The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-11 00:00:00

(Teem the Report ty the Registrar-General.)
The deaths in London, which rose to 1,677 in the
last week of 1859, tell to 1,251 in the first week of
the New Year. This favourable result is due to a
warmer state of the air, the mean temperature of
which for the last fortnit-.been as high as 44
deg., or about 8 deg. abo ' Taking
the deaths of the first week it
years 1850-59, it will be found that the average
number was 1,247 ; but as the deaths in The present
return occurred in a population which has increased,
they should be compared with the average raised
in proportion to the increase, namely, with 1,372.
The 1,281 deaths of last week are therefore fewer
by 91 than those which would hare occurred if the
average rate of mortality fbr the season had pre-
vailed.

It is satisfactory to notice a further decline in
scarlatina. Adding diphtheria to nis head, the
numbers of deaths in the last three weeks were 99,
77, and 66. There were 20 last week from diphthe-
ria, and 7 of these occurred in Islington, Camden-
town, and Kentish-town. Of 32 from measles, 3
were in-Chelsea northwest, 3 in St. John Westmin-
ster, 4in St. Pat], Deptford. Small-pox was less
fatal than in some previous weeks ; the cases re-
corded declined to 32, of which 8 are returned by
the Small-pox Hospital. In the last two weeks
bronchitis was fatal successively in 278 and 159
cases; pneumonia in 151 and 98 cases. Four per-
sons died of intemperance, 2 of delirium tremens;
9 children died by suffocation, 3 were murdered.
Eight persons (all women) died at 90 and 92 years
of age.
Of bricklayers 2 died in the week, of lricklayers'
wives 3, of bricklayers' children 9 ; of carpenters 6
died, of carpenters' wives 7, of carpenters' children
22; of masons 1 died, of masons' children 4 ; of
painters 5 died, of painters' wives 2, of painters'
children 4 I; of plasterers 2 died, of plasterers' w.iylk",:
1, of plasterers' children 3
Last week the births of 1,003 boys and 1.005
girls, in all, 2,008 cliidren, were registeaed in Lon-
don. In the 10 corresponding weeks of the years
1850-59 the average number was 1,604.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.294 in.
'The range of readings was from 28.65 in. on Thurs-
day, the lowest, to 30.15 in. on Saturday, the
highest, showing a variation of 1.50 in. - The mean
temperature of the air in the week was 43.5 deg.,
which is 7.3 deg. above the average of the same
week in 43 years (as determined by Mr. Glaisher).
The mean daily temperature was above the average
till Saturday, and this excess was gteatest on the
first three days, when it was from 11 deg, to 16
deg. The thermometer in the shade attained 55.5
deg. on Tuesday, the highest point in the week ;
and it fell to 29.5 deg., the lowest, on Saturday.
The range of temperature in the week was there-
fore 26 deg. The mean daily range was 8.5 deg.
The temperatures of New Year's Day should be re-
marked, the highest was 55 degs. the lowest 50
deg., and therefore the range only 5 deg. The dif-
ference between the mean dew-point temperature
and air temperature was 4.6 deg. The mean degree
of humidity of the air was 85. The mean tempe-
rature of the water of the Thames was 44.9 deg.
The wind blew till Friday from the south-west, it
then changed to north, and on Saturday afternoon
turned to west. The amount of rain in the week
was 0.30 in., part of which fell on every day except
Saturday.

DEATHS IN LONDON IN THE LAST
QUARTER OF 1849.

(Froni the Registrar-General's Deport.)
In the 13 weeks that ended 31st December, 15,736
deaths were registered in London, of wheih 7,341
occurred in that part of the population which was
passing the first 20 years of existence. The mor-
tality was not so great as it was in the same period
of 1858, when the deaths at all ages rose to 17,688.
Last quarter exhibited extremes both in its mor-
tuary and meteorological experience; for the weekly
deaths were about 900 in the middle of October,
and rose to nearly 1,700 at the end of December, and
the mean weekly temperature of the air, which was
62 deg. at the commencement of the period, fell
within a few weeks of its close to 29 deg. The mean
temperature of the quarter was 43.1 deg., which is
nearly the same as that of the corresponding period
in 1855, but lower than in any corresponding period
of the intervening years, especially 1857, when the
mean temperature of its last three months rose to
48 deg.
In comparing the results of the December quar--.
tor for the years 1858 and 1859, it is a subjedt:or...:.
satisfaction to note a decrease of the mortality
from all miasmatic diseases, with only one im-
portant exception. That exception is furnished
by small-pox, the deatles from which rose from
118 to 435. This total of 435 deaths in last quarter
was drawn chiefly from the following sub-districts :
—St. Mary Paddington, St. John Westminster,
Kentish Town, St. Giles South, Whitecross-street,
Town of Bethnal-green, Spitalfields, Mile-end Old
Town _East, London-road, St. Peter 'Walworth,
Waterloo-road (Ist and 2d parts), and Lambeth
Church (2d part). The Registrar of St. John,
Marylebone, refers to an insufficient supply of
lymph for vaccination. Amongst those localities
which as regards mortality from small-pox have
enjoyed total or partial immunity in the quarter,
the following may be specified :--13rompton, Ham-
mersmith, and Fulham, Chelsea, Charing-cross, St.
James Westminster, Tottenham-court-road, Hack-
ney, St. Giles North, Holborn and Saffron-hill,
Holton and Haggerston, Greenwich, and the sub-
district of St. James Bermondsey, in which last it
deserves to be mentioned that not a single death
from this disease has occurred for a period of nearly
six months.

Last quarter 1,127 deaths were the result of
scarlatina, and 141 of diphtheria. If the two com-
plaints are taken together, it is shown that they
were fatal in 31 cases in St. John, ll'estminster, in
40 in Kentish Town, 114 in the two sub-districts of
Islington, 22 in Cripplegate, 53 in the three sub-
districts of St. George-in-the-East, 54 in Mile-end
(021 Town,
dd
part),
2241 inin he s u
Lambeth-di inbleJt-
hd i sctl
hr tof
rat
(21\a' Waterloo-road
nrad
8o
in
Greenwich East, 13 in Plumstead, and 26 in
Rotherhithe. An open sewer, nearly 18 feet wide,
known as the Black Ditch, putrid with the col-
lected tribute of parishes and factories, forms a
feature of Rotherhithe. Small-pox was not fatal
except in one instance in this district, but several
families living in the vicinity of the ditch were
attacked by it.
Intemperance among the adult population has
not yet received a final blow, or even a heavy dis-
couragement, from the active and well-intentioned
efforts made for its suppression, judging from the
number of deaths which directly flow from it
within stated periods. Last quarter intemperance
and delirium tremens caused 70 deaths ; in the four
corresponding periods. of 1855-8 there were 50, 46,
76, and 48. Nine persons died from want of the
necessaries of life ; 111 infants from want of breast-
milk and inanition ; 23 children were murdered ;
92 were suffocated ; 133 mothers died after child-
birth.