The Sun.
London, England, 1865-11-08 00:00:00

history of this very pneumatic despatch did certainly I
present itself at awkward moments. The incident
was as follows :—Various experiments having been
tried with the tube and its powers of suction, one of
the officials at last determined to see what would
happen in case the train stuck fast at any point on
its journey. A carriage was accordingly "scotched,"
or fastened in such a way that it could not move,
and then the power of the engine was exerted to the
utmost. The carriage in question was intended for
passengers, and furnished accordingly. By and bye
*one of the cushions, the others, and finally all the
movables which the carriage contained, were whirled
through the tube and delivered at the other
end, the force exerted being such that even the nails
keeping down the carpet were extracted. As the
only " movables" yesterday were human bodies, the
moral of the story was not a pleasant one to draw ;
and at sharp corners, which did present themselves
at intervals, one recalled the popular heresies about
'the gracefully winding curves of English roads"
contrasted with " the hideously straight and
dusty avenues of France." The air within the
tube was by no means foul or disagreeable; here
and there a strong flavour of rust was encountered,
but this wis explained by the fact that as the tube
had to be laid in lengths, through various soils, and
encountered in the process a large share of unfavour-
able weather, the corrosion on the surface of the
iron could not be expected wholly to disappear until
cleared away by the friction of constantly passing
and repassing trains. On the arrival of the ex-
cursionists at the upper, or Euston-square extremity
of the line, they quitted their places for a few
moments to inspect the smaller tube, which com-
municates with the Eversholt-street district post-
office, and then returned by the way that they had
come to Holborn.

Ne doubt remained on the mind of any person
wo made the double transit as to the facilities which
the system, if a sufficient number of stations can be
incorporated with it, is calculated to afford, not only
to the postal service, but to the requirements of the
general public. The scheme of the company, who,
it seems, possess under their Act powers to lay down
pneumatic tubes at any point within the jurisdiction
of the Metropolitan Board of Works, is to construct
similar lines to that yesterday opened between the
10 district post-offices and the General Post-office,
and between the different railway termini and goods
depots in London, connecting with these lines the
six principal London markets and other important
points. For these purposes it is calculated that some
35 miles of tubing and a capital of £1,250,000 would
be required, the cost per mile roughly estimated being
from £30,000 to £35,000. The expenditure of the
company hitherto has been probably £150,000, which
would be largely in excess of this supposed average;
but the sum mentioned includes the cost of prelimi-
nary experiments, and also of seeking for two Acts
of Parliament. The company expect great profits
will eventually accrue to them from the carriage of
goods, the prime cost of which, according to their
system, would not exceed Id. per ton per mile in
London, while every merchant knows that he has to
pay is., or perhaps is. 3d., for the same weight and
distance. On the other hand, however, it must be
borne in mind that the interest upon the heavy pre-
liminary outlay cannot be lost sight of by the com-
pany in regulating their tariff of charges ; and, fur-
ther, that the merchant can send his goods where he
pleases at present rates, whereas the company can
only deposit them at certain well-defined stations.
In the postal subsidy which the company enjoy, or
will hereafter enjoy, they have one great element of
strength. If they succeed in relieving the leading
thoroughfares to any appreciable extent from their
present glut of traffic, they will not only reap the
reward of their own spirited enterprise, but will en-
title themselves to the gratitude of the public.

HEALTH OF LONDON.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Report.)

In the week that ended Saturday, Nov. 4, the
births registered in London and 10 other large towns
of the United Kingdom were 3,910 ; the deaths regis-
tered, 3,014. The annual rate of mortality in the
week in those 11 towns was 28 per 1,000 persons.
In London the births of 1,067 boys and 988 girls,
in all 2,055 children, were registered in the week.
In the corresponding weeks of 10 years, 1855-64,
the average numbers, corrected forincrease of popu-
lation, was 1,950.

The deaths registered in London during week
were 1,413. It was the 44th week of the year; and
the average number of deaths for that week is, with
a correction for increase of population, 1,262.
The actual return exhibits an excess of 151 over the
estimated number. This is partly due to the fall of
temperature, which was low over the country.
The deaths from diarrhoea are less numerous now
than they were in September, and the number is
still less as compared with the numbers returned
weekly in August ; but the disease was as fatal last
week as it was in the second week of October. The
deaths from diarrhcea in the last four weeks were
54, 62, 48, and 61.
In the 44th week of ten years, 1855-64, the aver-
age number of deaths from diarrhcea was 26. When
the 61 deaths from that complaint last week are
compared with the average, it will not be questioned
that an epidemic tendency exists in the London po-
pulation at the present time.

Two deaths of children in the week are referred to
cholera. They are returned as follows :—On Oct.
30, at 5, Harland-square, Shoreditch, a girl, aged 4
onths, choleraic diarrhoea (one day) ; and on the
same day, at 81, Besborough-place, Millbank, a boy,
aged 5 years, cholera infantum (15 hours).
Scarlatina was fatal in 59 cases, and typhus in 77.
There were 177 deaths from phthisis.
The following five cases in which accidents by
horses or carriages were fatal were registered in the
week :—On London-bridge, a leather-dresser, aged
48 years, run over by an omnibus ; died on Oct. 30,
at Guy's Hospital. The daughter of a porter, aged
3 years, by the fall of a board which was knocked
down by a cart ; died on Sept. 27 at 2, Brown's-
court, Marylebone. The wife of a cabinetmaker,
aged 31 years, knocked down by a cart, and run
over by an omnibus ; died on Oct. 27 at University
College Hospital. A male pauper, aged 35 years,
run over; died on Nov. lin London Hospital. In
the Strand the widow of a labourer, aged 63 years,
knocked down and run over by a Hansom cab; died
on Oct. 28 in Charing-cross Hospital.
The annual rate of mortality last week was 24 per
1,000 in London, 31 in Edinburgh, 24 in Dublin,
40 in Liverpool, 36 in Manchester, 31 in Salford, 26
in Birmingham, 32 in Leeds, 22 in Bristol, 23 in
Hull, and 31 in Glasgow. The rate in Vienna was
26 in 1,000 during the week ending the 28th inst.,
when the temperature was 4.2 deg. Fahrenheitlower
than in the same week in London, when the rate
was 24 per 1,000.
In Liverpool the births in the week were 284, the
deaths 369 ; in Manchester the births 260, the deaths
246 ; in Salford the births 81, the deaths 65 ; in
Birmingham the births 223, the death 162; in Leeds
the births 217, the deaths 139 ; in Bristol the births
125, the deaths 68 ; in Hull the births 76, the deaths
46 ; in Edinburgh the births 118, the deaths 104 ;
in Glasgow, the births 326, the deaths 254 ; and in
Dublin the births 145, the deaths, 148. There were
278 deaths in Vienna during the week ending the
28th inst.

Southampton—Among the population of this
borough (estimated to the middle of the present year
at 53,001), 28 deaths were registered during the
week ending last Saturday ; no death was referred
to cholera, but five resulted from scarlatina. The
annual rate of mortality during the week was 28 per
1,000 persons living.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.564 in.
The barometrical pressure fell to 28.99 in. on Mon-
day, and rose to 30.05 in. on Saturday. The mean
temperature of the air in the week was 42.5 deg.,
which is 3.9 deg. below the average of the same week
in 50 years, (as determined by Mr. Glaisher). The
mean temperature was below the average on every
day except Monday ; and the air was cold at the end
of the week. The highest day temperature was 57.8,
on Sunday ; the lowest night temperature was 31.2
deg., on Thursday. The thermometer fell below the
freezing point of water, also on Saturday. The
range in the week was 26.6 deg. The mean daily
range was 14.1. On Sunday the range of tempera-
ture was as great as 24.1 deg. ; on the two follow-