The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-09 00:00:00

THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

(From the Quarterly Return of Me Reyistrar..General.)
This return comprises the births and deaths re-
gistered by 2,197 registrars in all the districts of
England during the spring quarter that ended on
the 30th of June, 1860 ; and the marriages in
12,418 churches or chapels, about 4,263 registered
places of worship unconnected with the Established
Church, and 631 superintendent registrars' offices
in the quarter that ended on the 31st of March,
1860.

The leading facts in the return may be stated
thus :—The marriages in the first quarter of this
year were not quite so numerous as they were in
the same quarter of 1859, but exceeded those of any
corresponding period in the 11 years, 1848-58 ; the
marriage rate, namely the proportion of persons
married to the then existing population, was also
slightly above the average for the quarter; the
births in the second quarter (that ended June 30)
were fewer than in the same quarter of last year,
and were also fewer than they would have been if
the average spring birth rate had been maintained ;
the deaths exhibit in no faint characters the effects
of an ungenial season, and the rate of mortality
was higher, with only two exceptions, than in any
corresponding quarter of the previous 10 years.
The general aspect of the return is not satisfactory.
MARRIAGES.
In the first three months of 1860 the total num-
ber of men and women who married was 70,396,
being a great decrease en the 101,000 married in
the preceding Christmas quarter. The difference,
it may be reassuring to know, is not the result of
sudden depression in trade or other calamity, but of
laws of habit and convenience, by virtue of which
the closing months of the year are most, and the
opening months least, preferred for the accomplish-
ment of nuptial vows. The annual marriage rate
for January, February, and March was 1•420 per
cent., while the average rate for the same period is
1-416.
The marriage rate for the quarter was as high as
1.556 in 1853, and as low as 1.248 in 1858.
BIRTHS.
The number of boys and girls born in the quar-
ter that ended the 30th June was 173,914, the
number in the previous quarter that ended the 31st
March having been 183,206. On an average of
years as many children are born in the spring quar-
ter as the winter, but in the present year there
was, as these figures show, a decrease that is not
unimportant.
The births in the quarter were to the population
in the annual proportion of 3 495 per -cent , while
the average rate is 3.558. It may be added that the
birth-rate was lower than in any spring quarter of
the previous 10 years, except those of 1853 and
1858, and in both those periods the mortality was
above the average, as was also the mortality of the
antecedent winter. quarters.
INCREASE OF POPULATION.
In the 91 days of the quarter the births ex-
ceeded the deaths by 63,036. This excess repre-
sents the natural increase of the population in that
period ; the increase, aided by ingress from Scot-
land, Ireland, and more distant4parts, is more con-
siderable; and at the present time it is probably
very near the truth to state that England and
Wales contain a population of 20,000,000.
The emigration of the last quarter consisted of
48,626 persons, who sailed from ports in the United
Kingdom at which there are Government emigra-
tion officers. By distributing 8,260, who are not
distinguished as regards the country of their birth,
proportionally over the rest who are thus distin-
guished, it appears that 9,437 were English, 3,461
Scotch, 33,438 Irish, and 2,290 were foreigners.
The United States were the destination of three-
fourths of the whole number. Of the English emi-
grants 5,945 chose the United States, 2,792 the
Australian colonies. Although in the emigration
to America the Irish were five times as nume-
rous as the English,' a considerably less num-
ber of the former, as compared with the latter, went
to Australia ; while, as regards persons of Scotch
origin, it is remarkable that nearly as many went
to the North American colonies as to the United
States, and more than twice as many went to Aus-
tralia as to either of those parts 'of America.
National character is in part the cause of these
differences; but they are chiefly to be referred to
the better or worse condition in life of the emi-
grants.
PRICES, THE WEATHER, AND PAUPERISM.
Wheat has risen in price; the average in the
three months ending June 30 was 525. Bd. per
quarter. In the same period of last year it was
475. 3d., and in that of 1858 it was 445. ld. The
dearness both of bread and meat has been sensibly
felt by the labouring class. The average price of
beef was 54d. per lb., that of mutton 60., as sold
in the carcase at Leadenhall and Newgate markets.
Taking for review the nine quarterly periods
that have passed since March, 1858, beef has
lately risen above previous prices, that of the
early part of last year being excepted; and mutton
has ranged still higher. The average price of
superior mutton was last quarter 70., higher by
id. than in the previous nine months ; that of
superior beef was 61d. and showed a less increase.
Inferior beef was ld. dearer than it had been in the
beginning of the year. The prices of both qualities
of beef and mutton were higher than in the June
quarters of 1858-9, except that of inferior beef
(41d.), which was the same as respects the two June
quarters of 1859-60. York Regent potatoes sold at
the waterside market, Southwark, at an average
price of 1425. 6d. per ton ; they were not so dear as
in the same quarter of 1858 (1625. Gd.), but much
dearer than in that of last year (975. Gd),
The numbers of paupers, both indoor and outdoor,
were less last quarter than they were in the same
period of 1859, but the decrease was inconsiderable.
A decrease more important is observed when they
are compared with those of 1858.
The temperature of the air, barometrical pressure,
rain, and other elements- of the weather, which has
been of unusual character, are minutely and skill-
fully described by Mr. Glaisher in the appendix to
this report. He states that both days and nights in
April were remarkably cold; those in May were
both somewhat warmer than usual ; in June both
were cold, particularly the high day temperature,
which were lower than in May, though usually
they are higher by 7 degrees. April was colder
than it had been previously in any year since 1839;
and we must travel back to 1821 to find so cold a
June. June was colder than May at Guernsey, in
Corn wall and Devonshire, and near the sea, south
of lat. 53 de;;. The mean temperature of the quarter
at Greenwich was 50.5 deg., which is less by 2'3
deg. than the average of the same quarter in 19
years. At Greenwich the rainfall in June was 5.8
in. ; as far back as 1815 there is no instance of so
large a fall in June. This fall was, however, greatly
exceeded at stations south of Greenwich, particu-
larly in Hampshire.
STATE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH.
The deaths registered in the three months that
ended June 30 were 110,878, a larger number than
was returned in any previous June quarter (1848-
o 9), The extent to which life was invaded and
destroyed by causes that have been described,
badness of weather and dearness of food, can
be only partially discovered by comparing the mor-
tality with an average derived from seasons both
healthy and unhealthy ; but it may be stated that the
annual rate of mortality last quarter was 2.228 per
cent. of the population, while the average of 10 pre-
vious springs was 2.195. In other words, the mor-
tality was such that if it had been maintained for a
year, out of 100,000 persons 33 would have died in.