The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-29 00:00:00

CRYSTAL PALACE,

Early yesterday the brass band contest ccm-
menced. Twenty-one bands competed, seven being
placed respectively at three stations in the gardens.
At platform No. 1 the judges were Messrs. Hurst
and Hanson ; at No. 2, Messrs. Smythe (Royal Ar-
tillery) and Charles Godtrey, sen. (Coldstream
Guards) ; and at No. 3, Messrs. Basquet (60th
Rifles) and T. Coward (organist, Crystal Palace),
When the various bands had each done their best,
tLere was a genetal assembly of all the musicians
in the Handel orchestra. The concert that (hen
ensued was conducted, as usual, by Mr. Enderby
Jackson, some of whose own compositions were
arnorgst the most attractive features of the pro-
gramme. On the conclusion of this concert a con-
test commenced between the twelve bands which
nad bee❑ selected as best among the twenty-one,
namely, the Brighter, Civil Sex vice, Albio❑
Blandtord, Kirkstall, Leyburn, Cothrtall,
bury, Darlington, Doncaster, and Kirkbriston.
After a prolonged competition, the prizes ware
awarded as foliows:—

First Prize, £3O, together with free gift of supPrb massive
cup, worked in aluminium gold—Blaudford Bind, Mr. It
Eyers.

Second prize, £2o—Dewsbury Old Band—Mr. John
Peel.

Third prize, £ls—Matiock Bath Band, Mr; James
Croome.

Fourth prize, £lO --Darlington Band, Mr, H. Hoggett.

_ .
In addition to the general prizes here named, a special
prize of Sal° in money, together with a free gift of splendid
cup, elabor.t,ly worked in aluminium gold, was awarded
to the Brighton, Ist Sussex Volunteer Artillery Band.
The following Speciai Solo Prizes were also
awarded :

Ist. A silver gilt and richly engraved cornet .a-piston,
price £2o—Mr. Robert de Lacy, Solo Cornet of the Leyburn
Band.

2d. An electroplated and gilt elegantly chased baritone
horn, price £2o—Thomas Hunt, t 010 Tenor of the Bland-
ford Band.

The Mysterious Discovery of a Skeleton at
MillwalL

Yesterday morning Mr. H. Ruffles Walthew,
deputy coroner for East Middlesex, held an inquiry
at the Queen's Head, High-street, Poplar, respsct:
ing the dsath of a person unknown, whose skelt ton
was discovered some feet beneath the surface of the
ground, on Thursday last, at Miliwall.
John Harris, 22, Dock-street, Poplar, said that
oa Thursday last he was exavatiug tor a dry dock
a': Mr. Dulchen's ship-yard, Folly-wall, Mill-wall.
About seven feet under the surface he found a
skeleton. For three feet down there was gravel,
end four feet under the surface of the clay the
skeleton was found. The gravel had been placed
on the spot within the last few years. He heard
people say that there had been a creek at that place,
and that the gravel had been put thereto fill it up.
Dr. W. Peliew Bains said that he had examined
the remains and found them to consist of the
skeleton of a tall female. The height was about
sft. 7in. The teeth were all present and were in
perfect preservation, and from their condition he in-
ferred the age to have been between 20 and 30
years. The size of the pelvis and the comparative
smallness of the head were conclusive us to the sex.
The Isle of Dogs is exactly seven feet below high
water mark, and the skeleto❑ being found about
seven feet beneath the surface, it was about the
level of low water mark. It was therefore quite
possible that the body might have been floated to
where it was found by the river. The blue clay
in which it was embedded had a preservative effecr,
and the body might have been there for fifty or
even possibly one hundred years. It must have
been there for more than two or three years, as the
bones had been permeated by the blue colour of the
clay. The bones bore no mark of injury, and
though some few were absent, the skeleton was a
very fine and complete one.
The Coroner asked whether the workmen had
searched for the remains of clothing, coins, &c..

The witness Harris said that they had dug down
some distance, but had discovered no trace of any-
thing but the bones. The place appeared not to
have been disturbed for some length of time.
Tne Coroner having summed up,
Tne Jury returned the following verdict :
"That the remains of the deceased female, unknown,
were found dead at the Folly-wall, Millwall, de-
posited seven feet beneath the surface of the earth;
but how, when, or by what means the said female
became so buried there the evidence was not
sufficient to show."
Tne proceedings then terminated.

HEALTH OF LONDON.

(From the .Registrar General's Report.)

With the progress of the summer months the mortality
continues to rise, in consequence of the increase of the diar-
riosi or cholera, fatal chiefly to infants, that is peculiar to
the season. The deaths in the three weeks ending the 18th
of July were successively 1,187, 1,287, and 1,364. In the
week that ended last Saturday a further increase occurred,
and 1,452 is the result.

The average Lumber of deaths derived from 10 corres-
poneing weeks (viz., the 30th in each of the years 1863-62),
is, after correction for increase of population, 1,253, from
which it appears that the actual number of deaths in last
week was 200 in excess of the estimated amount.

The deaths from diarrhea, which had been in the pre-
vious weeks 91 and 148, rose to 233 left week, of which 178
were iemong intents less than a twelvemonth old. Besides
the number reckoned under diarrhoea there were 20 from
cholera, two of which cases were returned as Asiatic. On
the 21st inst. a labourer, aged 33 years, died in the North-
street Infirmary, Popular, of cholera Asiatica (36 hours);
and on the 20th inst. in the Workhouse of St. George,
Southwark, a chaff-cutter, aged 74 years, of cholera Asiatica
(5 days), consecutive fever (3 days). It may be asked
whether the sanitary condition of Islington is not capable
of improvement in some parts of the district. There has
been much scarlatina in it; and last week the deaths from
diarrhea were 22.

There is reason to hope that the further spread of small
pox in the metropolis has been checked. The deaths by it,
returned last week, declined to 34, which is lower than any
previous weekly number since the end of March. A seventh
part of the mortality from this disease in the week occurred
to persons who are stated to have been vaccinated.

There were 110 deaths from scarlatina; 15 of which were
in Islington, and 9 in the sub-district of St. Peter, Walworth.
Last week the births of 994 boys and 898 girls, in all
1,892 children, were registered in London. In the ten cor-
responding weeks of the years 1853.62 the average number
(corrected) was 1,818.

At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height
of the barometer in the week was 29.699 in. The readings
fell to 29.32 in. on Wednesday, and rose to 29-97 in. on Fri-
day. The mean t, mperature of the air in the week was
67.3 deg., which is 4.5 deg. below the average of the same
week in 43 years (as determined by Mr. Glaisher). The
mean daily temperature was below the average throughout
the week, and had also been below it on the last three days
of the preceding week. The lowest night temperature 3c-
curred on Sunday, and did not exceed 381 deg. The highest
day temperature was 74 deg.,, and was obtained also on Sun-
day. The range of the thermometer on that day and also
in the week was therefore 35.3 deg. The difference between
the mean dew-point temperature and air temperature was
6.9 deg. The mean degree of humidity of the air was 78 (com-
plete saturation being represented by 100). The air was un-
usually dry on Sunday. The humidity was only 63, but on
Tuesday it rose almost to saturation. The wind was gene-
rally in the south-west. Rain fell to almost nine-tenths of
an inch, about half of which fell on Tuesday. The mean
of the highest temperatures of the water of the Thames was
65 2 deg. ; that of the lowest was 64 deg.