The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-02 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return.)
The deaths in London in the week that ended
last Saturday were 1,066. They exhibit a decrease
on the returns of the previous three weeks of June,
when they extended 1,190. In the first week of the
month the mean temperature of the air was 58.6
deg., nearly two degrees above the average ; in the
second it was 55.3 deg., nearly three degrees below
the average ; in the third it was 54.9 deg., nearly
five degrees below the average; and last week it
was 56.2 deg., and was below the average by 44
deg. The greater part of the month was cold.
The average number of deaths in the correspond-
ing weeks of ten previous years (corrected) is 1,227.
The mortality of last week was less- by 161 deaths
than it would have been if the average rate of
mortality had prevailed.
Both scarlatina and typhus are now less fatal
than they were in the earlier part of the year. Last
week measles predominated among diseases of the
epidemic class, and carried off 59 children. Four
deaths from measles were returned in Spitalfields,
4in Limehouse. Of 49 cases, in which scarlatina
was fatal, 6 occurred in the Kensington Town sub-
district, 6 in Somers-town. Forty-seven deaths
occurred from typhus, 8 of which were returned by
the London Fever Hospital. In the workhouse
Mile-end Old-town two persons, husband and wife,
died of typhus, the former on the 21st ult., the latter
on the2oth ult. A boy, aged two years, died of
warty disease of the larynx. A man, aged 39 years,
died of debility, which is stated to have been caused
by living exclusively on vegetable food. Four per-
sons, 3 of whom were infants, died by murder or
manslanghter.
Last week the births of 897 boys and 910 girls,

in all 1807 children, were registered in London. In
the ten corresponding week of the years 1852- 61
the average number (corrected) was 1879.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.762 in.
The reading rose from 29.57 in. on Sunday to 30.02
in. on Wednesday, and fell to 29.59 in. on Friday.
The mean temperature of the air in the week was
56.2 deg., which is 4.4 deg. below the average of the
same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr.
Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was below
the average on every day, and on Saturday th e
amount of depression was 8.5 deg. The highest
day temperature was 72.5 deg. on Thursday. The
lowest night temperature was 43.8 deg., and oc.
curred on Saturday. The range of the thermometer
in the week was therefore 28.7 deg. The mean
daily range was 17.7 deg. The difference between
the mean dew-point temperature and air tempera-
ture was 7.7 deg. The mean degree of humidity of
the air was 77, complete saturation being repre-
sented by 100. The wind blew generally from the
north-west. The highest reading of a thermometer
in the sun was 115 deg. on Monday and Thursday.
Rain fell on four days, but the total quantity mea-
sured was only 0.09 in. The mean of the highest
temperatures of the water of the Thames was 60.3
deg. ; that of the lowest was 58.1 deg. The highest
readings and the lowest reported continued without
variation after Monday, and were respectively 60.6
and 58.4 deg.

LA TV INTELLIGENCE.-July 1.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS.
(Sitting at Nisi Prins, before the Lord Chief Justice
Erie and a Special Juory.)
DAVEY T. PEMBERTON.—SINGULAR CASE OF DIS-
PUTED HANDWRITING.
This case was partly heard on Monday. It was
an action by a medical man to recover damages for
a libel contained in certain anonymous letters sent
to his wife and some of his friends and patients,
imputing to him misoonduct in reference to a lady
whom he was attending.
Mr. Lush, Q.C., Mr. Karslake, Q.C., and Mr.
Honeyman appeared for the plaintiff; and Mr.
Bovill, Q.C., and Mr. Garth for the defendant.
The plaintiff's counsel commenced by laying before
the jury evidence in reference to the handwriting.
Air. Merritt, cashier to the London and County
Bank at Romford, said he had known the hand-
writing of the defendant for many years, both as a
customer of the bank and as a director of a build-
ing society with which witness was connected He
believed the addresses on the envelopes were in the
defendant's handwriting.
Mr. Lush—Now, look at the libels ; whose hand-
writing do you believe them to be in ?
Witness—l do not know the handwriting. Ido
not recognise it. I do not come here as a witness
willingly.
Mr. G. Addison, who had been for six years
clerk in the bank at Romford, was well acquainted
with his (defendant's) signature, more so than with
his handwritinenerally. As far as h
i could judge,
the addresses ongg the envelopes were n the defen-
dant's handwriting.
Mr. Karslake—Can you form any opinion as to
whose handwriting the libels themselves are in ?
Witness—l cannot.
Mr. Cornelius Green expressed his opinion that
the addresses on the envelopes were written by the
defendant.
Mr. John Davis gave a contrary opinion.
Mr. Boyes, the defendant solicitor (who was
called for another purpose), said that the writing on
the envelopes was not at all of the same character
as the defendant's writing.
Mr. Netherclift and Mr. Adlard, the experts in
handwriting, gave evidence to the effect that they
believed that the addresses upon the enveloped were
in the defendant's writing.
Mr. Davey, the plaintiff, proved the receipt of the
ter b his wife, and said that there,
anonymous let
was not one word of truth in it.
laintiff's case.
This was the p
Mr. Bovill, in addressing the jury for the defen-
dant, said that there was no ground whatever for
the imputation which had been made u on th
fendant ; and he added that the defendant hdaed-
already on two occasions most positively sworn that
he was neither the author nor publisher of the libel,
evidence which he would repeat before the jury in
the witness-box. The learned counsel complained
also that after this denial proceedings
to the defendant
should be
carried on which not only imputed
that he had published
a most infamous libel, but
that he had actually committed perjury to
screen himself from th
the statement by the
econsequences. As to
defendant that he had
believed that the addresses on the envelopes
were in the
inhandwriting of his eldest son, that
was madeconsequence of the defendant
being told that there was a great similarity
between them
e t
known hadand an address which it was
been
written by the son, and
the son upon
his examination. said that thereeie
d allwas
e
great similarity twriting, but he de
knowledge of who hadls l
written it. It had been said
that the son had abandonedw living
which had
the
been procured for him, an. d had left hurriedly for
Australia, when the truth was that his departure
had beennee for months, because heir
goingt,hads i
na
arranged ed
disincli the Church, and a liking
gone.
abroad; and; in addition, he had someleregiafet
Australia to whom he had'
Mr. Waller., an auetioneer and land agent, and
Mr. Lambert, an architect, both of whom had had
•---qs transactions with
the defendant, and Mr.
to the defendant, said in their belief
'seen addressed by him.
I.”.dship, said that he