The Sun.
London, England, 1859-08-17 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING 2IIE
WEEK.

(From the Regutrar-General's .Report)
The returns of London for last week exhibit a
further, though not an important, decrease on those
of the previous week. The deaths in the week that
ended last Saturday were 1,296. In the 10 years
1849-58 the average number of deaths in the weeks
corresponding with last week was 1,241 ; but, as
the deaths now returned occurred in a population
which has increased, they should be compared
with
the average raised in proportion to the increase—
namely, with 1,365. From this comparison it ap-
pears that the deaths returned for last week were
less by 69 than the number which the average rate
of mortality for the second week of August would
have produced. it should be observed, however,
that the facts on which the calculation is based are
derived in part from two weeks, in 1848 and 1854
respectively, when cholera was epidemic ; and in
making the -above comparison this circumstance
should not be forgotten. The public health is far
from being in a satisfactory condition.
The deaths from diarrhoea, which were in the
three previous weeks successively 415, 382, and 312,
were last week 296. In the 10 weeks of 1849-58,
corresponding with last week, the average number
(corrected) was 189. Of the 296 deaths, 90 occurred
in the East districts, in which division the disease
still appears to be most prevalent. Taking London
generally, the sub-districts where fatal cases of
diarrhoea were recorded last week in greatest num-
bers are Belgrave, which returns 7, Rectory Mary-
lebone, also 7, Regent's-park 9, Haggerstone west
6, Hackney-road 6, Bethnal-green-town 7, Mile-
end Old-town, west and east sub-districts, 15 ;
Poplar 8, and Battersea 5. In addition, to the
deaths from diarrhoea, 22 are referred to cholera,
" choleraic diaarhcea," &c. A woman, aged 37
years, died at 34, Upper Rosoman-street, of " cho-
lera biliosa," after five days' illness; a man, aged
150 years, at 7, Ebenezer-buildings, Heston, of
" cholera morbus." A mate, aged 32 years, died
on the 4th of August in the Dreadnought Hos-
pital-ship of " cholera ;" and a seaman belong-
ing to the General Steam Navigation Company,
aged 31 years,, on July 30, ;,s supposed also to
have died of cholera, in a. b-oat near the same
Hospital-ship. All the 22 deaths from cholera oc-
curred to children, except a; one was that of a boy
at Hampstead, aged 3 years, who died on the 10th
inst. of " Asiatic cholera," after 11 hours' illness.
Two persons died from want of the necessaries of
life. Scarlatina was fatal in 49 cases, and diptheria
in 18.

Last week the births of 907 boys and 855_girls,
in all 1,762 children, were registered in London.
In the ten corresponding weeks of the years 1849-
58 the averaf.o number was 1,500.
METROPOLITAN WATERS IN JULY, 1859.
The waters supplied by the Thames companies,
according to the analysis of Dr. Robert Dundas
Thomson, F.R.S., of St. Thomas's Hospital, con-
tained in July less foreign matter than they have
held in solution since 1854, when those procured
above Teddington Lock were distinguished by even
a smaller amount of impurity. They afford a
striking contrast with the Thames water at Lon-
don-bridge, which is added for the sake of com-
parison. Last year the Thames water at the same
locality contained 88.8 deg. of impurity and 10.24
deg. of organic impurity, with 1 grain of carbo-
nate of ammonia per gallon derived from the ani-
mal matter in the sewage. In the past mouth the
amount of the same salt was .72 rains. The smell
of the river has been distinguishable at even a
greater distance than last year, but subsides with
the temperature. The composition of one of the
unhealthy surface wells is also appended :

Total impurity Organic im-
per gallon. purity.
grs. or deg. gra-. or deg.
01) 0•0

Distilled Water
Loch Katrine water, new supply
to Glasgow
Thames water at London-bridge
Aldgate pump
THAMES COMPANIES.
Chelsea
Southwark
Lambeth

159.20
49.12

0.80
16.80
13.91

15,18
1416
1600
1540
1512

Grand Junction
West Middlesex
OTHER COMPANIES.
New River
East London
Kent

14.60
16.36
21.68

The table is read thus : Loch Katrina water con-
tains in the gallon 2.18 degrees or grains of foreign
matter in solution, of which .8 degrees or grains
are of vegetable or animal origin.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean
height of the barometer in the week was 29.796 in.
The barometer rose from 29.64 on Monday to 29.90
in, on Thursday, being the lowest and highest
readings respectively in the week. The meaa
temperature of the week was 63.9 degrees,
which is 2.1 deg: above the average of the same
week in 43 years (as determined by Mr. Glaisher).
The highest point attained by the thermometer in
the sun was 101 deg. on Friday. The highest point
attained by the thermometer in the shade was 81
deg., which was read both on Monday and Friday.
The lowest point was 51.5 deg. on Friday. The
entire range of the temperature of the air on that
day, and also in the week, was therefore 29.5 deg.
The mean daily range was 18.4 deg. The,diffe-
rence between the mean dew-point temperature and
air temperature was 7.5 deg. The mean degree of
humidity of the air was 77. The mean tempera-
ture of the water of the Thames was 67.1 deg.,
which exceeds that of the air by 3.2 deg. On the
first two days and the last two the wind blew
chiefly from the south-west ; in the middle of the
week it was in the north east and north. Rain fell
to the amount of 0.28 in., most of which was mea-
sured on Wednesday.