The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-02 00:00:00

THE PUBLIC HEALTH:

The following is the weekly return by the Registrar_
General of births and deaths in London and in thirteen
other large towns of the United Kingdom :

General Register Office, Somerset House, April 27.

In the week that ended on Saturday, April 25, 4,758
births and 2,975 deaths were registered in London and in
thirteen other large towns of the United Kingdom. The
annual rate of mortality was 24 per 1,000 persons living.
The annual rate of mortality last week was 23 per 1,000
in London, 29 in Edinburgh, and 29 in Dublin ; 23 in
Bristol, 19 in Birmingham, 24 in Liverpool, 26 in Man-
chester, 30 in Salford, 24 in Sheffield, 25 in Bradford, 23
in Leeds, 15 in Hull, 25 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and 30
in Glasgow.

In London the births of 1,200 boys and 1,107 girls, in all
2,307 children, were registered in the week. In the cone;
sponding weeks of ten years, 1858-67, the average number,
corrected for increase of population, is 2,168. The deaths
registered in London during the week were 1,378. It was
the seventeenth week of the year, and the average number
of deaths for that week is, with a correction for increase
of population, 1,431. The deaths in the present return
aro less by 53 than the estimated amount, and less by
161 rthan the number recorded in the preceding week.
The annual rate of mortality was 23 per 1,000 in West
London, 19 in North London, 27 in Central London, 24 in
East London, and 24 in South London. The deaths from
fever were at the annual rate on 10,000 living of 10 in
West London, 1 in North London, 12 in Central London,
sin East London, and 11 in South London. In cal-
culating these results the deaths in the London Fever
Hospital have been referrel to the districts from which
the patients were brought. One hundred and sixty-five
deaths occurred from phthisis, 167 from bronchitis, 68
from pneumonia, 70 from diseases of the heart, and 190
from diseases of the brain and nervous system.
At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height
of the barometer in the week was 29.425 in. The mewl
temperature of the air in the week was 50/ deg., which is
3 deg. above the average of the same week in 50 years (as
determin.3 by Mr. Glaisher). The highest day tempera-
ture was 63'8 deg., on Tuesday, the 21st of April. The
lowest night temperature was 41'7 deg., on Sunday, the
19th of April. The entire range of temperature in the
week was, therefore, 22'1 deg.

A letter from Egypt announces that the Viceroy
had arrived at the Palace of Guise from Upper Egypt,
and that he immediately gave orders for the construction
of a railway along the fresh-water canal between Zagarig
and Suez, with an injunction to have it finished in four
months.

The journals of St. Petersburg state that the
Emperor of Russia, instead of going to Warsaw this swim-
mer, will make an excurshin in. Finland in the month of
June. In August he will proceed to the camp of Krasnoe
Selo, whet e his Majesty will receive several visitors of
distiLction, And among others Prince Frederick Charles
of Prussia.

General Fleury's visit to this country is said to have no
politic.al significance. It bad been rumoured that he was
seeking to bring about a Russian alliance including
England and France, but this is now denied.

The Paraguayans give a very different account of the
recent operations of the war from that published by the
Brazilians. The first say that the Brazilian ironclads
which passed Humana during the night of February 19
have been held in check by the batteries of the new Para-
guayan fortress Establecimiento. A reconnaissance made
by the allies on March 22 was fatal to them, and cost them
600 Argentines and a large number of Brazilians. Marshal
Lopez continues to concentrate his forces on his southern
lines. In one point this account almost agrees with the
other, for it states that " it may enter into his plans even
to evacuate Curupaity." The Brazilian account said that
this place had been evacuated.

The Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, which has been
so energetic on public questions lately, has now taken up
the subject of the Government and the Telegraphs.
Simply, the chamber approves the bill now before Parlia-
ment, and the points upon which the members disagree
are matters of detail. The rate for short messages formed
a subject for sharp contention at the last meeting. A
shilling was admitted on all hands to be too high. One
speaker suggested lid. per twenty words, another 5d., a
third 6d., and so on. The merit of the 20. rate was its
cheapness, and the sd. rate would allow of interchange be-
tween the French and English Governments. Finally, how-
ever, a resolution was adopted that 6d. would be a fitting uni-
form rate for twenty words exclusive of the address. The❑
arose the broad question whether or not the telegraphs
should be worked as sources of profit, or to the public
advantage. The chamber replied, " Public advantage,"
apparently overlooking the fact that it might be to the
public advantage that the telegraphs should be used as
sources of profit. But the suggestion embodied in the
resolution, that the rates should be reduced as often as
practicable, sufficiently exp'.ains that the chamber did
not think it would be.

The late Mr. Ricardo—whose conduct was lately criti-
cised by the Hon. Robert Grimston, for having addressed
a letter to the Government without first consulting the
board of the Electric Telegraph Company, his colleagues—
has found a defender in Mr. William Burchell. Mr. Bur-
chell says that it had never occurred to Mr. Ricardo, while
on the said board, that the Government might take the
telegraphs i❑ hand. It was suggested to him after he had
resigned his position, by Mr. Burchell himself, who ad-
vised him to write the paper in question. Besides, if Mr.
Ricardo had consulted the directors, it would have looked
to the Government as a distinct offer from the companies,
which, under present circumstances, it certainly is not.
With regard to " depriving the shareholders of the fruit
of their enterprise," the paper suggested nothing of the
sort. It laid down that the shareholders should be paid
rather over than under the mark.
VOLUNTARYISM AT BIANCIIESTEIt. An
febffuourdtini;
now being made to raise funds for the purposeheokin kingdom,
Independent chapels and schools throughout
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and a few evenings since a meeting tookt p i
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cusshesiteour
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view, a su2obs3c,rsipwtiaosnplrisotmwz;7l7cehdita4ll.p. the munificent
sum of , -
W increase to £34.444.