The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-02 00:00:00

IIEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(Front the Report of the Rc9istrar-General.)
It appears frsm the weekly return of the Regis-
trar-General that the mean temperature of the air
in the last week of October was 17 deg. lower than
that of the second week in t:le month; and the re-
turns of mortality show the effect of increased cold
in an increase of deaths, which rose from 902 to
1,048, the latter number being returned for the
week that ended last Saturday.
In the corresponding weeks of ten years 1849-58
the average number of deaths was 1,023 ; but a,.•
the deaths returned for last week occurred in an in-
creased population, they should be compared with
the average raised in proportion to the increase,
namely, with 1,125. The comparison shows that
the deaths in the present return are less by 77 than
they would have been if the average
rate of mor-
tality bad ruled.
The deaths from bronchitis and pneumonia, which
were in the previous week respectively 42 and 32,
rose last week to 58 and 43. Phthisis or consump-
tion rose from 139 to 155 ; hooping-cough from 4to
15. Scarlatina continues high, but discovers iittle
fluctuation ; it was fatal last week in 91 cases,
diphtheria in 11. The Registrar of
-St. Leonard,'
Shoreditch, mentions a house, 10, Kingsland-read,
where four children have died from scarlatina
within six weeks. Twenty-two deaths are referred
to smallpox.
Mr. Wilson, the Registrar of St. John Mary le-
bone, who registered a death fr6m smallpox last
week at 47, Princess-street, thus writes :—" About
six weeks ago a gardener living at 48, Princess-
street, Portman-market, was attacked by small-
pox of a severe character, but recovered. The
disease spread, and on 29th September the daughter
of a railway porter, aged 8 years, on the sth Octo-
ber a son of the same railway porter, aged 16
months, and on the 10th October the son of a jour-
neyman plumber, aged 18 months, died of it, all in
the same house (No. 48). It then appeared in the
next house (No. 47), where the child of a journey-
man bricklayer, who was attacked on 13th October,
died on 25th October; and the father of the same
child, who is out of work from the present strike
in the building trade, was taken ill of smallpox on
the 18th. and is still under the attack. It will thus
be seen, that in rather less than a month smallpox
of a virulent character attacked six persons in two
adjoining houses, of whom the four children died.
Some other cases, although not of a fatal character,
have appeared in another part of my sub-district.
It should be added that some of the children whose
deaths are recorded had been very imperfectly
vaccinated, some not at all, and others only after
the appearance of the epidemic."
Two children died in the week from ngevus. A
young girl died from coup de soleil received three
months ago. An infant died of pemphigus ;
a washerwoman of elephantiasis ; a hawker, aged
40 years, at 6, Crooked Billet-yard, from starvation.
Three persons, aged respectively 90, 96, and 98
years, died in the week ; also a centenarian (a
widow), whose age is stated to be 101 years 9
months, and who dled at 12, Gun-yard, Aldgate.
Last week the births of 823 boys and 822 girls,
in all 1,645 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1849-
58 the average number was 1,564.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.361 in.
The readings rose from 28.92 in. on Wednesday to
29.89 in. on Thursday, being respectively the
lowest and highest in the week. The mean tem-
perature of the air in the week was 38.6 deg., which
is 8.8 deg. below the average of the same week in 43
years (as determined by Mr. Glaisher). On Sunday
and Monday the extent of depression was 15 deg.
and nearly 16 deg. •, on Tuesday and Thursday
about 10 deg. ; and throughout the week the mean
daily temperature was more or less below the
average. The thermometer in the shade fell to
its lowest point 26.5 deg. on Monday, and rose to
its highest 56 deg. on Friday. The range of the
week was therefore 29.5 deg. The mean daily
range was 15.3 deg. The diffrence between the
mean dew-point temperature and air temperature
was 2.3 deg. The mean degree of humidity of the
air was 90 ; on the first three days the humidity
approached complete saturation. Snow fell fast
for about an hour on Monday. Rain fell to the
amount of 0.90 in., the greater part of which fell
on Tuesday. The wind was almost constantly in
the south-west. On Tuesday the horizontal move-
ment of the air was at the average rate of 18 miles
per hour, as shown by Robinson's anemometer. On
Wednesday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. the average pres-
sure of the wind was 811bs. on the square foot ; the
greatest pressure 131bs. ; and its average hourly
velocity was 35 miles.

REGISTRAR•GENERAL'S
,QUARTERLY
RETU.RN.

The following is the substance of the Quarterly
Return of the Births, Deaths, and Marriages regis-
tered in the divisions, counties, and districts of Eng-
land, just issued by authority of the Registrar-
General :

This 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 30, 1859; and the marriages in 12,377
churches or chzpels, about 4,158 registered places
of worship unconnected with the established
church, and 631 superintendent registrars' offices,
in the quarter that ended on June 30,1859. The
returns present a favourable view of the state of the
country. The marriages increased, as they do
when the prospect of life among the working
classes is cheering. Thousands of children in ex-
MSS of the average were born ; the rate of morta-
lity 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 quar-
ter that ended on June 30, or 4,272 in excess of the
numbers who married in the corresponding quarter
of last year. The marriage rate was 1,712 ; 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 quar-
ter.

BIRTHS.—The births of 168,311 children were
registered in the quarter that ended on September
30. The number is 10,862 in excess of the births
in the corresponding quarter of last year. The
birth rate in the quarter was 3.377 ; the average
being 3.246.
INCREASE OF POPULATION.— 63,072 was the ex-
cess of the number of births over the number of
deaths, and that was therefore the natural in-
crease of the population of England and Wales in
92 days. On an average 695 were added to the po-
pulation daily, and the probable daily increase of
the population of the United Kingdom was 1,042,
which at the ordinary rates of mortality will supply
347 men daily of the age of 20. The youth of the
country are growing at such a rate as to add a bat-
talion to its strength every two or three days. A
certain number of them are transpli rated, and go to
people the colonies. 34,864 emigrants sailed during
the quarter, or 379 men, women, and children on
an average daily, from the ports of the United
Kingdom at which there are Government agents;
of whom about 12,464 were of English origin.
PRICES, THE WEATHER, AND PAUPERISM.—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 445. a quarter.
This steadiness of price in an article of large
consumption has a salutary effect. Beef has been
51d. a pound, mutton 51d. a pound by the carcase
at Leadenhall and Newgate markets. The price
of beef is the same as it was in the correspond-
ing quarter of 1858, and the eighth of a penny less
than it was in 1857 ; the price of mutton in the
same quarters was 51d., 54d. The average
prices of the higher qualities of the two meats de-
creased id. in the pound, or beef from 60. to 6d.;
mutton, 7d. to 611 d. Potatoe ; were sold at the rate
of 85s. a ton at the waterside market, Southwark ;
in the corresponding quarter of two previous years
the prices were 105 s. and 765. 6d. The prices of
the present year, like the temperatures of the sea-
sons, occupy an intermediate positiod between
those of 1857, when they were higher, and 1858,
when they were lower. The mean temperatulT of
the quarter was 62 deg. 8 min., or 3 deg. 3 min,
above the average temperature of the season
during 88 years. The excessive heat was
accumulated chiefly in July, when the mean
temperature was 68 deg. 1 min. ; while on July
12th the air in the shade reached 92,4 deg.,
and 93 deg. on the 13th and the 18th; so that
during 10 successive days the mean temperature ol
day and night exceeded 70 deg., a thing unprece
dented during the period over which correct obser.
vatious extended. The air was drier (72) than
usual ; but the rain-fall (8.2 inches) somewhat ex-
ceeded the quarterly average. The thermometer on
the grass never fell below 40 deg. in July and
August, whereas it usually falls several times 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
wa5783,449, or less by about 29,000 than the num-
bers receiving relief in the corresponding quarters
of the two previous years.
STATE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH.-104,339 per-
sons died in the last quarter. The number is
6,079 in excess of the deaths, 98,260, in the corres-
ponding summer quarter of last year; and the