The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-13 00:00:00

HEALTH OF THE METROPOLIS.

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

Seventeen hundred and ninety-eight deaths were
registered in London in the week that ended on last
Saturday. In the ten corresponding weeks of the
years 1853-63 the average number was 1,380, which
if raised in proportion to increase of population,
would give a mortality for the present time of 1,519
The deaths of last week were therefore more than
the estimated amount by 2'79.
The increases arises from the recent depression of
temperature, as is most particularly shown by the
number of deaths from diseases of the aespiratory
organs. The number of deaths in this class, which
more than others rises and falls with the fluctuations
of heat and cold, rose last week to 473. Ia the
previous week the number was 313. The corrected
average of the class for ten corresponding weeks is
354. The deaths from bronchitis in the last four
weeks wore 147, 154, 177, and 226. Pneumonia
does not exhibit any increase. Phthisis which was
fatal in the previous week in 165 cases, numbered
last week 164. Epidemic diseases do not disclose
any remarkable feature. Typhus yields 75 deaths,
the largest contribution to the mortality of this
class, scarlatina 74, whooping cough 48, measles
28, smallpox 10. An infant, aged 9 months, died
in the workhouse, St. Margaret's, Westminster, of
choleraic diarrhm. Nine persons died at the age of
90 years and upwards; among these a gentleman is
registered as having died in Maty-street, Pancras,
on the sth of January, at the age of 100 years.
Last week the births of 988 boys and 928 girls,
in all 1,916 children, were registered in London.
In the 10 corresponding weeks of the years 1854 63
the average number corrected) was 1,995.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 30.110 in.
The barometrical reading was 30.48 in. on Sunday,
and decreased to 29.77 in. on Saturday. The mean
temperature of the air in the week was 26 deg. 7
min., which is 9 deg. 3 min. below the average of
the same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr.
Glaisher). The highest day temperature was 38
deg. 3 min. on Saturday ; the lowestinight tempera.
ture was 14 deg. 3 min. on Thursday. The entire
range of temperature in the week was 24 deg. The
mean of the highest temperatures of the water of
the Thames was 41 deg. 3 min., that of the lowest
was 37 deg. 5 min. The difference between the
mean dew point temperature and air temperature
was 7 deg. 6 min. The mean degree of humidity
of the air was 72, complete soturation being repre-
sented by 100. A little snow fell on Sunday, and
on Friday a dense fog prevailed. The general di-
rection of the wind was east. The air was calm
and extremely cold; its mean temperature was 26
deg. 7 min., while the mean temperature of the
Thames water driving off vapour was 39 deg.
4 min.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, Jan. 11.

The death of Dean Meyler makes a vacancy in
the National Board of Education. It appears that
the Most Rev. Dr. Cullen did not wish to disturb
him, on account of his venerable age; but it is well
understood that no ecclesiastic will be allowed to
take his place. If the vacancy be filled up the Go-
vernment will b 3 obliged to appoint a layman of
the same communion. The names of Mr. Justice
O'Brien and Mr. Commissioner O'Ferrall have been
mentioned in connexion with the office. According
to the old charter of the Board, which has been can-
celled, the number of the Commissioners was not to
exceed 15. The new charter, which was obtained
in 1861, makes the highest number 20, and states
that 10 shall be Protestants and 10 Catholics. Eight
new members were then incorporated to make up
that number. Half of the Catholic members are
public functionaries—namely, Chief Justice Mona-
han, Chief Baron Pilot, Mr. O'Hagan, Attorney-
General ; Mr. Ipntaigne, Inspector-General ef Pri-
sons ; and Mr. Murphy, Master in Chancery. The
other Catholic members are Lord Bellew, the Earl
of Dunraven, Mr. Waldron, M.P., arid Mr. John
O'Hagan. The last gentleman is a barrister, bat,
though bearing the same name, he is no relation of
the Attorney-General's. It would have been im-
possible for Mr. Cardwell to find in the Catholic
community a more honourable or trustworthy set
of men. There seems to be a desire growing up
on the part of the Protestants that the Board should
be again reconstituted, and should, like the Poor
Law Board, which has somewhat analogous duties,
consist of three paid members, representing the three
denominations. But there is no Catholic on the
Poor Law Board, and perhaps the religious element
would come into more active operation in connexion
with education. An important fact bearing on this
vexed question is, that the workhouse schools are
all connected with the National Board, and the
system is carried out in them without difficulty.
I am informed on good authority that the Rev.
Dr. Todd would not take the Archdeaconry of Dub-
lin even if offered to him, the duties being too
onerous for him to undertake with a fellowship.
But he is a candidate for the Deanery of St.
Patrick's, and if elected he would reside at the
Deanery house, in a poor district of the city, and
would resign his librarianship, the professorship of
Hebrew, and his office of Senior Dean, all in Trinity
College. Dr. Todd is too high a churchman for the
majority of Protestants in this country; but he is
learned, tolerant, and is personally held in the
highest esteem, and even his high churchism seems
to make him more suited for the office of Dean.
Besides, he understands church music, church archi-
tecture, and the history of the cathedral, of whose
patron Saint he has written a life, and in which he
was a constant attendant. There are 24 votes in the
chapter, chiefly clergymen in country parts of the
diocese. The voting, though viva voce, and taken
down in wr:ting, is secret to all but members of the
chapter chosen to take the votes, and called " com-
promisers." It is stated that many of the members
promised their votes to Dr. West under the impres-
sion that Dr. Todd could not hold the deanery with
his fellowships. Bat a Queen's letter will enable
him to do so, and this, it is said, will be forthcom-
ing. It is supposed that under these circumstances
the members will not regard their promises to the
Archdeacon as binding. The excitement among the
clergy about this election is intense. If Dr. Todd
wins there is no doubt that the general opinion will
be that he is the right man in the right place,
though there is a strong objection to one person
holding two such good things as the Deanery of St.
Patrick's and a senior fellowship in a Church which
has so few prizes and such a large number of ill-
paid working clergy.
The Rev. Dr. Maziere Brady is a candidate for
the Deanery of Cork, which having no duties
would enable him to pursue his work as the histo-
rian of the Irish dioceses, two volumes of his
" Parochial Records" having been already pub-
lished. If appointed, his living of Clonfert, where
the duties must be nearly as light as those of the
cathedral, from the thinness of the Protestant
population, would be at the disposal of the Bishop
of Cork. It is worth £4OO a year. Dr. Brady,
and the Rev. Mr. Brady, of Clonmel, whom I men-
tioned in my last letter, brother of the Irish Chan-
cellor, are both descended from the Dr. Brady, who
with Tate produced the version of the Psalms.
A pilot boat, of the Messrs. Scott, of Queens-
town, brought a valuable prize into that harbour on
Saturday evening—the ship Sarah Maria, laden
with iron from Liverpool to a foreign port, which
was found drifting helplessly at sea with only one
man and a little boy in her—a salvage crew put on
boa
crewrd hadyave desertedsseltha her.tfel
fell in with her after her
own

Mr. Burke, un auctioneer at Sligo, was selling
goods on a loft on Thursday, surrounded by about
50 people, and while he was with uplifted hammer
crying " Going, going, gone !" the loft gave way
with a crash, the whole party were precipitated