The Sun.
London, England, 1863-05-20 00:00:00

"has for a year been the hospital and cemetery
of Ireland." The deaths which in Lancashire, dur-
ing 1844 and 1845, averaged 45,993, rose ie the
followiaa year to 59,627, and in 1847 to 68.765 ;
hence, in 1846, they were nearly 14,000 in excess
of that which may be properly termed the normal
death-rate of the county ; but in the next year this
excess bad risen to 23,000. In the two years ab
ut
36,000 persons perished, who, if the sanitary condi-
tion of this district had experienced no deteriora-
tion, would have lived. Though the Irish immi-
grants and the Irish fever must be credited with
some portion of this terrible mortality, the Regis-
trar-General regarded indigenous and not exotic
causes by far the most active agents in its produc

tion. The sufferings of the poor at that time are in-
dicated by the increased poor rate, which was then
regarded as very heavy, but which, in comparison
with the far larger expenditure of the present day,
❑ow appears insignificant.

By the assistance of the tables of mortality
recently issued from Somerset House, a parallel can
he drawn between the death-rate during ono year
of the cotton famine, with that which prevailed
during the Irish famine, in our great manufacturing
county. Taking the years ended with March, we
find that the deaths in Lancashire, in 1860-61 were
19,116, in 1861-62 they were 65,464, and in 1862 63
they were 63,694. These present a strong and a
very gratifying contrast with those we have just
been considering. It was not until the commence-
ment of the last three years which have just elapsed
that the distress in the north was sufficiently great
to attract the notice of Parliament. We see, how-
ever, that the deaths were only 4,578 in excess of
1860 61, a year of great manufacturing activity,
and that they were 1,770 below 1861-62. It will be
shown hereafter, when we limit the observations to
he cotton manufacturing unions, that the evidence
of their generally healthy condition is still more
remarkable.
Last autumn, when public attention had been
called to the marked decrease in the mortality
of some of the most distressed of the Lancashire
unions, the Registrar-General observed, with judi-
cious caution, that "It had been assumed as
ohvioas that if the death-rate in the distressed
districts does not exceed or falls below
that which has prevailed in times of pros-
perity, the relief obtained by the unemployed,
from public and private sources, has sufficed
to maintain them in health. Ttie allow-
ance may or may not have been sufficient in
amount, but the returns of mortality furnish no
evidence of the fact ; they only show that extreme
consequences of famine have not yet been mani-
fested." It is reassuring to find the Registrar-
General with a whole winter's additional experi-
ence of the distress, the relief, and the death-rate in
the North, admitting, with some emphasis, "that
the legal provision for the distressed, and the spon
taneous liberality of their countrymen, have hitherto
sufficed to maintain the people in health."
There is another way of testing the Lancashire
death-rate, that is, by comparing it with that which
has ruled in a neighbouring county. The West
Riding of York, during the three years under re-
view, has, with a few inconsiderable exceptions,
sustained an active industrial life; but the returns
do not tell of a more healthy state of her inha-
bitants, with relation to antecedent conditions,
than can be shown for the palatinate, with her
mills motionless, and half a million of her operatives
living upon the unwonted bread of charity. In the
West Riding, 1860-61, the deaths were 36,202; in
1861-62, they were 35 296; and in 1862 63, they
amounted to 37,725. The last year was in excess
of both the former ones—with respect to the first
by 1,523 deaths, and to the second by 2,429 deaths.
To explain the circumstance that the deaths in
Lancashire during the winter quarter last past
show a decline in number when compared with
the two corresponding quarters of 1861-62,
which decrement is not participated in by the
kingdom generally, it has been suggested that,
while England enjoyed an average amount
of health during the first term of the comparison,
Lancashire was in those t wo quarters morello healthy
than usual ; and that, in the common fluctuations of
disease, " more or less improvement of the public
health was to be expected." It appears to us that
this explanation may be read backwards. The eve
of recovery from an unu,ual amount of insalubrity
in any district appears to be but a bad commence-
ment for hearing up against a period of privation.
Instead of partially explaining the unexpectedly
moderate death-rate of Lancashire by referring it
to the ordinary fluctuations of disease, the fact of
the low mortality appears rather to render
the evidence stronger that this happy result is
principally the effect of the prompt, liberal, and
(ffilient aid which her operatives have received in
the day of their adversity.
When we analyse the returns, it is found that
considerable diversities exist among the unions.
Following tie same line of comparison employed
in discussing the mortality of the county, the
Stockport union shows an increased death rate of
10.8 per cent., while the neighbouring union of
Macclesfield decreased 54 per cent. The winter
quarter at the former place was particularly un-
healthy. Scarlet lever has been very prevalent
over the whole union.
In Lancashire the cotton manufacturing unions
which have been less fortunate in respect
of health than their neighbours are War-
rington, Ashton-under-Lyne, Oldham, Barton
Ch-orlton, and Charley. The increase
in these districts ranges between 4 per cent. and
10 per cent. The more fortun ite ones are 13olton,
in which the decrease is equal to 5.1 per cent.;
11 adiogden,
Rochdale, 8.0 per cent. ; 8 7 per cein.t. ;
Burnley, which exhibits by far the largest dthee me,
namely, 17.3 per cent.; Blackburn, on most
where the rate has fathlhieehythefirey2
Iproeecari
distressed unions, 3 6 per cent.; Bury, 3.4 per cent. ;
Manchester, 3.4 per cent., the falling off in the
number of deaths being there 253 ; and last, but
not least, Preston,
cent., or by 183 deaths. Preston has divided with
Ashton-under-Lyne the distinction of being the
most distressed union under the presentml.ght vhias.vi-e
Toe Government,
cation. It was there, in the autumn,
sonablo alarm arose that the food,i
sent down a spe_
started on its fearfel career.
consult with
warned by the earliest symptomseun
ephiooaoalrrrodveiodgtiocrahol
uelsiitnimotshp,ecatnotir
vt:sit
h trodira:lsievoef
thethe
ecahstu,etk'esthwerethteakgenna
4s uBffpeer
re
sr
hs
nasnddied fromstottplepe spread of the fever ; hut
Chen the dim ase stopped,
fever
and
dn shpaist enooft allptpffeoarrtesd
since, or elsewhere the district.d Though Pres-
tonand
t o A
thesh ins t rsetsasnodf much upon the same
very much
judging of
level
that distress by the number who have come upon
the rates in both unions, yet we observe that their
sanitary condition has been discrepant. Preston
had 188 fewer, and Ashton-under-Lyne 135
more, deaths than in 1860-61 and 1861 62. Man-
chester, Salford, and Chorlton form, in point of
fact, one vast manufacturing and commercial
town. Here kw the labour famine bas witnessed