The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-10 00:00:00

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the great public opening the whole area is thronged,
specimens of every variety of the Anglo-Saxon race
abound, while in addition the prevalence of whiskers and
moustaches, of dark skins and sparkling eyes, proves how
widely extended is the interest taken in British bucolic
progress. Groups of sturdy farmers are encountered at
every corner, six feet high by four across the shoulders,
looking with sympathetic complacency on the results of
country air and high feeding on the oxen and the pigs
and the sheep, the metropolitan butchers may be seen
in groups poking and punching, and measuring, and
making mental calculations as to how a beast will turn
out "sinking the offal," and foreigners from France,
Italy, and Germany glide about, and admire, and
wonder at bovine, ovine, and porcine—results such as
they had never seen realised in their respective coun-
tries. Perhaps some Russians—for there are Rus-
sians everywhere—might be singled out in yesterday's
crowd ; and, if so, they must have been not a little
astonished at the difference of rotundity exhibited by
the honest, placid short-horns and Herefords of England
as compared with the scared, four-footed skeletons that
flash across the gaze of the traveller between St. Peters-
burg and Moscow. The Parisians may have their Ver-
sailles with its tawdry decorations, and the Russians
their Kremlin with its barbaric splendour, but we have
our Smithfield show with its unmatchable cattle, and
pigs, and sheep, and in them the materials for that
muscle which enables us to push our way from one end
of the world to the other. One could almost imagine
yesterday that the splendid animals were conscious that
they were on their trial before the world, the "observed
of all observers." The massive but still graceful oxen
stood proudly in their stalls, or reclined with dignity on
the soft couch which Mr. Balnoie had prepared for them,
while some few regaled on delicate slices of Swedish
turnip, which an obsequious herd offered to their fas-
tidious palates. The sheep showed off their dense fleecy
pile to the best advantage, and the pigs kept up a con-
stant discussion (we suppose) on agricultural statistics,
which was quite as vociferous and almost as intelligible
as some which the papers have recently had the honour
of reporting. Fair ladies generally caressed the adipose
monsters ; while the latter in gentle grunts testified
their high appreciation of the honour conferred. It
was, in truth, a sight at once national and charac-
teristic to see all classes of society thus doing homage
to a first principle by their undisguised admira•
tion of the success achieved in the production of
human food. !Amongst the visitors might be
recognised many members of the aristocracy, of course
including the Duke of Richmond, who came to pay his
respects to the animals from whom be derived a medal
as useful, it not so glorious, as that which his grace
brought from Waterloo. The heir-apparent of Oude
was also among the visitors, attended by his interpreter,
Captain Brandon, and made a most careful inspection of
the contents of the exhibition. Taken altogether there
has seldom been known a better attendance than
thronged the Bazaar throughout the whole of yesterday.
As usual on these occasions, the galleries offered a va-
ried collection of agricultural machinery, including
steam ploughs, reaping-machines, and an r•lmost endless
collection of clod-crushers, beetle-traps, patent churns,
and reaping-machines. The last-named invention would
now appear to be naturalised in the country, seeing that
so many of the great machine-makers have essayed im-
provements in its construction. Not only are specimens
exhibited, but the walla are ornamented with attractive
landscapes, in which the machine forms the centre figure,
while swathes of golden corn fall on every side as it
urges along its fiery course. The comparative merits of
the different principles is still under discussion, and far
be it from us to pronounce dogmatically where " doc-
tors disagree." In the galleries are also exhibited
numerous samples of green crops, turnips, beet, .and
mangold-wurtzel, and the enormous size of the specimens
shows how much care is now being devoted to their
cultivation. The Royal Dublin Society have a
well•furnished stand, which is worthy of note as being
the only contribution from Ireland, the land of
beeves and porkers, sends to the Cattle Show. With all
these combined attractions, it is hardly to be wondered
at that yesterday, the first day, should be so fully and
fashionably attended.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE
WEEK.

(Front the Report of the Registrar• General.)

An increase of death is the effect which was generally
anticipated of the late sudden changes of the atmosphere.
The amount of sickness in a population, at any time, is
measured only approximately by the mortality; and that
part of it which is fatal is of various duration, and is
recorded, therefore, not in one week, but a succession of
weeks. The deaths in London, which in two preceding
weeks were 1,261 and 1,158, rose in the week that ended
last Saturday to 1,313, The mean temperature, which
fell on the 25th ult., and continued below the average
during ten days, was on Tuesday last week. only 27.7
deg., which is 14 deg. below theaverage. On Saturday it
rose to 52.2 deg., which is 11 deg. above the average.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1846-55
the average number of deaths was 1,291. If for com-
parison with the present return this average is raised in
proportion to increase of population, it becomes 1,420.
The deaths of last week are therefore less by 112 than
the corrected average.
The deaths caused by diseases of the respiratory
organs, which in the previous week were 296, rose last
week to 368 ; and the mortality under this head is higher
than is usual in the first week of December. The prin-
cipal diseases in this class are bronchitis and pneumonia
—the former rose from 173 and 154 in the two previous
weeks to 194 last week, and the latter from 110 and 108
to 125. In the same three weeks the deaths from
phthsis or consumption were successively 169, 186, and
164. Hooping-oough, which was fatal in 41 cases last
week, appears to remain unaffected by the weather. Of
42 deaths from measles almost half occurred on the south
side of the river ; 9 were recorded in the district of Lam
beth. Of 45 from scarlatina, 5 occurred in the sub-dis-
trict of St Paul (St. George-in-the-East) and 4 in that of
Kent-road. In St. Peter, %Valworth, at 34 v, Trafalgar-
street, three children have died in seven days of scarla-
tina in one family ; and one child in another family in
the same house. In most of these cases the scarlatina
terminated in low fever.
One man and five women died last week who were 90
years old er more. The two oldest were widows, of the
age of 94 years.

—Last week the births of 755 boys and 765 girls, in
all 1,520 children, were registered in London. In the
ten corresponding weeks of the years 1846-55 the ave-
rage number was 1,487.

At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.675 in.
The highest reading occurred on Thursday, and was
29.96 in. The mean temperature was 35.5 deg., which
is 6 deg. below the average of the same week in 38 years
(as determined by Mr. Glaisher). The mean daily tem-
perature was below the average from 10 deg. to 14 deg.
till Friday, when it rose 6 deg. above it. The lowest
reading of a thermometer in the air was 19.4 deg. on
Sunday ' • the highest was 56 deg. on Saturday, and the
range of the week was 36.6 deg. The mean dew point
temperature was 32.3 deg., and the difference between
this and the mean air temperature was 3.2 deg. This
difference on Friday was only 0.6 deg. The mean tem-
perature of the water of the Thames was 39.3 deg. The
temperature of the river varied from 37.1 deg., the
lowest on Thursday, to 42,5 deg. the highest on Sunday
and Saturday. The wind, which at the beginning of the
week was in the north or north-west, blew at the end
from the south-west, sometimes in gales. The amount
of rain was 0.30 in., most of which fell on Wednesday
and Thursday. On the evening of Thursday an increase
of 10 deg. of (temperature took place between six and
eight o'clock, followed by a nocturnal rising tempera.
ture.

MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLIS.
NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAITSES REGISTERED
IN THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, DEC. 6.
Zymotic Diseases
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Tubercular Diseases .. 205
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves and Senses
Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 5B
Diseases of the Lungs and other Organs of

Respiration . _ _
368
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs

of Digestion
Diseases of the Kidneys, &c.
Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin, &c.
Malformations .. 2
_._.

Premature Birth and Debility 3B
Atrophy
Old Age
`:udder. 7
Viole,- P--' Col Id Intemperance 4l

,Id, an,

i iolence, :rivation,
Causes not specified

DZATHS PROM ALL CAITSICS
Population Deaths In corre- Deaths
Enumerated. sponding week in the
1851. of 1855. Week.
West Districts
North 'Districts 490,396
Central Districts 393,256
East Districts 485,522
South. Districts 616,635 ... . 283

Totals

1,099

1,318

Males

Fomales
BIRTHS IN THE WEEK

Males
Females ,

755
765

Total .••••...... * 1,520

Xams FOR SWEDEN.—The packets conveying mails,
once a week,
between Grimsby and Gothenburg, under
a contract with the Swedish Government, having ceased
runiiing, no more mails can be sent by that route until
the r a-opening of the navigation next spring, of which
due z take will be given.—By command of the Post
mash ir General, RowLAND HILL, Secretary.—General
Post, •office, Dec. 9,185 g.