The Express.
London, England, 1868-12-23 00:00:00

TO 71113 EDITCM Or VII SZPIIZEII.

SIR,—I have been recently requested by the
secretary of the National Sunday League to take part in
a course of "Sunday Evening Lectures for the People,"
which it is proposed to commence in a building registered
for religious worship under some such title as " The
Church of the Future:" the recent judgment of the Court
of Common Pleas baying established the legality of each
• proceeding. This request I have declined, upon the
grounds stated in the accompanying letter; and I shall
be much obliged by your giving publicity to they as it
expressee what I know to be the view taken on the ques-
tion by many eminent scientific men, as well as by your
obedient servant, WILLIAIf li. CARPE-NTER.
Regent's-perk-road, N.W., Dec. 21.
SO, Regent's-park-road, Dee. IS.
Dear Sir. -So far as I understand the legal
operation of the recent judgment, it door not sanction
the Sunday earning tortures except in a place registered
for public worship ; and it is on this footing that you
now ask for my co-operation iu a renewal of the scheme
in which I formerly declined to participate. I think you
meet remember that 1 have from the first pr:dested
against the attempt to shelter the '•Siniday Evenings for
the Peelle" under the pretext of " Religious Wordiip"
of any kind. I always regarded it, and still confine., to
repaid it, as an unworthy evasion. '1 be perfonnanre of
such music as may be beard in any conceit-room cannot
be fairly accounted • "Religious Service ;" and the
leetmer ought, in my judgment, to be left perfectly free
in his treatment of a scientific subject, to give it a die-
beetle religions bearing or not, as be may be himself
dispe:ed. Everthing seems to me to incluse° that the
"Religion of the future" meet he based on the intollee-
teal and moral nature of man, and to help to lay its
fonudntion in the popular mind, by training and elevating
that nature, I regard as one of the noblest appheations of
science. lam quite ready, therefore, to take my stand
upon the right of scientific men to give admit:die fos•turan
to the people on Sunday evenings, as ou any other; and
will gladly co-operate in any renewal of the original
echente, taking my full share of any risk that may be
incurred in carrying it out.-1 am, tee.,
Wu.uex B. Calmar: ra.
It. Y. Morrell, Emu. Hon. Sec. to the National
Sunday League.

Tlri thIALIII OF LONDON.—It appears from the
return ironed by authority of the Registrar-General, that
in the week Hutt ended on Saturday, Pith December, 4,660
births and 3.330 deaths were registered in London and in
thirteen other large towns of the United Kingdom. The
annual rate of mortality was 27 per 1,000 persons living.
The annual rate of mortalilast week was 29 per 1,000
in London, 34 in Edinburgh, and 22 in Dawns ;23 in
Bristol, 24 in Birmingham, • in Livmpool, 33 in Man-
chester, 29 in Salford, 24 in Sheffield, 33 in Bradford, 33
in Leeds, 24 in Hull, 29 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 32
in Glasgow. The rate in Vienna was 30 per 1,000 daring
the week ending the 12th inst., and in Berlin 35. per 1,000
during the seven days ending the I,th last.
Active 11101/11MI have at last been taken to
secure a more general adoption of vaccination
in Sheffield ; they are, however, too recent to
have yet consides ably affected the mortality from small-
pox in that town; during the fortnight ending last Satur-
day.l7 more fatal eases of this disease were then reisirded,
raising the total deaths from this cause since Ist July to
201. Scarlatina, and fever, principally of the typhus and
typhoid type, are still fatally prevalent in Manchester, and
typhoid fever in Leeds. The typhus epidemic in Liverpool
lies declined in the two paid weeks. In Hull several fatal
unvaccinated cases of small-pox were reported last week.
In London the births of 1.093 boy, and 1,113 girls, in all
2,206 children, were registered in the week. In the cor-
responding weeks of ten years 1838-67 the average,
number, corrected for increase of population, is 2,066.
The deaths registered in London during the week
were 1,553. It was the fifty-lint week of the year;
end the average number of deaths for that week
is. with a correction fur iuc,caseof population, 1,447. The
deaths in the present return exceed by It the estimated
amount, and are more by 72 than the number recanted in
the preceding week. The deathi from meiotic direness
were 332, the corrected average number ben 354. nye
deaths from small-pox, 33 from intaglio., IWAI'M marls-
tine, 17 from diphtheria, 30 hoot whiioping-cono, 61
from typhus, and 11 from diarrh. ea were registered. The
son of a varnish maker, aged 7 mouths, died on 16th
December, at 1, Albion-road, Stoke Newington, of
"choleraic diarrhea." Four deaths from scarlatina
were recorded in the sub-district of Fulham, 3 to
the sub-district of Chelsea South, 4 in the sub-
district of Chelsea North-west, 4 in the sub-
district of BelFve 4in the sub-district of St-
Andrew Eastern olliorn), 5 the sub-district of Horton
New Tows, 3in e Churth sub-district of Bethnal-gross.
6 in the subdistrict of llde-end obi Town Eat=
the sub-district of Bow, 4 in the web-dirtfief
and 3 in the sub-district of St. Paul, Deptford. 166
deaths occurred from phthisis, 100 from bronchitis, and
117 from pneumonia. The corrected lIVIIIISEasabor of
i deaths from phthisis s 171, from bronchitis and from
reseunionia 103. Diseases of the brain serums
proved fatal to 194 persons„ and 70 pesos@
system Soar diessace of the organs of circulation.
• willow ratter, 61 year*, diod on 10Ik Nov.,
Torville-buildiserusion -road soli-distrist of Beessal-
=, bora " in °ovation of chest and at hese of
want and privation." Pest-mortma. The
doethseaorrachildren and one adult from of 6
Mikan and 2 adults from burns or milk id
gran gemming, of 11 children from milsesikskof 7 per-
oar who committed suicide, of 2 ddldresi who were
aindercd, and of ix persons who were killed by homes
or carriages in the strestsiaziapersacesre registered. One death
Raoas gamed
lly Am. sod Iteaqa.e.le ;seared by per
. sr twee ectimrat.=-
= be.. IN sway lows, iiileausk.