The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-21 00:00:00

Sir Morton Peto. M.P., on the Sewage

Question.

At the dinner in connection with the Kent and
Maidstone Cattle Show the other day, Sir Morton
Peto, in replying to one of the toasts, said it was
remarkable that the question of the utilisation of
the sewage of towns and cities should remain until
the present time before any movement was made to
obtain powers to carry out the work. He believed
the question would greatly occupy the attention of
Parliament during the next session. There were
also other questions connected with the subject that
affected the welfare of the British farmer. In a
distant country—China—which was even now
scarcely opened up to us, agriculture was so much
appreciated that the Emperor went in state once a
year to plough three furrows. The heir apparent
to the throne had to plough five furrows, Prim©
Minister nine furrows, and the magistrates more in
proportion for the benefit of agriculture, which was
a source of great wealth to that region. What we
were going to apply to Parliament for now had
been in practice in China for a long time. There
was not a village in China—there was not a house
in it where the sewage was not carefully preserved
and utilised. There was not a barber's shop in the
whole empire where the soapsuds and the cuttings
of hair were not carefully preserved and utilised.
He need not, therefore, say to them that it was a
subject worthy of consideration. Not long ago he
walked with a friend into a beautiful Lothian disc
trice, where the farm-houses looked clean
and nice, and appeared just such places in which a
man might wish to retire and end his days in peace.
The farm buildings were well built, and one farm
was situated on the side of a hill; but the manure
and everything from it was taken and thrown into
a pond below, where it was allowed to waste. Now,
what would a Mandarin visiting this country say
to that ? He would say truly " these men are the
outside barbarians." It was to that point he wished
to draw their attention. There was another subject,
to refer to respecting sewage. He was sure medical
men would bear him out when he said it affected
health. Those gentlemen knew when they heard of
fevers breaking out at different places that often
it was from the want of good drainage. It was one
of the laws of Providence that that which the earth
required, if allowed to remain unused, was inju-
rious to the health of man. And so it was with re-
gard to well-built cottages; but he would not enter
upon that question at the present time. He trusted
great improvements would be brought about in that
respect. There was another matter which had
struck him as worthy of attention, and that was
with regard to draft horses. In 1850 an experi-
ment was tried with five-horse carts and ten-horse
carts, and the result was ultimately decided in
favour of the five-horse carts, with 20 per cent. in
their favour. The attention of himself and his
partner had been drawn to the question of draft
horses in the south of France, where he thought
they had a better idea of the adjustment and
balancing of loads, even more so than in the north
of England, where they were before the south in
that respect. That was a point well worthy of
their attention.

HEALTH OF LONDON.

(From the Registrar-General's Report.)

The mortality of London was not so high in the week
that ended last Saturday as it had been in any of the pre-
vious five weeks. The deaths were 1,449. The average
number of deaths for the 50th week of 10 years, 1864.63 is,
with a correction for increase of population, 1,434. The
actual result of the last week's registration, agrees nearly
with the estimated number.

Scarlatina and typhus were the most fatal of the zymotic
or epidemic diseases—the former having caused 83, the
latter 76 deaths. Deaths from measles declined to 47, 60
deaths occurred from whooping-cough, 22 from croup, and
8 from smallpox.

Three deaths from scarlatina and eight from typhus were
registered in the Shlreditch district ; eight from
.the former
disease and four from the latter were in Bethnal-grcon—
seven from scarlatina and six from typhus in the Greenwich
district ; two from scarlatina and three from typhus in
Plumstead. There werefive fatal cases of measlesin Poplar.
In the last three weeks the deaths from bronchitis were
successively 234,200, and 189 —those from pnuemonia were
125, 97, and 123.
A widow died at the age of 99 years.

Four children, the age of the oldest not being more than
six months, died at 35, Great Corara-street—three of diseased
bowels and one of diseased chest, the cause of death being
in each instance certified by the medical attendant. They
were thechildren of female domestic servants, and the house
is stated by the register to b. “s iaotitution for 03,3 reception
of i legitimate children. Two of the deaths occurred on the
12th inst, one on the 13th, and one the 15th.

Last week the births of 9.51 boys and 1,001 girls, in all
1,952 children, were registered in London• In the ten eon.
responding weeks of the years 1854-63 the average number
(corrected) was 1,987.

At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height
of the barometer in the week was 29.546 in. The reading fell
to 29.33 in on Monday, and rose to 29.72 on Friday. The
mean temperature of the air in the week was 37.3 deg.
which is 2.7 deg below the average of the same week in 43
y ears, es determined by Mr Glaisher. The meek daily tem-
perature was above the average till Wednesday. On Thurs-
day and Friday it was 6 deg to 8 dog below the average;
and on Saturday the defect was as much as 151 deg. The
highest day temperature occurred on Sunday and was b 0.5
deg. The lowest night temperature was 19.2 deg. and oc-
curred on Saturday. The range in the week was therefore
3P3 deg. The mean daily range was 81 deg. On Thurs-
day the range was only 2.8 deg. The difference between the
mean dew point temperature and air temperature was 3.6
dog. The mean degree of humidity of the air was 87, com-
plete saturation being represented by 100. The wind blew
from the south and south-east on the first three days, after-
wards from the north-east. The amount of rain was 0.12 in,
three-fourths of which fell on Sunday. On Saturday, which
was a very cold day, snow fell occasionally, and after mid-
night the temperature fell to 17'3 deg. The mean of the
highest temperature of the water of the Thames was 42.1
deg, that of the lowest was 40.3 deg.
During the week ending the 17th December, 158 births
(those of 72 boys and 86 girls), and 107 deaths, those of 63
males and 41 females) were registered within the municipal
boundaries of Dublin. Its population in 1861 was 254,808,
and extended over 3,808 statute acres.
The deaths in Vienna, as returned by Dr Glatter, were
289 in the week ending Dec, 10, when the mean tempera-
ture was 25'9 deg, that at Greenwich having been 44.9 deg.

SINGULAR CASE OP MISTAKEN IDENTITY.—On
the 21st November, a man committed suicide by
hanging himself, he being identified at the inquest (held
before W. R. Dunstan, Eeq., at North wich), as Joseph
Bebbington, of Calverley, Cheshire. On Saturday week
the supposed self-murderer was discoveree comfortably en-
sconced in the Nantwich Workhouse, where he now is, and
apparently in good;health. At the inquiry into the cause of
death two boatmen deposed that they were intimately ac-
quainted with him " when alive." A police-officer was
therefore at once despatched in a conveyance a distance of
16 or 18 miles, who first called at John Bebbington's. Cal-
verley station, one of the conceived brothers of the de-
ceased, but he refused to have anything to do with the in-
terment or expenses theret t, in consequence of which the
constable rode off to George Bebbington, another sup-
posed brother of the self-murdered man, wbo, on hearing of
his unfortunate end, naturally exhibited strong feelings of
sorrow at the death of his brother, and immediately pro-
ceeded to the spot where the remains lay. On viewing
the body he declared it to be that of his brother Joseph,
although the features were much distorted, and the cloth-
ing not what he expected to find on him ; he, however,
there and then made arrangements for the funeral, gave
orders for a ecffin, hired horses and hearse, also bearers, to
deposit him in the ground, fixed the time of interment,
and then returned home again. On the morning fixed for
the funeral, George, with his wife and son (a boy 11 years
of age) as mourners, repaired to the place where the corpse
lay, and on again viewing the body, George said that he
believed it to Le that of his brother Joseph, although his
wife thought differently, but on the boy seeing it and say-
ing that it was his " Uncle Joseph," she became satisfied,
and the funeral rites were duly performed, the expenses of
which amounted to nearly £7, which were defrayed by
George. On his return home he visited his brother John,
and asked him for his moiety towards the funeral expenses,
when John handed him over £3. About a month having
elapsed, it has now come to light that Joseph has not yet
departed this life, but is quietly installed in the Nantwich
Union Workhouse. Of course the inquest held was over
some person unknown as yet, but, as already stated, it was
not over Joseph Bebbingtsn, The registration of Bebbing-
ton's death, too, will also be wrong; and there is no true
identity of the person so interred. It now becom'es a ques-
tion whether George Bebbington, who has paid for the
funeral of some person not belonging to him, can claim any
portion of the £7 from the authorities of the township where
the man was found hanged, and whether there should not
bo another inquiry made and inquest held on the said body.
TEN-YEARS' SOLDIERS' IN INDIA.—'We are in-
formed that, notwithstanding the liberal offer of a bounty of
112 rs. and a gratuity of Ors , which has been made to the
ten-years' men serving in Rjpoetanah with a view to in-
duce them to re-enlist, very few have consented to remain.
America appears to be the El Dorado to which most of them
look forward,—lturkaru.