The Express.
London, England, 1861-02-02 00:00:00

THE IIIiGLITRAZGENBRAL'S QUARTERLY
'arum,:

The return of births and deaths and marriages
registered in the division, ocoanties, and dirtriete of Eng.
land, by authority of the Begistrar.Clearad, emplace the
bathe sad deaths registered by 2,197 registrars in all the
districts of and during the autumn quarter that ended
un December 31, 1860; and the marriages in 12,449 churches
or chapels, about. 4,342 registered places of worship uncon-
nected with the ratablished church, and 031 superintendent
registrars' otiose, in the quarter that ended on September
300860.
The quarterly seturns are favourable, and imply that the
population was not og more prosperous but healthier
than caul Births slightly decreased, but marriages be-
Came more frequent, a the mortality fell below the ave-
rage. The improvement in health was greatest in the
town districts.

The accounts of births and deaths for the year 1860 show
an increase of the birth and a decrease of the death rate.
81,144 persona married in the quarter that ended on Sep-
tember 30 ; and the marriage rate was L6OB, or higher than
An any oorrespendlog quarter since 1856. but BEAU, below
the average of ten summer quartme.— The inner* of
was most striking in London and in Lancashire.
18212,trhildren were born and twittered in the last quarter
of the year /860 ;or more 4,286 than were registered is
the last quarter of 1858, and 7,843 lees than the number in
the Let quarter of 1859. The birth-rate of the quarter was
3.203 ; the aviieiTiett the quarter being 3.M2. 683,430
children were in the year 1860 ; and the annual
birth-rate was • .418, making .014 above the annual ave-
rage. Taking one day with another through the year, 1,867
children were born daily. The births exceeded the deaths
in the quarter by 59,691, and that was the natural increase
of the population. In the year the natural Merinos of Eng-
land and Wales was 260,280 souls-713 daily. If Scotland
and Ireland increased at the same rate the natural increase
of the population of the United Kingdom must have been
at the rate of 1,009 daily. Emigration carried off a part of the
increase. In the quarter about 7,074 English emigrants sailed
from the porta at which there are government emigration
offices ; nearly in equal proportions to the United States
and the Australian colonies.

The scarcity or the abundance of the principal articles of
food is shown by their.pricea. Wheat was 565. Pd. a quarter,
or 31 per cent, higher in price than it was in the correspond-
ing quarter of 184.59, Beef at the Leadenhall and Newgato
markets sou sold, by the carcase, at 4ed. a pound, or nearly
ed. lees. Mutton was on an average Std. a pmnd, and re-
mained the same as in the last months of 1859. The potato
crop partielly failed, and York Regents, at the waterside
market, were sold at 1225. 6d. a ton, or at the rate of le lb.
for a peony. The pries of this universal article of food rose
progreseively in the last three months of the three yarns
1858-5940 from 87s. 6d. to 102 a. 6d. and 123. 6d. a ton. To
supply its deficiency other antimorbutic vegetables, fruit, or
herbs are required.
The Inettarolou of the season was peculiar. Pauperism
gradually declined ; and the paupers fell from 826,655 to
7T2,391, and 788,108 receiving relief on an averse during
the last quarters of the years 1858-59-60. 10e2,5a7 deaths
were registered in the last quarter of the year 1860, and the
annual rate of mortality during the season was 2.024. The
mortality was 0.158 below the average. Upon making up
the account for the year the deaths are found to be
472,500 ; and the annual rate of mortality 2.113, or a little
more than 21 in 1,000. The average of the preceding 10
years is 22. 80 one life in every 1,000 living was saved.
Yet the mortality of England and Wales is still greatly in
excess of the rate experienced in the least unhealthy die-
triota. The deaths instead of 102,557 would at that rate
have been 79,283; so during the 92 days, 23,274 persona
' died unnatural deaths in the least unhealthy country in
Europe. Upon looking at the country generally, epidemic
diphtheria still prevails in parts of the kingdom ; measles,
whooping-cough, email-pox, scarlatina, fever, are also so
frequently mentioned in the registrar's notes that they may
be considered prevailing epidemics. It is the characteristic
of these symotic
.diseaaes that they do not depend upon
general atmospheric conditions, but are often very fatal in
one community, while they are entirely absent from another
in tke same climate.

--feLoacfon the Mortality was below the average ; the
deaths were 15,197.
The severe weather occurred late in December, and its
effect' on the mortality will only be fully apparent in the
next return.