The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-06 00:00:00

INCREASE OF POPULATION.

The number of births registered during the last quar-
ter being 144,444, and the number of deaths 103,341,
there remains a balance of 41,103 as the natural increase
of the population during that period. Large numbers
of persons are still attracted to the Australian Colonies,
as well as to America and other places, although a small
decrease in the emigration is perceptible on the numbers
of the corresponding quarter of 1852. From the four
English ports which make returns, 50,457 persons emi-
grated during the last three months ; namely, from
London, 6,810 ; Plymouth, 2,861 ; Liverpool, 37,732 ;
and Southampton, 3,064. In addition, 1,795 persons
sailed from the ports of Glasgow and Greenock, and
2,431 from Irish ports, giving a total of 54,683 for the
United Kingdom, against 55,315 during the last quarter
of 1852. It must be borne in mind, in any estimate
of the increase of population, that the births and deaths
refer only to England and Wales, and that of the
emigrants leaving English ports a large though an un-
ascertained number are of Irish birth.

PRIORS OF PROVISIONS.
The chief articles of food have greatly risen in price
since the three months ending December, 1852 ; wheat,
which was then 40s. sd. per quarter, has risen to 695.
10d., being an increase of 73 per cent. ; and at this
higher price an• average weekly sale of 79,002 quarters
took place in the towns of ' England and Wales
which make returns, against 111,224 quarters weekly
when the price was 40s. sd. Beef and mutton rose
in price ; and potatoes, which were 105 s. per ton at
the waterside market, Southwark, in December, 1852,
rose to 150 s. in the December quarter, 1853, being an
augmentation in price equivalent to 43 per cent. The
continued activity of trade and the increased rate of
wages has enabled the labouring classes for the most
part to cope with the dearness of provisions ; but, in
conjunction with the severity of the weather and the ex-
orbitant price of fuel, it has been a season of trial ;
which has, however, been borne with exemplary patience
and fortitude by those who were most exposed to its
rigours.

STATE 'OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
There died last quarter in England and Wales 103,341
persons. The period was unhealthy, and a greater
number of lives was lost to the population than in any
other autumnal quarter of the last 13 years, with only
two exceptions : the fourth quarter of 1846, when the
deaths rose to 108,937 ; and that of 1847, when they
were 103,479. The annual mortality has been at the
rate of 2.252 per cent. in the 10 years 1843-52 ; it was
2.186 in the last quarters of those years ; and last
quarter it was 2.272. Cold weather towards the close
of the year thinned the ranks both of old and young, and
the latter class have also suffered much from fever,
especially scarlatina, in many parts of the country.
London makes a large contribution to this excess of
mortality; for in the metropolitan division the deaths in
October, November, and December rose to 16,390,
which is more by 2,709 than took place in the same
quarter of the previous year. In the last fourteen weeks
of 1853, 17,390 persons died. in London, and more than
the usual proportion of these were carried off by zymotic
diseases (those of epidemic character), principally cholera,
typhus, scarlatina, hooping-cough, and diarrhcea. Cho-
lera and typhus killed almost equal numbers, viz., 728
and 724; scarlatina and hooping-cough were rival powers
of destruction, for 688 and 667 are claimed as their re-
spective shares ; 565 deaths were caused by diarrhcea,
besides 41 by dysentery. It is to be observed that
these diseases, severally, not only produced more
than the average number of deaths in this quarter,
but showed a disposition to increase as the year drew to
a close. In the summer months cholera was fatal in 137
cases, it rose to 728 in autumn ; typhus (including con-
tinued fever, &c.) rose in the same periods from 585 to
724 ; scarlatina from 397 to 668 ; and hooping-cough
from 426 to 667. Diarrhoea forms an exception, having
declined from 1,232 in the summer to 565 in the autum-
nal quarter. Croup nearly doubled its comparatively
small rate of mortality, and measles also became more
fatal towards the end of 1853.

Whilst the young suffered from their peculiar
diseases, the old had their own maladies to contend
with. The number of deaths at all ages from diseases
of the respiratory organs (exclusive of phthisis and
hooping cough) were, in the 14 weeks 3,291. There
died between 600 and 700 more than is usual
in the same season. Bronchitis was fatal in 1,460
cases, pneumonia in 1,389, phthisis in 1,914; 15 per-
sons in London suffered death from cold, and the priva-
tion from some cause, of necessaries of life ; were the
victims of their own intemperate habits. It is probable
that want in some cases and vicious indulgence in spirits
in many others produced disease or carried it to a fatal
issue, where the register does not reveal their operation.
In the last quarter large town populations were un-
healthy, but, judging from the mortality, smaller towns
and the inhabitants of the open country appear to have
enjoyed as much health as usual. In 117 districts, com-
prising the chief towns, the rate of mortality per annum
was 2,778 to 100 inhabitants, the annual mortality in 10
autumn quarters (1843-52) was 2'634. In 507 districts,
consisting chiefly of small towns and country parishes,
the mortality was 1.911 ; the average was 1.965.
Country registrars refer in their reports to measles
and other complaints prevailing among children ; in
some instances these appeared in a mild form, andi n
others not mentioned they were probably much less de-
structive than in towns,