The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-15 00:00:00

HEALTH OF THE METROPOLIS.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Report.)
In the week that ended on Saturday, March 10,
the births registered in London and 12 other large
towns of the United Kingdom were 4,586 ; the
deaths registered 4,155. The annual rate of mor-
tality was 35 per 1,000 persons living.
_ _

In London the births of 1,157 boys and 1,115 girls
—in all 2,272 children—were registered in the week.
In the corresponding weeks of ten years, 1856-65,
the average number, corrected for increase of popu-
lation, was 2,128.

The deaths registered in London during the week
were 1,829. It was the tenth week of the year, and
the average number of deaths for that week is, with
a correction for increase of population, 1,498. The
mortality in the week was excessively high, for the
actual return exceeds the estimated number by 331
deaths. The weather was cold for the season, and
the fall of the temperature has lasted, with slight
intermission, nearly four weeks.

The total deaths, which had been 1,545 in the
previous week, rose to 1,829 last week ; of which
numbers those which occurred under 20 years of age
rose from 729 to 823 ; those at the age 20-60 years
from 463 to 595, and those at 60 years and upwards
rose from 348 to 411.

There were 228 deaths referred to phthisis, the
corrected average being 177 ; 285 to bronchitis,
against an average of 186 ; and 93 to pneumonia,
the average for which is 94. Scarlatina was fatal
in 54 cases, nine of which were in the sub-district
of Poplar, seven in Mile-end Old Town.

A locksmith died on the Bth inst. in the work-
house, Whitechapel, of " decay." His age, as
stated in the register of deaths, was 105 years.

A young man died in the London Hospital of
" elephantiasis of both legs ; albuminuria ; pneu-
monia."

A domestic servant died of " disease of the heart,
accelerated by fretting from seduction and deser-
tion." (Inquest.)

A nurse, domestic servant, aged 24 years, died of
" psoriasis inveterata (eight years) ; blood poison-
ing (three days.)"

The following six deaths by carriage accidents in
the streets were registered in the week :—A baronet,
aged 68 years, erysipelas from wound of scalp after
fall in the street ; died on the 7th of March at the
Great Western Hotel. [lt has been explained by
the coroner that the deceased, whose sight was de-
fective, fell by running against a horse which had
been pulled up, and was standing at the moment of
the accident.] A cowkeeper's assistant, aged 19
years, thrown out of a cart in the Marylebone-road;
died on the 27th of February in St. George's lios-
PI• 'tal A carman, aged 29 years, fell out of a cart;
died on the 2d of March in the Westminster Hos-
pital. A chimney-sweeper, aged 38 years, fell from
the step of a cart ; died on the sth of March at 7,
Upper Ogle-street, Marylebone. A brewer's ser-
vant, aged 21 years, run over by a dray in the
Bethnal-green-road ; died on the 2d of March in
St. Bartholomew's Hospital. A cabman, aged 40
years, fell from a cab ; died on the 6th of March at
1, Johanna-street, Lower-marsh, Lambeth.
The annual rate of mortality last week was 31
per 1,000 in London, 42 in Edinburgh, and 35 in
Dublin ; 37 in Bristol, 33 in Birmingham, 55 in
Liverpool, 46 in Manchester, 32 in Salford, 36 in
Sheffield, 41 in Leeds, 26 in Hull, 30 in Newcastle-
upon-Tyne, and 35 in Glasgow.
During the first seven weeks of the present y ear,
when the mean temperature of the air was 41.5 deg.,
the average annual rate of mortality in the aggre-
gate population (6,122,894) of the 13 large towns
of the United Kingdom was 29 per 1,000. In the
last three weeks, the mean temperature having
fallen to 35.1 deg., the annual rate of mortality, has
increased to 32 per 1,000.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
was. 29.538 in.
in. on Wed-
height of the barometer in the we9e.ko2
The barometric pressure fell to 2
nesday, and rose to 30.2
_r
3 ia. on Saturday. The
in the week was 36.8
mean temperature4ofdtehge.
same week in
below the average of the
deg., which is
:o y
•
years (as determined by Mr.
Glaisher). The mean daily temperature has been
constantly for 13 days.
temperature in the week was 27.5 deg.,
The
gebtaverage
the 4th inst., and the thermometer fell
Obonewl Soeswa lowest
night
below the freezing point of water on three other
nights, and on the remaining three nights to a point
but little above it. The difference between the mean
dew point temperature and air temperature was 5.4
deg. The mean degree of humidity of the air was
81, complete saturation being represented by 100.
The wind was chiefly N.N.E. on the last three days.
The tenth part of an inch of rain fell.

Yesterday a letter was received from the Admiralty
at Deptford dockyard approving the new binnacle
lan c ea
MIRACULOUS ESCAPE.— lamp recently invented by Mr. NV. C. Brown, one of
the civil servants of the dockyard. It is forthwith
to be supplied to all vessels of war in the service.
A
Bishop Auckland was cleaning the top windows of a three-
storied house on Saturday 'light, s
we rhveann
she
g ior livingvler b a d
herself and fell to the ground, a distance of 30 feet, and,
strange to say, was picked up little the worse beyond the
severe shock to the nervous system. In her fall she had
come in contact with a clothes line.
RELEASE OF JANE HARRIS.—At the Devon assizes
on Monday, Mary Jane llarris, the accomplice of the noto-
rious Charlotte Wieser, and the mother of the child for
whose murder the latte
but r is under sentence of death, was
fir'
Crowe, stated that he was instructed to offer no evidence,
and .tllriar.. Cisolies,
aboutwho jappepremarieidle
London is 25.25 per .£l. sterling. On
pftmor,tahne
placed at theand
,
t tie Isisielhogerutowtexchange
ga roogl
on
L ode da
ii,
comparing these rates with the English Mint price of .C 3
17s. Wid. per ounce for standard gold, it appears that gold is
nearly 3-Jails per cent. dearer in Loudon thau in Paris.

Railway and other Companies.

SAMBRE AND MEUSE.
The half-yearly meeting of this company was held
yesterday at the office, Moorgate-street ; Mr. G.
'heward in the chair.
The report, an abstract of which has appeared in
The Sun, was taken as read.
The CHAIRMAN, in moving its adoption, said he
had not as yet received any information as to whether
the Government would accept or reject the proposi-
tion for leasing the Grand Central of Belgium, of
which the Sambre and Meuse formed a part. He had
been three times over to Belgium on this matter, and
he believed if the late King had not died that the
matter would have been settled, and that the new
arrangement would have come into operation on the
Ist of January last. The Minister of Public Works
had agreed to the proposition, and it not remained
for the Minister of Finance to carry through,
Which was to have been done prior to last week, but
it still remained in the same position as before. One
shareholder complained that the terms were not pub-
lished, but he might state that, whatever the net
receipts were, the Sambre and Meuse would receive
22k per cent. of them, independently of what might
arise to them from the working of the Holland por-
tion of the Antwerp and Rotterdam Railway and
the steamers. Everything was uncertain at present
and the more they endeavoured to press matters for-
- „ard the more the Ministers would hold back.
Whatever was done in this matter it would require
the assent of the shareholders. The proposition was
in the hands of the Finance Minister to be presented
to the Council of Ministers. Until this matter was
concluded one way or the other the company would

continue to receive the rent from the Great Central
Company, and they would have 22i per cent. of the
net produce beyond the rent. They would never get
less than Bs. per share, and they might get a great
deal more. The proposition was that the united com-
panies, as the Grand Central of Belgium, were to re-
ceive from the Government £181,330 for the first year,
this amount was to go on increasing for seven years,
when it would amount to £220,000 a year, and con-
tinue at that rate during the remainder of the con-
cession. The Dutch portion of the undertaking,
including the steam boats, was estimated to pro-
duce £24,000 a year, in addition to the sum men-
tioned, so that, in the first year, under the new
,arrangement, the Sambre and Meuse Company
• would receive £45,289 instead of £41,000, and in
the year 1873 £55,260, which would yield them
rather more than 4 per cent. per annum.
Mr. HoTES did not care whether the Government
took the lines or not, as he believed they would
yield quite as much under the existing arrangement
between the companies. He seconded the motion
for the adoption of the report, which was carried
unanimously. A dividend of 4s. per share for the
past half-year was agreed to, payable on the 2d of
April, and the proceedings concluded with a vote of
thanks to the chairman and directors.