The Sun.
London, England, 1864-03-24 00:00:00

COTTON SUPPLY ASSOCIATION•

At the usual weekly meeting of the executive
committee, held on Tuesday, March 22, a letter was
read from the Brisbane River, Queensland, stating
that the writer had lost no time in planting the
seed which was granted to him by the association
on leaving England last year. A commence,'►ent
was made early i❑ October 'with Sea Island seed,
and the work of planting was continued as long as
the advanced season would allow. The plants ap-
peen() in flower early in January, and promised
to afford satisfactory results. A letter was re-
ceived from Governor Hampton, Western Aus-
tralia, acknowledging the receipt of a large
Macarthy gin, placed at his disposal by the
association, and which he had consigned to the
most enterprising and successful cultivator of cotton
in Western Australia, with iustructions that it
should be lent to other cotton growers who may re-
quire its services. A letter was read from her
Majesty's Consul at Jassy, forwarding a sample of
cotton grown in the neighbourhood of Jassy. Al-
though no care had been bestowed upon the culti-
vation, and the ground had been in no way pre-
pared, the cotton is, nevertheless, of a good, useful
description. A quantity of Egyptian seed, sent
through the Embassy, has been distributed to cl:f-
ferent proprietors, and will be tried this spring.
Owing to scarcity of labour and want of communi-
cation it is doubtful whether cotton can be grown
at a profit, except during the prevalence of very
high prices. The results of further experiments
which are in progress will be communicated. A de-
spatch was received from the Government of Ma-
dras forwarded by the India-office, reporting the
result of the cultivation of Egyptian and Peruvian
cotton in the district of Malabar, and accompanied
with five samples of the cotton which had been
grown. The collector of Malabar entertains no
doubt that Egyptian cotton will thrive well in
many parts of that district. The native growers
in most Talooks appreciate the importance of its
cultivation, and it is highly desirable to perse-
vere in distributing seed as extensively as pos-
sible in small quantities to each recipient. As
they raise a few plants they fiad promise of re-
turne and extend their number, and in a few years
the aggregate result becomes important. 'With the
exception of parts of Palghat and Wynad, it is not
expected that Malabar will extensively produce
cotton for foreign consumption. The locality which
promises to grow the best cotton in Malabar is the
Cherakel Talook, the Potion lands of which are
very well adapted to it. The proper time for sow-
ing is August or September, and it is expedient
that supplies of seed should be furnished in June or
July next, in order that planters as well as natives
may have an opportunity of giving it a fair trial.
A letter was read from the Foreign-office,
stating that a copy of the memorial from the asso-
ciation on the subject of the forced labour employed
at the Suez Canal, as affecting the production of
cotton in Egypt, has been transmitted to her Ma- 1
jesty's agent and Consul-General in Egypt, with
instructions to urge the matter on the attention of
the Viceroy. The deputation reported that Earl
Russell had received them with great courtesy, and
assured them that he was fully aware of the evil
results pointed out, and had been already in
communication with the Egyptian Government
on the question. A letter was read from the
secretary of the Royal Italian Commission,
stating that the visits of the president of the
association to the Exhibition of Turin had afforded
much gratification and encouragement, and conveys
ing the unanimous thanks of the commission to the
association for its sympathy and help. Samples of
Peruvian cotton ginned in Lima by an American
cleaning machine were forwarded for examination,
and also samples of cotton grown on the north-
west coast of Mexico, near Mazatlan, valued at
250. per lb. Grants of seed were made for Sicily
and Greece.

HEALTH or THE METROPOLIS.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return.)

The deaths in London, which rose to 1,786 in the
first week of the present month, and declined to
1,664 in the subsequent week, further declined to
1,508 in the week that ended last Saturday. The
average number of deaths in the eleventh week of
the ten years 1854.63 is, with a correction for
increase of population, 1,464; and the actual mor-
tality as shown in the present return is, therefore,
in excess of the estimated amount by 44 deaths.

A great part of the decrease in the last week's
mortality arose, as it appears in the tables, under the
head of bronchitis, the deaths from which declined
from 299 and 280 in the two previous weeks to 193
list week. There was also a decrease in fatal cases
of phthisis. Pneumonia, oc inflammation of the sub-
stance of the lungs, has beers Subject to little fluc-
tuation, and in each of the last five weeks the deaths
from it have been about 100.

About half of the 25 deaths from measles occurred
in the south districts, chiefly in the sub-districts of
Waterloo-road and Lambeth Church. Nine out of
63 deaths from whoopingcough were in Poplar, and
four in the subdistrict of St. Pater's, Walworth.
At 2, Thornton-row, in the subdistrict of Green-
wich west, three deaths from scarlatina in fire days ;
and in the same sub-district there were two from
typhus and two from puerperal fever.
On the 2,1 of .larch a woman, aged 22 years, died
from " privation and exposure" in the Wiattechuoei
Workhouse. _ _ .

At 7 Hatton-street, St. John's, M iryleb one, a
woman is stated to have died on the 15th of March
at the great age of 100 years.
Five persons were recorded in the week as having
been accidentally killed by street carriages.
Last week the births of 1,117 boys and 1,060
girls, in all 2,177 children, were registered in Lon.:
don. In the 10 corresponding weeks of the years
1854-63 the average number (corrected) was 2,070.
At the Royal Observatory Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.801 in.
The reading declined from 30.11iu. on Sunday to
29.50 in. on Saturday'. The mean temperature of
the air in the week was di; dog., which is 1.5 deg.
above the average of the same reek in 43 years (as
determined by Mr. Glaisher). '1 11.3 mean daily
temperature was in excess of the aVei'age on four
days of the week, and on Monday the eipess was
8.2 deg: The highest -day temperature was 57.2
deg. on Monday. The lowest-night temperature
was 29.9 deg. on Friday. On the last four
nights the thermometer fell below or near the
freezing point of water. The range of temperature
in the week was 27.3 deg. The mean daily range
was 16.5 deg. The difference between the mean
dew point temperature and air temperatui.e was
only 74 deg. The mean degree of humidity of b2le
air was 76, complete saturation being represented
by 100. The wind was in the south-west on the
first three days; it then changed to north-east and
southeast, and blew from the east on the last two
days. The rain was only 0.06 in.