed, water coming into many graves on sinking to only four feet in depth. . The sexton who resides within the enclosure is paid a salary at the rate of £150 a year, conditionally, that sufficient is collect,ed by the trustees to meet this item; but of late, interments have been so few that this employe has received f!lr short of the sum named. The old burial ground, a little off the main road N.E. of the Mount Alexander hotel, still remains unfenced, the trustees having no funds to expend upon it. J. N. IIASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

CIIILTERN. 16th December, 1862. Chiltern was created a municipality in lIfarch last. It comprises an area of nearly three square miles, extending for about two miles flast to west, and abollt a mile and a quarter north to south. About four years since, mining operations eommencedhere, and for the first eighteen months the result proved satisfactory, the depth of the present lead being then but about 150 feet, and the working dry; but subseqnently, on following the lead, the sinking became,much deeper, the ground very wet, and the labors of the miners unremunerative; this continued for about twelve months, when heavier machinery was introduced and since, then mining has gone on very satisfactorily. There are now gold mines in work within the municipality, employing froll!- 200 to 250 men; seven of these mines arc on what is termed the Chiltern lead, and are considered permanent in character; the lead varies in width from 200 to 300 feet, and passes beneath a considerable portion of the present most populated part of the town. This mining township is situated in a valley through which passes the :Black Dog Creek in its course to the River Murray. A minor creek which runs through the populated portion of the town is a tributary to the :Blaek Dog, and originally sufficed fol' the ordinary drainage of the place; but sludge from mining operations has so filled it up, as to materially impair its capabilities for drainage purposes, and hence it is said that during wet seasons a good deal of moisture lodges about the gronnd here till evaporated. '1'he central and principal business part of the town was originally selected by the then residents at the very lowest spot, and to add to this objection, the ground in this particular locality, in consequence of being undermined, has since sunk about three feet. , '1'here are about 160 buildings in the most populated portion of the town, eomprising hotels, stores, shops, &c., all are constrncted of wood. A few of these buildings have been considerably displaced owing to the ground sinking beneath them, against which inconvenience there is no immediate guarantee. so that there is little probability of the present temporary material being superseded by brick work. At the originally proclaimed township of ChiHern, whieh now forms the western portion of the municipality, there are three brick viz., a hotel, a bakery, 'and private residence; these places are near the bridge over the :Black Dog and are I believe all of whlCh Chiltern " west" can boast. The site of this 9riginally proclaimed town, on account of occupying higher ground, is far preferable to Chiltern "east," and as the leadB are running in the direction of the former, it is considered more thuJl probable that the popula.tion will ultimately occupy the higher site. Prior to th", establishment of a municipality an improvement association was formed in Chiltern east, when the sum of £200 waR collected and expended by them in improving their maiu thoroughfares. At the election of Councillors here, the whole of those returned were miners. The funds of the Council to the present time havc been £300 Government grant in aid to new municipalities, and £160 rates, eolleetea for the first half year. The public works which have the attention of the Couneil have been the clearing and forming roadways and building three log Some improvement, I was informed, was about to be at once effected at the intersection of Main street with Con ness street, where drainage at present is very defective. / The town clerk here, wJ10 is quite a factotum, obligingly accompanied me about the town, &c., not forgetting to direct my attention (as a proof ot the progress of the place) to the establishment of a court of petty sessions in Chiltern for nearly two ycars past; a steam saw mill which has been in operation for about two years; an iron foundry, also in work for two years and a-half; and a steam printing press for the last eighteen months. At the latter are printed, twice a week, the Federal Standard, the Ovens Tribune, and the Border Post. At the head of the original lead, a little beyond the eastern boundary of the municipality, is a 12-horse power quartz crushing- machine, but this was at a stand still for want of water. The public thoroughfares of Chiltern present geuera'lly a tolerable appearance in regard to· cleanliness, a man being oceasionally employed by the Council to remove any objectionable matter that might there accumulate. It was mentioned to me by several residents of Chiltern that about twelve months ago several cases of low fever occurred near the centre of the tOWll, adjacent to where a large pool of stagnant water had collected, and close to which was also a piggery, kept at that time in a very foul state. The 60 , stagnant pool was on· Crown lands immediately at rear of several habitations, but has been filled up, by the ,Oouncil, and the piggery referred to has been entirely removed; &c. '1'he health of the district at the present period is stated to be very good. ' No inspector of nuisances has yet been appointed. Accumulations of manure and refuse, at rear of various .premises and on vacated allotments of land, .are of rather frequent occurrence. In one instance from 200 to 300 loads of manm:e have accumulate.d on Crown land at rear of the livery stables, near the Star hoteL On the Indigo creek, a few miles north-east of Chiltern, are numerous farms varying in extent to, 150 acres. I imagine that if liberty was given to the occupants of these farms to remove the accumulation of manure referred to, it would not be long before it \vas all cleared.away. No manure depot has yet been secured to this place, but I understand that the Council have applied for one acre of ground for this purpose north of the police camp, half a mile beyond -the municipal boun.dary. , .' . . Privies here are of a most primitive construction, being in almost.all instances mere hole~, dug m the ground. At fDur of the hotels I noted that these necessaries were quite full. • Butchers are not licensed; there are four of these tradesmen in Chiltern. three of them have all their meat killed at the slaughteryards outside the municipality, the other kills his sheep at premises attached to his private residencc the south'side of the town. There is ,no general prohibition to the keeping of swine. wl;dch are kept by three butchers here. attendcd in onc instance in particular with much offence, arisin" from the foul state of the pig yard and the nuisance occasioned by boiling down stale meat, &c" on th~ premises for pig food. A few of these animals are also kept at most of the hotels, where, as a rule, they are allowed to run at Jarge. There are no lodging-houses in Chiltern ; hotels here afford boarding accommodation, 'l:)ut miners generally occuJlY their own huts, Very many of the miners, I am tol,d. have shown a disposition to settle down during the past twelve months, having built slab or weatherboard huts on Crown land, the south side of the town. . The public water supply is from the.13lack Dog Creek, about a mile distant from the town, and above where the brackish water from the mines can affcct it. During summer the creek usually ceases to run, when the chains of' water holes along its course furnish a supply, though at times of inferior quality, 'l'he propriety of introducing a purer su~ply of water from some spriugs four miles distaut, and which now act as a feeder to the Black Dog Creek, has been mooted, and enquiry is now being made respecting cost of piping for the purpose, though it is scarcely expected that the Council will be able to undertake the requisite works. Application has recently been made to Government ,for about 140 acres of land for public recreation, the site selected being h~lf a mUe west from the centre of the populated town Near to the Court House twenty acres have been reserved by Government for muni.cipal purposes. There is a plunge bath in the town constructed by an enterprising individual, it has been in use fllore than twelve months, the bath is fifty feet long by twenty feet wide, varying in dcpth from four to seven feet, the sides are boarded; the bOLtom gravelled. The water with which it. is supplied is from an adjacent mine, froJ71 whence a stream is constantly flowing into the bath at top, and again escaping at the bottom. I am informed that there is a very suitable cemetery (except that it is too far distant) two miles west from Ohiltern. Trnstees have been duly appointed, the ground fenccd in and laid off for respective denominations. The trustees originally appointed a sexton, who resides near the ground in his own hut, but the trustees having already expended a good deal beyond their receipts with nO prospect of a speedy reimbursement, have determined upop. abolishing for the future the office of sexton at a fixed salary. J, N. HASSALL, Superinten~ing Inspector.

CLUNES. lOth October, 1862. The most important work effected here since my last visit has been the construction, by Govern­ ment, of a substantial wooden bridge, with stone abntments, over the Creswick Creek, in a line and at the east end of Bailey street, together with approaches thereto. This briClge was completed five or six: months ago; bllt not till after-the old log bridge had been washed away by It flood. Frazer strect, which runs at. an angle fl'om Service street to the new blidge, has been made by the Council', and a good deal of additional ground in this direction ha~ been surveyed, sold. and built upon. A very marketl increase is perceptible in the number of buildings in Clunes, It is estimated that not less than 100 places have been erected here during the past year, consisting chiefly of small w(loden cottages, occupied by the mining population .. About one-half have been itcct,ed on the ,elevated ground. south side of the town, the othel's for the most part occupying the recently sold land north­ east of Frazer street, where the populafion is much more concentrated, and 'IV here the ground. at present is very ill drained. ' . , The principal business of the town is still carr:ed on at the lowest lying, or west end of Frazer street, on Crown lands, though several business places aJ.~e now established'at the eastern end, or sold portion of the street, and contiguous to were the population has of late much increased. Of the buildings recently erected in the town, a fine two-storied hotel, built of brick, and close to the new bridge, is the most conspicuous. Near to this hotel aas works have been established within the last three months, and in Frazer street several creditable J.iop premises have been con~tructed of wood. The income of the Counoil for this current year; on receipt of the balance due ~rom ·Government of their grant in aid, will amount to £2000. The principal public works effecte'd .qy them during thii! period have been the " Formation, pitcbing,* and metalling nine and a-half chains In length of the continuation eastward of Frazer street, from f:\ervice street to its intersection witlt Bailey street, with footpaths on either side, formed and gravelled, and earth . water tables simultaneously provided .

.. On.aceount of 1he peculiar nature of the soil here it is needful to make ft solid foundation by first l"ough~pUcliing'UH'l:'roadway, otherwise tile smaller mctal,soon gets ,buried .in the soll, without being of the slightest ser,!,,", 61

Formation, pitching, and metalling fourteen' chains in length of Camp Hill street,. from the line of Frazer street to the Back Creek (Talbot) road, with footpaths on either side. formed and gravelled. and water tables, rubble pitched. Formation, pitching, and metalling of a right-of.wayhalf a chain wide by one and three­ quarter in length. leading from Frazer street to a newly surveyed street called Purcell street. . Formation of the last-named street, which, however, would have been better left untouched, the breaking the surface soil without pitching and metalling having made it more liable to be cut up, as it now is. Timber foot bridge across the Creek, near the west end of Frazer street, formation and gravelling footpath therefrom, six feet wide, for a length of twenty-five chains, to the top of the steep hill at North Clunes, where about 1000 men are daily engagec;l in connection with the quartz mines. The majority of the men so employed reside in the southern portion of the town. This item cost the Council but little short of £200. Sundry timber crossings at intersections of streets, and general maintainance of public works. On my previous visit to Climes the respective water tables then provided appeared to answer their purpose: this, however, is no longer the case, some 'Portions of these channels being now in a very offensive state, and as the fall of Frazer street throughout is so trifling, there is no hope for effectual. improvement until the water tables are propcI'ly pitched, The soil here is naturally of a greasy char.acter, and does not readily absorb moisture, hence all ordinary rain. falls, and drainage from .private premises, which runs into the water tables, remain there till evaporated, often times I am informed occasioning very great offence to the immediate residents, and also to passers by.. . The worst spot is near the Royal Hotel, from ""llence kitchen and other drainage runs into the water table without the least chance of its escape. The channel jnst here beiug lower than at a few feet distant from either end where the stagnant drainage lodges. A man is occasionally employed by the Council to clean out the water tables, but in their present state it is questionable whether the labour thus bestowed is not productive of more evil than good; by d.eepening. the earth c~annels t~us ma~ing additional space for the ac~umulation of drainage. The 111 conditIon of a portIOn of thIS town III respect of dram age has occasIOned concern amongsl; many of its residents, who have recently been alarmed in eonseqllcnce of scarlatina appearing amongst them. Upon calling on the Honorary Officer of Health for Clunes, I was informed that several cases of scarlatina had come under his care, the first occurring six or eight weeks a~o, originating at a. hoilse at the rear of an hotel, from whence considerable quantities of offensive drainage lo!iged about the ground abutting' the house where this sickness first occurred. The exposure of the family to this Duisance is currently rumoured as the cause of this fi.rst case, which Dr. Robinson reports as having peen very virulent; a second <;hild in the same house was subsequently attacked, since which nine or ten other cases have occurred in various parts of the town, but all of a milder character. With but one exception the cases have been confined to children. At ·present Dr. Robinson has four eases under his care, all progressing favorably. The disease proved fatal only in the first case. The serjeant of police is the Inspector of ]IIuisances here; he is well qualified to fill this office. Butchers are not permitted to kill any animal on their premises in the town; all slaughtering (or killing) being done a mile distant from Clunes. . '['here is no prohibition to the keeping of swine, which, hqwever, are materially lessened in number since I was last here, owing to the Inspector notifying to. individuals that he should have to summons them for the foul condition of the sties if they persisted in keeping these animals, which in some instances he subsequently had to do, foJ' to keep them in a place 1ike elunes cannot fail to create a nuisance either in the place in which they are confined, or at whatever spot the drainage from them escapes to. . In th'l township of Sand hurst the nuisance arising from the keeving of swine had been successfully dealt wit.h under the fourteenth clause of " The P!lblic Health Act," which speeiaJly provides" that no llcrson shan keep any Bwine in or near any dwelling house ;" and I apprehend that no difficulty would beexperienced in Clunes or elsewhere in generally enforcing this sanitary provision. When last here I noted that very large quantities of manure had been allowed to accumulate on 0: at the rear of sundry premises, especially tl~o~e abutting 011 the creek, the ~reek forming a cOl}ve~ ment receptacle fol' all manner of refuse, and dUl'lllg the occaSional floods carrymg off large quantIties of manure, &c., deposited near its banks. The Inspector has caused various individuals to, remove, in ·the aggregate, probably 300 loads. . ' The following is a summary from the particulars handed to me by the Inspector where he interfered to suppress certain offences during the last twelve months, viz.:-

I I N~. of No. of nuisances No. of notic~s abated upon summOllses Inned. ... served. notices being issued. ,. rved. , . ---'- 2 L I Dirty yaril~ ...... '" 1 2 2 " wutcr-rJosets ... '" ...... 1 4, 4, i, pigsties u~ •• ~ .... ••• HO '" 5 Allowing manure to accumulate on premise.~ .•. ... 32 27 4, 4, Depositing offensive matter on public thoroughfares ...... 2 2 ! Neglecting to clean right-or-way...... i__ ···_ ... 7 ... I ------.---- • I 41 31 18 II

MEM -In one case. "for allowing manure to accumulate," no action was taken beyond serving a. notice, in consequence of the grollnd on which it Jay ooing disputed. One case for" neglecting to clean right-of-way" was dismissed, on the ground of the right-of-way being a public one, wherenpon the remaining sh cases were withdrawn_ . The ordina.ry construction of cesspools is, as previously noted, viz., mere holes dug in the ground. In six instaIlces I noticed these places to be in an offensive condition. There is no cightman here. No.9,p. 62

Lodging-houses 'have more than doubled iu' numbet·-there are now seven here; the keepers of ~hem haye been directed to register, but only three have so far complied. The accommodation provided III these houses, with but one exceptiou, is from a third to double what the prescribed regulations would allow;, besides which, I noted that ventilation iu three of the houses was very defective. T1,le ordinary water supply' is still procured from wells sunk on respective premises, no definite measures hl\ving been yet adopted for bringing in a supply from the source referred to in my former report, viz., Birch's Creek. It is nevertheless confidently anticipated that the scheme will be carried out ere long by Government eontributing two·thirds towards the works, and the Council making up the :remainder. The cost of this undertaking is roughly estimated at £6000. ( "1i .reserve. comprising two acres, contiguous to the Telegraph and Post Office, corner of Bailey and !ServlCe streets, has lately been granted for munioipal purposes; but as some parties had previously llquatt(;'d on portions, of this ground, the Council will have to compensate them. to the extent of abont £200 before they can secure its entire possession, . Applications have r:ecently been made to Government by the Council 'for a racecourse reserve, and for sites for public gardens. . . The old burial ground, situate on block 5 of the township, has been reserved· for the Primitive Methodists, who have fenced in the allotment, and erected a chapel on a portion of the same. '. I visited the cemetery now in use, which is about two miles westward from the town, a little off the Back Creek (Talbot) road. It is situated on the side of a hill, and appears avery eligible spot for its purpose. The ground is laid off for respective denominatiolls; but beyond this and its enclosure, with a rough two-rail fenoe and entranee gates, no improvements have been carried out, owing to the very low state of funds, which barely suffioe to defray current expenses. . The site.. referred tO'in my last report as having been applied for by the Council for a manure depot, on t~e lilll north-east ?f the town, was'not, granted; but two aores ~ave been since reserved for a depot a lIttle off the CreswIck road, about a mIle east of the town. :NotlCe boards have been' placed at each corner of the reserve, and on the road leading thereto; bnt as yet no manure or rubbish has been deposited there. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

CRESWICK. 15th OCtober, 1862. 'I'lie general health of this· district is st:;,ted to be tolerably good. " In common with other mining localities throughout the colony, the town and distri.ct has suffered during the year from the exodus to the New' Zealand gold neld of many of its former residents. . Building~:in the town are for the most part of wood, though there are 'several very good briek stores. and'. other premises along the prineipal thoroughfare. A few additional wooden buildings of varied description have been construeted at the lo\ver end of the to\vn since I was last here, and'at the upper end· two substantial brick ,buildings, one for Telegraph and Post Offioe, the other for Police Barraeks, have been erected and occupied, There is no regular service of scavenging here, but when needed a man is employed by the Council to remove deposits of r~fuse which might collect upon the public thOl'oughfares. There is, however; one portion,ot' the town, viz" at the rear of Alb.ert street, on its eastern side, where manure, refnse, &c., appears to be commonly deposited. , The site of the manure dep6t is a mile and' a half from the centre of the town, and eighteen chains east of the Cemetery. I consider the dopOt too far distant; there are no directing posts to the­ spot, and, I observe, that it is scrupulously free from deposits of any kind. , Accumulations of manure, &c., on or adjacent to premises are still of frequent occurrence in ·Creswick. • Tn former reports I have speeially anuded to the vast aoclUuulativns of manure at the two> principal hotels here. 'From one, the old accumulation has heel! removed, but in th? other ease, where durin'" several years the accumulation has amounted to "some thousands of loads, whICh have been shot down °th.e steep embaukment close to the creek, at real' of the hotel, the proprietol' is covering over the surfal:e with clay and grayel. " . There is no nightman in Creswick,' but occasionally one has been employed here from Ballaarat. The cesspools to privies are usually mere holes dug in the ground. During my present inspection but few nu'sances from these places came under my notioe. ~ Butehers are stiH unlicensed. I am', hOVl'ever, able to report favorably on the condition of all their killing places, which are now provided with brick floors. About nine months since apoliee constable was appointed Inspeetor of Nuisances, with a gratuity at the rate of £25 per annum'. ' ,There is no prohibition to the keeping of swine. I met with them on several premises in Creswick, but with certainly less offence than heretofore. , . 'rhere are five ng.honses ·in the town. The compulsory requiremeut implied b1 the sixth clause of Lodging-ho t not being strictly enforced, only a portion of them hay.e b~en regl,stered, buu no regulations a~ to spae? have yet been adopted. In two, excess .of accomI¥~datlOn IS provld~d to the . extent of one-third, and III the other three, double what the prescrIbed regulatIons would permIt. . , The public water supply is still from ora holef ~outh-west of the town; it is very ~nferior in quality and scant in quantity. The, sche;ne referred to lU my last rellort" whereby CreswlCk was to' 'be supplied from the Goveynment reserVOlr o~ th.e Bullarook ~,reek, remaIll~ m abeyance. The" outlet for dram age of the dlstrwt IS the CreswICk .creek, whICh runs from north to south 'along the eB,stern side of the town. , . . , The park (origirially the Dolice camp and paddock), and the crIcket ground are close .to the !town. With the grant from Government of £100, obtamed abou~ a y.ear ago, th,e CounCIl have. fenoed in. the criyket ground, and have cleared the dead and surplus tUllber from. the park reserve, an,d erected fiv:e entrance gat.es there, the original fence remaining. 63

, The thought of establishing baths here has not ,been entertained on account of lacking a necessary water supply. The Cemetery, which is a mile and a half north of the town, is preserved in creditable condition The sexton resides within the enclosure in a neat weatherboard coj;tage, erected some time since by the trustees. ' The old burial.ground in the town is also looked after by the same trustees. During the eurrent year between £1200 and £1300 have been expended by the Council on public works in the way of road making; construction of culverts, &c., &c. Other works are also now in progress, which, with the former, will contribute to the improved appearance and sanatory condition of the town. With the exception of about forty superfieial yards of dish drain near the Post Office, all the water tables here are as yet of mere earth formation. Amongst public works of improvement, I w0uld also allude to the substitution of a newly cut straight channel in lieu of the numerous windings of the original creek, along the eastern side of the town, whereby the flow of water is materially facilitated, al;ld thus the adjacent low grounds are freed from inundations which formerly prevailed during heavy rainfalls. Towards the carrying out of this undertak;ing the Council obtained from Government a grant of £500. The Chinese encampment at the Black lead, within this municipality, does not improve in its sanatory condition. There are from fifty to sixty tents here, ranged about equally on either side of the street, which was metalled some time sinee by the Council, but chiefly at the eost of the Chinese. This street is in tolerably good condition, but at rear of the tents the ground is a mass of filth from,the refuse deposits and drainage from the tents, and from the piggeries. The ground about here lies so flat and low that it does not appear possible to drain it by natnral means. J. N. HASSALL; Superintending Inspector.

DAYLESFORD. 17th October, 1862. ' The great commotion which pre~ailed here at the time of my previous visit, in consequence of the opening up of a good payable lead through the town, has considerably subsided, In almost any portion of Daylesford gold is to be found in quartz or alluvial ground at depths varying from six feee to 180 feet. Probably 100 claims have been opened here, paying at least good wages to those working them. , The deep sin.kings carried on by companies or co-operative miners still promise well, but the shallow ground, worked by individual ininers, has, in the' ordinary course of events, become less remunerative. In and around Daylesford the land is of a rich chocolate soil, and agriculture is extensively pursued in the district. Of the present 'state of the health of Daylesford there is nothing particnlar to note, but I am informed that a good deal of sickness prevailed at intervals dnring the current year. At the north end of the town, where three streets converge, and where the drainage, until of late, was very defective, several cases of diphtheria are stated to have occurred. During the operations of the Council in the way of road making the greater portion of the thO!:onghfares of the town, especially in wet weather, are in an almost impassable state; this, how­ e'ver, is no more than wo~ld, for a time, occur at any other place where t!:te soil is of so soft a character. Buildings of every description have considerably increased; many of those erected in the immediate town are of a substantial character, some being of brick, though the majority are of wood, whilst adjacent lands have been taken possession of under miners' rights, and extensively studded with cottage residences, and enclosures for gardens, '[he cleansing of the public thoroughfares is now done by contract. There is, however, under ordinary circumstances, but little scavenging required here at present, though measures are much needed to prevent foul drainage from baek premises running into the water-tables of the public streets, as especially occurs along the eastern side of the north end of Vincent street, No manure depOt has yet been secured, an omission which affords a ready excuse for the accumulations of manure and refuse on so many premises in the town. Privies here are usually provided wi'th mere earth cesspools, which whe,n fnll are covered up and fresh holes dug. I noted five of these necessaries as full, and one, having no cesspool, drained into the public street, ' There are seyen butchers in Daylesfoad, and though licensed, only fonr of them have yet adopted requisite measures in reference to the pitching of their killing places. With scarce an exception, these tradesmen require to amend the general condition of their premises. . There is one slaughteryai'd in close pro~imity to the town; it appears,' however, to be kept pretty free from offence. 'l'he ground occupied for the purpose has a good fall towards a contiguous creek, so that ample drainage is naturally secured. . At present there is no inspector of nuisances for the town, owing to the recent removal of the police constable who originally filled this office. 'rhere is no prohibition to the keeping of swine, which I noticed on twelve premises in Daylesford, varying in number from one to half a dozen. In one or two cases the sties were in foul condition, ,and in other instances nuisances were created by the retention on respective premises of the offensi ve smelling refuse and manure removed from the piggeries. Lodging-houses have not yet been registered. There are five in the town, With but few exceptions, accommodation is provided in the respective apartments for one· third to double the number of persons that the prescribed regulations permit. ' ' The public water suppl'y is now procured from a well at the second water reserve, situate in Stanbridge street. The supply at the original reserve, in Vincent street, has failed, owing to mining' operations interfering with the springs there. Most of the residents, however, procure good water from wells sunk on their respective premises. The ,out.let for drainage of Daylesford is naturally well provided for by the Wombat Creek, southward, and Doctor's Gully, northward of the town. The only recreation ground yet secured for the public is the Racecourse, fifty acres in extent, about half a mile distant from south end of the town. At the time of my last visit I was informed that .. the Council had been promised a portion of the Police. Reserve for pnblic gardens', but in the interim the ground has been taken up by a large company, who are mining for gold, and l,he Council, with much concern, observe the timber which ornamented this fine hilly site being unceremoniously cut down by the public. The Council have communicated with Government on this subject. '1'he baths which were in course of construetion whcn I was last here were subsequently completed and opened. The supply of water available was found to be too limited, unless the proprietors had gone to considerable extra expense, which they, were unable to do. The baths became a failure. and are now closed. ' , The Cemetery continues to receive due attention at the hands of the trustees. A.bout £90 have been eKpended dflring the current year on .improvements, comprising grubbing trees, forming, and gravelling footpaths, &c. Besides the formation, pitching, and metalling portions of streets in the town, the Couneil have executed a similar kind of work upon portions of the road (within Lhe municipality) leading to Malm~bury, in which direction a good deal of agriculture is pursued. I have before rcmarked that the soil here is very soft, which renders it necessary to pitch the road ways before metalling, a process which is" attended with considerable estra outlay. No channelling has been done in Daylesford during the .current year; and I understand that the Council will not think of laying down any more wood pitchers, especially as they haye discovered a q~arry a mile and a half from the town from whence they believe they will be able to get stone iit for thls purp,0se. , 'Ihe Hospital here was opened about two months ago. It is a neat brick building, having two wards, and quarters for the resident surgeon and matron, &c. , , A l'.leclHnics' Institute has been established here. They have erected a woodeu building Ilt the south end of Vincent street, which was completed about ,six months ago .. J. N. H!A.SSALL, Superintending Inspector.

DU.K0 LLY. 27th September, 1862. The attcntion of thc Couricil having been given to providing for the cost of erection of a Town. Hall, no other public works worthy. of notice have been entertained during the past year. Their income from rates and Government aid for this period has been about £140U, which is very near the amount of the contract (let in June last) .for the building of the 'rown liall. The site for this building is ,at the corner of Market street and Hull strect, facing the market reserve. The 'base, which is of granite, is all that has yet been set; the remainder of the building will be of brick. The arrangements are for a large hall in the centre, with a wing on either side subdivided for Town Clerk's office, committee room, reading room, and a savings' bank. Upon the police reserve, contiguous to that of the Town Hall, a lock-up thirty feet by fifteen feet, and divided into three compartments, has becn erected since I was last her.e, in lieu of the very ill accommodation previously ill use; adjacent to this a nf'at building is in course of erecLion for police barracks; an office for the survey department near to the police buildings has also been built during the last year, They are all c.onstructed of brick. In the main street of the tOIl'll four substantial brick business premises have lJeen erected, besides as many more of wood; one of the former is an hotel scarcely y!'t completed, This building has a frontage of eighty-two feet to thc Broadway, and is of a character that would have done credit to any of the h!rger towns of the colony. From the recent improvements and additions effected in the way of .buildings; it would appear that Dunolly is in a ~ore settled and prosperous condition than the majority of other townships visited by me" . .' , ~l'he public thoroughfares here are gencrally free from accumulations of offensive matter; though I have to remark that no measures have b~en aoopted to remedy tho condition. of the water table opposite the Benlligo hotel and ad.ioinin~ premises in the Broadway, Thc channel here has got much worsc since my previous visit, and calls for immediaLe action to abate the unsightly nuisance which exists at t.his conspicuous spot of the town, I explained in my former report that being a main linE' of road, the Broadway had been made and kept in repair by Government, but I am informed that no ,maintenance conl,ract was let for this work durins; the past year, and that the Council, considering Govemment responsible for its eond:tion, have suff'ered the nuisanee referred to to remain. '1'he large carth channel on t,he east side, rear of the Broadway, still continues a source of offence from objectionable matter being pern;itted to drain -,"nLo or be deposited therein" where !t remains stagnant till washed away by heayy ram-falls, ImI?i?dJately, at the rear, of Fr~ame ,9 hote} lS the, worst part, ,owi!lg apparently to a more than usual quantIty of dlamage from hIS prcmIses; mcludmg a plggery runnmg mto It. On the grounds of economy, the Council have recently abolished the office of inspector of nuisances. ' There are now six butchers in Dunolly, the three whose premises are in the populated part of thc town have been licensed for nearly twelve mouths. Two have their killing places bricked, but keep them in a very dirty state; the third 'has temporarily covert'd his kil~ing p~ace with stone, but. does not keep it any too clean. The other three butchers, on account of bemg dlstant from populatIOn, have . not been licensed or required to conform 1,0 any regulations in regard to killing places. Each of them kill their sheep on the open ground attached to their premises. . • The premises orif;(inally occupied by Miller have been pulled down for the extension of the lnrge hotel just built ill the Broadway" Miller now occupies n~w premis~s. at ~hich, how,:ver, h,e al,ready gives proof of hig want of cleanlIness. He has for somo t1melast dlscontmued keepmg SWIne III ~he town, and has likcwise ceased the b?iling down process referre to in my previous report, "as causmg considerable offence," , Accumulations of manure, varying from two to eight . loads," I noticed on four or five ,private 'premises in the town. ' - West of the Bl'oadwav, and about half a mile distant, is a soap and candle factory, to which my attention was 'directed, on account of some persons residing ncar to it complaining of. t.he nuisance existing there. Upon inspecting this place I found there was good caUse for complamt. Before

" 65 reaching the factory an abominable stench was perceptible, which arose from a qnantity of refuse matter from the factory being deposited in a hollow near the creek, which passes close by the premises in question. The parties who have' crcated this nuisance sholl Id certainly be compelled to abatc it without further delay. The lodging-house referred to in my last report is still the only one here; it provides accommodation for one-third more than the prescribed regulations would admit; it is otherwise unobjectionable, being very clean and creditably conducted. The Council do not think it necessary to enforce the Lodj5ing-house Act here. The pubhc water supply is still confined. to the loeal~ty o~ the old camp, whe~e wells ~ave been sunk in the banks of the creek. The Counml are now. applymg to have a portIon of thIS ground reserved for water supply. A free supply of good quality is readily obtainable at this spot. No further action has been taken towards conducting water from the Government reservoir into the town, which the Council are still expecting Government to accomplish ere long. Although no demand has been made upon the water hitherto collected in the reservoir, I am informed that there is no more in it at presenL than when I saw it last year. It appears that contour drains are required to be cut along portions of the water-shed to gather in a considerable quantity of the rain-falls which now run off in other directions. The recreation ground, situated east of the town, aml containing ten acres, has not been yet improved either by clearing or fencing in. No park or public gardcn reserve has yet been secured, but the Council are about to apply for a very eligible piece of land north.weSt of the town for a park. No assIstance being afforded to the trustees of the Dunolly Cemetery out of the Government grant for the past year, nothing has been done towards fencing in the new Cemetery, hence the old burirul ground, WhICh comprises but little over half an acre of ground, and nearly filled up, is still used by the public, who bury here withont any interference. . In each of .my former reports on Dunolly I have remarked that the manure depot is too close to population. I do not observe any offensive deposits there, so that the inconvenience of the present site is not felt. It is only about 100 yards from the old Telegraph hotel, or about 150 yards from the main street as yon enter the town from Maryborough. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

GEELONG. 31st December, 1862. The district is stated'to be at present in a healthy state, but during the last four months cases of diphtheria were very frequent at the Geelollg Infirmary; this epidemic had, however, entirely ceased just before my Visit to the institution. ' At two houses in Villamanta street two cases of diphtheria occurred whilst I was in Geelong, one proved fatal, the other promised to do well. At both these premises I noticed that the privy . arrangements were very objectionable. It was stated to me, whilst engaged in my inspection of Geelong, that, about twelve months since, the agricultural district of Ceres, five miles dIstant, was visited with diphtheria; cases there were very numerous. Ceres contains a population of about 500 persons, and is dE'scribed as a generally healthy locality. It has been frequently remarked to me that diphtheria is by no means confined to particular localities, but is equally as prevalent in healthy as in unhealthy situations. During the winter season, several cases of fever are stated to have occurred in Autumn street, attributable, it is presumed, to the imperfect drainage of portions of that street and adjacent lands. A staff of men employed by the Corporation, and under the supervision of the town snrveror, are constantly engaged scavenging the public thoroughfares, which are generally free from accumulatIOns of refuse matter, except that mving to the very scanty supply of water here, some of the water tables, especially ill the vicinIty of the numerous hotels, emit very offensive odours, no ordinarv means being available for flushing these channels beyond what occurs during rain"falls. • The site for the manure depot for Geelong has been shifted oIi different occasions, as circumstances have required, further eastward of the town. Its present position is now a source of constant complaint, especially on behalf Of the Volunteer force whose practice ground is in close proximity thereto; besides which, it is absolutely impossible to get there with a load of soil during wet weather on account of the bad state of the gronnd to be travelled before reaching it. The Corporation, fully aware of the necessity for making ~etter arrangements in this respect, directed their surveyor, in September last, to report as to the most eligible site and manner of conducting the future depOt. 'fhe site selected by the surveyor is a sloping piece of ground between the Point Henry road and the original burial ground, at which it is recolDmended to coustruct two stone tanks wherein to carry on processes of deodorization. 'rhe Corporation, however, have since come to the conclusion that it would be inexpedient to take any immediate action, pending Lhe result of contemplated experiments at the Melbourne or Metropolitan manure depot. . Oesspools are variously constructed of brick or stone, or casks sunk in the ground. They are emptied by ni~htmen duly licensed by the Corporation. But few nuisances from their condition came under my notIce. Butchers, as heretofore, are licensed annually. I observe that in several cases the killing places have been improved by being pitched or paved; in fact, the only premises of which I now complain as decidedly o~j"ction~ble are those at ~he co~ner of G:,:a~ Malop street and Bellarine strect. The killing. place here IS '!: portIOn of the stable lII.JII.JedIately adJo!!lmg the shop, has merely a b

,'" , " NEWTOWN ~ND CHILWELL. 31st December, 1862, , The district is stated to have:been generallj' healthy during the past year. " From the numoer 'of unoccupie~ tenements'in Chilwell, it would appear that the -papulation of that portion of the lllunicipality has' cohsiderably decreased, the attractIOns. of the New Zealan4 gold.fields having drawn awayhlany ~f its Qld ~'esid~n~s: " '.. , ' ' , . The'public thoroughfares throughout thIS mumcIpalIty are preserved m very cleanly cond'Ition. R3;in-f~lls ll~ually su~ce for ~<;averigin~, putw~en special"circ,umstances require, a man is employed for the' occaSlOn by tile CounCIl. , ' " "There is no maimre 'depOt' for this place, and though nightmen when' engaged' in this municipaHty arfl presumed,,~o deposi,t night s9il a~d o,ther, ~ffensiv~ ~ttex: a:t t~e"Ged,Qng, man~e depc'lt, it is n?t uitfrequently comp~ained' of th!l:~ ~~ey' ,!leposlt the, soil. 1ll gUllies aq..laeent to tl,Ie nver, and on other , occallions on gardens, t~ the great (llScomfiture of the neIg~bors. . ': 'd,' The nightmen hcensed, by the Ci'eelong CorporatIOn act here, but are :not lIcensed ~y the Newtown and Ohilwell Councll,a,s reqUlred under'tIle seventh clause, fifth sectIOn, ,. Management of, -_Towns' Act." '," , ' ,.' ' , : 'Cesspits here' are variously constructed, but ,~rein, general mere holes dug in the gI;ound. During mY-inspection I noted three of these neceSBarH~S as full, two others nearly full, and one (at all hotel) in a dilapid~ted and'dangerous state. ' " ,'.' " .' -, " '. , There are l).ine ,butchers within this municipality; they are' annually licensed py the Council; alf their jrilling places art' ,either paved or pricked, an:d;' w;it~ on~, ex~?ption, J!;ep,t. in cleanly cemdit;i!J,n" At two of these tradesmfln's, the yards, ,tQ,say the least of It, were, m ayery unhdy state, from bemg strewn with old' bones" &;c" and in one instance a . large 'quantity of'mainire had been allowed to. acqumulate, ,: The objectionable ,practiSe of.'lboil~ng: dowilbones and ~tale me~p~, c~r;;ied Qn ,b~: some .of the butchers here, for the purpose of extractmgfat therefrom ,or for preparmg It for PIgS food • • , ,~~ ••• t~ "';' ,.... I~..... ~... ",,,.' I. • > ., .' - 67

The nauseous odour which arises during this process is usually wafted far beyond the parties' own premises, occasioning no little offence to the neighbors it reaches. . Since my visit to Newtown and Chilwell last year, a retrogressive step has been adopted, by the licensing of a slaughter-house in the West Melbourne road within this municipality. It was origip.ally constructed and used ten or twelve years ago, but was subsequently closed under the Geel(mg Abattoirs Regulations. I am informed that complaints are constantly made by residents in the neighborhood of the nuisance to which they are subjected by its re-establishment, and I would further remark, that before I left Geelong the party conducting this establishment was fined for having this place in the foul state it was in at the time I visited it in company with the local inspector_ Swine are kept by most of the butchers, but as these parties Eave generally large premises, and the sties being kept in as elean a state as they well can be, no particular cause of complaint came under my notice respecting them. Aprivat.e individual, who is also rate collector, continues to hold the office of Inspector of Nuisances; the duties pertaining to which are, I consider, satisfactorily attended to by him. There are no lodging-houses in the municipality. The public water supply is still from the river Barwon, but most of the large houses are provided with tanks, whereby a good supply of rain water is secured to them. The outlet for drainage of the district is the Bay northward, and the river Barwon southward. 'l'he pollution of the water of the river Barwon, from various sources, has been so often before brought under notice of the Central Board of Health that it appears to me unnecessary to make further mention of it here. \ The only public recreation reserve secured for this, conjointly with the South BarwoTh' Municipality, is about 116 acres, situated within the South Barwon Municipality, at the junction of the Barwon and Moorabool rivers. This ground has been· fenced in, and during the current year . several thousand trees and shrubs, partly supplied from the Melbourne Botanical Gardens and partly from private contributions, have been planted. These grounds being as it were but in their infancy. do not as yet present any very attractive appearance. . The bathing establishments on Corio Bay, at Geelong, being so readily available for the residents of Newtown and Chilwell, it is not contemplated to provide any further accommodation for the present. The original burial ground east of Geelong, and Herne Hill Cemetery westward-either of which are about a mile distant from population-are both used by the residents of Newtown and Chilwell. The principal public work prosecuted by the Council during the current vear has been the construction of a substantial wooden bridge over the River Barwon, at the south end of the West Melbourne road, with approaches, theret.o, iueluding a large stone culvert and fencing, &c., at a eost of over £5000. This has been done with a view of bringing traffic from the Barrabool distriet through or into the Newtown and Chilwell district. This large expenditure has necessarily crippled their resources, and hence limited their operations in other directions; there has, however, oeen about three-quarters of a mile of channelling rough pitched with bluestone, quarter of a mile of wood kerbing done, three-quarters of a mile of' footpaths formed, half a mile of footpaths gravelled, ' and nearly half Ii mile of roadway metalled; an extensive cutting in Noble street has also been effected. and extension of George street to Aphrasia street, whereby the drainage of a nei~hborhood, which was in this respect in a deplorable condition 'during and long after wet weather, IS now well provided for. J. N. HASSALL. Superintending Inspector.

SOUTH BARWON. . 29th December, 1862. The attention of the Council continues to be specially directed to the improvement of thorough­ fares throughout this agricultural municipality. About £3000 have been expended during the current year on road making, Gonstruction of culverts, cutting storm water drains, and general repairs to roadways. . The chief p?r~ion of the money ,so expended has been ~erived from the toll at the South Barwon bndj:\'e, the, mUIDClpal rates amountmg to but about ~260 for the year. The health of the population of the district is stated to be generally good. When necessary, a man is hired to remove oHjectionable matter-such as dead animals, &e., that might be found about the public thoroughfares-but, generally speaking, rain-fal~s and winds suffice for sl!avenginj:\' these places. . , . Stable manure and other refuse accumulating on private premises appear to be universally used on adjacent gardens. . The cons~ructjon of cess]:>ools is usually of the primitive style, viz., mere holes dug in the ground. I have again to note the objectIOnable state of the privy at the Belmont store; it is ill constructed and" full •.. At one .)).ot,el at Germantown the only privy, accommodation is a dilapidated affair at an old buildin!t belonging to the same party; on the opposite side of the road. . Und",f ." The Town and Country Polipe Act," the Ooullcil, without passing lUly by-law, licensed the two butchers who. were carryiI;tg. on business at the time of my last visit, One of these parties has somewhat impz:oved his.premise!" the other has. closed .. Another party has since started at German­ town; he has no fit killing place, and has neither applied for, nor been applied to, to take out a license. _,.' There is ,no prohibition t() the keeping of swine; none, hc)\vever, were kept at either of the premises I inspected.' . " No inspector of nuisap.ces .. has ,yet, been appointed. The du~y pertaining to the office here. would b~ ~ut.lighk and I un~erstalfd that the sergea~t of: police has expre~sed his, willingness to accept it wltliout emolument, 'If the I,ocal Board appomt hIm. Actual appomtment appears to be necessary under" The Public th.Act" before he could take, aCtion under the same...... There ar,eno ng-hous~s in. the district. '. .,. . " ' The public w!l;fer•. s,upplYIS still from the River' Barw0D;, thollgh most of th,e better class of house~ are provided. with, taI).ks, wherein to collect a gOQd supply of rain water. ,. : . Theo:utl

The only recreation reserve secured to this, conjointly with the Newtown and Chilwcll municipality, is what is called the Queen's Gardens, comprising about 116 acres, situated within the South Barwon district, at the junction of the Barwon and Moorabool Rivers. The gronnd is fenced in, and is being gradually improved, but at present there is little to render it attractive. There are no bathing places nearer than those on the Bay at Geelong. On the Barrabool Hills road is a public cemetery, which is preserved in creditable condition under the managemcnt of trustees; and at Germantown is a small burial ground used exclusively by the Gernlan population of' that place. J. N,' HASSALL, Superintending Inspector,

GISBORNE. 6th December, 1862, The .district is stated to be in healthy condition. . The population of the town has considerably decreased, especially during the past nine months, which circumstance is attributc4 to the opening of stations along the line of railway beyond Gisborne, whereby the road traffic through the town, which originally contributed so extensively to its prosperity, has almost entirely ceased. ' , Independent of Government buildiugs there are about half a dozen brick buildings in Gjsborne, t,!:ie remainder being of wood., Many of the shops and houses here are now tenantless. . Government buildings, which are constructed of brick, comprise a fine' court house and offices, police barracks a;nd lock-up, and telegraph and p'ost office, The council, after repeatedly urging upon Government the requirement of suitable police quarters in the town, have at length succeeded in getting ,the present barracks and lock-up erected. The original police barracks, &c., were inconveniently situated on the hill It mile from the town, off the Melbourne road. No regular service of scavenging is adopted here, but a ml,n is occasionally employed for such purpose. 'rhe public thoroughfares and water tables are generally free from refuse deposits or stagnant drainage. There is a ready demand for all description of mnnure for agricultural purposes in the vicinity of Gisborne, and any quantity of inoffensive rubbish is needed on the flat adjacent to the Court HOjlse and other public 'buildings to raise this low lying spot, hence the manure dep6t is scarcely if ever resorted to, besides which it is questionn,bie whether the public could determine the site of the dep6t, as . no notice boards or posts have yet been placed there. , There is no nightman here, so that when' parties are required to empty their privies, they have to manage as best they can. Privy cesspits, as heretofore, are almost invariably mere holes dug in the ground. Nuisances, arising from the foul state of these necessaries, are still numerous. At th<;l1'elegraph Hotel, a repetition of the offence observed on my f0l1l1el' visit is again noticeable, the privy being full and drainage escaping therefrom down the yard into the public street. Un the other hand, at the Bridge Inn, where a very objectionable plan was resorted to for disposal of the soil, a brick cesspit has lately been substituted; and in respect of privies heretofore complained of on account of being built upon or over Fisher's Creek, I find that the late Inspector of Nuisances has caused them to be shifted, but the cesspits now provided are mere holes in the ground. On some of the low lying allotments the contents of these primitively constructed cesspits during the floods, which occasionally occur het'e, get washed out on to adjacent grounds. In several instances -I noted accumulations of manure in back-yards of premises, valJring in quantity up to twenty or thirty loads. _ An improvement has been effected by some of the owners of property in Aitkin street, on block twenty-two, by raising the buildings thereon and filling the /p'ound so as to permit of drainage, which was previously a matter of impossibility. It is highly desirable, especially for the health of' those residing on such spots, that this course should be genel"Mly adopted. A case was mentioned to me of a family who recently occupied a house on this block, of whom two adults suffered for some time from low fever, and two or three children were in a sickly state. Their medical attendant after a while induced them to remove to a higher and drier spot, when immediate improvement'in the general health of thc family ensued, and all soon became convalescent. The premises occupied by them on the low site SC!lrcely permitted of any drainage, whilst immediately underneath ,the house stagnant water almost perpetually lodged, Butchers have never yet been licensed in Gisborne. At present there are but two of these tradesmen in the town; one of them does all his killing at his slaughteryard, three quarters of a mile south of the town, the other has his killing place bricked, but is not careful enough in keeping this, as well as other arrangements on his premises, in sufficiently cleanly state. _ There is no prohibition to the keeping of swine, which appear to be kept in but small numbers and usually placed at a good distance from habitations. The police constable who formerly held the office of Inspector of Nuisances has lately been trans­ ferred to another district, and the Council have not yet appointed anyone in his place. Lodging-houses are still unregistered. There are. -only two in Gisborne, one of which, as noted in former reports, provides for double the number that the regulations prescribe; the other, which is the original shelter shed on the .i\1elbourne road, affords ample space and ventilation for the very limited number who resort thither. The public watcr supply is from the creek, and when taken above where drainage from the town enters is considered of good quality. Several priva.te individuals procure their supplies from wells Bunk on respective premises. ' The natural outlet for drainage is theJ creek, which passes through the towu. Its windings arc very circuitous, on which account it has often occurred that adjacent low lying grounds have been flooded. For the current year the total income of the Council has scarcely amounted to £500, out of which £300 have been expended. in constructing a substantial wooden bridge over the Saltwater Creek, leading from the north side of Gisborne to the agricultural district in the direction of Riddell's Creek or Lancefield road. A pitched channel has recently been made across the roadway near the junction of Calthorpe and Hamilton streets to prevent the flooding of the road during storms, as heretofore occurred, 69.

and about half a mile.·of footpaths have been gravelled in Calthorpe, Hamilton, and Aitkin streets. I have also to note that the Council have been enabled to get a portion of the creek straightened, which will materially assist the flow of water and thereby reduce to some extent the evil consequences occasioned to adjaeent low lying ground during heavy falls of rain; this work has been effected without cost to the Council .by their allowing thc contractor for the recently erected Government buildings to have the earth from the new cutting to raise a portion of the ground on which the police barracks have been erected. In August last a site comprising forty-four acres was granted for a parI, and. public gardens; it is situated on the north-east side of the creek, and is considered in every respect suitable for its purpose. Nothing has yet been done towards fencing in, or otherwise improving it. A racecourse and a cricket "round have been secured to the district for some years past, both of which are enclosed, and the groUl~ds though at times very wet, have been much improved. There is no bathing accommodation for the inhahitants of Gishorn€. . At the Cemetery additional trees have been grubbed, and a few trees, which the trustees procured from the Melhourne Botanical Gardeus, have been planted. The. sexton, as heretofore, resides in a wooden cottage erected by the trustees at the entrance to the Cemetery. J. N. BASS ALL, Superintending Inspector.

HEATHCOTE. 28th October, 1862. The formation and metalling the centre of the main street of this town for two miles in length. which was favorably progressinl511nder the auspices of Government when I was last here, was completed several months ago, since whlCh the Council have further formed and gravelled, and kerbed with granite stone, an additional mile of footpaths, simultaneously providing earth water tables forthe lllie distance. This has been the principal work effected by them during the last twelve mouths. A pitched crossing' has been recently constructed at the intersectiou of Playne street and Chancery street, otherwise no channelliug has yet been done in any portiou of Heathcote, the earth water tables usually answering present requirements. At the intersection of Jeuuings and Hospital streets offensive stagnant drainage from a manure ·heap lodges in an imperfectly formed water table; and in the last named street an obiec~ionable course is adopted by depositiug sundry loads of old bottles immediately at rear of two hotcls abutting on Hospital street. Such arrangements, if tolerated, will surely lead to the practice by other individuals of depositing offensive matter on public thoroughfares, which, fortunately, has not prevailed here, excepting at rear of one butcher's on the Kilmore road, where three or four loads of manure and refuse matter have been placed. Public thoroughfares and open plots of ground are usually free from refuse deposits or stagnant drainage. ' For the last eighteen months there has been no inspector of nuisances here. Butchers are not yet licensed; but a bye-law for this purpose, recently adopted by the Council, now awaits the assent of Government, after which it is purpos~d to require all these tradesmen to properly pitch their killing places, accordin~ to the suggestions of the Central Board of Health. Of the eight butchers here, ouly one has adopted requisite regulations. There is no prohibitiou to the keeping of swiue; the number of these animals kept on premises in the town has, however, materially decreased since I was las~ here, and in only one instance did I observe that the keeping of them produced £~n;ne(liate offence. This was at a butcher's who allowed the foul drainage from the sty to escape on to an adjoining allotmeut of la,llG, where it permanently lod~ed till absorbed or evaporatcd. The same individual has hitherto been allowing drainage from his kilhng place also to run on to and lodge on the same allotment of land. Boiling down stale meat, &c., at another butcher's, was complained of to mc, as causing considerable offence to his neighbors, which complaint, I am satisfied, was not without just cause, although I ha.d not opportunity of actually witnessing the perpetration of the offence. '1'here are still but the two lodging-houses, as noted ill my previous report; they are duly registered, and come within prescribed regulations as to space, &c •. No improvement has been adopted here in respect to general constructii;)n of cesspools-these places usually beiug mere holes dug in the grouud. I noted that five of these places were full, one of which overflowed on to neighboring gr~mnd, and ultimately into the side channel of High street. There is no recognised nightman here. I remarked in a former report that the Council had then required persons, whose properties were lower than the abutting footpaths, to lay down box drains across the footpaths to free their properties from nuisances arising from drainage which would otherwise stagnate thereon. I noticed, however, that, either for want of laying down such drains sufficiently low, or for want of the grouud being partially raised, stagnant water has accumulated ou several allotments of private land; one in particular, belonging to a );rrs. Tate, beiug very foul. ' An eligible reserve north of the town, referred to in former reports as the Racecourse, was gazetted about two mouths ago for a park, it comprises an area of 117 acres, and I am informed that Government have promised to grant out of next year's vote the means to fence it in. A little at rear of Mount Ida hotel is a plot of land used by the public as a cricket ground. It is stated to be a very suitable spot, but no application has yet been made to Government to reserve it for such a purpose . . The site reserved to the Council for municipal purposes opposite the Camp, comprising eleven acres, has been substantially fenced round, and the ground very much improved by the removal of most of the old stumps which were on it, and filling up and levelling most of the reserve, which had been formerly disturbed by mining operations. It appears, however, that the means adopted to cffect these improvements, which their own resources precluded them from accomplishing, have been . objected to by Government. The Council have, I understand, conditionally let the reserve for four years for nigltt .grazing, they securing to themselves the right to. resume possession C{/' any p07,tion they might require for municipal buildings at an.1J time, and securing for the public the use of the reserve during the daytime, in consideration of the party to whom they have let the reserve adopting the improvements above referred to as having been carried out, which has cost about £HiO. The .council No.9,r. 70 have at least secured by this arrangement a very improved condition of this heretofore broken-np and rude looking spot. ' Plans have been vrepared and tenders called for the erection ofa Court House and Town proposed to be built ou a portion of the Camp reserve fronting High street, and towards which Govern­ ment offer to contribute £1500. The only tender received is so farheyond the anticipated rost of the works, that it seems probable nothing will be done in the matter at present. The public water supply is still procured from old holes originally sunk by miners near the creek. ' No manure depot has been secured for this town. 4-bout three years !tlld a half ago application was made for a site; which was refused on account of its proximity. to the Racecourse; since then no application has been made to get another site surveyed. When inspecl;ing the town I noted sundry accumulations of manure, varying in clGantities from two or three to twenty or thirty loads, on respective premises, and not less in the aggregate than 100 loads. .Although l believe that if a manure depot was established little if any of this would be carted there (owing to the value set upon it for use on its owners' gardens or farms), still the absence of a depot affords a ready excuse for permitting accumulations of manure, &c., to occur on premises in the township. 'rhe Hospital here is universally appreciated as a great boon to the district; its general ordcr and cleanliness reflects much credit on the committee 'of managcment. There are at present bnt seven patients in it, which is stated to be only about half the usual number. The hospital reserve contains three acres; it is all fenced iu, and sillce I was last here a good deal of it has been trenched. The front portion is ornamentally laid off and planted with shrubs, &c., procured from the Botanical Gardells, Melbourne, and the remainder of the ground plantcd with vines, fmit trees, and vegetables, &e., for the use of the inmatcs of the institution. I have, however, to notice an objectionable matter rclative to the closets here, a somewhat similar mistake having been madc at this hospital to what I have observed at some other institutions in the colony, and which it has subsequently been fouud nccessary to alter. Thc closets in question are cOllstructed at the end of and beneath the same roof as the kitchen and store· room, being only separated from the latter by an ordinary brick wall, complaint is very naturally made that thc odour from the closets is a frequent source of offence to those en!:(aged in the offices of the institution. ' The Cemetery here, although it is in very creditable condition, has received no attention by way of improvement for the last two or three years, about which time the paths werc formed, and the ground pegged off and numbered for interments. One of the trustees informs me that there is now about £40 in hand, which the trustees will expend in improving the cemetery grounds, on receiving His Excellency's sanction to do so. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

INGLEWOOD. 26th September, 1862. Inglewood was created a municipality on ~he 31st December, ]861. The population within the municipal area is estimated at 2,500, besides which a corresponding number of persons are located immediatelv around the municipality in villages, where quartz recfs are being worked. The "town of Inglewood occupies a portion of a large flat, which is encircled by a ridge grown over with scrub; so bad if! the natural drainage of the town, that it is said to have becn during the winter season a sea of mud. At present the town consists of two long streets; in the principal one, called Brooke street, there are about 200 buildings, nearly the whole of which are for business purposes, i.e., stOff'S, shops, and public-houses; the majority are constructed of wood, the remainder being of canvas, iron, and brick. The sec9nd street, callcd Grant street, is principally occupied for residences; these are mostly dclaehed and constructed of wood. Since the cstablishment of this municipality, the rates collected h1Lve amounted to £750, and £300 has been receil'ed as grant.in-aid from Government. During l;hi8 period the Couucil have expended about £1000 on public works, which have been chiefly effected iu Brooke street; the roadway of this street has been cleared, filled up, and metalled with quartz for over a quarter mile in length, with footpaths 011 either side, formed, gravellcd, and kerbed with slabs, thc ends being let into the ground nearly a foot, ana secured at the top end to sawn timber plates laid along them. Earth water tables have 'heen simulbtneously provided, but owing to the slight fall whie4 prevails here these channels are of very little service for conducting drainage along them, Similar works to those adopted in Brooke strcet have been also extended to a narrow cross street, called Chancery lane, which leads out of the former, and is about fonr chains in length. Other street improvements have ,becn coufined to clearing away stumps and filling m old holes. ' • To preserve the various properties situate on the \Vest side of Brooke street from damage 'and inCOllYenience during rain-faUs, the Council have cut an open drain four feet wide by two and a half feet deep, in a liue immediately at rear of premises there situated, so as to intercept the storm water which flows down from the higher ground. Thc Wltter is thence conductcd under Brooke street, through a substantial culvert coustructed by the Council, and then by a continuation dmin down'to a lower portion of the flat, where it is disposed of by spreading over thc ground in the direction of the Kingarra Creck. Though the drai~ referred to is valuable ~or its ~ntended purl~ose, .it is. alre~dy abnsed by perso?s depOSIting offenSive matter, and cOllductmg dramage from pIggenes cherelllto, all such depOSIts remaining stagnant till washed away during heavy rain-falls. '1'here are eight butchers in Inglewood, they have been licensed for about'two months; their killing places, with one exception, are in far bett?r e~n~ition than I could hav? expected, considering the recent settl~ment of the place. Some of thClr lullmg places have been brlClrcd, and the others, I am informed, would,have been could bricks haye been procured, 'but at present none can be got here. Four of the butchers keep swine; the drainage from two of their piggeries runs out into the storm water channel at rear of their premises, where it stagnates till washed a way by heavy rain-falls. Drainage from the other two lodges 011 the premises.. " . . From the circumstance of the town ocenpymg so flat a SIte, all hqUld matter geposlted about premises remains tillllbsorbed or evaporated, hence the greater need for preventillg nuisances ordinarily att.endillg the keeping of swine. . There is no prohibition to the keepiug of swine in the tOlTn. 71

. The only instance calling for special comment in reference to offence on public thoroughfares is in a right.of.way at the rear of Mr. Wilson's, wine merchant, Brooke street, where a large pool of very offensiye stagnant drainage bas collected; the spot indicated is a natural hollow, and can, I conceive, only be effectively improved by raising it two or three feet. This is a nuisance c.alling for immediate attention. For the removal of any casual offence which may occur in the public thoroughfares, the. course adopted is for the inspector to have it removed at the cost of the Council. I inspected the back premises attached to four or five of the hotels here, all of which I found in very good condition. The ordinary cesspool arrangements in this town are mere holes dug in the ground, in some cases deserted shafts of considerable depth. Only one nuisance from the condition of privies came under my notice, and one instance where no privy accommodation was provided.· The sergeant of police was appointed by the CounciL about three months ago, as Inspector of Nuisances, with a gratuity at the rate of £20 per annum. He possesses an aptitude which has already rendered him a very useful officer. There is but one lodging.house in Inglewood; it is not registered by the Council, as required by " The Lodging House Act." Eleven beds are J:>rovided in it, which is a little in excess of what the prescribed regnlations would admit, but as the whole of the building is of canvas, there is little cause for objecting to the present accommodation. The public water supply is procured during the winter months from the Kingarra Creek. about two and a half miles distant south·east of the town; from this scurce the water is stated to bc often of very indifferent quality. In the summer season the supply has to be procured from the river Loddon, four and a half miles from the town. The water obtained from thence is considered far pl'efE

KILMORE. 25th October, 1862. The general community of this town have, until recently, evidenced considerable apathy in regard to sanitary matters, but I have now reason to hope that this state of affairs is gradually but surely giving place to a steady progress in the opposite direction. When conversing with some of the local authorities, about three years ago, I was told that sanitary regulations were not needed, as nuisances did not prevail here. This idea was, however, much at variance with the impression I had then conceived from the numerous offences which, in the course of my inspection of the town, had come under my notice, such as stagnant drainage, &c" in the street channels, foul condition of butchers' premises and of piggeries generally, disgusting state of sundry privies, and frequent accumulations of manure and refuse on rcspectivc premises; and then, again, the miserable and over· crowded accon:modation l)rovided ·at th~ lodging.h,ouses in the place. The,.cree,k, too, :,h~ch runs ~long the east Side and nearly parallel With the mam street of the olil town, while furmshlllg a porbou of its residents with their ordinary supply of water, served also as the common sewer of the place. It is, therefore. no matter of surprise that a community long accustomed to such a state of thino-s should be slow in their movements of sanitary reform. I find that there is now a willingness to ~omply "With requisite regulations so Boon as they are made compulsory. What has yet been effectcd has been by slow process, leaving much room for further operations. In my former report I remarked that tho Council were adjusting the levels and re.laying the channels and kerbing of portions of the main street, which work was originally done without due regard to drainage. This work, together with a further extent of channelling and kerbinO', has since been effected, and has materially assisted the drainage, and otherwise improved the appear;ncc of the street. Amongst other public works couducted by the Council during the past year are to be not.ed a substantial wooden bridge, with stone abutments, over the creek, leading to the hospital; the pub~ic gardens, and ~hc reservoir, &c.; ~wo foo.t.bridges over other portions of the creek; formation of a mde of r?adw~y, sl~ultaneously provlde~ With footpaths and earth ,,:ater tables; and the pitching and mctalllllg SIX chams of roadway, preVIOusly formed, across the mam road, at,the jUllction of the old and new towns. Government has constructed a stone culyert which conducts storm water from portions of t~e ,high ground?f the new town into the. lower par~ of Foot street, where it pUI·tially spr!lads, and. It IS st:rte~ occaslOnally ftoods the low pOJ:,tlOn ,of'pre[~lJses attached to the Kihnol'C Hotel, ultimately dlschargmg mto the creek. To remedy thiS eVil It wIll be necessary Lo form and pitch a channel from end of the Government culvert to the creek, a work which is certainly much needed lind claims from the Council early attention. ' 72

'. A handsome two-story bluestone building has been erected by Government at the corner of Powlett and Foot streets, since I was last here, for a post and telegraph office; it is now occupied for these purposes. " ~l~e office of Inspector of Nuisances is £lIed by a police constable, who appears well qualified for thIS posIbon. . . , Butchers here are still unlicensed; there are two in the old town; these have their killing p!ace~ ~atisfactorily,bricked_ 'l'here is all:other at the new town, who has closely slabbed the floor of his kIlhng place. At each of these preimses I noticed matters of offenee; one for having his killing place, in dirty state, and an arrangement by which the drainage from it runs into the creek, the offences at', the other two being from the drainage of the piggeries lodging on the premises. The butcher at Newtown, whose premises are somewhat isolated, continues to boil down stale meat &c., for his pigs, but the others asSert that they have discon(.inued this objectionable practice in the town: •. There are no~ seven lod&ing-houses in Kilmore. Th.e Council have so ~ar complied with "The Lodgmg-house Act as to regIster them, but no regulatIOns have been adopted as to space; the consequence is that, when the beds in the respective apartments are all occupied, they are very much overcrowded, in some cases more than double what the prescribed regulations would permit. , '. 'No general improvements have been adopted in respect to the construction of cesspools; a few which have been recently built are slabbed, but not usually puddled; this arrangement is therefore little better than the primitive style of providing .mere holes in the ground, except that it preserves the sides from falling in. The inspector has recently caused several persons to have their privies emptied, but notwithstanding this I found about half a dozen in bad state. There is no prohibition to the keeping of swine here, but the number of these animals in the town at present is much les8 than when I was here last. A case was mentioned to me in which the local inspector summoned au individual, in August last, for a uuisance on his premises, occasioned .by the keeping of pigs. This case was dismissed, the Bench stating that it required .the evidence of two medical men to prove that the nuisance referred to was injurious to the public health. At the present time offensive drainage from the piggery in que~tion still runs across a public thoroughfare into the creek, and from the same establishment drainage from· a cesspool escapes in a similar manner. If, to ensure convictions, local boards are to be put to such apparently needless expense as the Kilmore Bench would lead them into, by requiring the evidence of two medical men to prove .such a flagrant case as this appears to be, I fear the suppression of nuisances will be deferred for a very lengthy period. , ' The keeping of swine, un.der orilinary cin:umstances, is invariably attended with more or less offence. It is a customary plan to slab the floo~s of piggeries, which, when raised above the level of the ground, allows a good deal of the filthy dramage to lodge beneath; and when the slabs are laid immediately on the surface soil the boards become saturated with the offen,sive matter, from which a very powerful stench is emitted as the heat of the sun operates upon it. Where swine are permitted to be kept in towns· the sties .should be required to be well pitched, and receptacles provided wherein to collect all drainage therefrom, and the regulatiori enfol'ced which provides that, offensive matter be orily removed during certain hours of the night by duly licensed nightmen. Under present circum­ stances the drainage from piggeries is frequently, and in Kilmore universally, found to escape into the public thoroughfares. . There is no recognised nightman here, neither is there any manure deptlt provided. A site for a depot was originally reserved on the east side of the new town, but was never used, and now forms a portion of the Public Gardens reserve. Some'little difficulty has been in the way of selecting a suitable spot for a depot, the more so since the reservoir here has .been constructed, the preservation of the surrounding gathering grounds from impure matter being of paramount importance. In company with the Town Surveyor I visited three sites which had been under consideration, one only of which , appears eligible for' the purpose required. It is about three-quarters of a mile north-east from centre of the old township,. and quarter of a mile ~orth of the p.ound, with a good track dire?t to the spo~. The scavengmg of the mam and, It may be smd, only street of the town IS very credItably performed under a contract, at a cost to the Council of £29 per annum. When here in December last the Public Garden reserve was being fenced in. .A. small plot ot about half an acre \Vas subsequently close paled and trenched, and planted with shrubs, &e., procured from the Botanical Gardens, ~felbourne. A grant of £100 recently obtained from Government is about to be e:s.pended in close paling the whole of this-reserve and erecting entrance gates, &c. North of the Camp reserve, and a little eastward of the town, is a cricket grouncl, in close proximity to which is also the present racecourse. , 'rhe establishment of publie baths has not yet engaged the attention of the Council. The Cemetery continues (.0 receive attention from the trustees. .A. portion of it has been cleared and walks partially formed, the trustees purposing to' shortly clear, &c., tbe remaining portion, and, with a/rant of £75 recently procured from Government, to enclose the additional area of twelve acres secure to them about a year and a half ago. I would again mention that there are but three trustees ,to this cemetery, which is the minimum number required, to form a quorum, and would recommend that measures should be token to have at .least one more. added to the present number to meet emergencies, snch as might occur in ease of death or other absence of either op.e of the present members. Church of England, lloman Catholics, and Presbyterians are at present represented, and I would suggest that as the Wesleyans are now a tolerably numerous body here, one from their '. body should be added to the trustees of the Kilmore Cemetery. • The representations of the C!)uncil ~ Government respecting a supply of water for the district have been so far successful that Governrltent has constructed a reservoir within the Camp reserve, capable of containing 14,000,000 of gallons, covering an area of thirtecn acres, its greatest depth being twenty-one feet. The present gathering ground comprises about 430 acres; but this, as well as the capacity of the rt;'servoir, could be considerably augmented should it be needed a~d the requisite funds be forthcoming. The reservoir was finally completed a few weeks ago, and there IS now about ten feet of water in it, which appears tolerably pure. Government have placed at dis])osar of the Council the sum of £600 for bringing in the supply to, the town. This is to be done by means of iron pipes; but it is estimated that the Council will have to expcnd a further sum of £600 to extend the pipes, erect stand-pipes, and provide fire-plugs, &c., in the old town. The new town, from 'occupying a more elevated position, wil~ not be so much benefited by this unde:taking as the lower town until it may be found necessary to raIse the present embankment, &c., to a higher level.

'--_.. _._------73

The nuisance complained of last year at the Hospital, in connection with the privy there, has been effectually: abated by the removal or the privy to another spot. At this institution a detached kitchen and larder have been recently erected, and also other less important outbuildings. I have now to make favorable mention of the cleanliness and general order prevaili.ng here. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

KYNETON. 28th November, 1862. Although this town is for the most part naturally. well situated in. respect to drainage, having a good fall northward to the Post Office Creek, and south and westward to the Campaspe river, there is a sad deficiencv in the drainage of several properties in the town, owing, as would appear, from injudicious levels having been adopted in various instances during the early days of this municipality. I would now 'particularly refer to that portion of Kyneton lying to the east of Mollison street due south of High street, where many of the pmperties during winter become floeded with storm water. Generally speaking, there is a sufficient natural fall towards thc Campaspe to relieve these grounds, but the source is obstructed by the footpaths constructed, which, being raised a foot to eighteen inches, so effectually impedes the natural flow that the water on some allotments is completely dammed back, and there .stagnates and becomes offensive. . The soil here is very rich, and is so peculiarly tenacious as to prevent absorption, so that the mass of stagnant water, impregnated with impurity arising from the decomposition of weed which covers much. of the ground, is alone disposed of by evaporation. At the present period the general health of the community of Kyneton is stat.ed to be good, but I am informed that during the months of March, Aprjl, May, and June, 1860, diphtheria prevailed to an alarming extent throughout the neighborhood specially referred to. The recent formation of two streets in the locality will tend to improvement, though I app~ehend that the trifling gradient, especially in the absence of pitched water tables, along. the west end of Bodkin street will prove insufficient for its requirements. This portion of the street has been described l!-S a channel of liquid mud during the winter seasons. . . . . Had the Council directed their attention to the very important subject of drainage, it mi!Jht have been most effectually secured for this part of the town at the time Government was formmg the continuation of Mollison street to the railway station, by their inducing Government to lower a. portion of the road in the vicinity of Bodkin street, even if the Council had had to contribute towards the additional expense. The outlay on such a work would, I conceive, have been generally approved of as a judicious expenditure, 1'he public thoroughfares of the town, so far. as the roadways are concerned, are in very cleanly condition, but portions of the water tables in various places cOntain offensive stagnant drainage, for which there appears to be no help under existing circumstances. I would here state that the water tables provided by the Council are mere earth formations, and, as before remarked, the character of the soil is such as will not permit of absorption, and owing, as is supposed, to Bome peculiar properties of the soil, even pure water, after remaining stagnant for but a short time, becomes offensive, and is in the cases referred to ouly disposed of by evaporation. There is no regular service for scavenging in Eyneton, but occasionally a laborer is employed to clear the water tables. During the current year the income of the Council has been about £2200. The principal public works conducted by them during this period have been about one mile of roadways,* with temporary water tables provided; about two-thirds of a mile of footpaths have been made, and three miles and a half of footpaths which were previousymade, have been re-gravelled; and between £200 and £300 have been expended on cattle yards, recently constructed at the east end of the town by the Council. . . Shortly after my visit to Eyneton in November, 1861, the Inspector of Nuisances (a private individual), through takinf: an active part at the municipal election, was dismissed, and it was not until just before my present VIsit that his successor (the sergeant of police) was appointed. The fact of allowing this office to remain vacant for so long a period, thereby permitting old offenders to fall back into their long accustomed habits of disregard to cleanliness, will convey some idea of the little consideration given by the Council to sanitary requirements. During my inspection of the town ~ was accompanied by the newly appointed inspector, and am induced to bplieve that the duties devolving upon him will be more readily prosecuted than when in the hands of a private individual, inasmuch as the latter, if' faithfully discharging his duty. would be almost sure to bring upon himself a greatcr share of odium than he could well contend against. The condition of many privies I found to be very objectionable. Cesspools are usually mere holes dug in the ground. I noted eighteen nuisances arising from the condition of these necessaries; in some of these cases no cesspools were provided to privies, mere temporary expedients being resorted to. There is. one recognised nightman at Kyneton, who was licensed by the Council some years ago, but he has not of late been required to renew his license. Butchers have not been licensed for the past year. There are five of these tradesmen in the town. Their killing places, as noted in former reports, are all bricked; but at all of these establishments nuisances are prE'sent, either from want of cleanliness in the killing places, the manner of disposing of the blood, ac()umulation of manure, condition of privies, or offence in connection with· their piggeries. At one, the principal butcher's in the town, was a combination of all the nuisances specified. There is another butcher, whose premises are distant from the municipality the width of only- a street. This place has often been complained of as creating much offence, and from being III such close proximity to the residents of Kyneton, the Council might at least have taken care that the premises were looked after by the police in the ordinary discharge Qf their duties. I noted that the killing place here was merely slabbed, and that stale blood oozed

• In Kyneton, tIS in other towns where tM goill. Of a rich and tenacious character, the roadways require to be pitched before the metal is laid down. otherwise tho latter materia! would SOOn be completely huricd ill the sol'!; soil. This requirement renders road making hel!! a particularly expensive Item. Rubblo stone has likewise to be used in forming footpaths, otherwise they would not stand. No. 9,8. 74

up between the boards by stepping upon them, the privy was fnll, and in the yard was an 'accnmulation of several loads of mannre; quantities of skins are also constantly hanging about the ~~ , There is no prohibition to the keeping of swine, which are kept at several hotels and by butchers. The presence of these animals at butchers' establishments is particularly objectionable; 'on account of their being fed upon offal, &c., which arrangement, though strictly prohibited under, a bye-law of the Council, is wholly disregarded. There is one brewery here, whieh is complained of as frequently causing a very disagreeable offence, owing to the sour drainage from washing of casks escaping therefrom into the side channels of the streets and lodging in 'Places till evaporated. No attention is given by the Council to lodging-houses in Kyneton l they are not registered, nor is any local supervision exercised over them .. I inspected ten of these hous3s, and have to repeat tha~ seveml of the apartments are considerably overcrowded. 'rhe one house·ofwhich I made special mention in my former report as being not only overcrowded but wholly wanting in ventilation, has since been somewhat improved in respect to ventilation, but even now is very deficient in this respect. , The public water supply is still from the Ca,mpaspe, though most of the residents procure a good and plentiful supply fj'om wells sunk on their premises. Beyond the reservation of It site for public baths, nothing has been done in the matter. There are two recreation reserves secured for Kyneton. the racecourse and cricket ground, and the site for public gardens; both are enclosed, and at the latter It portion of the ground· h.ts been laid out with foorpaths, after an ornamental design, but planting has not yet been commenced, the CounCIl not being able to any assistance from Government for this purpose 'out of the last distribution. ' The manure de'P&t has not yet been useel, nor ,has anvthing been done to direct the public to where it is situated. ~t appears t? be inconveniently placed forthe town generally. The cemetery (situated a mIle and a half from the centre of the town) is preserved in very good condition. The trustees have lately secured an extension to the grounds of the cemetery, but have ,not yet enclosed the new portion. . J. N. HAElSAUJ, Superintending Inspector.

MALDON. , 25th November, 1862. The income of the Council of this mmiicipality during the current year has been 'about £2700, half of w hieh has been raised by rates, the other portion being Government grants. In the immediate township of Maldon, on the east side of l,fain street, footpaths have been made and gravelled for a length of fifteen chains, the same being kerbed ,vith wood, and rough pitched water table provided for the like distance. Across the footpath referred to, numerous rough pitched ,crossings have been formed leading to respective private premises, the expense of which has been equally borne by private individnals .and the Council. In Templeton street, half a mile of roadway for a width of twenty-fite feet has been formed and gravelled, and about six chains of Spring street has also been formed. Outside the immediate township roadways leading to three of thc miliing localities within the municipality have been formed, and metalled with quartz for a width of twenty-five feet, for a mile and half in length, with seven culverts and six pitched crossings, and nearly half a mile of footpaths formed and gravelled, earth water tables being simultaneously provided. The prosperity of Maldon is dependent, upon the mining population, hence the neeessiLy to study' their welfare -in prosecuting public works. , ' Afew improvements are noticeable in regard to buildings in the town, w~lilst on the immediate 'outskirts, probably a dozen new brick and wooden cottage residences have been erected. The public thoroughfares of the town are preserved in cleanly.condition, the Council occasionally employing a man to cleanse the water tables, &c. I notice,however, that at the rear of scyeral premises on the east side of Main street, stable and pig manure and miscellaneous rubbish is deposited instead of being cllrted away to the manure depot. The office of Inspector of Nuisances is still filled by a private individual. I cannot speak of his ~uties being performed satisfactorily, but attribute this chiefly to omissions on the part of the Council, who have not given that aUention to sanatory matters that they as a local board of health should do. Butchers here are still unlicensed, and though. under the dirl'ction df the health officer some two or three years ago, improvements were effected at their premises, further improvements afe needed to prevent the blood escaping from their killing plnces on·to the ground adjacent to their killing places. Swine are kept 'by all the butchers, as well as by other individua:ls in Maldon. The town, fl'om occupying the sideling of a hill (or a portion of Mount Tarrangowel'), has naturally for the most part so good a fall, that m0isture can scarcely lodge on private premises, hence the keeping of swine here is not attended with so much offence as in flat lying places, though in some instances I noted that the stench from the sties' was very powerful, particula:ly at AgU's, blltcher, Eaglehawk, where the drainage from the piggery (as well as from his primiti,'elyarranged killing place) escapes across his yard into the public roadway f['onting his shop; this offensive arrangement I have observed here for two or three years, and am a loss to understand how it is that this has been tolerated. Lodging-houses are neithel' registered or subjected to local supervision, there are three in the town, the accommo,lation provided in one i::;~early correct, but the others are over provided with beds to the extent of about one-third. ' The ordinary construction of cesspools here is effected by meI'llly digging a hole in the ground, whlch when fnll is covered over and a fresh hole dng. At one of the hotels as many as nve of these places have been thus arranged. I have, however, to -remaJ'k, that since the Central Board of He-alth recommended a plan for the better 'construction of cesspools, the Local Board of Healt,h here have endeavored to induce the residents to adopt the arrancrement, and in a few instances have succeedeJ. At the Cumberland hotel, a filthy affair. exists in respe~t of an old privy, there is no cesspool to it, and by ll:eans of a drain l~ro:ided for the purpose, the soi! drains, or duri!1g ~ain-falls ge.ts wash<:d; into the pubhc street. At CrISp s, butcher, Eaglehawk, no privy accommodatIOn IS yet -provIded; thIS has been the case for two or three (or more) y-ears. At the bathing establishment, Eaglehawk, a urinal has been provided, but it has been cOllSidered unnecessary as yet to erect a closet there. At several 75

premises inspected by me I noted that the back yards contained small quantities of'rubbish, leading me to infer that no steps are taken to remove the same, but that it is allowed to remain exposed to atmospheric influence,' to be dried up and partially blown or washed away, or else to mingle with the surface soil. There is no nightman at Maldon, but I understand ,that an individual is about to follow this avocation, and the Council have accordingly framed a bye-law preparatory to issuing the requisite license. . The manure depot is about a mile and half east of the town, but is seldom if ever used, In close proximity to the depOt a reserve of twelve acres has recently been granted by Government for cattle yards and abattoirs for the munic.i-pality. The public water supply, as heretofore, is procured from springs in the vicinity, or from the mUnicipal tank attached to the Market house. l'he Government reservoir which I stated in my last report had then been completed for four months, was subsequently found to leak. This defect has sinee been ascertained to have arisen through the original contractors, when constrncting the embankment, not e;mavating and puddling down to the bed rock, hence tlle water which had collected in the reservoir escaped through two feet of gravel soil; this mattE'r has since been adjusted, and the condition of the reservoir satisfactorily reportcd upon by two competent engineers. The capacity of the reservoir is for 3,000,000 of gallons, but it may at a further ouUay be easily made to hold three times that guantity. At present it is quite empty, this is in consequence of the amends recently effected. There is an extensive water shed (Mount ~'arrangower) wherewith to snpply this reserve. , At the site originally uSlld as a cricket ground, a mile west of the town, sixteen acres have been granted for recreation ground, . The Cemetery is nearly two miles distant from the town, and on this occasion I had not an opportnnlt of visiLing it; but I am informed that, since the appointment of trustees, regulations have been for its management, a resident sexton appointed, for whom tent accommodation has been provided within the enclosure; the grounLllaid off for respective denominations, and paths formed. I am likewise informed that it is contemplated to remove the bodies originally interred in the township' to the cemetery, the trustees of the cemetery having offered to provide graves gratuitously, if the Council will be at the expense of removing the bodies (about eighteen) to the cemetery. In my report for 1859 or 1860 I made particular mention of these old graves. Complaints are made by Borne of the residents of Maldon that they are subjected to much annoyance from the sulphurous odonrs which are at intervals wafted over their town from the quartz kilns, and fears expressed that it must inj uriously affect the health of the community of this place. The Maldon Hospital, which at present contains but one ward, forty feet in length by twenty-five in width, is built of briek, well ventilated, and kept in very cleanly condition. Plans were shown to me for contemplated extensions about to be carried out by the addition of another wing, bath room, &c., the present accommodation being far too limited. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

MALMSBURY. 3rd December, 1862. This district is stated to be in very healthy condHion. Like the adjacent township of Taradale, it is here to be remarked that, since the opening of the raHway, the floating population previously engaged in the railway works have drafted off, but the population of tIle town appears to be about stationary. Buildings in NIalmsbury are variously ponstructed of stone, brick, or wood; the majority are of the latter material. ' It has not yet been found necessary 'to adopt any system of scavenging, as, with the exception of the drainage from a brewery, winds and rain-falls suffice to keep the public thoroughfares free from refuse or offensive matt"r. , No manure depoe has yet been secured for this place, but I am told that the Council intend applying for a site for this purpose. I At several premises I observed accumulations of manure and refuse; in one instance, about fifty loads of manure had collected. ' Privies here are almost invariably provided with mere earth cesspools, which, when full, are covered over and fresh holes dug. Seven of these plaeos I noted as being full. By way of initiating II. better arrangement in regard to cesspools, the Council have had a brick one constructed at the rear of the Council Chambers, adopting the plan recommended by the Central Board of Health. It is as yet uuused, and is left uncovered for the inspection of the public. The principle on which this cesspool is constructed is correct, but the workmanship is altogether inferior, notwithstancling its exceedingly simple arrangement. No private individuals have yet been induced to adopt the plan. There are two butchers in the town; the;: are not licensed; one kills a sheep now and again on his premises where a mere earth floor is pro\'lded, but, as a rule, sheep and pigs are killed by him at llis slaughter,:yard, half a mile distant north-west from the town. The other butcher, whose premises abut the NatIOnal Hotel, not only kills small animals, but slaughters his cattle also cn the spot; the floor of the sheep killing place is slabbed, and to outward appearance tolerably clean; the slaughtering place is pitched with stones, and the immediate spot is keRt in good oondition. At the west of the to'l'l"n is a brewery, the sour Ifrainage from which is complained of as causing constant offence in that locality. There is no prohibition to the keeping of swine in the town. I met with them at six places. At the slaughteryard adjoining the National Hotel, where a number "ere kept, the piggery "as in a yery foul state, aud at two of the hotels the pigsties were in objectionable·condition. Aboue six months since the Council a~pointed the sergeant of IJolice Inspector of Nuisances. with a gratuity at the rate of £20 per annum. l'his officer was absent from Malmsbury on police dnty at the time of my visit. Lodgin/:'-houses. two in number, are not registered or-subject to any local supervision. At one, beds are provided for one-third more than the regulations would permit, whilst double the prescribed number are provided in the second house. 76

The public water supply is usually taken from the' river Coliban; there'is also a spring of excellent water at the north-east side of the town, which the Council contemplate making available for more, general use. Most of the residents obtain their supplies frolll wells sunk on their respective premIses. , , The river Coliban (below where the water supply is procured) forms the natural and ready outlet for the drainage of Malmsbury.. . , ' . A~ ihe .east epd of t~e town, within the munieipality, is. a general recreation ground~ comprising, elghty acres; It was fenced III about a year ago; under some reCIprocal arrangement entered mto between the trustees of the reserve and a private individual. , There is- no fit bathing place for the inhabitants of l\-lalmsbury, though water holes of the Coliban are occasionally resorted to. , The Cemetery here has received due att.ention at the hands of the trustees; it has lately been enclosed with srough picket ,fence and suitable, entrance' gates; the ground has been surveyed, marked off, and apportioned for respective denominations; regulations have been adopted and a non-resident sexton appointed., , , , The public works cffeCted by the Council' have ,been confined to the making of portions of roads and construction of bridges within the municipality leading to the adjacent agricultural districts. J. N. HAS,SALL; Superintending Inspector.

MARYBOROUGH. 7th October, 1862. The district is stated to be in a healthy conditlOn, and the population, as regards number, about stationary. . , ' Buildings in Maryborough are variously ,constructed of brick, iron, and wood, the larger ,proportion being of the latter material., " , The general appearance of the town is /P'adually progressing by the imp-foved class of buildings of comparatively recent date, Since my last VIsit four substantial brick buildings have been erected in or near the centre of the town, beside which are to be noticed several villa and cottage residences, also of brick, in the immediate environs. tI No system of scavenging has been adopted here, b1:!t labor is occasionally employed to"cleanse the water tables and public thoroughfares, which are, for the most part, preserved in deanly condition, though, in the centre of the town portions of the water tables are constantly in offensive state owin~ to drainage stagnating in them. The ordinary channels are of mere earth formation, and until pitching is adopted no permanent improvement can be effected at the spot referred to. The manure depot, which has been in use for several years, is situated about half a mile eastward from, the town. It comprises two acres of land, and is indicated by posts and notice boards placed by the Council at each corner. There is one licensed nightman here, but his services are evidently not called into request as often' as needed. Privies are usually provided with mere earth cesspits. I noted that five of these places were in foul state, as was unother privy where portable boxes were provided in lieu of a ccsspit; these boxes were full to,overflowing. II). Maryborough, which by no means forms an exception to other places where mere earth cesspits are provided to privies, it is to be remarked that the contents of these places are usually increased or lessened according to the state of the weather. A cesspit, for instance, which would be 'nearly full at a season when moderate rain-falls occur, would be reduced some eighteen inches during a 'drought, and, again, during continued or heavy rain-falls, would rise nearly or quite to overflowing. A general improvement is noticeable in reference to accumulations of manure and refuse on private premises. On my previous visit this description of nuisance was of frequent oceurrence, ' whereas tUe only instance noted by me on the present occasion, where the accumulation of manure created actual offence, was on an unoccupied allotment of land at the cornel' of Havelock and Wellington streets, nearly opposite the Savings' Banl" About twenty loads of half-rotted manure has been recently placed here, from which a heavy musty smell is emi.tted. ' , Butphers have been licensed since May' last; there are four who kill sheep, &c., on their premises in the town. As regards their killing places, I have to report favorably on the change which has been effected; the floors in 'each instance are now pitc:hcd with bricks, approximating to the plan recommended by the Central Board of Health, There is another butcher in the centre of the town who occupies very eonfined. premises, but he kills all ,his meat at his slaughteryard outside the municipality. The office of Inspector of Nuisances is filled, as heretofore, by a police constable, who has, during the past year, caused many nuisances to be abated and improverncnts to, be effected, but offences arising from the condition of pr~vies have not been so satisfactorily dealt with as the existing state of affairs here requires. . There is no prohibition to the keeping of swine in the town; I, however, met wit~ fewer of these animals than her(')tofore. At Middleton and Churton's, bakers, High street, the floor of the piggery has been recently pitched with bricks, but drainage therefrom either runs into an old foul cesspool in the yard, or lodges about the. adjacent gron:;td. At L:u=:'s, butcher, ~igh 9t.re~~, though the premises generally have been mucl; lIDproved, tl.w }'ngsty reJIl!11lls ill very offenslVe eondihon...... At present there 18 but one 18itglUg-house III Maryborough, the accommodatlOn .provided III It does not now exceed that of the prescribed regulations. Two other premises, prEtviously occupied as lodgincr-houses, have since been licensed for public-houses'. "'" The Lodging House Act" has not yet been adopted here. , . ' The public water supply is still from wells at Carisbrook, though many of the residents are able to store sufficient rain water for their respective wants in brick tanks constructed on their prerpises. The water at the municipal dam is very discolored from mining operations' and is likely to ,continue so; it is now "only looked :upon as of value in caBe of fires, or for purposes where purity is not essentiaL , . A reservoir of considerable extent has been constructlld by Government, a mile distant from J\iaryborough, on the Amherst road. It was emptied not, long since for the purpose of sodding its 77

embankment, &0. I could gather no reliable information as to any immediate prospect of piping being laid down from thence into the town. The outlet for drainage of i\:f aryborough is naturally provided for by the creek which runs along the lower or south-east side of the town. At the north eud of the town is a public recreation ground comprising about eight acres. This has been lately close fenced with six feet sawn timber, at a cost to the Council of over £300, It is, I am informed. much frequented for cricketing and other amusements. It is probable that a portion of this reserve will be converted into It public garden. The whole of the original camp reserve, situated a mile from the town, on the Dunolly road, has been granted for a public park. It comT;rises seventy acres of land very suitable for its destined purpose. and the Council are abont to have It forthwith enclosed. No baths have been established here for want of adequate water supply. The Cemetery, ten acres in extent, is about a mile and a half north from the town; it continues to be preserved in creditable condition under the management of trustees. The sexton resides iiI a cottage erected bv himself immediately outside the entrance gates. 'fhe fencing in the cemetery was done some years since hy the Oouncil, who have never yet been able to get reimbursed by the trustees, whose funds have been only sufficient to defray current expenses. The old burial ground south-west of town is, as I have always known it, fenced in and unused. In the former portion of my report I have alluded to the requirement of pitched channelling in portions of streets in the centre of the town. The need of this is well known to the Council who, I understand, had contemplated using wood piLchers for cho::apness sake, and who would in all probability have adopted this material ere now, but for the obJections set forth in the last annual report of the Central Board of Health to the use of wood for such like purposes. Two wide blues Lone dish drains have been constructed to facilitate drainage at intersections of High street and Nolan street, and Nolan street and Alma street, and a brick barrel drain in Inkerman street, to the municipal dam. Bluestone can only be procured here at very considerable cost, which has necessarily restricted its use in the town. In Nolan street and Clarendon street portions of the footpaths have been kerbed with wood, and the earth water tables along them likewise imr.roved. During the current year the OounCll,'by the aid of prison labor, have been enabled at a comparatively trifling cost, to clear aml form at permanent levels, continuations of streets ill various directions, to a rather consideraHe extent. These 'works have materially benefited the respective localities. Numerous stagnant pools on old mining ground have therehy been filled in, and drainaat) of adjacent grounds considerably aided by means of the earth water tables simultaneously provided. b J. N. HASSALL, Snperintending ;Inspector...

MOONAMTIEL. 22nd Septemb'er; 1862: This township is situated, in a valley of a spur of the Pyrenees, on .. the original line of road to. Adelaide, fourteen miles north-west from A,oca., It was created a municipality in October, 1861, but it was only about two months ago tha,t the Oouncil received from Government their first grant-in-aid. amounting to £300. This is aecoullted for from the circulllstance of the municipality being formed at so late a period of the year tha~ the apportionment for the grants for municipalities for 18(H had been previously disposed of. The amount of rates collected up to the present time has been £280, which has been nearly all absorbed by preliminary expenses, rent of offiees, furniture, municipal seal, &c., and salaries to officers; the only public work yet aecomplished by the Council being the construction of a temporary log bridge over a creek at the eastern entrance to the town. Prior to the formation of Moonambel into a municipality, the residents contributed the means for improving the condiLion of their main street, which is now the only street in the plaee; for though a large population, e~timated at from· 15,000 to 20,000 persons,. were drawn hither to the rush about eighteen months ago, they have been constantly moving off to adjacent gold .. workings,* till only . about 500 to 700 are left. The works effected by the original residents comprised the clearing and levelling the roadway at its primitive level and forming temporary. footpaths and water tables on its sides. Immediately at rear of the town, on its north Ride, is the Mountain Creek, which lays several feet below the level of the town; but the drainage of the litter only partially finds its way thither, a good deal lodging about in the temporary water tahles and on various parts of the lowest portion of the street, as well as on adjacent allot.ments of gronnd, 'iI'here it remain~ till absorbed or evaporated. With the sum recently received from Government, it is purp05ed forthwith to permanently form and metal, with quartz, the whole width of the main street for a' distance of twenty-eight chains, to construct two wooden culverts, and to re-form,the water tables, so as to secure requisite drainage for the public thoroughfare. Contracts for these works have just been let. The sergeant of police was appointed Inspector of Nuisances about six months ago, with a gratuity at t.he rate of £10 per annum. But-chers are not yot licensed, There are three in tJiG town; kill out of doors, on the bare ground. '1'here are also two slaughtering establishments abouL a quarter of a mile south of the main street, on an elev.ated site; to these mBre attention is required to prevent the blood from spreading, as it now does, over'the ground adjacent.to the slaughter shed, and ultimately washing down, by rain-falls, towards the main street. In several instances I noted the accumulation of manure on or at rear of premises in the town. The coustruction of cesspools here is invariably by digging mere holes in the ground, varying in depth to 12 feet. I did'not meet with any that had yet filled up •

.. At lledbank. sewn miles dIstant; Hilles's. nine miles; Barkly, twelve miles; Donkey Hill, five miles; and, WithUl the iast fortnight, to a STeat rush at Lllnd~LoroughJ about twenty miles oft'. No.9, t. 7S

..' There is no prohibition to the keepjng of swine. There are not however, very many of these animals kept here. " 'There are no 'lodging~houses in Moonambel. ' , No mallure depot has yet been granted; in the absenee of which, the Inspector of Nuisances states that he could not well prosecute parties for having accumulations of rubbish, &0., on their premises, there being no place where he can direct them to remove it to. A. site for a depM has lately been selected bv the Town Surveyor, at. a distance of half a mile from the town, on its south side, and application maae to Government by the Council to grant the same. ' . The public water supply is procured from wells sunk on the banks of the creek. The supply th~s. obtained is stated to be good and p~entifnl for all 'domestic purposes. The water in the creek was ongmally very excellent, but has long smee ceased to be fit for domestic purposes, on account of its pollution by mining operations in and along its banks. , There is a racecourse and cricket ground three. quarters of a mile south·east of the. town, but it has never, been gazetted for such purpose or surveyed. This is the only recreation ground, no park or other reserve having been yet applied for. ' . 'The Council have been endeavoring to induce the Government to grant, as town common, some land about a mile and a half souLh'west of the municipality, abutting on the Gold fields Common, the principal object of such application being, I am informed, to secure a fine supply of water from a stream ,known as the Middle Creek. The application has, however, been refusGd, on the ground of a large area in the district having been already gazetted for a gold fields common. ' . A Cemetery Reserve was gazetted eight or nine months ,ago, and'Trustees were shortly afterwards appointed. The reserve is ten acres, but only a fifth part has yet been fenced, which was as much as the grant obtained from Government woulp. do. 'The site. which is very suitable for its purpose, was originally used when the :first rush took place here some eighteen months ago; it is at the extreme eastern end of the municipality. As soon as the Trustees obtain a further grant of £50, which is about to be paid them, the whole of the ten acres will be enclosed, and the ground laid off for respective denominations. At present all interments, numbering perhaps 120, have heen made near the entrance gate. ' . J. N. HA.SSALL, Superintending Inspector.

RUTHERGLEN. 18th December, 1862. Itutherglen was creat~d a municipality in September last, though the town was formed about two years ago, when mining operations first commenced, on which occasion three leads were almo;lt simultaneously discovered! the first (the Wahgunyah Lead) p~ssing north and south through the centre of the 'Present township, and the other two, half and one mlle respectively, south·west of the town. Sever!jl others were subsequently discovered, of 'which ten are at present being worked. The sinking varies from 80 to 300 feet: Here, as at the sister township of Chiltern, on first opening up the mines, the results were highly satisfactory, causing a'very areat rush of miners, and, as a consequence, storekee'Pcrs, hotelkeepers, and others, to the plaee. After a while, as the leads were followed into deeper ground, considel'able difficulties were experienced in keeping down the water, which has, in several instances, been overcome by the introduction of heavier machinery. Where, this has been aGcomplished, the retm:ns are highl.y satisfactory...... ' There are now seventeen engllles cmployed III thc dlstrwt on allUVIal slllklllgS, and one at a quartz claim. . The alluvial leads here promise to afford remunerative returns for several years to come, which, I am informed, has led to a general desirf', on the part of the miners at Rutherglen, to settle down in their own habitations. Hence the Council represented to the District Surveyor the desirabilitv of meeting the demand for small allotments here, for miners in particular, and a Surveyor is now engaged on this errand. , Behveen Rutherglen and Wahgunyah (on the Murray), a.distance of four and a half miles, nearly the whole district is agricultural. In the immediate vieinity of Rutherglen are numerous farms under cultivation, varying from 80 to 300 acres; there are likewise several vineyards fro-::n two to thirty.five acres in extent, some of which have been established for the last ten or twelve years. The town consists of one long street, running east and west, and two minor cross streets. A.t nreseDt there arc but about '200 buildings here. They are mostly constructed of wood; with bark or tron roofs; others are of wood, with canvas roofs. The only.brick building ill the place is the Sydney I Hotel, very recently eree.ted. ' . '1'he population of the district of Rutherglen is now computed at less than 1,000, against 10,000 or 12,000 at the time of the early rush to here. , The principal or eastern portion of the t'.lwn is now concentrated on portion of a hill, and is naturally well situated for drainage, the outlet being down tht; gully known as the Wahgunyah lead, hence towards the Murray. The west end lays flat, or in a hollow, and during heavy rain·falls is apt to become temporarily flooded. The general health of the district is stated to be good. The anticipated income of the Council for their first year is, from municipal rates £550, and. £300 Government grant-in-aid, exclusive of a pro rata subsidy. NothinK has, however, been yet receiyed, consequently no public works have been undertaken. The public thoroughfares are at 'theif natural formatio.n, b~t present a :ery unt~dy appearance, frqm the sweepings of shops and other plac~ straw,'papers, and mlBcellaneous lItters bemg strewn over the' greater part of these thoroughfares. . On very many vacated allotments of land throughout the town quantities of old b.ottles and ,rubbish have ,accumulated, which I think the Council w~uld do well to have ca1'~ed away, as It not. only gives a very unsightly aspect to theplaee, but affords an mducement to. the pubhc to fu1'.her co.ntnbute to the original qepo.sits. . . .. No inspector of nuisances has yet been appolllted, I was, however, accompallled by the selllor police constable (who is the officer in' eharg; here) duriI)g my inspect~on of. the town, and from his aptitude for such an office consider the Council would do well to secure hIS serVlc~s for the same. The construction of privieS'here is of the primitive style of mere holes dug m the ground. ,At two of the hotels only I noted nuisances from these places being full. 79'

,At· several premises inspected by me I observed various accumulations of refuse matter, manure, &c. No manure depllt has yet been secured to this place; a reserve has, however, been applied for fpr this purpose. , There are four butchers in Rutherglen; they are not licensed. Two of them procure all their meat from the sl,aughteryards, ::t little distance outside the municipality; the other two kill out of doors, on their respective premises. A by-law has been adopted by the Council, with the view of suppressing the nuisance arising from the keeping of swine within a given area of the town. It had but very recently been forwarded for sanction of Government. Swine are kept by two of the butchers here, one of whom boils down stale meat, &c., on his premises for pig food; at the other butcher's the sty, which is within twenty yards of a dwelling, smells very foul. I noticed that swine were also k~pt at four of the hotels, and at two other tradesmen's in the town. There are no lodging-houses in Rutherglen apart from the hotels, which houses are rather numerous, and afford requisite accommodation at reasonable charges. ' The putlic water supply has to be procured either from the River Murray, four and a half miles north-west from Rutherglen, or from Lake Moodemere west, and three and a half miles distant. A well has been ,sunk on the borders of the lake, and frQm it clearer water is procured than that fetched direct from the l\furray. Lake Moodemere is supplied princilJally by backwater from the Murray. During the ,winter the lake and the Murray are connected. Water is ,delivered in Rutherglen at three shillings per barrel of fifty or 'sixty gallons. No reservoirs have been constructed at Rutherglen, and, ,owing to the ,prevailing drought, miners on the (1,1'Y leads are now at a standstill for want of water. The Council !).re now taking action with a view to -induce Government to pro~ide a supply of water for the district; they have been especially stirred.up in this respect during the past week, owing to a fire ,having occurred, which, for a time, threatened the c1estruction,of.theu: town.' There are no bli.ths here, nor is it e~pected that any will be constructed until a ready supply of water can be secured. . About two miles north-west from Rutherglen is, a fine ,level plot of ground, containing 100 acres, which is used as a racecourse. It belonged toa ,gentlema~ who resided a while ago in the district, and who died intestate. This being the only site' ,publicly used for recreative pur,poses, it may be said, that no recreation reserves have heen secured·to this ,place. On the original laying out of the township, some sites were resll~ed for public p,urposes, such as market resene, national school, public buildings, and a cricketgro1,lnd. The Council, I am informed, are about to apply for a site, a thirty-three acre block, half a mile north of ,to"vn, for a puplic garden· reserve. Up to the present time, burials from Rutherglen haye been made either at a site ne4r the proclaimed township of Carlyle, four miles north-west of the town, where the ground is said to be very swampy and unsuitable, and moreover objectionable, on .account of the distance adding considerably to the cost of interments; or at a private burial ground, three miles west of Rutherglen, near Wahgunyah, which, being strictly private p,roperty, can only be used by special permission of the owner. 1: Prior to the establishment of this municipality, the residents applied lor a suitable site, when six acres were surveyed three miles distant from Rutherglen, and gazetted; this is, however, strongly, objected to on account of distance, and the Council are now endeavoring to get a nearer site secured to them, being a portion of No.5, block 19, which lays immediately outside the western boundary of the municipality. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

'·SANDHURST. 12th November, 1862. The boundary of this municipality has lately been very considerably extended by the annexation of Ironbark and Long Gully on the north-west, and Golden Gully, Quarry Hill, and neighborhood, on the south-east of the town of Sandhurst. At Long Gully a small township is established, but at the other places the popUlations are much scattered. , At the period of my former visit the covering in of the Bendigo Creek, for a length of sixteen chains, at the intersections of High street and View place with Camp ,street, :raIl JYIall, and .Mitchell street, was in progress, and in JYIay last was finally completed. A fine uninterrupted communication has thus been provided for the extensive traffic of these important thoroughfares. When here in December last, some very objectionable drainage from a soap and candle factory at View Point was discharging, by means of an underground channel, into that portion of the creek then being covered in, and I was apprehensive that offensive matter from this and other sources would there collect and stagnlite, and thus, in a sanatory point of view, seriomly impair the 'value of this admirable undertaking; it appears, however, that the local authorities, fully alive to the impor.tance of preserving this channel from becoming contmninated with the ofl'ensive drainage referred to, caused the communi­ cation between the soap works and the creek to be cut oft~ since which the offensive liquid from the works has had to be carted away to the manure depllt. Upon carefully inspecting this large culvert (if it may so ,be called), by going through it from end to end, I found it to be quite free from offensive matter or smell ;, it is, in every respect, a highly satis­ factory affair. In reference to the sludge channel, I remarked in my last report "that, .except for damage accruing through mismanagement, which occasionally al1o.lVs .the silt to accumulate"alld, as a consequence, burst portions of the sides of the channel, it may be viewed as a very succes5ful undertaking." Shortly after penning this remark, so much neglect was evidenced by the then Mining RoaI'd, that the Council were compelled to undertake the partial maintenance .of the main:sludge channel, to preserve the creek.. from again filling up with sludge, and thereby doing -incalculable injury to' the drainage of the town. In May last, through the appointment of new members to the Mining Board, the Council were released from this charge, the sludge channel haying been kept since then in efficient condition. During the current year a good deal of work has been done in various parts .of the municipality by the formation of roadways, construction of culverts, and channelling and kerbinO'. The latter description of work, to the extcnt of about three-quarters of a mile) has, hQwever;been c~n1ined to the 80

tOw-rl portion of Sandhufst. 'In McCrea street, for a length of 150 yards, the channelling has been continued with wood cubes; but elsewhere, stone of a superior quality to that heretofore procured has' been used. This better' quality stone is from a quarry at Une-tree Hill, three miles distant from the town; it has naturally an even surface, and when used for channelling is merely squared and laid in' eQurses. The channelling done in this manner, though not coming up in appearance to cube pitchers, answers well its requirements, ~Uld at one-fourth less cost than wood channelling. Kerbing, as heretofore, is done with upright slabs, secured at the top to timber plates. The cleansing of the pi tehed channels throughout, the town is done' under a contract; other' scavenging, including that of earth watel' tables,

Nomb" ,f .-" '0 whom \ notices were served, and who 36 100 116 31 thereupon complied with instructions. I " <,~

PROSECUTIONS.

Under Puhllc He$lth U!!dct Lodging-House Act, Act.

Fined 16 2 Discharged 14 2

30 4,

Upon my present inspection of Sandhurst, the number of nuisances noted by me were but very few, viz., nine from condition of privies, four from butchers DOt keeping clean their killin~ places, !lDd two occasioned by defective drainage from breweries, wliereby tbe sour waste water from cask washing, &0., lodges in the channels, through which it is supposeq to run off into the creek. At two of the breweries underground drainage has been advantagecusly adopted, but unfortunately the premises of one establishment, whieh causes much offence, occupies so Iowa site that I question whether any efficient system of drainage can be applied to it.' ' Butchers, as heretofor€', are annually licensed. In company with the local inspector, I visited the premises of twenty-three of these tradesmen; their killing places are all arranged somewhat after the plan recommeuded by the Central Board of Health, and, as a rule, are kept in very creditable cordition. About,six months ago the Council publicly 110tified their intention to adopt measures for prevention of all slaughtering in the town, but in consquence of petitions, very numerously signed by ratepayers ,against such pro!;libition, the Council took no further action in the matter. ' , No swine ~re now kept in the town of Sandhuist, and with their extermination the concomitant filthy nuisance of boiling down stale meat, &c" for pig food has ceased. 'l'he attention displayed by the local authorities here for, the suppression of nuisances is highly commend!'.ble, and the result correspondingly satisfactory. . Heretofore I have had to remark that lodging-houses were unregistered and uninspected. I have, oowever, now tu report that, in April last, the Council adopted the regula~ions recommended by the, 81

Central Board, ill respect of space, .!.tc., and subsequently the proprietors were required to register uuder the provisions of "The Lodging house Act." Of thirteen of these houses inspected by me, I found that seven complied with the regulations; at the other six an excessive number of beds were provided, ai'ising iu most cases from ill-adapted rooms, which are larger thaJ1,n~edful for one occupant, but too small for two. There has been a general reformation at these establishments, which are now placed under the supervision of the local inspector. A few weeks prior to my former vis.it to Sandhurst, the Bendigo Waterworks Company had lai.d down mains from their reservoir at the Big Hill into the township; since then the Council, upon certain con;;litions (whereby they are empowered to repay themselycs, by collecting the water rates), have laid down additional mains to the high ground, east. and west of Pall mall. The quality of the water now supplied by the company is eX9e.llent; many parti'ils having premises near the line of mains have had the water laid on. Such is almost general amongst the hotelkeepers, livery stables, butchers, lodging-house ~eeJ.ler~,· .!.tc., and the ~uperi'ntendent of the' works informs me that applications for this purpose are lllcreasmg. . The following information was obligingly afforded m!\ I!y the superintendent of the company's works:- . The oompany's reservoir, which at present supplies Sandhurst with water, is at the Big Hill, six miles and a quarter from Salldhurst. At present it contains a stock of 55,000,000 gallons, but is capable of holding 10,000,000 gallons more. The gathering ground, 4000 acres in extent, is c.onsidered unexceptionable, being a granite soil and unusually free from vegetable decompositions. The filter beds are capable of filtering 120,000 gallons a day_ The present consumption b about 300,000 gallons a week. The length of mains laid down by the company, in a direct line nearly, south to north, is seven mil~s, terminating at t~e intersect~on of ~rid1Se street an? Nolan ~tre~t, the CO',lncill under agreement, havmg extended the malUS from VIew POlllt for about thirty chams 111 each dll'ectlon, east and west. Two stand pipes have been erected by the company, and one by the Council. The charges for supply, where laid on, varies from five to seven per cent. on the annua.l value of the tenement, or, when by meter, from 4s. to 58. per 1000 gallons, according to the quantity used. Some of the residents here still procure water from the old sources, viz., water,holes in the vicinity of the CalUp reserve. In the early portion of this report I referred to the drainage from a soap and candle factory at Pall Mall. T:he existence of this factory in the midst of population, in the centre of the town, has by many residents been complained of as particularly objectionable, and although the business is carried on with, I believe, as little offence as is possible, there must of necessity be at times a certain amount of disagreeable odour exhaled, which to many persons is very nauseous. Numerous attempts have from time to time been made to get these works removed, and at the present time a course is pendinO' which appears highly desirable to carry out; it is simply to induce the party (who has been established here for many years) to remove, on being compensated to the e:x:tent of £500, one-half of which sum the immediate residents have promised to subscribe, provided the Council will contribute the other moiety. The majority of the Council are, I find, in favor of this arrangement, and the special interest which that body generally evidence in the promotion of sanatory measures in their town prompts me to hope that this very desirable 3nangement will be speedily adopted. The Camp reserve, which was formally handed over to the Council eighteen months ago, has since my last visit undergone a considerable change; the whole is fenced in, the sides and back parts with six and a half feet sawn paling, the front which faces Pall Mall being done with ornamental picket work. In granting this ground to the Council, Government reserved those portions whereon their public buildings stood, such as the gaol, court houses, police barracks and offices, survey office, &c., &c., which has largely augmented the cost of fencing, as these places had to be fenced off from the public grounds. The low fiat portion of this reserve in the .Mall (worked out miuing ground) has heen levelled, ploughed, and sown 1\ith grass seed, a fine and gravelled promenade is provided, and at the north end, where a bend of the original creek traversed, a further excavation has been made so as to form an ornamental sheet of water. The ground aro-gnd and within the promenade has been planted with shrubs and forest trees. Just beyond the promenacfl, upon an elevated spot, a rotunda, after a rustic style. has been constructed for th,e convenience of the Volunteer band when engaged entertaining the public by musical fetes. The larger portion of this reserve occupies an elevated' site, which is ascended by a corkscrew path. The entire reserve is planted round with forest trees numbering over two thousand, nearly all of which appeal' to be thriving well. The Botanical Gardens, which are at the White Hills, three miles from the town, on the Epsom and Huntly line of road, have received a fail' share of attention by additional general improvements, and appear to be increasing in favor as a pleasant place of resort. I am informed by the keeper of these gardens that during Sunday afternoons between 500 and 600 personp visit these grounds. The White Hills Cemetery is main~"ined in excellent condition; a triangular plot near the entrance gate has been lately trenched and planted, additional shrubs have been distributed about the grounds, and tlie walks further improved by gravelling. . The Back Creek Cemetery is likewise preserved in very good condition, but no general improvements have of late been effected here. , Considerable taste has been displayed by the local authorities at Bendigo in laying out their pul)lic reserves, which cannot fail to operate favorably on the public mind by cultivating a taste for the beautiful, thus acting as a stimulus for improvement on private properties, indirectly aiding the e:x:tensiou of sanatory progress. At the Ironbark (1llcampment there are. still about 500 Chinese. One beneficial arrange­ ment in regard to keeping swine has been enforced here, by whioh these animals have had to be removed to places recently constructed at a distance of at least 100 yards from either side of the encampment. This is the only improvement worth notice at this place. At the original Whit" Hill encampment there are now but few Chinese, their tents are tolerably scattered, and several Europeans now occupy portions of the ground originally allotted to the Celestials. Within a vcry short distance of the last referred to spot is the manure depOt, and also the cattle and slaughter yards. When these places were first established they occupied an almost isolated position, but a population has since come in very close proximity thereto, and complaints are frequently being now made of the depot being too near to population. The Officer of Health for Sandhurst had some scarlatina patients in this locality a few months ago, which cases, he states, were much aggravateJ by being exposed to the noxious effluvia exhaled from the depot. . No.9, u. • I 82

. The night soil and dead animals brought to the depOt are deposited in covered pits specially . provIded, and a man is remunerated by the Council to see that requisite attention is paid in carrying o.ut the regulations framed for the preservation of this plaee from unnecessary offence, I observed, however, that due care was not given to the matter by this individual. The baths, a private undertaking, at the corner of the Mall and Mitchell street, have been much increased, the swimming baths being now 120 feet long, or over douhle the size it was last summer. It is kept in very good order, but the high rate the proprietor has to pay the waterworks for a supply prevents the water being changed as often as could be desired. The Cricket ground here comprises ten acr-os of land, it is enclosed with a paling fence, and it is within hnJf a mile eastward of the Town Hall. . . IJong Gully. which I referred to in the former part of my report as having been recently annexed to this municipality, is about a mile and a half west of Sandhurst. In one locality there are about, forty buildings comprising hotels, stores, shops, &c. There are three butchers here;, the back premises of one was in a particularly foul state from his keeping a number (thirty or forty) of swine, and another offence was his boiling down stale meat, &c., for pigs' food. The condition of cesspools at two of the hotels, and n.ccumulations of manure and refuse at other premises, I noted as offences existing here .. It is early days with residents here as regards sanatory supervision; but I find, however, that the Local Inspector from Sandhurst has given notice for the immediate removal of some of the Iluisances'referred to. There are no lodging-houses at Long Gully. J. N. HASSAIJL, Superiutending Inspe'ctor.

EAGLEHAWK. 7th November, 1862, Eagleha,wk was, created a municipality in July last. It comprises an area of five or six'square miles, including the respective hamlets, if they may be so termed, of California Gully, Eaglehawk, Peg-leg, Sailors' Gully, and Myers' Plat; the municipality extending nearly six miles along the main line of road b"tween Sandhurst and Inglewood, or Swan Hill. The numerous quartz reefs here afford the principal source of employment to the population of this district, though· alluvial ground is likewise constantly worked, but as the water supply here is uncertain, the alluvial workings arc very variable. ' The first meeting of the Council wa~ held in September ult.; and up to t!le present time preliminary maLters only have occupied attention. The assessment has not yet been confirmed by Government, nor has any grant-in-aid been yet seeured; The health of the district is, stated to 11e good. The plaee from which the municipality derives its lUlIl1e is the one of most township appearanee; it is three or four miles north-west from the township of .sandhurst, and contf1ins about forty premises, some are constructed of brick, but most are of wood. At the other places the numher of premises at anyone spot varies from ten to five and twenty, and are in most cases built of wood'. / The public thoroughfares, which are at present for the most part in rough or primitive state, are ii·ee from accumulations of refuse or stagnant drainage. No manure depot has yet been secured. Privy cesspits are almost invariably constructed in the primitive style, by merely digging holes in the ground. I could not n.scertain that any of these places had ever been emptied. In three cases I noted that these necessaries were full, and at one tradesman's premises no privy was provided. There is no nightman in the district ' In several instances, manure, old bones, and mi1'f\lcllaneous refuse !la,ve been permitted to accumulate upon, and adjacent to, private premises. ... I inspected nine butchers' premises at respective places within the municipality; at three, the killing places were bricked, hut no channels 0r blood holes were provided, so that blood, '&c" escapes ,iuto yards. One has roughly pitched the killing place, the other butchers kill' out of floors without making any suitahle arrangement. . ' Swine'are kept by several of the butchers as well as by some of the innkeepers, The piggeries in two cases were in a foul state. Boiling down stale meat, &c., for pigs' food is adopted at some of the butchers, whereby nuisance is created to the neighboxhood. ' , The slaughtering of large cattle is conducted at Saridhurst. As yet, no Inspector of , Nuisances has been appointed. I was, however, kindly accompil.nied by the Town Clerk during my inspection, 'and was' thereby enabled to draw his attention to vllFious matters of offence which. required atttention ' There are no 10dging-hpuses in the district. Water supply for domcstic purposes is, usually secured by rain-falls collected from roofs of premises into brick or zinc tanks. There are several. private dams, which have been constructed for mining purposes, but there is no public source of supply. The drainage of the district is stated to be uaturally well provided for, its outlet being by meaus of gullies into the Nlyers' Creek westward, and Bendigo Creek eastward, of the municipality, }j'rom Sandhurst to Eagle Hawk the centre of roadway has been formed and metalled by Government, who are expected' shortly to continue this operation through the municipality, the road being on a main line of communication. ' No channelling or kerbing has yet been done here. No recreation grounds have yet been secured; though n.t 'California Gully, a plot of gro.und has lor a while been used by cricketers. There are no baths here. The Sandhurst Cemeteries are available and used for this district. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector. S3

SMYTHESDALE. 16th September, 1862. Considerable difficulty has been experienced by the Conncil in getting into working order, their progress having been retarded by the action taken by some of the residents of the district, who were adverse to its being created a municipality at all; to this is attributed the delay in procuring from Government its proportion (£500) as grant-in-aid, which the Council did not receive until Jnne last, although Smythesdale was created a municipality in April, 1861. On the like account the Council's by-law for st"iking a rate was not Gazetted till l!'ebruary last, since which they have received on their assessment about £340. ' The works hitherto performed here have been the opening up the lines of thoroughfares. About three-quarters of a mile of roadway has been cleared and formed, and metalled with quartz to the width of sixteen feet j and beside temporary footpaths here and there provided, twenty-seven chains of footpath in the principal street has been formed and gravelled. Nothing by way of drainage has yet been done to.call for comment; this important matter is, however, to shortly receive attention. The princiallines of road are free from refuse matter, and the temporary water tables are usually free from the lodgment of water. Some few additions have been made to. the buildings in the town since my former visit, con­ sisting of about ten or twelve stores and shops constructed of wood, but of a better description than the majority of the original places. A two-story brick building, forming the new frontage to O1\e of the original hotels, is nearly completed; this is the only private brick edifice in Smythesdale . . There are now hut three butchers in this town; they are not licensed, althongh the Conncil some time since passed a' bye-law for regulating these establishments. On two of these premises the killing places are boarded, whilst at the third a mere earth floor is provided. The privies at two are full, and running out on to a neighbour's ground, which ground is otherwise rendered very offensive from drainage and objectionable matter from the same source. , At four out of the five hotels in this town I found the privies full, and from two I noted that manure was thrown out on to the line of street at rear of their premises, and at j;he side of a third a miniature depot appears to have heen established. . An Inspector of Nuisances (the ser:jeant of poliee) was appointed by the Council 'three months ago, but upon noting to varions indi'liduals tho nuisances to be abated, he states that he WllB invariably met by the enquiry, what were they to do with refuse matter P • To the circnmstanc,? that no manure depot had been provided up to the period of this my present visit, is attributed the deposits of manure and bad state of privies in this p1'We. A Government Suveyor, being engaged in the district, has stated that he will immediately survey asite for a depot, when it may be. expected that the offensive matter now lying about divers habitations will be removed to its legitimate destination. In regard to public reserves, the Council here have hitherto been unfortunate. In my former report I stated that they had then applied for a reserve for a park, another for a public garden, a third for a market place, and a fourth for a manure depOt; out of which the market place only has yet been granted. In reply to a subsequent application by the Council 'to Government, they were informed that the sites originallyqntended for their park and public gardens could not be given them, ou account of their heing situated within the boundary of the recently created municipality of Browns and Scarsdale. It is therefore purposed to make further application for some other sites for the same purposes. This townshi.p suffered considerably during 'last summer on account of scarcity and impurity of water; the only available public supply being that procured, as in former times, from old holes originally sunk by miners at various spots along the creek. It appears that early in November last the whole of the water in the Government reservoir was let off by the parties in charge of it, uuder Government, the dam remaining empty from then till the autumn rains set in. A contract has been let by Government to clear away the stumps and dead timber from the basin of the reservoir; but the continuance of rain since the contract was let has kept it full, thus preventing the w'ork being proceeded \YiJ;h. The only outlet from the reservoir, except the by-wash, is a nine-inch pipe, which has been ruml.fi1g continuously, but so long as the rains continue the decrease by means of the outlet is little, if any, hence the delay in clearing it. In reference to the quality of the water collected in this reservoir, it is stated that it is seriously deteriorated by brackish water from two mines above it running thereinto, and which during droughts would very prejudiciously affect the quality of this supply. . The trustees of the Cemetery here, to secure a suitable supply of shrubs, &c., sent their sexton (who is a practical gardener) to Melbourne in May last to select from the Botanical Gardens, during the ordinary distrihution for public purposes, such as were considered most desirable to obtain, and have caused a portion of the reserve to be trenched as a nursery wherein to place the supply thus procured. The cemetery is preserved in very good condition, the improvements ill it, however, durmg the past twelve months chiefly consist of the planting of snndry small trees along the main avenue. Application has been made by the trustees for a grant from Government to enable them to fence in the old burial ground, which is outside the northern houndary of the town, and where interments were made prior to the opening of the present cemetery. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

ST. ARNAUD. . 16th September, 1862. It is scarcely twelve months since St. Amaud was created a municipality. Up to the present period the income obtained by the Council has been about £700, viz., £500 grant-in-aid from Government, paid to them the latter end of June last, and £200 collected up to the like period, being a moiety of the yearly rates. It appears that the residents here have never been able to induce Government to expttnd any money on roads or bridges in their district. To such works the attention of the Council hllB been specially directed, whereby the principal portion of their present resources will be absorbed. For a width of one chain the line of road, three and three-quarter miles in length, from the northern to the southern b'mndaries of the municipality, has been clearcd of trees and s'tumps, and the holes thereby occasioned filled in. One substantial wooden hridge over the St. Arnaud Creek, in the centre of the town, has been constructed, and three others will soon be completed. ' 84

Permanent levels of the main street have ,'Qeen adopted, and contracts let for forming and gravel­ ling,porti9ns of the; footpaths to the extent of fourteen' chains, kerbing the same with 9:x: 3~inch planks, and providing: earth water tables for the like distance. 0;$.,) 'Since)n:f.fo'rmei~visWseyeral cQttages, constructed or' wood,have been, ef'ected on the south-west side,'of'the tOWn';'buf ali'thi(oldrt2;wnship referred i'o in,'illy last report th'e1'e' are now buhight'or clne buildings, 'tlrEi'briginal'Ininirig grortnd in'thaflqcality being almost wholly 'deserte'd. " ': ,-' Y',!. :'!"bye"la\V for~the fegulation"of killing small anJI\lals in the 'town has :been recently gazet~d, bii~ o]ltcliers here'are!±ibt yetl;Iicensed:' Thei'e are but two of:these tradesmen in the populatedporti6n of the town. 'One has unproved'the'generahiondition' of his pl'~mises, but still keeps a large number of8wine, and is in the hab~t of ,boiling down fat, and also stale meat, ~c." on his premises; the other haS made no a.tt'empt to im'P.rove'his place, but, the cOlitrary, has permitted, it to get in worse condition in every re~ect:, . .t -:;J d..-. • \ J J ~ ... '~'t .01" '.c. ", . _. ' : j ,:~",The,s~rge~!l~ of. poJi

TAR:ADALE. 2nd December, 1862., This district is stated to be in' very healthy condition. " Since ,the opening of the railway the floating population previously engaged· on the railway works have drafted :off from hence; but the population of the town of ,T:midale appears to be about stationary. · .... There is no change to notice in reference to the 'number of houses. Their construction is in some cases of brick,- but chiefly of wood: It has not yet been found necessary to adophny system of scavengillg here. Winds and rain-falls Buffice 'for all present requirements to preserve thc public thoroughfare free from refuse, &c. A manuredep6t was provided about four months since, three-quarters of a mile north of the town, and I am informed that a considerable quantity of manure and other refuse has since been 'deposited there: . ", . ,The general·construction of cesspools'is as he1'etofo.1'e stated, viz., mere holes dug'in the ground. Upon the appointment of an Inspector Of Nuisances,Jt was found that a nnmber of these phices (over, twenty) were in a very bad state from having' become full. Several of the pai·tics· on whose premises these nuisances existed attended hnmediately to the notiee serve4 upon them by the inspector, whilst ali equal number required to be summoned. ' There is a person here who has acted as nightman for some months past, but the regulation of ". \rhe Town and Country Police Act," seventh clause, fifth section, 'has not yet been complied with. There are three butchers in the town; they are'not licensed. One has his killing place well bricked but no blood hole provided, another has partially slabbed his killing place, and the' third party kills out of doors. , .' ., ., . , I met with only two cases where swine were kept, viz., at one of the 'butchers who had half a dozen, and at one of the hotels there was one solitary animal. ' I find that in some cases, 'where the presencc of these animals caused much offence when I last visited Tarada:le, the owners had to remove them and thoroughly cleanse the 'places where' they were kept. ' In July lastthe Local Board of Health appointed the sergeant of police Inspector of Nuisances, with a gratuity at the rate of £15 per annum. It appears that immediately upon this officer being appointed he commenced his' duties in good earnest, serving notices upon numerous individnals and summoning others for allowing nuisan<:es to exist on their premises. A marked improvement is the result of the measures thus·adopted. . " :!iTll,e. Lodging:house ·Aet " has not yet been recognised by the Council. There is at present but one lodging-house in Taradale, hl which sleeping accommodation is provided for eight persons in space not sufficient for half that number. Water is obtained in some cases from wells sunk on private premises, and also from a spring in the police paddock; the quality from the latter source is considered very excellent. Water carriers deliver water in the town, from the paddock, at half a crown a load. The Council look forward with anxiety to th.e thne when the Coliban scheme, shall furnish the town .with-an abundant supply of water of good quality, at 'a moderate cost. '. ' ., ' The creek, which passes through the centre of the town, serves,as a ready outlet for its drainage., The original survey paddock, comprising about 100 acres, was granted nearly twelve months ago for a, recreation ground, but for wailt of funds the Council have not .been able to effect, any improvement upon it. , 'l'here is no bathing accommodation provided for the inhabitants here, no adequate water supply behlg available for such purpose.. .' ,The Cemetry"which is a mile and a half distant, on the Castlemaine ,road, conthlues t.o receive as . much attention as the resources 'of the trUstees permit of. . - ' " " 85

The only works conducted by the Council in the town have been the formation of footpaths on either side of High street, about 150 yards of which have been kerbed with three-inch planks and earth water tables simultaneously provided; then, again, for a distance of one mile towards 1\1:almsbury, a footpath and earth water tables have been formed. Oyer the river Coliban, in the s~rvey paddock, a wooden bridge has been constructed at a cost of £320; thls has been done for the convenIence of the extensive agricultural district towards the Green hills, five miles distant. Portions of back roads in the district have been improved, and two minor bridges constructed over the Back Creek. J. N. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector.

WILLIAMSTOWN. 24th December, 1862. The general health of this locality is stated to be good. The population of. the district is estimated at 4500. The number of houses nearly 1000, of which about 100 are of stone, twenty of brick, and the remainder of wood. Sca veng-ing of the public thoroughfares is done by contract, but under existing circumstances it is impossible to keep the water tables in various parts of the municipality free from stagnant drainage owing to their being of mere earth formation, and having but slight gradients. The thoroughfares are other- wise free from refuse deposits. , No pitched channelling has been done during the current year. The manure depot is situated two miles north-west of the town. Nightmen are not licensed here; there are four who act in this capacity. Except at some of the more recently erected premises in the town, where the walls of cesspits have been built of stone, mere holes in the ground are usually provided, which, from their ill construc­ tion, frequently get filled up. I met with a few of these places quite full. The local inspector states that he is constantly giving notice to persons to empty their privies, and that he seldom has to summons them, though he cannot induce them to improve the construction of these places. Butchers are licensed annually, their killing places are pitched with stone, though in some cases in too rough a manner to be satisfactory. . The slaughtering of large animals is conducted at a private establishment near the manure dep6t, two miles horth-west of the town. There is no prohibition to the keeping of swine. The back yard of the principal butcher here was rendered very foul by the presence of these animals, and in. other instances more or less offence existed where these animals were kept. f Swine, however, are not now kept in Williamstown at many places, and their number in any case is small. . A petition was lately forwarded t.o the Council signed by nine individuals, against the soap and candle works being carried on here, whereupon a counter petition signed by over 900 was immediately presented. The Council, I understand, inspected the works in question, and, excepting that the drain requires extending a little further, so as to discharge direct into the bay, could ascertain no cause of offence. In reference to these works, I can only repeat that I met with nothing to complain of, the premises throughout being free from offensive smells. . The office of Inspector of N uisances i~. filled by a police constable, to whom a gratnity is allowed by the Council, at the rate of £30 per annum. ;.,.) Lodging-houses have never yet been registered in Williamstown; there are at present two in the town, they provide accommodation respectively for fifteen and eighteen persons; ample space, &c., is provided in one house, though barely sufficient in the other. The public water supply is still a source of constant complaint. To meet the present incon­ venience, the Council have recently had eight 400-gallon tanks ereoted at Gellibrand's point, which, under arrangement with the railway department, are supplied with Yan Yean water. The Coun~il sell this to the inhahitants at Is. 6d. per load of 150 or 200 gallons. . It appears that mains have been extended from the Yan Yean nearly all the distance to Williams­ town, but owing to some legal obstruction the completion of the work has been checked for the present. A considerable number of the residents secure a good supply of rain water during wet seasons in tanks of various descriptions, but in many cases this proves insufficient durinl!l a drought. 1'he outlets for drainage of the district are the Hobsons and Port PhillIp bays. Amongst improvements effected by extension of road making during the current year, the forma-' tion and consequent d·rainage of John street, extending, north of the town, from the Melbourne road to IIobsons bay, is referred to as having secured the drainage of a considerable quantity of laud and numerous properties in that direction, which had hitherto been in very ill conditioned state. h~* "~j The Public Gardens are managed by the Council and are kept in very excellent condition; they are much frequented by the public. ' Th" Park reserve is scarcely ever resorted to; it is enclosed with post and rail fence, but has=not been otherwise improved. There are two cricket grounds, each about five acres in extent; permissive occupancy only has· yet been secured from Government. The grounds are fenced round and levelled. One is at North Williamstown, the other south side of railway, near the batteries. A private individual has completed accommodation for male and female bathers in the bay west of the town; but very limited support is given to this enterprise. . ' The Cemetery is under the management of the Council; it is a mile and a half from the . the sexton (non-resident) is paid fixed wages, and is required to keep the place in order' this ~ satisfactorily done. The Cemetery is self-supporting. ' J. N•. HASSALL, Superintending Inspector. ' No.9,x. 86

WOODEND. 5th December, 1862. Wood end was created a municipality: in February last; it is an' agricultural district, covering I an area.of aboutlfour miles square. At the election of Councillors; five agriculturists were chosen; and'two' of the township. In the immediate township the soil is .of u ·very barren nature,' but for some mile's' around the town the land is of, cxcellenkquality,: and is''Cultivated iil'farms of varied·extent. . '.: The country about Woodend is very hilly, the town occupying a hollow of the hills by which it is surroUI:ded. With· two or three exceptions, all the buildings here, numbering about 120, arc of wood with shingled roofs. The chief portion of the town is that fronting both sides of the Mount Alexander road, between the Railway St.'ttion and the Five-mile Creek; the

The site originally used by the early residents of Woodend for a burial ground fonns a portion of the Oemetery reserve, which is now rather more than six acres; it is situated on a hill immediately at rear of the Ohurch of England, north-east, and within the town boundary. Trustees were appointed about twelve months ago, when subscriptions were raised amongst the residents of the district towards fencing in the ground. One hundred pounds was thus collected, Government contributing but £24 towards the work. The ground is substantially enclosed with split post and two-rail fence, and pointed palings and entrance-gate, &c., have been provided; the dead timber has l)een cleared away, but no further improvements have been effected as the work already done has absorbed all the resources of the trustees. RegulationS have been duly adopted and gazetted for the management of the Cemetery, but no sexton has yet been appointed. hence relatives or friends of deceased persons have to get their graves dug. The ground is not yet marked off, so .that interments continue to be made without any regard to order. No manure depot has y~t been provided, or applied for, for this township. J. N. BASSALL, Superintending Inspel!tor.

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