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

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 1, 1860

THE P ÜBLIY HEA T TB.

:From the Quarterly Return of the Registrar- General.)

The quarterly return just issued by authority of
the Registrar-General comprises the births and
deaths registered by 2,197 registrars in all the dis-
tricts of England during the summer quarter that
ended September 30, 1860 ; and the marriages in
12,493 churches or chapels, about 4,307 registered
places unconnected with the Established Church,
and 631 superintendent registrars' offices in the
quarter that ended on June 30th, 1860.
The temperature during, the past quarter has
been unusually low, the sky cloudy, the earth often
sunless, and the weather generally bad, in the lan-
guage of meteorology ; nevertheless the progress of
the phenomena the returns record is satisfactory.l
The mortality was much below the average, the
births little differed from it; the marriages were
increasing. Sanitary improvements have gone on,
and the general result of the wet weather has been
a better supply of water, the purification of the
sewers, and the retardation of putrefaction, as well
as of the zymotic changes which produce diar-
rhoea. Fruit has been abundant, and its consump-
tion has also had a salutary effect. Mr. Leigh, of
Manchester, justly says, "the dependence of diar-
rhoea upon a high temperature seems to be most
,marked, forfruit has been unusually plentiful, and
it has been eaten most freely without ill effect."
The ultimate results of the extraordinary season
will be watched with interest as they are revealed
in future returns.

MARRIAGES.
87,666 persons married in. the three months end-
ing in June last; and the, rate of marriage .was
1,662, exceeding the average by .058. The mar-
riages rose from 39,890 in the spring quarter of
1858 to 43,833 in the corresponding quarter of the
present year. From this fact it may be inferred
that the prospects of the working classes have
been growing brighter, and that their real condi-
tion has improved. The increase of marriages has,
been greatest in Cheshire, Lancashire, and London,
and generally in the manufacturing districts; but
an increase is observable in every division except
the Eastern Counties.

signs of improvement which cannot be entirely '
accounted for by the flooding of the sewers by the
rains. The decrease in the mortality of Wolver-
hampton, Walsall, West Bromwich, and Dudley,
where the water supply was imperfect, is enormous ;
and in nearly all of them certain sanitary arrange-
ments have beenintroduced. The deaths in Bir-
mingham and Aston during the last three summer
quarters have been 1,854, 1,815, and 1,244; the
mortality has fallen one-third part.
It is probable that the ordinary water supply of
a place is bad when its mortality is greatly reduced
by heavy rains.
The north midland counties lost less by 1,013
lives in the last summer- quarter (5,454) than they
lost in the summer preceding. Diphtheria has
nevertheless prevailed in parts of Lincolnshire, the
inhabitants of which will do well to study the ex-
perience of Fiskerten. There diphtheria was very
prevalent, and killed 11 persons. The drainage of
the parish was very defective, " there being open
dikes close to some of the houses, containing water,
&c., in a 'putrid and stinking state, withobt` any
fall to pass it'a,way." It was reported to the board
of guardians by the registrar, the defects of drain-
age were remedied, and there has been no fresh case
'during the last month. The district is healthy.
In Belper vaccination is mach neglected ; small-
pox has made its appearance, and has been fatal in
nine' cases. Fever has been very fatal in Dronfield.
In the north-western counties 13,959 deaths were
registered, the deaths in the previous quarter hav-
ing been 15,609: The system of middens prevailed
in Lancashire, and the dirt is there not washed
away by rain as it is in sewers; which may account
for the circumstance that the reduction of the mor-
tality is less in this county than it is elsewhere.
The regiitrars of the West Derby district, a part of
which is in the borough of Liverpool, call attention
to the diminished rate of mortality. "Sanitary mea-
sures," one of them says, " under the Health Act
have greatly improved this district." Scarlatina his
been very prevalent in the Lancaster sub :district ;
it was fatal in 15 cases, and had it not been for the
superior sanitary arrangements the registrar be-
lieves "it would have been four times as fatal, for
in an ill-drained group of twenty houses a quarter
of a mile from the town the disease was the cause
of 3 deaths."

The deaths in Yorkshire were 9,806, or less by
1,177 than the deaths in the summer quarter of the
previous year. There is no reduction in the high
mortality of the Leeds or of the Hunslet districts ;
indeed, diarrhoea prevailed there, -and the deaths
were 1,481, or 170 more than in the summer quar-
ter of the previous year. The causes of the high
mortality deserve•the careful attention of the in-
telligent authorities of that important town.
Hull and Sculcoa.ts experienced a great reduc-
tion of mortality.

The deaths in the northern 'counties amounted to
5,185,4 and were tosome extent 'below' the.average
number. Scarlatina and typhus have been preva-
lent in Durham and Tynemouth.
The mortality in Monmouthshire-and Wales was
below the average ; 5,500 deaths were registered.
The "weather-of this quarter May be looked at ha
an experiment on the health of the people. Em-
ployment has been easily obtained: by workmen,
but the prices of provisions have been. high. And
this general survey seems tQ establish the fact,that.
the salubrity of the season is chiefly due to two eir-:
cumstances ; the reduced temperature 'Of summer;
and the abundant supply of water by. rain. The
low temperature retarded the putrefaction of the
town impurities; and the Water washed them
away; so both the forces acting in the same direc
tion, gave a great result. A careful study of the
circumstances of each locality by which the result
was prodnced, cannot fail to be' instructive, and to
confirm the faith of the authorities in the siinple
sanitary elements with which nature works.
If Wolverhampton is, as the registrar conjectures,
lextraordinary healthy, " because the frequent rains
have'swilled away the impurities from which-in
hot summer weathennoxious effluvia arise, thereby'
preventing the sickness, and diarrhoea more espe-
cially, caused by such vapours in the air, and im
purities in the water supply,". why should Wolver-
hampton ever be again as unhealthy and•as dan-
gerous to its inhabitants as it was -before ?:' It is.
Artie the town has no command -.over the rain ;
but it has unquestionably the power to wash
away the impurities from its ' cesspools and its
sewers. Its engineers can supply the town with sweet
water in
.abundance for the use of the,inhabitants.
If the Birmingham and Aston district too foo'se
0n1y.1,244 inhabitants by death when the town is
well washed, why should they ever die again at the
rate of last summer When 1,815 :of the people
perished ?-.
The remedy is too simple tonbtain immediately
all the attention it deserves froth the municipal
authorities. But. they cannot do better than imi-
tate the
_great oriental dignitary suffering from
leprosy, as our towns are now suffering from other
diseases, who, although he was wroth when told to
" wash and be clean," yet finally obeyed the in-
junction and was healed.

exple which 'Baron Schleinitz honours with his
highest approval. It is this weakness and insin-

eerily which makes Prussia distrusted, and pro-
vokes the anger of Englishmen. And nothing, in-
deed, is more likely to produce fresh complications.
The Prussian Court, no doubt, thinks that the Note
addressed to Turin will be the beginning and end
of its business in the matter, but such unsteadiness
is often the cause of the greatest dangers. Let it be
known beforehand how each Power will act,.and a
war is scarcely possible in Europe. It is Govern-
ments like that of Prussia which cause nations to
drift into hostilities, by making it uncertain on
which side the balance of strength will lie. The im-
potence of mind which will not allow the most libe-
ral Prussian to say at once that union under one
crown is the enly solution of the Italian question,
and that Francis .Toseph must be prevented at all
costs from exposing his States and all Germany to
danger by a war with France, may have conse-
quences the most serious to the general peace.
We were therefore-fully justified in complaining
of the Prussian: Note, and' those are wholly in the
wrong who regard it as• Merely a decent evasion of
a question which did not' require an answer. But,
after all, this is only an outward sign of the inward
spirit of Prussian statesmanship. No man can ob-
serve the course which: the Monarchy has taken
during these complications without feeling that
Prussia* clriwn in opposite directions by forces so
nearly balanced that it , is impossible to. calculate
her behaviour at any conjuncture. Sometimes the
Victory seems to be with the Liberals, and then our
much-trusting countrymen congratulate themselves
on having at least one sympathetic Power on the
Continent. Then, again, the party which we fata-
-1 cied had fallen with the King's retirement again
makes its voice heard and its weight felt. The pen-
dulum seems now to oscillate towards a stricter alli-
ance with the two other Northern Powers. Let it
be. so. We may regret that a nation of promise
should be unable to develope anything better than
Prussia has yet pranced, but that is the concern of
the Germans themselves, and not of us. We would,
however, warn them not to alienate too completely
the only nation 'whose alliance can save them in
time of need. If Pruss:a, following up the spirit of
her late Note, attempts to play fast and loose in the
event of any future, struggle in Venetia ; if, in
accordance with any fantastic dream about the
Adriatic being a German sea, the Court of Berlin
takes upon itself to uphold Austrian domination in
Italy, then the consequences to Germany will be
serious indeed. Or if, in defiance of justice and
thelopinion of Europe, any attack be made on the
little State of Denmark, Prussia must expect to be
left alone to deal .with an enemy Who probably
'desires nothing better' than a pretext for a quarrel.
If Prussians be, as they assert, the Liberals of Ger-
many, let them, for their oven sake, walk sincerely
in' the path they
.hale chosen. They have work
enough to do at home. If they want a nationality
to help, let them look to that portion of the mangled
'carcass of Poland which was flung to them as a
bribe by Russia. If they. do otherwise it will
matter very little to us, but a great deal .to them-
selves. We can fight our battles, whether it be
necessary to defend our own shores or to send
100,000 men to the other side of the earth to recoil-
Auer an insurgent province. Prussia unaided could
not keep tli Rhine or the Vistula for a month from
her ambitious neighbours. England fought Re-
volutionary France for :20 years, defeating her
enemies continually by land and-sea ; Prussia was
overthrown by a war of three weeks. A good
understanding between States so different in vigour
and resources must be for the benefit of the weaker,
and the Prussiani should have great expectations
`from Warsaw when they deliberately condemn the
policy to which this: country is attached, or suffer
their unmannerly underlings to insult British sub-
jects in their passage through their straggling
conntry.-7imes.

POLIC.g LIG ENCE— Oct. 31.

-.---

Gliftint.AL.—David Evans, a bill-poster, in
the employ -of --Nr. A. Scott, of Burleigh-street,
Stiand, was brought up before
,Aldernian Hum-
phery charged with stealing a quantity of posting
bil's belonging to the London, Brighton, and South
Eastern Railway Company, under the following
, circumstances

Mr. Scott said he had been emplOyed by Messrs.
Wateriow, of London-wall, to post ,bills of the
o4nini.-; of the new railway station at Pimlico, and
on!the 30th Sept. he received 2,500 for that purpose.
He and the
_prisoner, with the assistance of four
others, posted them. ;_The prisoner had 200 given
to him to post, anti if he could not find places suffi-
cient for them all, it was' .his duty to return the
remainder to witness.!

Sergeant Spittle, of the' detective force said he
accompanied Mr. Waterlow, Inspector Hamilton,
and Sergeant Rickards to the rwarehouse belonging
to 'a Mr. Soames, in Harper's-mews, Theobald's-
rotni. They found there two quarters and 71bs. of
paper, and among it a quantity of railway bills,
announcing the opening of the Victoria.Lstation at
Pimlico, and the cheap Sunday excursions to
Brighton and other. 'places. Mr. Soamei said he
bought them off the prisoner,, and produced an in-.
voice to that effect; showing that he had paid the
prisoner at the rate of 7s. per cwt. Witness then'
Avila to the New North-road, where:he apprehended
the prisoner, and took hitn at once to Mr. WaterlOw..
WaterlOW said the prisoner
was in the habit of coming for the bills to post for
Mr. Scott, and when Spittle brought him to the,
witrehouse he (witness) told him that the bills had'
bden found t 'at Mr. Soames's, and he admitted he
had sold them to Mr. Sotitnes. He then gaye him
into custody.
A person from .the railway company said this
.s stem of depredation had been carried' on to such
an. extent that the company were determined to
prosecute, anfl'for that reason' they wished the case;
to be remanded to entitle them to Make further'
• inquiries.
Mr. Soames was present, ,and explained that he
bbuott the bills of the prisoner believing they were
out of date.

Alderman HuMphery said any one could see that
the bills were not out of date by the facts which
they announced.
Mr,-,Soames said he did not look at the date at
all, busthe supposed they Were old, and therefore
useless ICTFtlie purpose for which they. were origi-
nally issued.
The Drisonersaid he thought•he might keep any
bills he could not post, and if Mr. Seams had in-
timated to him, that it was not right he would have
taken them`back to his employer, but Mr. Soames
said he was quite right in selling them.
Mr. Soames denied saying anything of the kind.
''"i'Vith regard to the last transaction, after he had
seen the officer he told the prisoner he might leave
the bills if he thought. Proper. He acted under
the officer' instructions.

Alderthitt: Humphery said that was all very well,
but Mr. SOames had bought other bills of the pri-
soner at half their value before he saw the officer,
as some of them were found in his possession.
Mr. Soames said ho thought.they were out of
date bills, nd after he'had sold them he got them
back as soon as he heard how the prisoner botained
them, so as not to get another person into trouble,
and those were_the bills found at his warehouse.

' Alderman Humphery. said it was all nonsense for
Mr. Soames to pretend he did not know that tlie
prlioner had..no right to sell such bills. However,
the railway company were resolved, to prosecute,
and he would have to take the consequence of his
imprudence. He should remand the prisoner, and
require Mr. Soames, to enter into recognisances to
appears and recommended him to bring his books
to show what amount of bills he had bought, and
how he had disposed of them. '

WESTMINSTER.—IMPORTANT QUESTION RE-
SPECTING VOLUNTEER EIFLEMEN.—George Nelson,
toll collector at Vauxhall:bridge, was summoned for
unlawfully demanding and taking twopence toll
from Mr. Henry Francis Smith, a private in the
Victoria Rifle Corps, he being exempt from the pay-
ment of such toll and claiming exemption.
- Mr. -Metcalfe appeared in support of the com-
plaint, and Mr. Prendergast for the defence.
Mr. Metcalfe said the present proceedings were
taken under the 6th of Geo. IV., cap. 31, a statute
passed to alter and amend the local acts relatinc, to
Vauxhall-bridge, the 18th section of which imposed
a penalty of £lO upon any toll collector who should
commit the offence with which the defendant stood
charged. The learned barrister, after dilating upon
the advantage conferred upon the cauntryThy the
establishment of Volunteer Rifle Corps, urged the
propriety and duty of acceding to them every ad-
vantage which the law allowed, adverted to the
clauses giving exemption, and pointed out that the
present question was one of considerable import-
ance to the whole of the 'volunteers. The.question
to be tried in thepresent case was whether a gentle-
man in the Victoria Rifle Corps was exempt from
toll while returning in his carriage from duty. It
had been decided at that court in the case of Mayne
v. Gould, that a volunteer was exempt from toll
while on foot, and other cases had been tried con-
firming the decision, which could admit of no doubt.
It could not; be disputed that a cavalry volunteer
would be entitled to the exemption, and therefore
why not a volunteer riding
by one horse. in his 'patige drawn
Mr. Arnold suggested (en passant)---Supposing
the gentleman had chosen to have a carriage and
six ?
Mr. Metcalfe thought that putting an extreme
case: He repeated, that every indulgence which
the htvi allowed ought to be afforded to this valu-
able body of men, and urged that these movements
were far from being disadvantageous to thee'who

had an interest in tolls, as they materially increasedi
the traffic upon rnads.
Mr. Smith was then called, and said that the corps
to which he belonged met at Kilburn on Saturday,
the 13th, for a field day, in the course of which they
proceeded a considerable distance. At the conclu-
sion of the day's exercise his servant met him with
the phaeton at Kilburn, and having occasion to pass
over Vauxhall-bridge, he claimed exemption from
the toll, which was, however, refused. He was at
the time in the usual uniform, furnitures and accou-
trements of the corps, and claimed exemption on
that ground.

In-cross-examination by Mr. Prendergast,
Complainant said he had on his regimental great
coat and had a sword—not a rifle--the latter being
left at the ground by regulation.
Mr. Metcalfe observed that his client had not
brought this matter forward with a view of press-
ing a penalty, but with a desire to have the magis-
trate's judgment upon a point so important to the
body.

The acts of Parlianient relating to Vauxhall-
bridge
were carefully referred to by the magistrate
and Mr. Metcalfe, and the result was, that both
gentlemen were of opinion that the penalty was
only recoverable by civil action, there being no
clause to empower the magistrate to enforce it.
Mr. Prendergast was quite willing, on the part
of those he represented, to take the magistrate's
opinion upon the subject.
Mr. Arnold declined to give an opinion upon a
matter over which he had no jurisdiction.
Mr. Metcalfe thought that the best way to try
the question would be for riflemen to refuse pay-
ment, and it,would then come up for decision in
another form. Under the 97th section of the 49th of
George 111., c. 142, a former act belonging to Vaux-
hall-bridge, any person unduly claiming exemption
was subject to a penalty of Lo, or a question of
assault might arise out of the detention and endea-
vour to obtain the toll.
Mr. Arnold dismissed the summons, on the ground
of want of jurisdiction, and pointed out that the
parties might bring an action for the penalty in the
county court.

CLERKENWELL.—Mary Williams and Ida
Jameson, two fashionably-attired females, were
charged on remand with picking the pockets of
Susannah Hutchinson in an omnibus in the City-
road.
Mr. Beard attended for the prosecution, instructed
on behalf of the London General Omnibus Com-
pany; and Mr. Metcalfe, barrister, appeared, for
the prisonerst
The faati of the previous examination ha ve al-
ready appeared in this journal, and the case was
adjourned for the attendance of .
Mr. George Alfred, who stated that he was a
farmer at Loose, in Kent, and was in the ornnibms
on the day in question. From the suspicions way in
which the prisoners acted he watched them, and
saw a lady get into the omnibus and sit beside the
prisoner Jameson. She had no sooner.done so than
Jameson pulled her cape higher about her, and then
began to pull the lady's dress towards her. She got
the lady's pocket near her hand, and then the lady
moved, and the prisoner appeared to be very uneasy.
The prisoner then pretended to rub her foot, and
then worked-her hand up the lady's dress. He saw
her move her hand suddenly away from the lady's
dress, but she had nothing in it. During the whole
of the time the prisoners were making signals to
each other. When they got out he asked the ladies
if they had missed anything, and from what he
heard he informed the conductor, and raw the pri-
soners given into custody.
Mr. Alfred Davis said he saw the prisoners get
out of the omnibus, but before this he saw them
signaling to each other. He saw the prisoners
brought hack, and heard one of them offer the con-
ductor a fiver. (or £5 note) to square the matter,
and not to give them into custody.
Mr. Beard said he
,should be able to prove two
former convictions for felony against the prisoners.
. Mr. Barker fully committed the prisoners to the
sessions for trial.