The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-15 00:00:00

INFANTILE MaR7'ALITI

AND STILL

BORN CHILDREN.

Yesterday, at.-Site Marylebone Board of Guar-
dians, Mr. C. Beevor in the chair, Dr.Bachhoffner,
in moving the appointment of a committee, of
which he had previously given notice, to inquire
into the present state of infantile mortality, and
the births of illegitimate stillborn children in the
metropolis, ,asked the assistant-overseer if he could
make a return of the cost of the parish ofillegitimate
children during the past ten years ?
The assistant-overseer replied that he could not,
as there was no record kept of such particular ex-
penditure. The charge, when it could be made,
for a woman's maintenance during her confinement
in the workhouse for a perio•i of four weeks, was
10s., and is. 6d. for the midwife. Dr. Bachhoffner
observed that it was a startling fact that, in the
year 1857, according to the Registrar-General's re-
turn, 1 in every 15 children born were illegitimate,
and in that the number was lin every 9. (Sensa-
tion.) He had received from the assistant overseer
a return of the illegimate children born in that
(Marylebone) workhouse during the last five years,
which amounted to 821, and he wished now to ob-
tain some idea of the cost incurred.

Dr. RANDALL, senior parochial surgeon, in reply
to Dr. Bachhoffner, saio that he was unable to speak
as to the cost, but it would be interesting for the
board to know, with respect to the question at
issue, that 212 women had been confined in the
lying-in ward of the workhouse during the
year 1858, and out of this number there were
sixteen still-born children, making an average
of 7.5 per cent. on the whole. Six of these
still-born infants were the offspring of married wo-
men, making an average of this class of 2.8 per
cent., and 10 were the infants of single women,
making thereby an average of 4.7 per cent.
Dr. BACHHOFFNER said that the return would
prove very useful to the committee in their re-
searches, and he trusted that much good would
eventually arise to the country by the investiga-
tion that was going to take place.
The following gentlemen were then appointed to
form the committee, viz., Sir J. Anson, Mr. Poland,
Mr. Potter, Mr. Taverner, Mr. Little, Dr. Bach-
hoffner, and Mr. C. Beevor ; and the board, after
the disposal of some ordinary routine business, ad-
journed.

VOLUNTEER CORPS.

CAN rERBURY.

At a public meeting. convened by the Mayor at
the request of a committee appointed at a previous
meeting, held at the Guildhall, Canterbury, the
committee in their report, which was read to the
ineetirg, recommended that one or more rifle corps
should be immediately formed in Canterbury, and
subscriptions invited for the purpose ; a subscrip-
tion of £lO to constitute a life member, who will
be at liberty to wear the uniform of the corps, and
to have access to the practice ground. The effec-
tive members to be of three classes :-1. Those pro-
viding uniform and accoutrements ; 2. Those pro-
viding uniform only; and 3. Those providing
nothing. Each class will wear uniform of the
same material, which, by order of the Lord-Lieute-
nant, will be gray with scarlet facings. It was also
recommended that a committee be appointed at the
meeting, to remain in operation till Nov. 2, and on
that day a meeting to be convened of subscribers of
£5 and upwards to appoint a new committee of
nine for general purposes, who will have power to
propose to the Lord-Lieutenant the names of gen-
tlemen for commissions. The report was unani-
mously adopted, and it was resolved that it be
printed and circulated. A subscription list, and
also a list of members were opened, the former
headed by the Mayor of Canterbury with a dona-
tion of £lO. It was stated that the cost of uniform
and accoutrements will be under £B.