The Sun.
London, England, 1847-04-10 00:00:00

the health and comfort of the public. The sum
at which the most adequate supply could le
provided was one of the most trifling amount in
comparison with the blessing it conferred ; and in the
event of fire, the importance of having water in every
way and in every place available, was a matter of the
highest moment, and one which demanded the prompt
attention of every member of society. The lecturer,
in conclusion, quoted the opinions of several writers
of eminence as to the vast importance of the matters
to which he had referred, in connexion with the
comforts, the health, and the well-being of society,
and trusted the facts which the narrow limits of a
lecture had permitted him to bring under their at-
tention, would not be without their effect in Aiding
the great cause of sanatory reform, which was now
happily in progress.—(Loud cheers.)
The CHAIRMAN said, that after the able discourse
which had been delivered by Dr. Gavin, it might ap-
pear unnecessary that anything more should be added ;
but as the matter was of much importance, he should
be glad to hear any gentleman who had any infor-
mation to communicate, or who had any opinion to
offer for their consideration.—(Hear.)
Mr. GEORGE said that the object of their meeting
that evening was one of those on which the public
seemed to require a good deal of information, and
which was a vast deal too much neglected by them.
Any frivolous subject would find ready attention, and
yet what question so much concerned the well-being,
the health, and the happiness of them all, as the one
they had that evening under discussion ?---(Hear.)
He had listened with much interest to the excellent
lecture which had been delivered to them ; but there
was one subject which had not been adverted to, and
to which he conceived the attention of the public '
should be incessantly directed--he meant the exist.
ence of burying-places in the very heart of this
immense metropolis.—(Hear, hear.) Having been
himself the witness of scenes in those places of
so demoralising and so destructive a character,
he could not help, at the present moment, al-
luding to this horrible grievance, closely connected
as it was with the question of the public health.
He complained that Lord Morpeth had not in-
cluied this frightful evil in the nuisances which he
proposed to remedy in the Bill he had recently intro-
duced, and he feared that the Noble Lord had allowed
himself to be deterred from effecting so great a good
by the influences which they all knew could be
brought to bear in such a case. With the people he
was referring to, vested interests were of much more
importance than the improvement of the public
health.—(hear, h(ar.) Mr. George then referred to
the state of the grave-yard in the parish of St. Anne
(Soho, as we understood), and although he believed
that things were much worse in this respect in some
other parishes, yet he could not help saying that it
was frightful to contemplate the spectacle that was
almost daily presented to the eye.—(Hear, hear.)
He found upon inquiry that every spot of ground in
that grave-yard was turned over once in every three
years, and before it was possible the bodies that had
been interred could be in a state of decomposition.—
(Hear.) Within less than two months he had ascer-
tained that twenty-eight bodies had been interred,
and the coffins were sunk only a few inches under
ground. Before it was possible decomposition could
take place the bodies were removed and a pyramid
formed of them as a means of making room for fresh
interments.—(Hear, hear.) He declared it was hor-
rible to think of such things being permitted to
occur in this city, and he urged upon every man to
exert himself to the utmost to put an end to this
state of things so injurious to public health, and to
public morality, and so contrary to that respect which
should be paid to the dead.
The CHAIRMAN briefly expressed his acquiesence in
the sentiments which had been expressed by the last
speaker.

- A vote of thanks was then passed to Dr. Gavin,
for the able lecture he had that evening delivered ;
for which honour the Doctor briefly returned thanks,
And a similar vote was also passed to the Com-
mittee of the IVestern Institution, for giving the
gratuitous use of the lecture-room.
Thanks were next voted to the Chairman fur his
excellent conduct in the chair, and the meeting
broke up.

MORTALITY IN EDINBURGH
AND LEITH.
_

Dr. Stark's report, which we have just received,
contains the return of the mortality in this city and
Leith for 1846, and also for the first two months of
the current year. Last year the number of deaths
in Edinburgh amounted to 4,887, of which 2,252
were males, 2,342 females, and 293 still-horn, being
an increase of 865, or 22 per cent. over 1845. During
the same period the returns from Leith represent 412
males, 389 females, and 64 still-born. Total 865.
This is an increase of 319, or .58 per cent. above
184.5. The reason of the great increase of mortality
during the past year is ascribed, by the report, prin-
cipally to atmospheric influences, and which is evident
from the fact that all the towns where returns are
kept show a similar increase.
The mean monthly alternations of temperature
were seven degrees more during 1846 than 1845, the
sultry days of June and frosts of December (neither
of which extremes were known in 1845), making
this palpable increase. The great evaporation caused
by the heat occasioned more rain, while the humi-
dity of the atmosphere mcreased the virulence of the
fulsome vapour emanating from sewers, stagnant
waters, &c.;
and these, by weakening the human
ayateed to increase disease, and consequently
.terms „
temortality. Thesecauses did not result in any epi-
demic disease which might account for the great
complaints, which in-
creased mortality, but acted nearly in a ratio in all dis-
tempers,fatality, especially about the middle of
Aus tin excepting intestinal
That the favourable sanatory state of
gu
Edinburgh had a marked influence on its compa-
rative healthinessis shown from the per centage
inmotrhtiaalietyity,
In Leith being so much
which is high situated,
greaterof increase
clean and well drained, while Leith is notoriously
otherwise. Thus, while Edinburgh showed only an
increase of 22 per cent., Glasgow was 40, and Leith
58 per cent. more than in 1845. The average life of
t han in
males last year was 28 years ; females, 32 2-3
showing a mean age of 301 years. The average life
of married persons proved to he 651 years, but of
unmarried persons above 22 years, the average was
43 years—showing a difference in favour of married
persons of 141 years. Married male persons, on the
average, at 57
1-3; females, 57 2-3. Unmarried
males above 22 died at the mean age of 38 2-3, thus
losing by remaining unmarried on an average 18 2-3
years. Unmarried females above 22 died at the
mean age of 47/, thus, by remaining unmarried,
losing about ten years of life. Thus, as the report
adds, " married life, therefore, so far from tending
to shorten life by the superadded dangers of child-
birth, &c., tends undoubtedly to prolong it."
Of the different classes of society, gentry and pro-
fessional persons died on an average at 431 years ;
merchants, master tradesmen, and clerks, at 361 ;
artisans, servants, labourers, and paupers, at 271 years.
The report then remarks, that by proper precau-
tions the excess of mortality in the lower classes might
be diminished at least to that of the merchant class.
It also states, that the reason the public are burdened
with the maintenance of so many destitute children,
is because of the premature death of their parents.
Statistical accounts of the comparative mortality of
other towns are then cited to show that Edinburgh is
one of the healthiest, if not the very healthiest town
in Great Britain, and that the proportion of deaths of
children is less in this city than in London, Liver-
pool, Glasgow, &c., while the proportion of deaths
above 60 exhibit a corresponding increase over these
towns. These facts are of course the clearest demon-
strations of a healthy locality, and although a marked
increase has taken place in the mortality of the past
year, the per centage has been much less here than
elsewhere.

The following abstracts from the report shows re.
spectively the mortality of the first two months
of 1847 :--

" During January the mortality of Edinburgh,
excluding 31 still births, amounted to 506 ; that of
January 1845, being 329 ; of January, 1846, being
382. The mortality of Leith during January, 1847,
excluding five still births, amounted to 96 ; that of
January, 1845, being 64 ; that of January, 1846,
being 62.

" touring February, the mortality of Edinburgh,
excluding 38 still births, amounted to 426 ; that of
February, 1845, being 327 ; that of February, 1846,
February, being 327. The mortality of Leith during February,
excluding nine still births, amounted to 92 ; that of
being 46."
1845, being 34 ; that of February, 1846,

1 The report attributes the increase over the same
months of preceding years chiefly to the unusual pre-
valence of easterly winds, aged people being the
greatestbut during January
For example, the average monthly
h
deaths of persons above 60 was during last year 78,
by the
following
18 47,
statementl3o Feb:rf ry, , 120. It
concludes
"It is apparent that the increased mortality of the
month of January and February of this year is not
owing to the prevalence of epidemic diseases, nor can
it be traced to any connexion with dearth of provi-
sions or general distress. The whole excess of deaths
is, on the other hand, satisfactorily accounted for by
the increased number of deaths from diseases of the
respiratory organs, and from old age—two classes
whose mortality is greatly regulated by the severity
of the weather. —Paleclunian Mercury.

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