The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-09 00:00:00

QUARTERLY RETURN OF MARRIAGES,
BIRTHS, AND DEATHS.
(From the Registrar-General's Return.)
This return comprises the births and deaths registered
by 2,189 registrars in all the districts of England during
the winter quarter ending March 31, 1851; and the
marriages in more than 12,000 churches or chapels,
2,869 registered places of worship unconnected with
the Established Church, and 623 superintendent re-
gistrar's offices, in the quarter that ended December 31,
1850.
The return of marriages is not complete; but the de-
fects are inconsiderable, and have been supplied from
previous years.
The results of the returns from the whole country are
• satisfactory. The mortality is low; the births and the
marriages are much above the average.
MA BRUGES.
45,296 marriages were celebrated in the autumn quar-
ter, ending December 31. The marriages are always
more numerous in this quarter than in any other
quarter of the year. The close of harvest, the genial
season of Christmas, the termination of the ordinary
periods of service, and perhaps the old practice of an-
ticipating Lent, swell the marriage roll at the end of
the year. So there is nothing very remarkable in
the distribution of the marriages over the quarters
of the year, 1850, although the marriages in the last
quarter exceeded those in the first quarter by nearly
15,000. The marriages of the whole year exhibit an
extraordinary increase ; in 1840 the number was
122,665; in 1850 it amounted to 152 235. In the four
years, 1847-8-9-50, the marriages were 135,845,
138,230, 141,599, and 152,235. The first (1847 alLt
year of great depression and great sufferingi. the
(1850), as the marriages testify, was a y
prospe-
rity, which showed no symptoms of -declineearnin ie est
quarter.
The increase extended over 8 out of the 11 divisions
of England and Wales. The South Midland and the
Eastern divisions exhibit a marked decrease
Thedecrease was
in the pro-
portion of marriages to population.lseside tin the counties
gli
of Hertford, Buckinaßnedford, Essex and Norfolk.
ampton, Huntingdon,—
In some of the other divisions
the marriages
did not keep pace with thepopulation. In
Wilts, Lincoln, •
nd the North Riding of Yorkshire, the
declined. The marriages increased in Berk-
shire,numbers
Devonshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire, Lei-
cestershire, Devons
Derbyshire,
Nottinghamshire, the East and
West Ridings of Yorkshire, Durham, and South Wales.
The increase was the greatest in London, and in the North-
Western Divsion, comprising Cheshire and Lancashire.
The marriages increased at St. George's, Hanover-
square, St. Martin•in-the-Fields, and St. James, West-
minster; and at all the watering places, at Gravesend,
Ramsgate, Margate, Hastings, Brighton, Worthing, Bath
Clifton, and Cheltenham. There was a great increase
in the pottery districts of Woletanton and Stoke-upon-
Trent, in Walsall, Dudley, and 13. •
=lngham, in Coventry,
at Basford and Nottingham, in Shadlow and Derby,
in Stockport and Great Boughton (Chester), in West
Derby, Wigan,
Bolton, Ashton, Oldham, Rochdale,
Blackburn, and Preston. In Liverpool and Manchester
the marriages, though more numerous than in some pre-
vious quarters, exhibit no increase on the corresponding
quarter of 1850. Bradford, Leeds, and Sheffield exhibit
a remarkable increase.
The marriages decreased, were stationary, or increased
slowly in many agricultural districts; and this implies a
certain degree of depression in ihhose parts at the close
of the year 1850. In many of the manufacturing dis-
tricts the increase was remarkable. In the country gene-
rally, the great increase in the marriages indicates
that the great body of the people were in prosperous
circumstances. The classes who live on wages should
now husband their resources, and with their surplus
earnings provide against the periods of depression, which
according to past experience invariably follow years of
prosperity.

BIRTHS.
157,374 births were registered in the quarter ending
March 31, liisl. This is a greater number of births than
was ever registered in any previous quarter; and the in-
crease is distributed over all the divisions of the country,
although it was greatest in Cheshire, Lancashire, and
Yorkshire. In a few counties the births exhibit no in-
crease, in the majority the increase is considerable.
INCREASE OF POPULATION.

As 157,374 births and 105,456 deaths were registered
in the quarter ending March 31st, 1851. an excess is left
of 51,928 living. It is the natural increase of the popu-
lation in three months. And as all the deaths are regis-
tered while all the births are not registered, the difference
is less than the actual increase. The variations in the
increase of population from fluctuations in the births
and deaths since 1847 have been considersble ; the excess
of births over (deaths was 19,704 in the winter quarter
ending March, 1848, and 51,928 in the corresponding
quarter of 1851.
The emigration in the quarter ending March 31st,
1851, from the ports of the United Kingdom at which
there are Government emigration officers, was 56,072.
The emigrations from English ports amounted to
48,929 namely, 1,515 from Plymouth, 4,505 from
London, and 42,912 from Liverpool. 2,339 emigrants
sailed from Glasgow and Greenock: 4,804 from Irish,
ports. It is well known that many Irish emigrants sail
from Liverpool.
STATE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

105,446 deaths were registered in the quarter ending
March 31. This number is less by nearly 15,000 than
was registered in the corresponding quarters of 1847 and
1848; and more by 7,000 than was registered in the March
quarter of 1850. Taking the increase of population into
account, the mortality was slightly below the average. It
was at the rate of 2.365 per cent. per annum : whereas the
average rate of the quarter is 2.457 per cent. The highest
rate of mortality experienced in any winter quarter since
1839 was 2,830 in the cold winter quarter of 1847; the
lowest was 2.144 in the mild winter quarter of 1846.
A previous table shows that the average annual
rate of mortality in winter is 2f per cent., nearly
(2.457); the mortality being above this range in
town, and below it in country districts. The
mortality in the March quarter was somewhat
lower than the average in the 117 districts, including
the chief towns; and considerably below the average in
the 506 remaining country districts. The mortality of the
towns was a fiftieth part, and of the country districts a
twelfth part less than the average. The country dis-
tricts are therefore enjoying more than their usual im-
munity, while the mortality in the town districts is scarcely
reduced at all ; yet it was in the town districts that
cholera was most fatal, and according to a common
theory out off the weakly lives in 1849. The returns
show that little impression has yet been made on the
mortality of towns, which have practically been left un-
improved. The drains, sewers, slaughter-houses, and
churchyards are much tbe same as they were, and their
effects therefore are the same.
The mortality was higher in London than z the'nase
cor-
responding quarter of last year. Influenza w demic; and the mortality was raised during the weeks-
of March. 205 deaths were directly ascribed to this
disease, which in ordinary seasons is not fatal to
more than 50 ; and many of the 1,612 deaths ascribed
to bronchitis were the result of influenza. The epi-
demic has ceased, and has been slight compared with
that of 1847-8. Measles and hooping-cough have been
more, scarlatina less than usually fatal. Smallpox
was fatal in 275 cases, in the greater part of which
Vaccination was neglected. Diarrhoea was fatal to
223 persona, dysentery to 30, cholera to 7. It is
worthy of note that the winter diarrhoea shows no
disposition to decline. The deaths referred to cholera
in the five quarters ending March, 1847-51, were 3,9,
516, 8, and 7. Typhus has been more fatal than it was
in the March quarter of 1850. The deaths by poison
were 29, burns and scalds 100, hanging and suffoca-
tion 71, drowning 70, fractures and contusions 163,
"'Ganda 34.
midland ortality was low in the South-eastern, South-
raised tahtet
, Eastern, and South-western divisions. Typhus.
eOugh mortality at Maidstone; scarlatina and hooping-
the and sues
where the mortality was much above
ray and sues;The mortality was generally low in the Sur-
were 'cdistricts. Portsmouth and Southampton
Measles and unhealthy; at Southampton scarlatina prevailed.
Abingdon; akea7ing-co ugh raised the mortality in
mortality of windesaoand typhus in Wallingford. The
tiler, which has been recently drained,
quartersh below
q ending Marchav"age; the deaths in the five
103, and 86. 1847-51, were 132, 109, 114,
In the South Midland Counties, Brentford, Edmonton,
Ware, St. Alban s, Aylesbury, and Oxford were the chief
districts in which the mon was higher than usual.
%lay
SMall-pOX prevailed at St. An.
ans among the poor,
ill ventilated houses."
" who live in great numbers in
and
nr,zailtned in Wad-
Measles, hooping-cough, and typh
desdon, Aylesbury, in Winslow,
cough in Oxford. In Huntingdon low
the
and
and hooping-
intermittent fever prevailed. Seven deaths i
of King's Ripton were ascribed to typhus; three-fojtahris parish
Ourths of
the population suffered from it. The want of drainage,
and bad sanitary arrangements are supposed to have
produced the disease. In the sub-district of Wisbeach
St. Peter the births registered were 81, the deaths 107,
51 deaths took place in the union-workhouse; 16 from
measles, 18 from typhus, and 17 from other causes!
This great mortality in a public institution requires iu
v'ttigation.
, the eastern division the mortality. was higb at Sud-
utlry,
meaales
Colchester, Yarmouth, and King's Lynn, where
were re •
411 d scarlatina prevailed. At Stow, 67 births
glittered. The registrar observes that 20 still and
premature birth
berths are not r 8 occurred during the quarter. Still
Plymouth,
remarkable.
for district of • is almost the
the y its insalubrity,
mortality is higher tt.tith-western division in which the
Scarlatina, typhus, ann in d any previous winter quarter.
to prevail. At mori,heoping-cough have continued
oldest inhabitant of the' in Stoke Damerel, the
u is said to have died in
iser 103 d year. Such instwa of longevity should
never be admitted without scrnuees
rarely supported by valid evidence.
• es
inquiry; they are
Scarlatna rsised
me mortality in Taunton, Chard, and Wellitigton, So-
ersetshire.
The mortality has been high in many ~
West Midland Division. niatricts of the

---.—.— -
Scarlatina, measles, small-pox, typhus, 4 •
01)111g-cough
and bronchitis (influenza?), have been prevalent,
and
have often terminated fatally. The mortality Was low
in Herefordshire, and the southern part of Shropshire
Vaccination is neglected in Shrewsbury; and several
deaths from small-pea nave in consequence occurred.
Wolverhampton, West Bromwich, Birmingham, Aston,
end Coventry experienced a considerable mortality, The
deaths in Birmingham were 1,252.
In the North Midland Division the mortality was low
in .Lincoln, although scarlatina and typhus prevailed
there; it was higher than it was in the previous winter
in Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, and Chesterfield;
measles and pooping-cough prevailed in many parts of
those counties.

The people of Stockport (in Cheshire, North-Western
Division) have their children vaccinated with a most
laudable regularity; and the result has been gin alawsl