ive even at a considerable distance from their
work. Indeed I think two or three miles is not such a distance as should
prevent them. Besides, is it not probable that, in many instances, the
work would come to them?

Supposing that new building takes place, whether from the poorer classes
tending more to the suburban districts, or from the dense parts of towns
being rebuilt, much might be done by modifying, if not repealing, the
window tax and the tax on bricks.

With respect to the next point, the laying out of the ground, there are
most valuable suggestions given by Mr. Austin in the Health of Towns
Report. The result of his evidence is, that the average rental paid now
in Snow's Fields, a place which I have endeavoured to make the reader
acquainted with before, would return upwards of 10 per cent. upon money
laid out in making a substantial set of buildings to occupy the place of
the present hovels; and that these new houses should have "every
structural arrangement requisite to render them healthy and comfortable
dwellings." I have only to add on this subject, that it would be of the
utmost advantage in any new buildings, and especially for small houses,
likely to be built by small capitalists, that there should be a survey
made of every town, and its suburbs, with 'contours of equal altitude.'
{209} As things are managed at present, people building without any
reference to a general scale, or any connexion with each other (the
non-interference principle carried to its utmost length) the greatest
difficulties in the way of sanitary improvement are introduced where
there need have been none.

* * * * *

The main branches of sanitary improvement touched upon by the Report are
enumerated above. There are, however, some general results and
principles which demand our especial attention.

In the first place it seems to be universally true that economy goes hand
in hand with sanitary improvement. So beneficently is the physical world
constructed, that our labour for sanitary ends is eminently productive.
The order of Providence points out that men should live in cleanliness
and comfort which we laboriously and expensively contravene. In the
Appendix I subjoin a table drawn up by Mr. Clay, showing in detail the
saving produced by sanitary measures. I may notice, as bearing on the
point of economy, that there is concurrent evidence showing an excessive
rate of mortality to be ac