The Sun.
London, England, 1867-01-09 00:00:00

THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

The following is the weekly return of the Regis-
trar-General of births and deaths in London and in
12 other large towns of the Uniied Kingdom :
General Register-office, Somerset-house, Jan. 7.
In the week that ended on Saturday, Jan. 5, the
births registered in London and 12 other large
towns of the United Kingdom were 4,048 ; the
deaths registered 3,219. The annual rate of morta-
lity was 27 per 1,000 persons living.
In London the births of 1,031 boys and 974
girls, in all 2,005 children, were registered in the
week. In the corresponding week of ten years
1857-66 the average number, corrected for increase
of population, was 2,150.
The deaths registered in London during the week
were 1,437. It was the first week of the year, and
the average number of deaths for that week is, with
a correction for increase of population, 1,615. The
deaths registered in the week were thus 178 below
the average. The effects of the weather will, we may
expect, be visible in the returns of next weak, as re-
gistration and funerals were alike more or less re-
tarded by the severe frost and the great snowstorm.
Forty-three deaths from smallpox, 36 from
measles, L 35 from scarlatina, 54 from whooping-
cough, 44 from typhus, and 16 from diarrhoea were
registered during the week. No death by cholera
was recorded.

A labourer, aged 45 years, died in Fenchurch-
street, City, on the 2d of January, from " want of
food, accelerated by cold."

The deaths of 17 infants who were accidentally
suffocated in bed were registered in the week ; the
ages of these children varied from three weeks to six
months. Five of them were killed on the 26th of
December, three on the 27th of December, and two
on the Ist of January. The deaths of six children
from burns or scalds were also recorded. After
festive nights parents cannot take too much care of
their children.
The annual rate of mortality last week was 24
per 1,000 in London, 31 in Edinburgh, and 25 in
Dublin ; 24 in Bristol, 24 in Birmingham, 35 in
Liverpool, 31 in Manchester, 29 in Salford, 22 in
Sheffield, 30 in Leeds, 28 in Hull, 44 in Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, and 33 in Glasgow. The rate in Vienna
was 31 per 1,000 during the week ending the 22d
ult., when the mean temperature was 16.7 deg. Fah-
renheit lower than in the same week in London,
where the rate was 23 per 1,000,
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29408 in.
The barometrical reading increased from 28-91 in. on
Wednesday to 29.92 on Saturday.. The mean tem-
perature of the air in the week was 25.2 deg., which
is 11.75 deg. below the average of the same week in
50 years, as determined by Mr. Glaisher. The
highest day temperature was 41.9 deg., on Sunday,
The lowest night temperature was 6.6 deg., on Sa-
turday. On Friday the lowest temperature was 7.7
deg. The entire range of temperature in the week
was 35.3 deg. On every day of the week the mean
temperature was below the average, and the defect
on Friday was no less than 23.2 deg. The mean of
the highest temperature of the waters of the Thames
was 39.3 deg. ; that of the lowest was 36.3 deg.
The difference between the mean dew point tempe-
rature and air temperature was 3.4 deg. Snow fell
on Wednesday to the depth of about 10in. The
direction of the wind was variable. According to a
return furnished by the engineer of the Metropolitan
Board of Works, the average daily quantity of sew-
JJ
age pumped into the river Thames at the southern outfall works, Crossness, was 180,230 cubic metres.
THE YEAR 1866.
The great cities of the kingdom may be thus ar-
ranged according to their rates of mortality during
the past year. To 1,000 persons living the deaths in
Birmingham were 24, Hull 24, Bristol 25, Edinburgh
27, Sheffield 28, Dublin 28, Salford 29, Gasgow 30,
Manchester 32, Newcastle-on-Tyne 32, Leeds 33,
Liverpool 42. The mortality was lower than it was
in the year 1€65 in Manchester, Salford, Birming-
ham, Hull, Edinburgh, Glasgow; and higher in
Leeds, Bristol, Dublin, Liverpool. Cholera was
excessively fatal in Liverpool.
In London the mortality was at the annual rate
of 26, which is two aboVe the average, entirely due
to cholera, happily confined within narrow limits.
The mortality of London, west, north, central, and
south, bolding '2,430,046 people, was 24k, or slightly
above the average, while in the east districts the
rate was 34 in 1,000 among 607,945 inhabitants.
The causes of this local intensity have already been
explained. Cholera was epidemic, and proved ex-
traordinarily fatal for a short time, from causes
that favoured the diffusion of its elements. The
detection of these causes, and the judicious hygienic
measures which were employed, generally stopped
its progress, and saved, as well as much suffering,
many thousands of lives.

PROFESSOR SIMPSON--Sir James Young Simp-
son resumed his medical classes in the University of Edin-
burgh on Monday, and was greatly cheered by his students
on reappearing among them after his late severe indisposi-
tion. The learned Professor has had a severe attack of
rheumatism and sciatica, confining him to his bedroom for
some weeks, but not altogether incapacitating him from
carrying forward a new work on which he is engaged.
Sir James, whose class had, in his absence, been taught by
Dr. Keiller, delivered the first of a course of lectures on
anaesthesia.

A TRAIN SNOWED UP FOR TWELVE HOURS.—
The sudden thaw on Saturday evening caused the
snow accumulated on the sides of the cuttings between
Andover and Salisbury to give way, and the line, in con-
sequence, became blocked up. The 510 p.m. train from
London to Salisbury ran into a drift of about 7ft. of snow,
between Gratley and Porton, and was unable to proceed
further. A telegram announcing the fact was forwarded
to Mr. Davis, the district superintendent at Salisbury, who
also ascertained that the 7 55 p.m. train from Salisbury
had been stopped at Porton. Mr. Davis got a staff of men
together, and with a powerful goods engine immediately
procee.led up the line to render whatever assistance might
be in his power. A heavy storm of hail prevailed at the
time, and the snow was forced down the sidings in such
quantities that the engine got " drifted up" about two
miles and a half from Porton. With great difficulty Mr.
Davis forced his way on to that station on foot, and at
once made arrangements for digging out the down trail).
As soon as possible men were brought to the opposite end
of the cutting, but notwithstanding that both parties
worked most energetically during the night, it was nearly
8 o'clock on Sunday morning before the snow was cleared
away from the engine and carriages. The train had been
at a stand-still for nearly 12 hours. Mr. Wm. Day and a
party of friends from Woodyeates were in the down train.
On reaching Porton on Saturday evening Mr. Davis tele-
graphed to Salisbury for flys, but the roads were in such
a wretched state that it was found impossible to send

them. At daybreak on Sunday morning the request was
repeated, and flys were started, but the drivers were com-
pelled to leave the vehicles near Old Castle and return
with their horses to Salisbury. Fresh flys were obtained
and angher attempt made to reach Porton via the London
road, but with no better success. The train reached Salis-
bury about 11 o'clock on Sunday, about I.§ bQi bebind
time,