The Sun.
London, England, 1861-11-06 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LONDON _DUI?INO THE WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's Weekly Return.)
The deaths in London in the week that ended
last Saturday were 1,078 ; the last three returns
have shown very slight fluctuation, The deaths
returned for last week were less by more than a
hundred than they would have been if the average
rate of mortality in the same week of ten previous
years had prevailed.

The mortality from scarlatina continues high.
The number of fatal cases of this complaint was 94,
and of diphtheria 18 ; while the corrected average
in corresponding weeks of the two diseases com-
bined is 83. There were 4 deaths from scarlatina in
the north-west sub-district of Chelsea, 4 in May-
fair, 7 in Somers-town and Camden-town, 8 in
Islington, and 7 in the Waterloo-road sub-districts
of Lambeth. Mr. Mears, registrar of the first
Waterloo-road sub district, who recorded five deaths
from this disease, mentions a house (70,King-street)
in which it prevails, and where each room contains
a family, and the kitchen holds eight persons who
" live and sleep" in it.

The mortality by smallpox and measles is low, 3
deaths having been registered from the former, and
7 from the latter. There were 16 from croup, 35
from whooping- cough, 47 from typhus. Six in-
fants died from syphilitic disease. There were five
deaths by murder or manslaughter, three of which
occurred to infants.

Last week the births of 947 boys and 889 girls, in
all 1,836 children, were registered in London. In
the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1851-60
the average number was 1,652.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.644
inches. On Sunday the barometer was 29.99
inches ; it fell to 29.12 inches on Saturday. The
mean temperature of the air in the week 'was 45 5
deg., which is 1.2 deg. below the average of the
same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr.
Glaisher.) The mean daily temperature was 5
deg. and 8 deg. below the averages on Friday and
Saturday. The highest day temperature was ob-
tained on Sunday, and was 58.6 deg. ; the lowest
night temperature was 32.4 deg. on Saturday.
The range of tempsrature was 26.2 degreew. .
The mean daily range was 13.9 deg. The difference
between the mean dew-point temperature and air
temperature was 5 deg. The mean degree of
humidity of the air was 81, complete saturation
being represented by 100. The mean temperature
of the water of the Thames was 54 deg. The wind
blew on the first four days from the north-east ; it
was afterwards in the south-west and north west.
Rain fell to the amount of 0.36 inch on Friday and
Saturday ; the amount on the latter day, consisting
partly of melted snow, was o'2l inch. Lightning
was very frequent in the evening of Friday, mostly
in the east and south-east. Snow fell thickly, and
with very large flakes, from 7 a.m. till 9.30 a.m,on
Saturday.
METROPOLITAN WATERS IN OCTOBER, 1861.
The water supplied to London in the past month, acc,ording-
to the analyses of Dr. Robert Dundas Thomson, F.R.S., ex-
hibits a tendency to an increase in its amount of impurity as
the season advances. The smallest amount of organic im-
purity is found in the Grand Junction, East London, and
West Middlesex ; the maximum of organic impurity existing
in the Lambeth, Kent, and Chelsea. For the sake of com-
parison, the composition of the water of the Broad-street
pump in St. James's, so notorious for its propagation of
cholera in 1854, is added. It was proved to contain much
sewage in an oxidised form, and therefore to be in free com-
munication with such sources of impurity.
Total impurity Organic im-
per gallon. purity.,
gni. or deg. gra. or dew
Distilled Water
Loch Katrine water, new supply
605
to Glasgow (March). 2-31
80 6
Manchester Water Supply (March) 3.33
-6-08
Broad-street Pump 89.72

THAMES COMPANIES.
West Middlesex 16.96 016
17-2 o 1•12
Southwark
Grand Junction 17'72 0/217.72 12 i
Chelsea
Lambeth

OTHER COMPANIES.
Kent ............................ 3'04
grains are of veg,etable or animal
0'92
New
wst
RLiovnedrt;!
......................................... it7:(0)55
The table is read thus--. Loch Katr.ine Water contains in the
gallon 2.3 , degrees or grain of foreign matter in solution, of
,;lii.gieillt -605 degrees or

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