The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-27 00:00:00

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT.

The recent Act for registering births, deaths, and mar-
riages in England, presents an opportunity for obtaining
that great desideratum in medical statistics a more exact
statement of the causes of death, in the case of every regis-
tered death throughout the whole of England and Wales,
after the month of June next ensuing.
The register-books in which all deaths are to be regis-
tered after the last day of June, 1837, contain columns
wherein may be inserted the cause of death, in juxta-posi-
tion with those other important illustrative circumstances,
the sex, the age, and the profession or calling of the de-
ceased person. Each register-book will also be assigned to
a particular district of small extent, and will thus show in
what part of the kingdom each death has occurred. If,
therefore, the cause of death be correctly inserted, there
will exist thenceforward public documents, from whence
may be derived a more accurate knowledge, not only of the
comparative prevalence of various mortalsliseases, as re•
gards the whole of England and Wales, but also of the lo-
calities in which they respectively prevail, and the sex, age,
and condition of life, which each principally affects.
For the attainment of this object, it is necessary to ea-
sure, as far as it is possible, the correct insertion of the
" cause of death." It is obvious, that on this subject, the
requisite information can seldom be given to the registrar,
except by the medical attendant of the deceased person, and
that even if the registrar be a medical practitioner (which, in
many instances will be the case), yet he will often be unable
to ascertain the truth in this respect, if he is to depend
solely on the reports of persons ignorant of medicine, and of
the names and nature 'of diseases ; and it cannot be ex-
pected that from his own knowledge he will be able so far
to correct their errors, as to ensure a statement worthy of
credit. The requisite information must therefore be sup-
plied either directly or indirectly by the medical attendant
of the deceased person ;—that is to say, if such medical
attendant is not applied to by the Registrar, he must afford
the requisite information to those other persons to whom
the Registrar must apply.

The persons who according to the Act for registering
births, deaths, and marriages in England, must give informa-
tion to the Registrar on being requested so to do, are
some person present at the death, or in attendance during
the last illness," or " in case of the death, illness, inability or
default of all such persons, the occupier of the house or te-
nement, or, if the occupier be the person who shall have
died, some inmate of the house or tenement in which such
death shall have happened." It is also provided that " for
the purposes of this Act, the master or keeper of every
gaol, prison, or house of correction, or workhouse, hospital,
or lunatic asylum, or public or charitable institution, shall be
deemed the occupier thereof."

It is, therefore, recommended that every practising mem-
ber of any branch of the medical profession who may have
been present at the death, or in attendance during the last
illness of any person, shall, immediately after such death,
place in the hands of such other persons as were in attend-
ance, of the occupier of the house in which the death oc-
curred, and of some inmate who may probably be required
to give information, written statements of the cause of death,
which such persons may show to the Registrar, and give as
their information on that subject.
It is desirable that such statement should be very short,
the column in the register-book in which it is to be inserted
being not more than sufficient for the insertion of about ten
words of moderate length. It should, therefore, contain only
the name of the disease which was considered to be the
cause of death, and not a detailed account either of ante-
cedent symptoms, or of the appearances which may have
presented themselves after death. It is also desirable that
such statement should exhibit the popular or common name
of the disease, in preference to such as is known only to
medical men, whenever the popular narne will denote the
cause of death'with sufficient precision.

THE EARL OF ROMNEY'S GRAND FETE,
MOTE PA RIC. —Thursday morning was a day of unprece-
dented festivity here, from the celebration of the Princess
Victoria's birth-day at Maidstone, and the entertainment of
the East and West Kent Yeomanry Cavalry regiments at
dinner by the Earl of Romney, at the oast house, which had
been fitted up in a style of great splendour for the occasion.
An excellent cold collation, consisting of a profusion of ve-
nison, cold roast and boiled beef, boiled fowls, hams, tongues,
&c., were served up with wines of every description in abun-
dance. Nearly seven hundred persons sat down. The as-
sembly rose about six o'clock, highly gratified with the hos-
pitolity of the Noble Earl. After the noble guests and yeo-
men had left the oast house, the poor men, their wives and
children, on his Lordship's estate, were admitted, and allowed
to partake of the remains, a great deal of which was uncut,
and had an abundant supply of fine old Kentish ale served up
to them. The grand ball at the Assembly Rooms, given by
the Earl of Winchilsea, Earl Brecknock, and the other offi-
cers of this distinguished brigade, in the evening, was attended
by the whole of the families of distinction in the county. The
whole of the officers appeared in their splendid uniforms, and
the dresses of the ladies were of an elegant description. There
were upwards of three hundred fashionables present.

The Winner of the Derby is the property of Lord
Berners, the veteran father of the turf, formerly well known
as the sporting Col. Wilson. His Lordship is in his 78th year,
and enjoys excellent health, attending all the meetings at New-
market, Epsom, Ascot, and Doncaster with as much zeal and
activity as in his youthful days.

Robinson, who rode Rat-trap, the favourite for the
Derby, had been injured by a fall lately at Newmarket ; not
that this appears to have affected the result of the race; as the
horse evidently, when put to the test, fell into difficulty, which
no exertions of the rider could by any possibility surmount.
It appears from tile Courrier Francais that as soon
as it was known that the railroad from Paris to the Belgium
frontiers would pass through Amiens, the Chamber of Com-
merce of Amiens had a a meeting to solicit the Government fur
a branch railroad to Bologne, to facilitate the communication
with England. The Municipal Council of Havre has also no-
minated a committee, for the purpose of presenting an address
to the Minister of Commerce, praying for the continuation
of the railroad from Paris to Rouen as far as Havre,