The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-25 00:00:00

TIIE PUBLE,' HEALTH.

(From, tke Quo,rteiy Return of ti Registrar-GeJieral.) •
Thi.s return comprises the births and deaths re-
gistered by 2,197 registrars in all the districts of
England during the summer quarter that ended on
September 30th, 1859, and the marriages in 13,377
churches or chapels, about 4,153 registered places
of worship unconnected with the Established
Church, and 631 Superintendent-Registrars' offices,
in the quarter
,that ended on June 30th, 1859.
The returns present a favourable view of the state
of the country. 'The marriages increased as they do
when the prof:pret of life among the working classes
is cheering. Thu•ands of children in excess of the
average were born, the rate of mortality diminished,
and the population increased at an unusual rate.
As the diminution in the rate of mortality took
place in the towns, it may be fairly ascribed to the
prosperous state of trade, to the supply of better
water, the abolition of cesspools, the purification of
the air, and the various sanitary works which many
of them have carried out.

MARRIAGES.
84,090 persons married in the quarter that ended
on June 30, or 4,272 in excess of the number who
married in the corresponding quarter of last year.
The marriage rate was F 712, the average of the
quarter being 1-698. In England marriages are
more numerous in the spring quarter than in the
first three months of the year, but they are always
most numerous in the Christmas quarter.

PRICES, THE WEATHER, AND PAUPERIS3I.
The price of wheat has remained steadily at
nearly the same figure for a year and nine months ;
and during the last three months it has been 44s a
quarter. This steadiness of price in an article of
large consumption has a salutary effect.
Beef has been 5.1 d a pound, mutton, sld a
pound by the carcass at Leadenhall and Ne,wgate-
markets. The price of beef is the same as it was
is the corresponding quarter of 1858, and the
eighth of a penny less than it was in 1857 ;
the price of mutton in the same quarters was 5d.,
53d., and 51d. The average prices of the higher
qualities of the two meats decreased d. in the
pound ; or, beef from 61 d to 61d ; mutton, 7d to 64d.
Potatoes were sold at the rate of 85s a ton at the
waterside market, Southwark; in the correspond-
ing quarters of two previous years the prices were
105 s and 77s 6d. The prices of the present year,
like the temperatures of the seasons, occupy an in-
termediate position between those of 1857, when
they were higher, and 1851, when they were lower.
The mean temperature of the quarter was 62.8
deg., or 3.3 deg. above the average temperature of
the season during 88 years. The excessive heat
was accumulated in July, when the mean tempera-
ture was 68.1 deg. ; while on July 12 the air in the
shade reached 921 deg., and 93 deg. on the 13th
and the 18th ; so that during 10 successive days
the mean temperature of day and night exceeded
70 deg., a thing unprecedented during the period
over which correct observations extended.
The air was drier (-72) than usual, but the
rain-fall (8.2 inches) somewhat exceeded the
quarterly average. The thermometer on the
grass never fell below 40 degrees in July and
August, whereas it usually falls several time to
the freezing point of water. Pauperism is below
the average in the kingdom. The average number of
paupers in receipt of relief during the quarter was
783,449, or less by about 29,000 than the numbers
receiving reliCf in the corresponding quarters of the
two previous years.