The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-09 00:00:00

OPERATION OF THE 211ERCAN TILE
MARINE ACT.

By the 82d clause of 13th and 14th Viet., cap. 93,
it is provided, that with regard to any ship out of her
Majesty's dominions, if any complaint be made by
the masters or mates, or by one-third o f the crew, or
by the consignee, to any naval officer in command, or
any consul, such persons are required, if they con-
sider that the charge demands investigation, to sum-
mon a naval court ; and the Act specifies how such
court is to be constituted, and gives it certain powers,
f;he report of the investigation to be sent to the Board
of Trade. By a report from the British consulate at
Stettin, dated September 19, to investigate a charge
made against William Robson, mate of the Emily, of
Sunderland, who was charged by the master with
having endeavoured to cause the crew to disobey law-
ful commands, the Court, after due inquiry, pro-
nounced the mate guilty, and forwarded his certificate
of service to the Board of Trade ; and their Lord-
ships have been pleased to direct that the same be
suspended for twelve months frcm the present date.
By the 28th clause of the said Act, cap. 93, the
Board of Trade may direct the local marine board of
any port, with the assistance of the magistrate, to
hold a court of inquiry into any complaints of in.
competency from habitual drunkenness or tyrannical
habits ; and if any master or mate is found by such
naval court incompetent to fulfil his duties from
either of these causes the Board of Trade can suspend
the certificate of service or competency of such
offender. In pursuance of the powers thus vested by
the Act a naval court was summoned to inquire into
the conduct of William Forster, master of the
William, of Sunderland, for assaults inflicted on the
mate, Thomas Dawson, on the high seas, and also
with charges of drunkenness and tyrannical beha-
viour. A similar complaint had been previously in-
vestigated by the police magistrates of Sunderland,
when William Forster was fined 40s. for the as-
sault. The naval court of inquiry having investigated
the case, reported the result of their decision in con-
demnation of the defendant to the Board of Trade, and
their Lordships have been pleased to direct that Fors-
ter's certificate be returned to them, and that the same
be suspended for one year ; and further, that the de-
fendant produce testimonials of good conduct during
the interval at the end of the year.

HEALTHOF LONDON DURING THE WEEK.
(From the Registrar-General's Report.)
In the week ending last Saturday 1,014 deaths
were registered in the metropolitan districts. In the
10 corresponding weeks of the year 1841-50 the
average number was 980; but if the population in
which this mortality occurred had :been equal to the
present number of inhabitants the average would pro-
bably have been 1,078.
In the previous week, ending September 27, the
deaths were only 958, compared with which the last
week has apparently produced an increase. It must
be observed, however, that the present return has been
unduly augmented by coroners' cases, many of which
properly belong to antecedent periods, but have been
accumulating till the end of the quarter, when their
registration was ultimately completed.
By far the larger proportion of deaths on which the
coroners hold inquests are produced by violent means,
and fall under the general denomination " violence"
in the table of fatal causes. In last week 70 cases of
this description are enumerated; and of these 3 were
the result of poison, 6 of burns and scalds, 10 of
hanging and suffocation, 22 of drowning and immer-
sion, 24 of fractures and contusions, 5 of wounds and
other injury. Five children were suffocated—one by
food and three by overlaying, or otherwise, in bed. A
brickmaker died of tetanus, produced by burns which
he received when lying on a brickkiln.
The following analysis is presented of the 1,014
deaths returned last week. The cause of death was—
Certified by written statement of qua- Cases.
lified practitioners in ... 858

Returned by coroner's jury in .. 124
Not certified, because the deceased
person had no medical attendance, in 11
Not certified, and only reported by
informant of the death . . ... 21

Total ...

. . 1,014

From the above it appears that the cases in which
the disease was described by the medical attendant,
together with those returned by the coroner, form a
proportion of nearly" 7 per cent. of the total number.
Of the 1,014 persons in this return, 260, or about
a fourth of the whole were the victims of epidemic
diseases ; 61 died of typhus, 70 of diarrhoea, dysen-
tery, and cholera, 21 of hooping-cough, 48 of scar-
latina, 17 of measles, and 18 of smallpox. The wife
of a gardener, who lived in New-street, Deptford,
died on the 28th of September of smallpox, at the
age of 30 years. She had been vaccinated, but two
children, who are now lying very ill with the same
complaint, have not been protected by vaccination.
Mr. Paine, the Registrar, adds, "that the house con-
sists of four rooms, and hrs a family in each, in all
about 16 persons, and that a fatal case of smallpox
without vaccination is now regiAered, which occurred
in the house adjoining."
The following deaths occurred in the Smallpox
Hospital at Holloway on the 20th, 28th of September,
and Ist of October respectively :
A sailor, a black from Chili, aged 25 years,
"smallpox, confluent, unprotected (11 days)."
A labourer, from Whitechapel, aged 24 years,
"small-pox, confluent, unprotected (20 days).'
A man from the Richmond Union Workhouse,
aged 74 years, "smallpox, confluent, unprotected (7
days)."
Four deaths from cholera were registered in the
week ; of these the following are the particulars :
In Belgrave sub-district, at 12i, Commercial-road,
September 29, the wife of a carpenter, aged 34
years, died of "epidemic cholera."
In Islington, west sub-district, at 5, Half-moon-
crescent, September 28, the son of a porter, aged 5
months, "cholera infantum (8 days)."
In Ratcliff sub-district, at 15, Alfred-terrace,
Bath-street, September 29, the daughter of a clerk
in the London Docks, aged 4 months, "cholera in-
fantum (18 hours), convulsions (2 hours)."
In Wandsworth, at the Surrey County Lunatic
Asylum, a woman 57 years, "bilious cholera (28
hours)."
Next in amount to the epidemic class is the tuber-
cular, which numbers 167 cases—of which 6 are as-
cribed to scrofula, 21 to tabes mesentericn, 21 to hy-
drocephalus, and 119 to phthisis or consumption.
Diseases of the brain and nervous system follow in
the order of fatality in the present table, and comprise
115 cases—of which 33 are due to apoplexy and 40
to convulsions. Bronchitis, pneumonia, and other
affections of the respiratory organs number only 98
at this season.

Note by Mr. Faulkner, registrar of St. Giles-in-
the-Fields, south sub-district :
"The last fortnight has been very fatal to young
children in my district. I have registered in this pe-
riod the deaths of 18 children under 8 years of age,
and 10 of whose ages vary from 5 to 14 days. These
10 are classed as follows :-3 were prematurely born,
1 died of debility, and 6 of convulsion!. Three had
no medical attendance.

STATE OF THE IVEATHER DURING THE PAST WEEK.

SUNDAY.—CIouds were prevalent during the morning and
afternoon, but variable in amount; at !light the sky was clear.
Electricity—Nothing was shown at any examination.
MONDAY.—The sky was overcast till noon, one-half covered
till 411. 1..3r., and the amount of cloud was variable after-
wards; cumulostratus, cirrostratus, and loose scud. A fine
aurora was visible at night, and the magnets were greatly
disturbed. Electricity—Nothing wes shown at any exami-
nation.

TUESDAY.—The sky was for the most part covered with
cloud throughout the day; cirrostratus. Rain fell frequently.
Electricity—Nothing was shown throughout the day.
WEDNESDAT.--The sky was one-half covered with cloud
till near noon, and overcast during the remainder of the
day; cirrostratus. Rain fell frequently during the afternoon.
Electricity—Nothing was shown throughout the day.
THURSDAY.—The amount of cloud was very variable
throughout the day ; cumuli and cirrostrati. Showers of
rain fell during the morning and afternoon. An aurora was
visible at night, and the magnets were disturbed. Electricity
—Positive, and tension strong during the afternoon.
FRIDAY.—The sky was generally one-half covered with
cloud during the morning and afternoon; at night the sky
generally clear ; cumuli, cumulostrati, and cirrostrati.
Electricity—Positive, and tension strong during the afternoon.
SATURDAY.—The sky was covered with cloud till near
noon, during the afternoon the amount of cloud was variable.
at night the sky was clear; cumuli, cumulostrati. Rain fell
during the morning. Electricity—Positive, and tension
strong during the afternoon.

The mean reading of a thermometer placed on the main-
mast, and read each day at 9h. A.m. was 55.4 Q ; and the mean
reading at 9h. P.m. was 52'0° ; the mean readings at the
Royal Observatory for the same times were 56.4 q and 51.3 Q
respectively.
The reading of the barometer increased from 29 67 in. at
the beginning of the week to 29.83 in. by 10h. A.m. on 28th
September; increased to 29 91 in. by sh. r.m. on let October;
decreased to 29.46 in. by 9h. P.M. on the 3d; decreased to
29'35 in. by 9h. A.M. on the 4th; and increased to 29.40 in.
by the end of the week.

Morißic MARKET.—The quotation.
to the new tariff ),
is about 1 per mille discount (according _
.. _
_s.
17 100. per
which, at the English Mint price of 31
of 25.14 i ; and
Dunce for standard gold, gives an exchange .
25.2'4-, it
the exchange at ,Pe :s on London at short being.
dearer in London
of gold at Paris
follows that gold i's ;Mout 0.32 per cent.
• itt 1 i a4ti2i4 "Peel s.l
al
tlicy i:lvvhi ci
cash from,
a t tlhlea mEbnugrlgi
English
lime
31. 17s. 1003, iler ounce for standard gold, gives an ex-
change of 13.7}; and the exchange at Hamburgh on Lon-
don at short being 13.8, it follows that gold is 0.35 per
cent. dearer in London than in ilamburgh. The course of
exchange at Newyork on London for bills at CO days' sight
is 1101 per cent., and the par of exchange between England
ipnrti c ep
roifc egolodf
and America being 109'23-40 per cent., it follows that the
exchange is nominally 0.67 per cent, in favour of England ;
and, after making allowance for difference of interest and
charges of transport, the present rate leaves a small
profit on the importation of gold from the United States.
One night last week a large flock of quails alighted
thaTthleatfeewhopuer,rscaonusghwthoa
ghraepat-
in the streets of Geneva, apparently in a state of stupor front
number
to bo
and even in the morning several still re-
these birds are frequently seen en the coast
mained. Flocks of
but very seldom in other countries.
of the Dattliterrannn,
fatigue and
oat obfaddowoersathater,
number of them,