The Sun.
London, England, 1839-07-10 00:00:00

THE BLACKWALL RAILWAY.

The Blackwell Railway Bill was opposed last night by
the Duke of Wellington. Either his Grace has been misled
by the statements made to him by some of the Corporators of
the City of London, or else he lends an unworthy resist-
ance to it, on the ground of some secret understanding of
gentle opposition to Ministers, and further support to the
Tories, _from the Reforming Corporation of London.
This latte;thing his Grace was not likely to do. It is
not consistent with the straightforward honesty of his
character, for, although a Tory, he is an honest indepen.
dent Tory, very unlike the more numerous arid worthless
section of that party. His Grace also has seen too much
of campa,gning not to be able most accurately to value the
support derived from political apostates and from
unprincipled mercenaries, who will fight for any
cause that will pay them best. The inference thence
is that his Grace has been imposed upon by the
tilorporatora, whd do not, it seems, fancy a rail.
way should ,eat, through the City, but for what reason
does not appear, unless it bethat they themselves are slow
- coaches, who like Lord Mayors, shows better than the
swift motions of commerce and industry. A railway touches
the south-eastern end of London Bridge, to the great con-
venience of the public and especially of the Borough peo-
, ; but then the Borough people are not afflicted with
the'seourge-of a' Corporation. Why should there not be a
railway ae the north-eastern and western point of London
Bridge ? Just, and for no other earthly reason than because
thee, pudding,headed Corporators do not like it, and cannot
get any pelf by it. To the citizens, and to the commercial
world at large, such a railway would be a great benefit, but
-the.Corporators are determined that the City shall remain,
as a brilliant writer has observed, " a mass of barbarism,
.like the clergy reserves in Canada, while all around is co-
vered with commercial enterprise and improvement."
The Blackwell . Railway people are not wise in their
generation ; they should have secured the favour of the
Corporators by making it " worth the While" of Aldermen
and Deputies of Wards. A few shares and other persua-
sives judiciously applied among necessitous Aldermen or
among the eloquent Liberals of the Corporation would
have stopped all opposition to their Bill. They should
have learned what dilapidated property of a ward Worthy
.was to be destroyed by the Railway, and have come to an
understanding about it. Why, Lord Petre has got more
than a hundred thousand pounds for less than forty acres
of land near Brentwood from the Eastern Counties Rail.
way ! When political influence is in the hands of mobs,
mobs must be persuaded ; when all the consenting hands of
Briareus must be raised before a few yards of useful rail-
way can be made, each of his hundred hands must be com-
plimented. This is what makes mob government so ex-
pensive.

AWFUL OCCURRENCE.—On Sunday last, while
Mr. Jones, the barrister, was holding the quarter sessions
in Hillsborough Court-house, an awful event took place.
An old man (of the name of Traynor, we believe) had been
processed to the previous Newry sessions for the seduction
of a young girl, and had been decreed to pay the sum of
51. 103. The extent of the barrister's jurisdiction was
then 101., but, owing to the circumstances of Traynor, the
above sum of 51. 10s. only was decreed to the prosecutor,
it appearing to be all that he could be expected to pay. It
was agreed that a debtor of Traynor's, who owed him this
sum Of 51. 10s., should pay it to the prosecutor, according
to the decree ; and this person subseqnently paid the
amount of his debt, as agreed upon, with the consent of
Traynor himself. Notwithstanding this arrangement, and
although Traynor's debtor did pay over that sum of Si. 10s.
pursuant to the decree and agreement, to the father of the
girl seduced by Traynor, he (Traynor) afterwards refused
to recognise the payment, and actually processed to Hills-
borough Sessions the man who had owed him this sum of
31. los. The foregoing circumstances were relied upon
for the defence, and a w itness produced to prove the ar-
rangement. When this witness was proving the fact of
the agreement, and of Traynor's consent, Traynor stood
up, and said, That is false." These were the last words
spoken by the unfortunate man, for he was instantly smitten
dead, and fell forward on his face. He was carried out,
and medical assistance instantly had, but all in vain, life
was utterly extinct. A coroner's inquest was held on the
body, and the jury returned a verdict of " Died by the visi-
tation of God. " The unfortunate man was buried in
Hillsborough burial ground on Sunday.— Ulster Times.
A correspondent at Ipswich says "M. Gib-
son's canvass is undoubtedly a very successful one, and
there is every appearance that he will be re-elected.
The Duke of Sutherland has been appointed
Lord Lieutenant of the county of Salop, in the room of the
late Earl Powis, deceased. His Grace is the largest resi-
dent proprietor in this county.
CANADIAN Pit isitiNEßs.—The efforts of Mr.
Roebuck to save these untried and unconvicted men have
been crowned with success. How long will it be before
such an honourable action will be performed by either of
our Tory Members? They cared not if the law was
violated in the persons of poor and unprotected men.
Cold and heartless must that person be who does not glory
in this triumph of English justice, and in the success that
has accompanied the efforts of a few persons to resist one
of the grossest and most abominable acts of tyranny and
injustice that has ever been attempted to be committed by
English officials. The case is also remarkable for having
secured to this country the fullest protection of the Habeas
Corpus Act, in opposition to the endeavours of the Whig
Attorney-General to narrow the extent of that great safe:
guard of English liberty.—Bath Guardian.
SOUTH WA a the expectation that Mr.llar-
vey will shortly vacate the representation of this borough, a
requisition isin the course of signature, calling upon Mr.
Walter, el-decant Member for Brkshire, to come forward.
THE GOLD DUST ROBB E ItY.--We do not
feel called on to publish Mr. S. Abraham's letter, which
concerns the individual rather than the public • but we
are glad to learn that the Jews are so sensible of the
slight stain cast on them by the conduct of some of the
parties to the gold dust robbery, that they are anxious to
subscribe largely to compensate Mr. Hartley. We wish
Christians were as sensitive and as honourable.

' The weather (luring the present week has been
delightful. The heavy rains were succeeded by a bright,
warm sun, and the crops in all quarters are rapidly im-
proving: Within the last few days we have seen several
fields of wheat in the ear. We never knew the plant wear
a more healthy
summer prove auspicious,
or vigorous appearance; and should the
we shall have to thank Provi_
denco for one of the most abundant and successful harvests
ever known.—Durham Chronicle.
Mr. Samuel Spring, so
well known in the
theatrical circles, died on Sunday last.
F'
IRIMPININomm.--

BIRTHS, DEATHS, AND MAR.

RIAGES.

From the Annual Report of the Registrar-Genera,
it appears that the number of marriages in the year
ending June 30, 1838, was 111,481, of which 107,201
were performed according to the rites of the Established
Church. The number of births registered in the first
quarter was 74,588 ; in the second, 89,528 ; in the
third, 113,815 ; in the fourth, 121,781. The re-
gistration of births increased rapidly, and in the
last quarter exceeded the average proportion of re-
gistered baptisms by 9,000. The registration of
births is imperfect, as the parties are not com-
pelled to give information, except when applied to
by the registrar : and the imperfection must remain
until the registration of births shall be rendered com-
pulsory, as it is in other countries, where the interests
of the children of the poor, and of science, are not
allowed to be sacrificed to the ignorance, the avarice, or
the prejudices of the clergy. It appears that under the
voluntary system 100 out of 113 births 4 have been re-
gistered ; eight in nine of the people comply with the
Act ; a compulsory clause would consequently only
compel the inconsiderable minority—one-ninth of the
whole—to confer upon their offspring the advantages of
civil registration. An incomplete registration of births
is of no statistical value, so we pass to the deaths.
The number of deaths that occurred in the first year,
and were registered, was 338,660. This implies that the
annual mortality was one in 45. It exceeds the esti-
mated average number of deaths, and exhibits the defi-
ciencies of the Church registers in a very striking light.
The probable number of burials registered by the Esta-
blished Church the same year was 29:,713. Notwith-
standing all the obstacles which have been thrown in
the way, Mr. Lister has therefore succeeded in procur-
ing very nearly a complete return of marriages and
deaths in the first year. This speaks well for the good
sense of the people, and for the measures which have
been employed to carry the Act into operation.
Abstracts are given of the ages at which the deaths
happened in 23 divisions of the country, and in all Eng-
land. In the appendix elaborate tables exhibited the
fatal diseases of different parts of the country. These
throw considerable light upon the present state of pub-
lic health, to which we shall now advert very briefly.

It has been ascertained that for one annual death
there are two persons constantly sick ; for instance, if
out of one hundred soldiers two die annually, four will
be on an average upon the sick list. The rate of mor-
tality in a given population, therefore, expresses the re-
lative amount of sickness. Now, there is reason to be-
lieve that the mortality, and consequently the sickness,
progressively declined in England down to 1816-20, and
that it has increased ever since. This can only be de-
termined indirectly ; namely, upon the assumption that
the parochial registers were equally erroneous in the
thirty years, 11101-30. It will then follow that the re-
lative mortality in periods of five years was—
Years. Registered Burials out
of 100,000.
1801-5
1806-10 1,958
1811-15 1,844
1816 20 1,823
1821-25 1,864
1826 30 1,944
The epidemics of influenza and cholera have occurred
since 18.31 ; and the mortality and sickness have pro-
bably gone on increasing. The important question then
arises, to what is this increase of sickness, to what are
these new victories of death, to be ascribed ? The Re-
gistration of the Causes of Death Act is calculated to
afford replies to these questions, and to indicate the cir-
cumstances by which the mortality is increased. In his
letter to the Registrar-general, published in the Appen-
dix, Mr. Farr remarks :

" Diseases are more easily prevented than cured, and
the first step to their prevention is the discovery of their
exciting causes. The registry will show the agency of
these causes by numerical facts, and measure the in-
tensity of their influence. The annual rate of mor-
tality in some districts will be found to be four per
cent., in others two per cent. ; in other words, the people
in one set of circumstances live fifty years, while in an-
other set of circumstances, which the registration will
indicate, they do not live more than twenty-fire
years. In these wretched districts nearly eight
per cent. are constantly sick, and the energy of
the whole population is withered to the roots.
Their arms are weak, their bodies wasted, and
their sensations embittered by privation and suf-
fering. Half the entire life is passed in infancy, sick-
ness, and dependent helplessness. In exhibiting the
high mortality, the diseases by which it is occasioned,
and the exciting causes of disease, the abstract of the
registers will prove, that while a part of the sickness is
inevitable—and a part can only be expected to dis-
appear before progressive social amelioration—a con-
siderable proportion of the sickness and deaths may be
suppressed by the general adoption of hygienic mea-
sures which are in actual but partial operation. It
may be affirmed, without great risk of exaggeration,
that it is possible to reduce the annual deaths in Eng-
land and Wales by 30,000, and to increase the vigour
(may I not add the industry and wealth ?) of the
population to an equal extent ; for fatal diseases are
the iron index of misery, which recedes before strength,
health, and happiness, as the mortality declines."
The concentration of effluvial emanations in densely
populated districts is one of the principal causes of
sickness and mortality. Thus, out of a population of
3,500,750, distributed over an area of 17,245 square
miles, the deaths in the half-year ending Dec. 31, 1837,
amounted to 34,074, out of a population of 3,553,161,
concentrated -in city districts upon 747 square miles,
the deaths are 47,953. The mortality of epidemic
diseases, such as fever, cholera, small-pox, measles, as
well as convulsions and several infantile affections, are
doubled, and the prevalence of other diseases is in-
creased, but in a less proportion. The three following
diseases, which principally affect adults between the
ages of 15 and 65, show that unhealthy places augment
the fatality of diseases in different degrees :

- Counties. Cities. Increase
in Cities.
Population 3,500,750 3,653,161
Deaths by Consumption 5,857 8,125 39
Childbirth 217 372 71
Typhus Fever 1,564 3,456 221
The immense mortality of a dense population is not
inevitable. Innumerable facts prove that the sickness
in cities may be reduced until it is but a little higher
than in the country. The causes of death are now known,
and the means of prevention have been discovered. If
civilisation have been attended by an increase of dis-
ease, the arts of civilisation teach us how the indirect
evil may be obviated. The annual mortality of the me-
tropolis was five per cent. down to 1790 ; it has been
reduced to 2 8 per cent., and does not now exceed
three per cent. The deaths did not exceed 70,000 in
the year that cholera prevailed ; if the same rate of mor-
tality had prevailed as in the plagues of the 16th and
17th centuries, the deaths in the metropolitan district
would have exceeded half-a-million :

That the high mortality of cities may be diminished
is proved by the fact that the rale of mortality is low in
some and high in other quarters of the same city. The
tables F and G in the appendix show that the mortality
and sickness is twice as high in some unions of the me-
tropolis as it is in others. Table G, calculated upon
the deaths and marriages of males and females, exhibits
the diseases of the 3-2 metropolitan districts ; but as
Table F, calculated upon the females alone, is shorter,
it is here subjoined :
Of the Relative Mortality in different parts of the Metro-
polis : exhibiting the Mean Annual Mortality of Fe-
males in the thirty-two Metropolitan Unions, Ist July
to 31st December, 1837. (The deaths in the hospitals
are excluded.)

Annual Deaths
Unions. per Cent.
1 Whiteeinipel
2 Shorediteh 3.164
3 St. Gilts
4 Bethnal Green
5 Bermondsey'
46 East London, West London
7 St. George, East 2.970
8 St. Luke
9 Holborn
10 Rothorhithe

Mean 3'096

'
*ll St. Saviour, St. Olive
12 Clerkenwell 2.756
13 St. George, Southwark 2 '7OO
14 Greenwich
15 Strand
2'494
16 Poplar
2 .452
17 Westminster
2 '445
15 Stepney
19 St. Martin- in-the- Fields '4282171
20 Newington

Mean .................. 2.526

•••••••11
21 Kensington ..
. 2'190
22 St. James
2.154
23 St. Alarylebone
24 Islington
25 St. Pancras
26 Lambeth ....
27 London (City)f
28 Camberwell ..... . PBI4
29 Hackney ............ ... ...... ... ...... ... PBl4
30 St. George, Hanover-square

Mean 2.003
The table is read thus :--Out of 100 living, 3,908
die annually
in Whitechapel ; or, without decimals
3,908 die annually out of a population of 100,000.
After other facts have been adduced, showing that
the density of the districts is generally proportional to the
mortality, and that where the density and affluence are
the same, that the rate of
mortality depends upon the
efficiency of the venti—_ lati__ _____on, and of the means which

The two unions are counted7as one.
t The mortality of the City of London has been aug-
mented 10 per cent. ; and as many families in the west
end were out of town in the half year (July to December)
no correction has been made for the deaths (females 17)
in St. George's Hospital. The total deaths in hospitals
amounted to 1,309 ; males, 991 ; females 398. The 991
males include 22 in Chelsea Hospital, 126 in Greenwich
Hospital, and 82 in the Dreadnought.

are employed for the removal of impurities, it is re-
marked :

The necessary deduction from the double series of
facts is, that the mortality has a tendency to in-
crease as the density of the population increases, hut
that the unhealthful tendency can be counteracted
by artificial agencies. In other terms, the mortality
of cities in England and Wales is high, but it may
be immeasurably reduced. A good, general system
of sewers ; the intersection of the dense, crowded unions
of the metropolis by a few spacious streets ; and a
park in the east end of London would probably dimi
nisi, the annual deaths by several thousands, prevent
many years of sickness, and add several years to the
lives of the entire population. Similar improvements
would have the same effects in other cities of the em-
pire. The poorer classes would be benefited by these
measures, and the poor-rates would be reduced ; but all
classes of the community are directly interested in their
adoption for the epidemics, whether influenza, typhus,
or cholera—small-pox, scarlatina, or measles, which arise
in the east end of the town, do not stay there ; they travel
to the west end, and there prove fatal in wide streets
and squares. The registers show this ; they trace dis-
eases from unhealthy to healthy quarters, and follow
them from the centres of cities to the surrounding vil-
lages and remote dwellings."
It has been justly observed that,
" If Governments can do little by direct enactments
for the diminution of sickness, it is nevertheless their
duty to determine, by statistical enumeration, the actual
state of public health, and the extent to which it is de-
teriorated in different circumstances. . . . This would
improve public health, by showing so distinctly the con-
nection between diseases and their natural causes, that
men would either avoid or obviate the evils destructive
of health by some invention."

Lord John Russell's Registration Act will effectually
answer this purpose by securing the publication of the
abstracts in Mr. Lister's Annual Report.-2forning
Paper.