The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-06 00:00:00

THE EFFECTS OF THE STRIKE.

Yesterday evening a long inquiry took place at
the King's Arms, Castle-street, Long Acre, before
Mr. Walley, on the body of Daniel Lock, aged 52,
a plasterer, who had committed suicide under the
following circumstances :—Eliza Lock, a daughter
of the deceased, deposed that before the strike her
father was earning 30s; weekly at his trade. He
was a society man at only 2s. 6d. a week, and the
family having been reduced to destitution, their
position preyed upon his mind. On Saturday
he went to the society's lodge, but was not
paid his half-crown. She did not see him again
alive, but heard tin the evening of the same day
that he had poisoned himself at her brother's
lodging. The cJroner here observed that the strike
was a most inhuman contest bet veer master and
man, involving helpless families in the direst desti-
tution and misery. George Lock, son of the de-
ceased, said his father called upon him at No. 16.
Little Earl-street, Seven-dials, on Saturday evening,
and appeared very strange in his manner; He soon
became insensible, when Mr. Bennett, surgeon of
St. Giles's workhouse, was sent far, and found that
he was suffering from the effects of a narcotic
poison. Antidotes were administered, and the
stomach pump used, but the deceased rapidly sank,
and died about four o'clock on SUnday morning.
Two bottles, which had contained laudanum, were
found upon his person, also a piece of paper, upon
which was written --" What Cato did, and Addison
approved of, must be right. The strike—the ruin-
ous strike. God protect my unfortunate family."
Verdict, " Temporary insanity."

IIEALTII OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(Ron; the .Regestrar-General's Report.)

The weekly return of births and deaths in Lon-
don, issued by the Registrar-General for the week
ending Saturday, October 1, continues to show an
improvement in the public health. In the first
week of September the deaths registered were 1,111;
in the last week which ended October Ist they were
1,014. A decrease is usually observed at this period
of the year ; but a comparison of the present returns
with those of previous 3-ears exhibits also a satis-
factory result, for, excluding the deaths from epi-
demic cholera in the two years 1849 and 1854, it
will be tbund that the deaths of last week were less
considerably than those that would have occurred
if the average rate of mortality in the correspond-
ing weeks of the years 1849-58 had prevailed.
Deaths arising from diarrhoea declined last
week to 40 ' - in the first week of September they
were 148. Only 2 are referred to cholera, both of
which occurred to infants. But the mortality of
scarlatina continues high, 80 deaths from
this disease being recorded, against a corrected
average of 62, There are also 17 from diphtheria.
Scarlatina was fatal in 7 cases in Islington ; diph-
theria in 3. Four cases of the former disease oc-
curred in the west sub-district of Hackney ; also 4
in St. Mary, St; Geurge-in-the-East. Small-pox
carried off 15 children and 4 adults ; measles 17
children, 4 of whom died in Kensington-town.
Four persons died from ague, 2 from remittent
fever, 8 from rheumatism. A man died at the age
of 93 years, two widows at the respective ages of
94 and 95 years.
Of bricklayers one died last week ; of carpenters
2 died, of carpenters' wives 4, of carpenters' chil-
dren, 17 ; of painters 6 died, of painters' wives, 1,
of painters' children, 7 ; of plasterers, 1 died.
Last week the births of 812 boys and 766 girls,
in all 1,578 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1849-
58 the average number was 1621.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.724 in.
The highest and lowest readings were 29.92 in. and
29.54 in. on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
The mean temperature of the air in the week was
58.7 degs. which exceeds by 4.4 dogs. the average
of the same week in 43 years (as determined by
Mr. Glaisher). The mean daily temperature was
above the average on every day throughout the
' week. The thermometer in the shade fell from 70
degs. on Sunday to 49.1 dogs. on 'l'hursday, beinr,
the highest and lowest points in the week. The
entire range was therefore 20.9 degs. The mean
daily range was 12.8 degs. The difference between
the mean dew-point temperature and air tempera-
ture was 4.6 degs. The mean degree of humidity
of the air was 86, complete saturation being repre-
sented by 100. The mean temperature of the water
of the Thames was 59.3 degs. The wind blew
almost constantly from the south-west. Rain fell
to the depth of 1.69 in., of which so large a portion
us 1.25 in. fell on Monday. On that day the rain
began to fall at noon, and fell heavily and steadily
from 3 o'clock till near midnight. Lightning was
seen at night on Wednesday. Auroral streamers
were seen during the evening of Saturday.