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

11EALTII OF LONDON DURING THE

WEEK.

(From the Report of the Registrar-G neral.)
In the week that ended on Saturday, the deaths of
1,135 persons—viz , 577 males and 553 females—were
registered. The average number of deaths in the 10 weeks
corresponding with last week of the years 1847-56' was
1,251 ; but as the deaths of last week occurred in an
increased population, the average must be raised pro-
portionally to the increase for the purpose of comparisen,
and in this case it will become 1,37 G. 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 maintained during the winter months, although
bronchitis attacks principally persons more or less ad-
vanced in life, and is, therefore, restricted in its opera-
tions to a narrower field. Plithisis was fatal list week
in 120 cases, nearly half of which occurred to persons
between the ages of 20 and 40 years. By the average
rate of mortality from this disease the number would
have been 153. •

Hooping-cough was the most fatal last week of the
diseases in the zymotic class, and carried off 55 children.
Forty-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 the Pancras
WorkhouSe, situated in the sub-district of Camden-town,
between the 4th and 9th January inclusive. The aggre-
gate mortality from diseases of this class was below the
average.
.Five persons- are rfloorded m having died from the
intemperate use of spirituous liquors. Last year the
number of deaths 'expressly stated as due to this cause
was 66, or rather more than one in a week ; but at this
festive season an increase in cases of this description is,
unfortunately, to be expected.
On the 30th December, a man, aged 74 years, was
found dead in St. John's-square from want of necessaries
of life.

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 Obtervatory, 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 tee 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 fall on every day, except Wednesday,

MORTALITY IN THE METROPOLIS.
NUMBER OF DEATHS FROM ALL CAUSES REGISTERED
IN THE WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, JAN. 10
Zyrnotic 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 . 270
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other Organs
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
sudden 4
Violence, Privation, Cold, and Intemperance 32
Causes not specified

DRAMS nom ALL Cit.IISES

1,135

Population Deaths in corre- Deaths
Vidmerated. sponding week in the
1854. .0f..1.8.416. Week.
West Districts
North Districts 490,396
Central Districts 393,256
East Districts 485,522
South Districts

Totals
Males 577
Females. 558
BIRTHS IN THE WEEK.

Males
Females..

846
817

Total

MR. THACKERA Y'S LECTURES.

Conformably to his plan, Mr. Thackeray devoted h;fs
third lecture—delivered last night at the Marylel,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 was 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 be
taken. From this sketch Mr. Tnackeray 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
cornddeied himself honester than a lawyer, who was
ready to perform any service whatever or a noble
patron, but sometimes felt fatigued after what he
called a " bard 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 11., and, considering that the no-
bility had princely fortunes, and nothing to do, this
melancholy state of things was no subject for marvel.
While the aristocracy were thus leading dissipated 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, Goldsmith,
Garrick, and other celebrities of their time. As for
Johnson, be must be regarded as the preserver of the
highest institutions of the country. The people 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
boy," 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 suspicion. 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-place
letter in which she described the horrors of war with
all a schoolgirl's platitudes, and the adornment of the
princess with the crown of England might be
compared to the reward bestowed on some spelling.
King's
married heroine. On the earlier part of the
married life Mr. Thackeray dwelt with rapture, tibnc-
tured with the finest spirit of irony.
The scene win
it t
en itChar-
lotte's performances on the
the palace was that of a perfescptinAeric,adoira;
perhaps,Qu
country dances,
for
d the sole amusement
three hours to the same tune, forme
in which King George would figure
for successive evenings. A deeper tone of sentiment
was afterwards given to the domestic picture by the in-
troduction of the Princess Amelia, as being most doated
upon by her father. The description of a procession of
the Royal Family at Windsor, with the littlerincess
three years old, as the central personage, was one of'
Mr. Tnackeray's most charming achievements. As for
the sons of George 111., they were sources of small plea-
sure to their parent ; nor did Mr. Thackeray wonder at
their revolting against a mode of life which, if it was the
perfection of order, was likewise the perfection of stu-
pidity. The many anecdotes that are current about
George 111., and that represent him as perpetually peep-
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 was
wont to indulge in similar acts of condescension, but
his pleasantries were always followed by munificent
gifts, whereas George 111, occasionally bestowed a gui
nea upon the favoured cottager, and occasionaly 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 tho-
rough Englishman, with a national hatred for all French
kickshawe, and applauded Gilray when he represented