The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-14 00:00:00

REALM OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(Front the Report of the Registrar-General.)
In the week that ended on Saturday, the deaths of
1,135 persons—viz , 577 males and 558 females—were
registered. The average number of deaths in the 10 weeks
correst ending with last week of the years 1847-56 was
1,251 ; but as the deaths of last week occurred in an
incitt7Used vnpniation, the average must be raised pro-
portionally to the increase for the purpose of comparison,
and in this case it will become 1,376 The number of
deaths recorded last week is less by 241 than would have
been returned if the average rate of mortality had pre-
vailed.
The deaths caused by diseases of the organs of respi-
ration are not so numerous as they were about the end
of November; 270 are referred to this class in the table
for last week, the corrected average for corresponding
weeks being 333. Bronchitis was fatal in 140 cases ;
pneumonia in 87. The former disease began to be in
excess of the latter in November; and this excess is
always mainta.ned during the winter months, although
bronchitis attacks principally persons more or less ad-
vanced in life, and is, therefore, rfstricted in its opera-
tions to a narrower field. Phthisis was fatal last week
in 120 cases, nearly half of which occurred to personi
between the ages of 20 and 40 years. By the average
rate of mortality from this disease the number would
have been,ls3.
Hooping-cough was the most fatal last week of the
diseases in the zyrnetic class, and carried off 55 children.
Fiirty-nine persons died of typhus and common fever,
36 of scarlatina., 30 of measles, 4 of small-pox, 11 of
croup. Six children died of measles in thje Pancras
Workhouse, situated in the sub-district of Camden-town,
be

_..ween the 4th and 9th January inclusive. The aggre-
-g-ire—ticoitali,y from diseases of this class was below the
average.
Five persons are recorded as baying died from the
intemperate use of spirituous liquors. Last year the
number of deaths expressly stated as due to this cause
Ava. OS. or rather more than one in a week ; but at this
festiire season an increase in cases of this description is,
unfortunately, to be expected.
On he 30 h December, a man, aged 74 years, was
found dead in St. John's-square from want of necessaries

of lite.
Five persons in the present return, namely, four men
and a woman, had arrived at the age of 99 years or up-
wards. The oldest died in Mile-end at the age of 90
years.
Last week the births of 846 boys and 817 girls, in all
1,663 children, were registered in London. In the ten
corresponding weeks of the years 1847-56 the average
numbers was 1,517.
At the Royal Ohtervatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29 799 in. The
mean daily reading was above 30 in on three days
of the week. The lowest reading was 28.97 in. on Sun-
day, and the highest 30.26 in. on Wednesday. The mean
temperature of the week was 36.8 deg., which is 1 deg.
above the average of the same week in 43 years (as de-
termined by Mr. Glaisher.) On Friday the excess above
the average was 7 deg., on Saturday 9.6 deg. On Satur-
day the highest temperature in the week occurred, an-I
was 49 2 deg.; the lowest occurred on Wednesday, and
was 28 1 deg. ; the range of the week was therefore 21.1.
deg. The mean dew-point temperature was 34 5 deg.,
and the difference between this and the mean air tempe-
rature was 2.3 deg. The mean temperature of the water
of the Thames was 40.4 deg. The wind blew generally
from the north-east till the last three days, and then
chiefly from the south-west. The daily horizontal move-
ment of the air varied from sto 240. Rain fell to the
amount of 1.20 in. ; on Saturday the quantity was 0.69
in. Snow or rain fell on every day, except Wednesday.

MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLIS.
NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL OAUSES REGISTERED
IN THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JAN. 10
Zymotic Diseases
Diseases of Uncertain Seat
Tubercular Diseases
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves and Senses
Diseases of the Heart and Blood-vessels 55
Diseases of the Lungs and other Organs of
Respiration
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs

. 270

of Digestion .
Diseases of the Kidneys, &c.
Childbirth, Diseases of the Uterus, &c.
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles
Diseases of the Skin; &c.
Malformations .. 0
Premature Birth and Debility
29
Atrophy
Old Age
;widen •• 4
Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 32
Causes not specified

DEATHS EBOM ALL CAUSES
Population Deaths in corre• Deaths
Enumerated. aponding week in the
1851. of 1856. Week.
West Districts
North Districts 490,396
Central Districts..... 393,256
East Districts .. ...... 485,522
South Districts ...... 616.635

1,100

Totals ......... 2,362,236
Males
F3males.
BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males
Females

1,135
577
558

Total '

MR. THACKERArs LECTURES.

Conformably to his plan, Mr. Thackeray devoted 1);s
third lecture—delivered last night at the Maryl&'one In.
stitution—to "The life and manner" of the country dur-
ing the reign of the third George.
It was not till the lecture was about half finished that
the monarch himself was introduced to the notice of the
hearers. The earlier portion wag occupied with tbe ge-
neral aspect of London life at a period which Mr. Thack-
eray characterised as the age of "fine gentlemen." The
race of " fine gentlemen" is almost obsolete, and, indeed,
derived its nutrition from a certain spirit of veneration
which has long ceased to characterise the civilised world.
It was from the correspondence of George Selwyn that
the character of the " fine gentleman" was chiefly to he
taken. From this sketch Mr. Thackeray therefore drew
largely, and, briefly adverting to the immoralities of the
Duke of Queensbury and the Earl of March, dwelt at
some length on a notable divine, who openly avowed
that he did not believe a syllable of his creed, but
considered himself hone3ter than a lawyer, who was
ready to perform any service whatever for a noble
patron, but sometimes felt fatigued after what he
called a " nail day's christening," and who was an ex-
cellent judge of all that pertained to good living.
Altogether the morals of the aristocracy were lower than
in the days of Charles IL, and, considering that the no-
bility bad princely fortunes, and nothing to do, this
melancholy state of things was no subject for marvel.
While the aristocracy were thus leading dissipa'ed and
worthless lives, the country was saved, in Mr. Thackeray's
opinion, by the moral and intellectual greatness to be
found in the middle class —in the men belonging to the
professions, commerce, literature, and art. The lecturer
passed from the delineation of courtly profligacy to depict
a group composed of Johnson, Reynolds, Golea-nith,
Garrick, and other celebrities of their time. As for
Johnson, he mu,t be regarded as the preserver of the
highest institutions of the country. The p* ople had
learned to look upon him as an oracle ; and as the oracle
declared in favour of Church and State, Church and
State were suffered to exist.

At last George 111. came upon the scene, the lecturer
declaring that the intrinsic goodness of that monarch
must have been great indeed to survive the effect of the
immoral- atmosphere into which he was born. In his
earliest youth his mother described him as a "dull good
bey," and to the qualities of head and heart thus
pithily summed up he adhered in after years. Like
most dull people, he regarded superior intellect with
constant suTicion. On the other hand, he loved medio-
crity, and hence Beattie was his favourite poet, and
West his favourite painter. Even his attachment to
his future Queen may be traced to a common-plce
letter in which she described the horrors of war with
all a sciioolgirl's platitudes, and the adornment of the
princess with the crown of England might be
osforathe
sp
chtnnenkp a r
he de r
ntion
e.t e
Orne wtahred
ebaerslti
eo
rw eplar.otn
e ing s
tared with the finest spirit of irony.
.The scene within
married life Mr. Thackeray dwelt with rapture, tine-
the palace was that of a perfect. Arcadia. Queen Char-
the
performances on the . spinet, or, perhaps, little
country dances, in which Sing George would figure for
three hours to the same tune, formed the sole amusement
for successive evening e. A deeper tone of sentiment I
was aft.er war& given to the domestic picture by the in-
troduction of the Princess Amelia, as being most dusted
upon by her father. The description of a procession of
the Royal Family at Windsor, with the little Princese,
three years old, as the central personage, was one t:f
Mr. Tbackeray's most charming achievements. AR for
the sons of
.George HI., they were sources of small plea-
sure to their parent ; nor did Mr. Thackeray wonder a'
their revolting against a mode of life which, if it was the
perfection of order, was likewise the perfection of stu-
pidity.
Georgeity. The. many
and
th a
ta nr
ee
pc dr
eosteens t titbit aas rpee
rcpuertraeanuty apbeoenp t.
ing into cottages and chatting with the inhabitants, were
not passed over by the lecturer, who observed that they
indicated a species of good humour that was the very
reverse of dignified. The Caliph Haroun Alraschid wa,
wont to indulge in similar acts of condescension, but
his pleasantries were always followed by muniftcel?l_
gifts, whereas George 111. occasionally bestowed a gui
nea upon the favoured cottager, and occasionally found
he had nothing in his pocket. Small as these homely
jokes appear at the present time, they delighted our
fathers, who loved to look upon the garrulous old king,
clad in his Windsor uniform, regarded him as a the.
rough Englishman, with a national hatred for all French
kickshaws, and applauded Gilray when he representel