and Portskewett. The river is noted for the tidal wave or 'bore' which ascends to Gloucester with front several feet high. Length, 210 m. Area of basin, 6,000 sq. m.

Severn, JOSEPH (1793-1879), English painter, but known best as the friend of Keats, was born at Hoxton, near London. In 1820 he accompanied Keats to Italy. On his return to England in 1841 he began to occupy himself more with literature and less with painting, but with an equal lack of success in both departments. He was ap, ointed British consul at Rome in 1860, and retired in 1872. See William Sharp's Life and Letters of Joseph Severn (1892).

Severus, the name of two emperors of ancient Rome. (1.) LUCIUS SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS (146211 A.D.), a native of Leptis in Africa, was the only African who ever reached the imperial throne. He was governor of Gallia Lugdunensis, of Pannonia, and of Sicily, until he attained the consulship in 185 A.D. Subsequently he commanded the armies in Pannonia and Illyria, and after the murder of Pertinax, in 193, was proclaimed emperor by his troops. He marched on Rome, which at once submitted. Pescennius Niger, who had been declared emperor by the Eastern legions, was defeated and captured at Issus in 194, and put to death. In 196 Clodius Albinus, proclaimed emperor by the troops in Gaul, was defeated by Severus near Lyons in February, 197, and Albinus slew himself. Shortly afterwards, in an expedition against the Parthians, Severus captured the cities of Babylon and Seleucia, and the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon. The next three years he spent in Egypt. In 202 he returned to Rome, and celebrated the marriage of his eldest son, Caracalla, with Plautilla by games of unequalled ostentation, and by an extravagant largess to the poorer people and prætorians. In 207 a rebellion in Britain took him thither; but in an invasion of Caledonia he lost 50,000 men through disease and hardship. His soldiers then rebuilt the wall between the firths of Forth and Clyde which bears his name. Severus was planning a fresh campaign when he died at York on Feb. 4, 211 A.D. (2.) MARCUS AURELIUS ALEXANDER SEVERUS (205-235 A.D.), usually known as Alexander Severus, who became emperor in 222, was born in Phoenicia, and was adopted by the Emperor Elagabalus, his relative, in 221, and made Cæsar. In 231 Severus had to resist the invasion of the Persian king Artaxerxes. A German incursion into Gaul recalled him, and when on his way to repel it

he was murdered by mutinous soldiers, instigated by Maximinus, who succeeded him."

Sevier, JOHN (1745-1815), American pioneer, born in Rockingham co., Va. He attended the acdemy at Fredericksburg. He founded the village of New Market in the Shenandoah Valley, and in 1772 he settled in the Watauga district, west of the Blue Ridge. He served as a captain in Lord Dunmore's War against the Indians, and when the Revolution broke out was active in securing the annexation of the Watauga district to N. C. He was a member of the state convention, and afterwards of the legislature; in 1777 became clerk and district judge of the new Washington district; and in 1779 defeated the Indians at Boyd's Creek and elsewhere. In 1780 he was one of the leading spirits in the victory of King's Mountain over the British and Tories. Afterwards he conducted several expeditions against the Indians. When in 1784 N. C. ceded the Tenn. region to the general government, the settlers of that region set up a new state, which they called Franklin,' and elected Sevier governor. This led to a conflict with the N. C. government, and Sevier was arrested, but was rescued by his friends. The general government then took control; Sevier was appointed a brigadier-general in 1789; and in 1790 was elected to Congress. In 1793 he made a successful expedition against the Creeks and Cherokees, and in 1796 was elected first governor of the new state of Tenn., which office he held until 1801, and again during 1803-1809. He was elected to the Twelfth and Thirteenth Congresses, and was appointed a commissioner to locate the boundaries of the Creek territory, and died while performing that task. See Gilmore's The Rear Guard of the Revolution (1886), and Life of John Sevier (1887).

Sévigné, MARIE DE RABUTINCHANTAL, MARQUISE DE (1626– 96), French writer, the descendant of an old Burgundian family, was born at Paris. Her girlhood was spent for the most part at Livry with her maternal uncle, Christophe de Coulanges, abbé de Livry. In 1644 she married Henri, Marquis de Sévigné. In 1651 the discovery of letters from her amongst Fouquet's private papers caused some gossip. In 1658 she had a quarrel with her cousin, Bussy-Rabutin, occasioned by his malicious portrait of her in his Histoire Amoureuse. 1669 her daughter married the Comte de Grignan, and in 1671 set out for Provence. Her love for her daughter, ill requited thought it was, approached in

In

fatuation, and its passionate expression fills many pages of her correspondence. Paris was now her headquarters, but between 1677 and 1687 Madame de Grignan resided almost constantly in Paris. Madame de Sévigné was a warm-hearted and sympathetic woman, and the charm of her character pervades her letters, which, owing to her powers of graphic description, her wit, humor, and constant gaiety of spirits, are perennially delightful. Her easy and flowing style, her warm and even poetic imagination, and her originality of phrase have united to make them a model for all subsequent letter-writers. The definitive edition is that of Monmerqué (Coll. des Grands Ecrivains,' 14 vols. 1862-68); also Lettres Inédites, by Capmas (2 vols. 1876). See Lives by Paul Mesnard (1862) and by Walckenaer (5 vols. 1842-52); Histoire de Madame de Sévigné, by Aubenas (1842); Madame de Sévigné, by Boissier, in 'Grands Ecrivains Français' (1887); and in English, Madame de Sévigné, by Miss Thackeray (Mrs. Ritchie) (1881), and Mason's Women of the French Salons (1891).

Seville. (1.) Province, S. Spain, watered by the Guadalquivir, Genil, and tributaries; one of the finest provinces of the country, reaching from Sierra Morena to Sierra de Gibraleon. Agriculture, cattle-rearing, and mining flourish; the natural products, especially wool, silk, fruit, oil, and wine, have been famous since Phoenician times. Copper, iron, coal, and alum are mined. Area, 5,428 sq. m. Pop. (1900) 555,256. (2.) City, cap. of above prov., Spain, 60 m. N.N.E. of Cadiz; on Guadalquivir. It was the seat of a Roman colony (Hispalis), and was a Moorish kingdom from 712 until its conquest by Ferdinand III. in 1248. Its exquisite Hispano-Gothic cathedral, commenced in 1403 and finished in 1519, is one of the finest churches in the world; its Mudejar tower (Giralda) especially merits attention. It was begun in 1000 by the Moors, but its upper portion has been to some extent Christianized. It stands 350 ft. high. The Moorish palace and the Charity Hospital, with pictures by Murillo, also deserve attention. There are also an art museum (with works by Murillo), a university, and an academy of fine arts. Murillo was a native. Seville is an archiepiscopal see. The city, once the centre of the commerce with America, is still a busy and presperous port, shipping wine, oil, fruit, lead, and cork to the annual value of $7,500,000, the imports reaching $2,000,000; and producing ceramics, leather, ironwork, and tobacco. The climate

is very fine, though relaxing in summer; the people gay; and the city, full of antique and modern interest, is second only to Barcelona in enterprise and enlightenment. Pop. (1900) 148,315.

Sevlijevo, or SELVI, tn., Bulgaria, cap. of co. of same name, 28 m. w. of Tirnovo, at foot of Balkans. Pop. (1901) 10,042.

Sèvres, tn., French dep. of Seine-et-Oise, 6 m. s.w. of Paris; renowned for its porcelain manufacture, which since 1755 has been a state industry, Sèvres also makes painted glass and mosaic work. The museum contains examples of the potter's art of all ages and all countries, notably a complete series of all objects made in Sèvres since the commencement of the industry. Pop. (1901) 7,954.

Sèvres, DEUX-, W. dep. of France, drained by Sèvre-Niortaise, in S., on which stands the capital, Niort, and the SèvreNantaise, which joins the Loire near Nantes. The department contains three natural regionsthe Gâtine, in N. and centre, a poor, marshy country moderately wooded; a monotonous limestone plain in s. and S.E., producing cereals, beets, forage crops, and a little wine; the marsh country in w., largely drained, and growing hemp and forage crops, and in the winter abounding in wildfowl. The climate is damp. A good stamp of horses and a firstrate breed of mules are raised. Coal is mined at St. Laurs. Cloth and woollens are the chief manufactures. Area, 2,337 sq. m.; pop. (1901) 342,474.

Sèvres Ware. See POTTERY and PORCELAIN.

Sewage. See SEWERAGE AND SEWAGE DISPOSAL.

Sewall, JONATHAN (1728-96), American Loyalist, born in Boston. He was educated at Harvard College, and was admitted to the bar in 1758. In 1767 he was made attorney-general of Mass., and a year later was offered the position of judge of the Admiralty Court for Nova Scotia, which he refused. He wrote vigorously in defence of the oppressive measures of the British Government in America, and for some time was credited with being the author of the historic series of letters written by Daniel Leonard in defence of the Tory ministry, published in the Massachusetts Gazette, and signed 'Massachusetts.' He fled to England in 1774, and in 1779 he came under the general proscription of loyalist refugees, and his property was confiscated. He was judge of the Court of Vice-admiralty at St. John, N. B., from 1788 until his death.

Sewall, MAY WRIGHT (1844), American educator and woman's

suffragist, was born in Milwaukee, Wis., and was the daughter of Philander M. Wright of that city. She graduated (1866) at Northwestern University. was married in 1880 to Theodore L. Sewall, and was for some time principal of the girls' classical school founded by him in Indianapolis, Ind. She became prominent in the Woman Suffragist movement, held office in several national societies, and was delegate to the Universal Congress of Women at Paris in 1889, and to other international congresses. Mrs. Sewall was a member of the Board of Lady Managers at the Columbian Exposition of 1893, and a Commissioner to the paris Exposition of 1900. Her writings on reform subjects have been published principally in pamphlet form.

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Sewall, SAMUEL (1652-1730), American colonial judge, born at Bishopstoke, England. He was brought to Mass. by his parents in 1661 and in 1671 graduated at Harvard. He was a member of the governor's council from 1692 to 1725, a judge of probate in 1692-1718, and chief justice of the province in 1718-25. In 1692 he was appointed a member of the special court sent to Salem to try persons accused of witchcraft. Nineteen persons were convicted during the summer and executed. When the witchcraft delusion had spent its force, Sewall became convinced that the court had erred, and in 1697 in a public confession manfully stated his belief and took a large share of the blame on himself. His Diary gives a valuable picture of early New England.

Seward, ANNA (1747-1809), known as the 'Swan of Lichfield,' was born at Eyam, Derbyshire. She was precociously literary, and all her life wrote verses on all sorts of occasions, having invented what one of her admirers, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, called 'the epic elegy.' Favorable specimens of her verse were the monody on Major André and the elegy on Captain Cook. Her letters were one of the afflictions of the age-full of gush and sentimentality. She hated Dr. Johnson, but greatly admired Scott. Scott found her, however, on personal acquaintance, more tolerable than her letters.

Seward, CLARENCE ARMSTRONG (1828-97), American lawyer and soldier, born in New York city. He graduated at Hobart College in 1848; was admitted to the bar; and practised in Auburn and then in New York city. In 1856-60 he was judge-advocate general of New York. He served for a time in the Civil War as colonel of the 19th New York regiment; and in 1865, after the attempt to assas

sinate his uncle, William H. Seward, and his cousin, F. M. Seward, was for a time acting assistant secretary of state.

Seward, FREDERICK WILLIAM (1830), American politician, son of William H. Seward, born at Auburn, N. Y. He graduated at Union College in 1849, was admitted to the bar and for ten years was one of the editors of the Albany Evening Journal. He was assistant secretary of state under his father during the administrations of Lincoln and Johnson, and April 14, 1865, was wounded in trying to defend his father from the assassin, Paine. He was a member of the New York legislature in 1875, and again assistant secretary of state in 1877-81. His publications include: The Life and Letters of William Henry Seward (1891).

Seward, GEORGE FREDERICK (1840), American diplomat, bern at Florida, N. Y. He was educated at Union College and in 1861 was appointed by his uncle, William H. Seward, consul at Shanghai and in 1863 consulgeneral, retaining the position until 1876. He was minister to China in 1876-80. In 1893 he became president of the Fidelity and Casualty Company of New York. He favored Chinese immigration and in 1881 published Chinese Immigration and Its Social and Economic Aspects.

Seward, WILLIAM HENRY (1801-72), American statesman, born in Florida, a village in the town of Warwick, Orange co., N. Y., May 16, 1801. He prepared for college at Farmers' Hall, Goshen, and at the age of fifteen entered the sophomore class at Union College. Finding his debts greater than he could pay, he suddenly left college in 1819, and with a friend went to Savannah, Ga., where for a few months he taught in an academy. He then returned home, and graduated from Union in 1820. In October, 1822, he was admitted to the bar at Utica. He soon after entered into partnership with Elijah Miller, of Auburn, whose daughter, Frances Adeline, he married. In this year also he met Thurlow Weed, then just beginning his political career, and with whom he maintained a lifelong intimacy. He rose rapidly to prominence as a lawyer, and soon had a profitable practice. He also found time to take an active interest in military affairs, organized an artillery company, and attained eventually the rank of brigadier-general in the state militia. His first political affiliation was with the wing of the New York DemocraticRepublicans known as 'Bucktails,' who acknowledged the leadership of Tompkins and opposed the Erie Canal; but in 1824

Seward

he abandoned the party, wrote and spoke against the Albany regency,' and voted for Clinton. A nomination for Congress, however, tendered him by the AntiMasons, was declined. He soon after joined the Anti-Masons, and in 1830 attended the national convention of the party at Philadelphia. He was also a member of the Anti-Masonic convention at Baltimore, in 1831, which nominated William Wirt for President. In 1830 he was elected a member of the state Senate, where he served four years. He found himself in increasing hostility to the Jacksonian democracy, then rapidly becoming ascendant. On Jan. 31, 1832, he made a notable speech in defence of the Bank of the United States, which had just applied for a renewal of its charter. In January, 1834, he denounced Jackson's course in removing the deposits. On Sept. 13, 1834, he was nominated by the Whigs for governor, but was defeated by William L. Marcy. For the next four years he was in private life. His law practice was very large, his services being particularly sought in patent cases. In 1838 he again received the Whig nomination for governor, and was elected by a majority of 10,421. He was the first governor whom New York had had for forty years who was not a Democrat. He was re-elected in 1840. The four years of his administration were filled with important events. In contrast to his earlier attitude, he favored internal improvements and the development of canals and railways. In the 'anti-rent' disturbances, growing out of the dispute between the Rensselaer heirs and their tenants, he sympathized with the tenants while restraining their excesses. There was friction with the United States Over the trial of Alexander McLeod, an English subject implicated in the Canadian rebellion of 1837. He went out of office with the defeat of the Whigs in 1842 and resumed his law practice at Auburn.

Seward's anti-slavery opinions were by this time becoming radical, though he still adhered to the Whigs. To such federal measures, like the admission of Texas, as directly or indirectly favored slavery, he was strongly opposed. He took part in campaign speaking from year to year, and in the Presidential election of 1848 spoke in several states, including New England, as an anti-slavery Whig. On Feb. 6, 1849, he was elected a member of the United States Senate. With President Taylor his relations were those of close friendship, but his anti-slavery opinions earned him pronounced opposition from South

123

ern members. On March 11, 1850, in a great speech favoring the admission of California as a free state, he declared that 'a higher law than the Constitution' devotes the public domain to freedom. The death of Taylor, July 9, lessened his influence, since for Fillmore's ideas he had no sympathy. Fillmore even went so far as to attempt, unsuccessfully, to prevent the indorsement of Seward by the Whig convention in New York in the fall of 1850. Seward was not on any committee of the Senate until Dec., 1851, when he was made a member of the committee on commerce. The Kansas-Nebraska bill of 1854 called out from him another notable speech, remarkable for its exhaustive analysis of the measure, its moderation, and its judicial temper. The curious charge that he inspired the repeal of the Missouri Compromise inserted in the Kansas-Nebraska act has been conclusively shown to be unfounded.

Seward was now the acknowledged leader of the Whigs who opposed compromise. In 1855 he was re-elected to the Senate, despite the opposition of the proslavery Whigs and Know-Nothings. The proposed organization of the Republican party, in 1854, caused him to hesitate, but the platform adopted by the new party decided him, and thenceforth he was a Republican. He was not strong enough, however, to win the presidential nomination in the Republican convention of 1856, though the influence of Horace Greeley in defeating him has probably been overestimated. He strongly supported Frémont. The same year he made an effective speech in the Senate in favor of the admission of Kansas under the free-state Topeka constitution. It is said that 162,000 copies of the speech were circulated. It was he who moved for a committee of the Senate to investigate the assault on Charles Sumner. He opposed the Lecompton constitution, favored the use of force against the lawless Mormons of Utah, and urged the admission of Kansas under the Wyandotte constitution. In 1858, in a speech at Rochester, N. Y., he spoke of the contest which was more and more convulsing the nation as 'the irrepressible conflict between freedom and slavery.' It was generally expected that Seward would be nominated for president at the Republican convention in Chicago in May, 1860; but his opposition to Know-Nothingism, and the superior management of Lincoln's candidacy, prevented. His disappointment was keen, but this did not prevent him from working hard for Lincoln's elec

Sewell

tion. He was one of the many who wished to avoid war and 'violent emancipation,' and who hoped and labored for a peaceful settlement with the South.

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On March 5, 1861, he became secretary of state, and he was a powerful aid in that capacity to Lincoln. He was opposed provisioning Fort Sumter, but declined to confer with the Confederate commissioners. He advocated the blockade of Southern ports, and ably defended the action. The attitude of Great Britain and France towards the Confederacy was matter of great anxiety, but his firm and skilful management prevented the anticipated recognition of independence. In the Trent affair, he in-. sisted upon the release of the Confederate commissioners. The withdrawal of the French from Mexico was one of his diplomatic triumphs. On April 5, 1865, he was thrown from his carriage and seriously injured. On the night of the 14th an attempt was made to assassinate him, and for a time his life was despaired of. He recovered, however, and remained in the cabinet throughout Johnson's term. Of his diplomatic achievements at this time, the most notable was the purchase of Alaska from Russia, in 1867. On his retirement, in March, 1869, he spent some two and a half years in travel, including a journey around the world, and was everywhere received with distinguished honors. He died at Auburn, Oct. 10, 1872. His Works, including a memoir, have been published in five volumes (1883). An Autobiography, to 1834, with a memoir (1831-46), has been issued by his son, F. W. Seward (1877). A Life and Public Services of John Quincy Adams, issued over his name in 1849, seems to have been only in part Seward's work. See also the Life by Bancroft (1900), and William H. Seward's Travels Around the World, by Olive Seward, his adopted daughter.

Seward Peninsula, Alaska, lies between Kotzebue and Norton sounds. Its w. extremity is Cape Prince of Wales, on Bering Strait. On this peninsula is the city of Nome.

Sewel, WILLIAM (1654-1720), Quaker historian, born at Amsterdam, grandson of an English Brownist who settled in Holland. He is remembered for having written a valuable work called History of the Rise, Increase, and Progress of the Christian People Called Quakers (published in Dutch in 1717; in English in 1722). A later edition published at New York in 1844 contains a biographical sketch of his career.

Sewell, ELIZABETH MISSING (1815), English novelist, was born at Newport, Isle of Wight. In

early life she was engaged in teaching at Bonchurch. She wrote a large number of novels, including Amy Herbert (1844), Margaret Percival (1847), and Katharine Ashton (1854), as well as tales for children, elementary histories, and religious works. Some of her novels were republished in the U. S.

Sewell, JONATHAN (1766-1839), Canadian jurist. He was born in Cambridge, Mass., a son of Jonathan Sewall (q.v.), and was educated in England. He went to Canada with his father in 1785, and was admitted to the bar in 1789. For a year he practised in St. John, and then removed to Quebec. He became solicitorgeneral in 1793, and two years afterwards was made attorneygeneral. From 1808 to 1838 he was chief justice of Lower Canada and for the first twenty-one years of that time he was president of the Executive Council. He was speaker of the Legislative Council from 1809 until his death. In 1814 he appeared before the Privy Council in England to answer the various charges preferred against him in regard to the method of procedure practised by him in the Canadian courts. The Privy Council exonerated him on all counts. While in England he formulated a plan for the federation of the various Canadian provinces, published in 1815 as A Plan for a General Federal Union of the British Provinces in North America. This plan, which was submitted to the general government, though not adopted at the time, was acted upon in great part when federation was consummated in 1867.

Sewell, ROBERT VAN VORST (1860), American painter, was born in New York city, and graduated (1883) at Columbia. From 1883 to 1887 he studied art in Paris under Lefebvre and Boulanger, and returning to the U. S. obtained the 1st Hallgarten prize at the National Academy exhibition of 1888. He was elected an associate member of the Academy in 1902. Among his mural decorations were The Story of Psyche in the St. Regis Hotel, New York, and The Canterbury Pilgrims in the residence of George Gould at Lakewood, N. J.

Sewellel. See HAPLODON.

Sewerage and Sewage Disposal. A sewer is a pipe or conduit used for carrying off sewage, subsoil, or other water. In the separate system two sets of sewers are used, one of which receives the sewage and manufacturers' refuse, and the other the surface water from the roofs of houses and streets; while, in the combined system, the whole of the sewage, manufacturers' refuse, and surface water are discharged

into the same set of sewers. The advocates of the separate system argue that by its use the foulwater sewers need only be made large enough to take the normal flow of sewage, and may thus be made much more readily selfcleansing than if they have to carry off (as in the combined system) the immensely greater volume which would enter them. after heavy rain; and that the amount of dangerously foul matter is much reduced. Their opponents hold that the contents of the rain-water sewers are liable to be too much polluted by the filth washed into them from the streets to render their discharge into streams or lakes permissible, and that the complication of two sets of sewers is undesirable. The choice between the two systems, where not made years ago, depends upon local conditions, and should be determined with the aid of an engineer. In American cities and towns provided with sewers in recent years, the separate system is far more common than the combined, and often only sanitary sewers, those for house wastes, are proIvided at the outset.

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Sewers are laid in straight lines of uniform gradient, with manholes or lamp-holes placed at intervals along their course (usually about 100 yards apart), and also at all changes in direction or gradient, and at all junctions. Man-holes are used for examining and cleansing the sewers, and are usually formed of brickwork jointed with cement mortar; they are circular or square in plan, and are made large enough for a man to work with comfort inside them. Lampholes are used for lowering a lamp down into the sewers, in order to ascertain if there is any local obstruction; they are usually formed of pipes placed vertically, or of small brickwork shafts.

For small sewers circular glazed earthenware or fire clay pipes are used. These pipes, which are often 24 and sometimes 30 in. in diameter, are usually made in 2-ft., but preferably in 3-ft. lengths. The pipes are jointed with yarn or other gaskets and cement mortar composed either of pure cement or cement and sand. Sewers over 24 in. in diameter are usually formed of brickwork, concrete or concrete and steel (re-enforced concrete). They are circular, oval, or more commonly egg-shaped in tion, the latter form being generally used in combined sys

tems.

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All sewerage systems should be made as nearly self-cleansing as possible, so as to prevent deposits and the formation of gases. Where necessary they should be

provided with special means of ventilation, in order to pernit of an efficient expulsion of sewer gas from, and a free admission of fresh air into, the sewers at all parts. In America ventilation is commonly effected by making the man-holes do duty as inlet and outlet shafts for the air, by forming ventilating gratings in their covers at the surface of the ground. In Great Britain cast-iron ventilating pipes, connected to the man-holes and carried up the gables of adjoining buildings, or connected to ventilating lamp-posts, are frequently used; but the large volumes of water consumed and wasted in the United States and the better design and construction usually found in the newer sewerage systems, generally make special ventilation unnecessary.

At the commencement of sewers whose gradients are flat, flushing tanks are constructed for the purpose of flushing out the sewers and removing any silt or solid matter which may be lying on the bottom or adhering to the sides. These tanks are usually built underground, are formed of brickwork or concrete, and vary in size according to the size, gradient, and length of the sewer. They are filled with water, and the contents are discharged into the sewer either by automatic siphons, which come into operation whenever the tank is full (the time occupied in filling being regulated by a tap), or by valves worked by hand. In place of flush tanks it is not uncommon in America, especially of late, to flush sewers by means of hose connected to the city water distribution system.

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When it is not advisable to allow sewage to enter a river or the sea directly, a process of partial purification or clarification in tank with the aid of lime and sulphate of alumina or other chemical precipitant is sometimes employed, or else reliance may be placed on plain sedimentation or, more recently, on septic tanks. If more thorough treatment is desired the partly clarified liquid is subjected to some form of artificial filtration, or equivalent, or else it is (though rarely in the United States) treated by broad irrigation on sewage farms. In the case of the tank treatments described the suspended matters in the sewage are deposited as sludge, which is sometimes barged far out to sea and dumped but far more commonly di posed of on land, either with or without previous reduction of moisture by pressing. In the septic tank the sludge is retained for long periods, and partly reduced by the action of anaerobic bacteria,