The Sun.
London, England, 1863-10-07 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LONDON.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return.)
In the week that ended last Saturday 1,274 deaths were
registered in London. The average number of deaths in ten
corresponding weeks (1853 62), with the omission of deaths
from cholera in the 40th week of 1851, and with a correction
for increase of population, becomes 1,159. The present re-
turn shows an excess of 115 above the estimated number.

There were 22 fatal cases of smallpox in the week, showing
a further decrease on those of previous weoks. Scarlatina
still prevails much, and shows a tendency to increase; the
deaths from it rose to 154 last week. Five deaths from this
latter disease occurred in Kensington-town sub-district, 8
in Kentish-town, 9 in Islington, 9 in Limehouse, and 7 in
St. Peter, Walworth.

Thirteen deaths from syphilitic disease were registered;
10 of these among children. Phthisis was fatal in 160 cases.
Last week the births of 1,037 boys and 898 girls, in all
1,935 children, were registered in London. In the ten cor-
responding weeks of the years 1853-62 the average number
(corrected) was 1,736.

At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height
of the barometer in the week was 29.660 in. The reading de.
creased from 30.05 in on Sunday to 29.09 in on Thursday.
The mean temperature of the air in the week was 52 deg,
which is 1.8 deg below the average of the same week in 43
years (as determained by Mr. Glaisher). The highest day
temperature was 63'2 deg on Wednesday. The lowest night
temperature was 35 deg on the same day. The range of
temperature in the week, and also on that day, was there-
fore 28.2 deg. The difference between the mean dew-point
temperature and air temperature was 41 deg. The mean
degree of humidity of the air was 84, complete saturation
being represented by 100. On Saturday the humidity rose
to 96. The wind blew on six days from the south west. The
rain measured was 0.78 in.

In the 13 weeks that ended the 26th of September 17,105
deaths were registered in London. Of that number 9,821
or considerably more than half, occurred to persons under
20 years of age. The number of persons who died at 80
years of age and upwards was only 449. The diarrhoea that
prevails in summer, scarlatina, and small-pox have been
very fatal; and as regards the two former diseases the suf-
ferers in a great proportion of cases were children.

In the healthy summer (July, August, September) of 1860,
in which the mean temperature of the air was as low as 56.8
deg., the deaths were less than 13,000; and in the summer
of 1859, when the mean temperature was as high as 62.9
deg., the deaths were 16,000. They were 17,105, as has been
stated, in the same three months or the present year, the
mean temperature of which was 59.2 deg. The excess of
last quarter over the same period of 1859 is about 1,100,
and is due to a certain extent to increase of population.
Smallpox was fatal in the quarter in 512 cases, of which
160 occurred at 20 years of age and upwards. This malady
has been unusually prevalent. But the deaths from scarla-
tina were far more numerous ; they rose to 1,519 ; and those
from diarrhoea and summer cholera wore 1,938.
The following are sub-districts in which tho deaths from
smallpox were most numerous :—Kensington-town, where
there were 17—St. Margaret, Westminster, 11—Rectory,
Marylebone, ill—Tottenham-court, 13—St. Andrew East,
16—W hitecross-stt eet, 12—St. Leonard, Shoreditch, 11—
Hoxton New-town, 10—Haggerstone West, 10—Hagger-
stone East, 12—Mile-end Old-town East, 10. There were
comparatively few deaths from smallpox in the distlipopulationcts on
the
that
tthe i river,sio nis taken into Recount.
as will appear when the larger
Scarlatina was particularly fatal in the east districts,
where it numbered 459. Many deaths from this disPase
south
o f
occurred also in Kensington-town, St. John, Westminster,
Rectory Marylebone, Somers-town, Kentish-town, Isling-
ton, West London North, Walworth) Authorhithe, and
Deptford.

Diarrhoea appears to have spread with great severity
among the children of Islierc;ton, and of the sub-district of
Christchurch, MarylebiJne.

Full benerAt of reduced duty obtained by pur-
chasing Hr,rniman's pure Tea; very choice at 3s. 4d. and
4s. " IT.:igh Standard" at 4s. 4d. (formerly 4s. 3d.), is the
stronost and most delicious imported. Agents in every
tqvm supply it iu packets•

mirably adapted to serve as block or guard
ships for the protection of our large ports and
harbours, among which are the Devonshire, 72,
the Ganges, 84, the Ciiichester, 50, the Minotaur,
72, the Vanguard, 80, the Warapite, 50, and the
Southampton, 50.
The Lords of the Admiralty have abandoned the
intentinn of again despatching the iron paddle-
wheel steamer Recruit, 6, 150 horse power, to sea,
her performance on the occasion of her last trip
having proved that she is not adapted for a long
voyage, and have decided on converting her to a
tender for conveying the mechanics and other work-
men at Chatham to and from the dockyard to the
iron frigate Achilles, which, on being undocked,
will be removed to the entrance of the harbour, at
Gillingham-reach, where she will be completed for
sea. The officials at Chatham Dockyard are to re-
port to the Admiralty whether they consider the
Recruit to be adapted for the proposed service.
The recent firing at 51-inch armour plates on the
side of the Monarch target ship at Portsmouth was
attended with an unusual degree of interest, owing
to the fact of its being the first time the four lead-

ing firms in England had supplied plate of equal
thickness of metal for trial. They consisted of one
each from Messrs. John Brown and Co., of Shef-
field, the Mersey Iron and Steel Works, the Thames
Iron Works and Shipbuilding Company, and the
Millwall Company. All foar were good plates, but
with varying degrees of excellence. Messrs. John
Brown and Co.'s plate is the best of the four. Four
shots struck this plate in a vertical line, but they
opened no cracks in the same direction, nor other-
wise, except in the indents. Two of these shots
overlapped each other three inches, but the result
of the two blows only produced an indent of two
inches and a half in depth—an unprecedentedly
favourable result as showing the excellent resisting
power of the iron. Eight shots struck within

Iree feet of the left of the plate, and three o

them on the very edge, but only produced the
usual small cracks exhibited by this firm's plates
within the circumference of the indents. No
signs of concentric cracks are shown round the in-
dentations of these edge blows. The Mersey plate
received 13 shots in all, and stood very well for the
" first" rolled plate produced by this firm. The
metal has a soft appearance, and seemed of good
quality, but there was a tendency in it to crack ver-
tically—a fault which will, doubtless, be guarded
against in future productions. The Millwall plate
was not of so good a quality as the 58-inch plates
previously sent in for trial by the firm. The weld-
ing was very faulty. It received 11 shots. The
Thames Company's plate was Very severely injured
by the nine shots fired against it striking on the
weakest points. Five struck in an area of three
feet by 18 inches, and three of them joining in their
circumference of indents. The effect, however, was
only slight, though numerous cracks were made
from the severe pounding the iron had received.
The gun used was the ordinary 68-pounder, and
cast-iron shot with 161 b. of powder, at 260 yards'
range. On the day following the trial of the plates
a smooth-bore 100-pounder gun was shipped from
the Excellent on board the Foam gunboat, and the
latter vessel proceeded up the harbour, and took up
a 200-yards position from the target ship and the
plates she had fired at with her 68-pounder on the
previous day. A shot was fired at each plate with
a 251 b. charge of powder, and in all but one instance
the damage inflicted appeared to be commensurate
with the increased weight of the shot and size of
the charges, as compared with the 68-pounder. A
further careful inspection hardly confirms this
belief. In all but one instance the plates had been
damaged by previous firing from the 68-pounder,
and no fair inference could therefore be drawn
from the results. In the one instance referred to
the Milwall plate was struck fairly in an unin-
jured part by the round 100-pound shot,
and the result was—diameter of indent, 10
in. ; depth of indent, 3 in. There were cracks
across the centre of the indent. The average diame-
ter of the indent from the blows of a 68-pounder is
9 inches with a depth of 21; inches. The Monarch
is now having plates bolted on her sides for further
experimental firing, including a trial plate for the
Research from the Butterly Company, and one from
the Thames Company for the Minotaur.
The Columbine, 4, screw sloop, Commander Thos.
Le H. Ward, has been berthed alongside Ports-
mouth dockyard to refit and have her defects made
on special service to the
good prior to proceeding
Pacific.
The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Lieut. W. P. Barrow,
Lieut. R. M. Lloyd, Lieut. P. C. de Lousada, and
Lieut. W. W. Paynder to the Nile ; Lieut. R. Evans
to the Alert ; Lieut. F. B. Herbert to the Canopus ;
W. S. Goodridge and Anthony Gwyn, naval cadets,
to the Sutlej ; Thomas Fulton, assist.-snrg., to Ply-
mouth Hospital ; John T. Moore, assist.-surg., to
the Indus; John 51. Hunter, assist.-surg., to the
Formidable, for the Lizard ; and Robert Harwood,
master's assistant, to the Fox.