The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-27 00:00:00

SEWERS. I MEETING OF IRISH LIBERAL
MEMBERS.
_ _

A court was held on Tuesday for the despatch of
public business.
Dr. LETIIEBY'S annual report of the sanitary
condition of the City was presented, from which it
appeared, " That last year there were 3,184 births
in the City, 2,883 deaths, and 1,689 marriages. All
these numbers are below the average for the corres-
ponding period of the last ten years. The falling
off in the several numbers has been very general
throughout all the districts of the City, but it has
been most marked in the Central division, where
from-a slow but steady emigration of the wealthier
classes, and the encroachments for public improve-
ments on the domiciles of the poorer, the fixed
population has been greatly reduced. In the other
districts, where these influences have not been so
largely at work, the reduction of the death rate has
no doubt been caused by the exercise of sanitary
powers. Of the 3,184 children born in the course of
the year, 1,643 were males, and 1,51 females, propor-
tions which are as 1,066 males to 1,000 females. The
2,883 deaths in the City were distributed as follows
—1,115 occurred in the Western Union, 703 in the
Eastern, and 1,065 in the Central. These numbers
are in proportion of 25 per 1,000 of the inhabi-
tants of the first named district, 24 per 1,000 of the
second, and nearly 19 of the third, the general
total being about 22 per 1,000 of the entire popu-
lation. 21 per cent. of all the deaths occurred in
the summer quarter, 24 per cent. in the spring, 25
in the autumn, and 29 in the winter. The high
mortality of the last named season is due, not merely
to the trying influences of the weather, but also to
the circumstance that this is the season when
there is always a large congregation of the poor in
the City, and with it the evils of overcrowding.
Besides which, the condition of the .weatb er does
not permit of those sanitary operations which are
so largely employed in the summer and autumn.
The table of the principal causes of death showed
that the number of-deaths from violence has risen
from a general average of 130 per annum to 157 ;
those from phthisis from 519 to 523 ; and those
from measles and the whooping.cough and croup
from 192 to 277. These last, in fact, are the
diseases which have been unusually prevalent
during the year, and although they are not at all
preventible to a like extent, yet there can be no
doubt :that in every case their force can be
lessened by the aid of sanitary science. The chief
increase in the mortality from zymotic diseases has
been notified in the East London Union, but
phthisis has prevailed to the largest extent in
the western districts. The mortality from
other diseases has almost in every instance
fallen below the average, for the deaths
from fever were but 88 instead of 150;
these from diarrhoea and dysentery among adults
have fallen from 153 to 38 ; scarlet fever from 103
to 50 ; smallpox from 24 to 6 ; and erysipelas from
26 to 19. Altogether, indeed, as regards the deaths
from zymotic diseases, excepting those from croup,
measles, whooping-cough and diphtheria, which
have so largely exceeded the average, there has
been a falling off from an average of 456 to 201,
or to less than half. This is a strong proof of
the value of the sanitary measures adopted,
for nothing speaks so forcibly of the general condi-
tion of a place as the death rate of these maladies.
During the year 5,340 inspections of houses were
made, and 2,446 visits to the common lodging-houses
of the City. The number of orders issued for sani-
tary improvement amounted to 1,721."
Upon the motion of Mr. Ross, seconded by. Mr.
BARKLEY, the report was orderedto be printed and
circulated among the members of the court.

A meeting of the Irish liberal representatives
took place on Tuesday evening at the residence er
Mr. Cogan, M.P., 93, Stephen's•green, Dublin, at
which the following declaration was unanimousli
adopted and numerously signed:—
" A circular having lately issued convening
.a
meeting of Irish landed proprietors, to be held in
Dublin on the 27th of January, for the purpose of
' expressing their sense of the impunity which has
attended agrarian outrages, the insecurity of life
and property in Ireland, and the necessity of some
further measures for remedying such alleged evils,
and a statement having been published by the
honorary secretaries of the proposed meetingl_
assigning as reasons for not holding that meeting',
that a deputation, consisting of themselves and
two other members of the committee, had had en
interview with the Lord Lieutenant of a most sates'
factory nature, and that the objects of the contere"
plated meeting had been attained,' we, the under-
signed Irish members of Parliament, feel called
upon publicly to express our dissent from the
opinions expressed by the promoters of the content'
plated meeting, and our disapprobation •of the
objects principally sought to be attained by it. NV,e
believe that life and property are as secure, and
that justice is as effectually administered in Ireland'
as in any other part of the United Kingdom, and
we consider the statements to the contrary, put
forward by the promoters of the contemplated
meeting, unfounded and calumnious. We therefore
strongly deprecate and shall strenuously resist all
attempt to introduce any measures of a coerei/e
character. We consider secret and exclusive
political societies, whatever names they may beat'
and of whatever class or creed they may be conk'
posed, dangerous to the peace and injurious to al.!
prosperity of Ireland, and we expect that the legis-
lature will discourage and suppress all such wig"
chievous organisations without distinction. •;:
also feel bound to express our conviction that the
existing laws, regulating the relations of landlord
.
and tenant in Ireland, are, in many respects, unjlJP,
and impolitic, and require immediate and matertt
amendment; and we trust that the legislature 'will
speedily pass into a law some measure giving
adequate security to the tenant that he shall no,
be deprived of the benefit of improvements effected
by his industry and capital."
On the motion of Mr. M'Carthy, seconded' by
Mr. O'Brien, it was resolved that a copy of the
above declaration should be sent to each of the
absent representatives for signature. The meeting
then separated.