The Sun.
London, England, 1866-10-03 00:00:00

collision, with some fishing-smacks about 12 miles
outside Torbay, when they were pulling their boats
about the channel, with a compass which had gone
wrong, and with no food or water on board, we
should have had to-day to lament a frightful addi-
tion to the list of deaths.

Amidst this desolation and havoc, it is very satis-
factory to find that the means used in saving life
from shipwreck on our coast have made, and are
making, the most encouraging progress. There are
now nearly 200 lifeboat stations on our shores, and
nearly the whole of them belong to the National
Lifeboat Institution, whose activity and usefulness
commanded not only the admiration of the British
people and Parliament, but also that of nearly every
maritime power throughout the world. Indeed, it
is a remarkable fact that during the past few years
kindred institutions have been established on the
coasts of many of these nations ; while at one of our
thriving colonies in the antipodes, it is reported to
the institution, they have built self-righting lifeboats
equal to the mother country.

Again, the Board of Trade support 249 life-saving
rocket-apparatus stations, which are worked by that
valuable body of men the Coastguard. These, in
conjunction with the provision-of lighthouses and
floating light-vessels, and lifeboats on nearly all of
the most difficult points of navigation on our
coasts—the gradual improvement of natural har-
bours of refuge ; the decoration of the Albert medal
by her Majesty the Queen, and the rewards of the
National Lifeboat Institution to our boatmen and
fishermen for noble efforts to save life from ship-
wreck ; all these admirable provisions testify to the
unceasing skill and liberal care for the safety and
deliverance of our tens of thousands of seafaring
men, which their perils, acting upon a benevolent
public, have drawn forth.
At present nearly every class co-operates with the
Institution. The resident gentry and others, at its
lifeboat stations, give their superintendence ; the
boatmen give readily their personal services for
stipulated payments ; the railway and steam-packet
companies convey the lifeboats carriage free ; and
the public support the institution liberally.
The Lifeboat Society is infinitely more than an
office or an agency. It is an organisation of intel-
ligence, a focus to which information converges,
and a centre from which it radiates. By the circu-
lation of facts which it maintains, it interests the
whole public, awakens sympathy, excites to effort,
and is continually submitting itself and its work to
general supervision. It lives on its proper merits,
and every shilling it receives may be said to be
given under the valuable law of " payment for
results." Thus, though it may be possible at the
present moment to say that the institution has not
reached this or that place on the coast to supply its
wants, we are to remember that it is chiefly owing
to what the institution has done to interest the pub-
lic in the subject, that isolated cases of deficiency
attract even casual notice ; while the principle of
progress at work in the institution is a guarantee
that at no distant date every want when pointed
out, or as it arises, will be promptly supplied.
All this comes of private benevolence, energy,
and zeal ; and so striking is the result that the
principle has, as we said before, commended itself
to every other maritime country in the world.
We feel assured that an institution of such na-
tional interest will continue to receive a large
amount of the sympathy and support of the British
public, in aid of the maintenance of its noble life-
saving fleet of one hundred and seventy-two boats;
and that no society has a stronger claim for that
sympathy and support than the National Lifeboat
Institution, is testified by the gratifying fact that
its lifeboats and other means preserve every year,
under Providence, hundreds of our hardy sailors
from a premature grave, and many homes from the
desolation of widowhood and orphanage.

We may add, that contributions in aid of the
great and important work of the National Lifeboat
Institution are received by all the bankers through-
out the United Kingdom, and by the Secretary at
the Institution, 14, John-street, Adelphi, London.

THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

(From the Registrar-General's Return)

In the week that ended on Saturday, Sept. 29,
the births registered in London and 12 other large
towns of the United Kingdom were 4,574 ; the
deaths registered 3,176. The annual rate of mor-
tality was 27 per 1,000 persons living.
In London the births of 1,057 boys and 1,089
girls, in all 2,146 children, were registered in the
week. In the corresponding weeks of ten years,
1856-65, the average number, corrected for increase
of population, was 1,977.
The deaths registered in London during the week
were 1,418. It was the 30th week of the year, and
the average number of deaths for that week is, with
a correction for increase of population, 1,239. The
deaths in the present return exceed the estimated
number by 179.
One hundred and seventy-seven deaths from
cholera and 67 from diarrhoea, were registered dur-
ing the week. Of these 12 deaths from cholera
and 9 from diarrhoea occurred in the west ; 36 from
cholera and 17 from diarrhoea in the north ; 28
from cholera and 17 from diarrhoea in the central ;
55 from cholera and 18 from diarrhoea, in the east ;
46 from cholera and 12 from diarrhoea in the south
districts. During the last 13 weeks, 4,174 persons
have fallen victims to cholera, and 2,298 deaths
were caused by diarrhoea.
The cholera matter is now diffused very equally
all over London, and as the waters of the upper
Thames, of the Lea, and of the wells become in-
fected, the utmost exertions of the authorities will
be required to ensure its decline. Each health offi-
cer should consider that the safety not only of the
people of his own district, but of three millions of
people depends on his activity. It is to be regretted
that these inadequately paid officers cannot devote
the whole of their time to the duties of their office.

L
The annual rate of mortality last week was 24 per
1,000 in London, 23 in Edinburgh, and
Dub-
lin, 22 in Bristol, 18 in Birmingham, 47 44
in in
iv er
Liver-
pool, 28 in Manchester, 26 in Salford, 18 in Shef-
field, 29 in Leeds, 26 in Hull, 36 in Newcastle-upon-
Tyne, and 25 in Glasgow. The rate in Vienna was
55 per 1,000 during the week ending the 22d ult.,
when the mean temperature was 5.3 deg. Fahrenheit
higher than in the same week in London, where the
rate was 23 per 1,000.
The fatality of cholera continues to decline steadily
in Liverpool ; last week of the 437 deaths 116 were
referred to this disease, while in the previous six
week the numbers were respectively 157, 146, 225,
145, 182, and 159. In Dublin, however, the num-
ber of fatal cases is still increasing ; the 268 deaths
including
ekdwineg9sBtfhreoy wemchreol4el7 52,,
whereas in the four pre-
vious 55, and 65. Manches-
ter even now appears to be threatened with a visi-
tation unless the danger can be averted by strenuous
exertions on the part of the local authorities ; last
week in Manchester and Salford of the 248 deaths
14 were referred to cholera, of which several were of
a severe type. In Vienna an epidemic of cholera is
raging with increasing violence ; in the week ending
Sept. 22, of 586 deaths 274 were cases of cholera,
showing a large increase upon the three previous
weeks, when the numbers were 64, 107, and 201.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.677 in.
The barometrical reading increased from 29.21 in. on
Sunday to 29.87 in. on Tuesday. The mean tempera-
ture of the air in the week was 55.5 deg. which is 0.9
deg. above the average of the same week in 50 years
(as determined by Mr. Glaisher). The highest day
temperature was 71.0 deg. on Friday, and the lowest
night temperature was 41.3 deg. on Tuesday. The en-
tire range of temperature in the week was, therefore,
29.7 dog. The mean of the highest temperatures of
the water of the Thames was 55.6 deg. ; that of the
lowest was 51.7 deg. The difference between the
mean dew-point temperature and air temperature
was 3.1 deg. The mean degree of humidity of the
air was 89, complete saturation being represented
by 100. The rain which fell on Monday, Wednes-
day, and Thursday measured 0.23 in. On Monday
the rainfall at Wakefield was 0.77 in. and at Bir-
mingham 1.17 in.; on Thursday, at Clifton, 0.61 in. ;
and on Friday, at Manchester, Eccles, and Clifton
rain fell to the amount of 0.77 in., 0.76 in., and
0.71iu. respectively. The general direction of the
wind was south-east. The mist was observed on
five days of the week,