The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-29 00:00:00

sensations, we may fancy ourselves enjoyirg an

ordinary April or May. A hutuorms writer su ;-
esti that a stray comet must have
given the States a slap with its tail ;
others suppose that the weather wishes to keep
pace with the election fever. Setting aside the
scientific measurements, which may be disputed,
the facts mentioned seem to convince us that New
York is at least suffering from an almost unex-
ampled intensity of heat. Horses are constantly
dropping dead in the street cars and the omnibuses,
while cases of sunstroke have assumed the fre-
quency of an epidemic. During the four or five
days prior to the 16th inst. the deaths are reported
to have numbered between two and three hundred.
The New York herald of that date gives
the number of persons prostrated by the heat
during 24 hours in New York, Brooklyn, and
Jersey as over 100, of which 50 cases had proved
fatal. Dr. Hamm, the Registrar of Vital Sta-
tistics to the Board of Health, gives a similar ac-
count. In his report to the Board he states that
250 deaths from excessive heat have resulted in the
metropolitan district within three days, and he
adds some plain and sensible directions for persons
to follow in order to avoid the danger. Happily
we are not in this country exposed to such extreme
risk, but notwithstanding the coolness of to-day
we have had, and will probably have again, heat
enough to be dangerous. Our labourers in the har-
vest field have, during the past ten days, suffered
greatly, and in many instances many cases have
occurred. In Fleet-street and Farringdon-street
two deaths resulted from sunstroke, while in the
metropolis and suburbs generally no less than 11
deaths from sunstroke were registered in the week.
Dr. HARRIS, New York Registrar, advises every
one to rise early, so as to take as little active exer-
tion as passible in the heat of the day, and he
urges the employers of labour to be considerate to
their men. A wet handkerchief or cloth over the
head and back of the neck, worn under the
hat, is recommeded to those working in
the harvest field or other exposed places,
and every one is advised to wash the head
and neck frequently i❑ cold water. If head-
ache or dizziness occur the person affected should
immediately give up work and lie down awhile in
the shade. Such precautions should be generally
adopted by those who are engaged in outdoor occu-
pations, anl if our employers of labour would take
pains to enforce them upon the attention of their
men, we should hear fewer of these sad cases in
which a man succumbs to his work.
The Registrar-General of London is less occupied
with sunstroke than with another danger. The pre-
valence of diarrhoea is a natural consequence of
the hot weather, and here again the danger
can be very much lessened by a little
care and knowledge. The ignorance or indifference
of the mass of the population is only startled into
attention by a panic which increases the risk with-
out teaching them how to avoid it. Cleaulin:!ss,
ventilation, and temperance are the most potent pre-
servatives, and if we reflect upon the manner in
which too many of the inhabitants of this populous
metropolis live, we shall only wonder that the rate
of mortality is not still higher. The neglect and
injudicious treatment of the children, especially the
infants of the poor, are fruitful sources of
disease and death. They are improperly fed,
and the first symptoms of diarrhoea ne-
glect. Such neglect the registrar emphatically
assures us is death to children and the aged. The
figures speak for themselves. 442 persons died last
week of diarrhoea, of whom 353 were children
under one year, 49 under two years ; 58 persons
died of summer cholera, of whom 38 were children
under one year, and 11 more under five years.
Immediate rational treatment is what the registrar
advises, and what all who have the opportunity
should recommend to the heads of families.
But while we in the towns are chiefly concerned
for the effect on the public health, it is very gratify-
ing to learn that the harvest, now general, is an
excellent one so far as the great staple, wheat, is con-
cerned. Bright suns and continued droughts have
hurried forward the harvesting, and Nviil make its
course unusually rapid. In Yorkshire the men are
hired for three weeks instead of a month, as usual,
and it is noticed that the Irish harvester is absent,
the time for his arrival being yet a fortnight dis-
tant. After the apprehensions that have been cur-
rently entertained respecting the drought the good
news from the cornfields is indeed welcome, though
we are discussing the nature of the harvest and
the merits of the several crops a month or two
earlier than usual. Every nerve is being strained
to get the corn in before a passible change of
weather, and we may well be thankful that the
brilliant suns of 1868 have brought comfort to the
heart of the poor mau by holding out the pros-
pect of a cheap loaf for his winter fireside.

In the House of Lords yesterday Lord LYVEDEN
criticised the Corrnpt Practices Bill at Elections,
and declared that. in his opinion it would not be a
success. The chief objection he made was about
the transfer of the jurisdiction to the judges, which
could not be a remedy against electoral evils, but

it is, at all events, giving things a chance ; and
those who object to this mode of procedure might
bear in mind that any change from the present
system may be for the better, for it has notoriously
failed to answer its purpose, and held up our repre-

sentative system to contempt in many quarters.
Because electors must take the initiative it has been
supposed that nothing will be done, but as Lord
MALMESBURY very truly said, almost every man of

respectability would be an elector, and thus many
checks would be interposed. Besides this measure
is merely a temporary one, and the fuss made about
its provision is quite uncalled for, since if it does
not work well, or answer the desired end, it
can easily be altered and amended. Oue of the
chief difficulties in the way of legislation upon these
matters is always found in the overscrupulosity and
undue precaution of a select few, who will not be con-
tent to take things quietly, but persist in their endea-
vours to make everything perfect all at once. A.
very decided change has been made in the state of
th? law concerning election petitions and corrupt
practices at elections, and we think that the Go-
vernment deserve great credit for the part which
they have taken in introducing the measure, and
the determination with which they carried it
through the House. The committee of the House

of Commons also displayed great energy in the
work, which is saying a great deal when we think
of the lateness of the period whoa it was put be-
fore them, and the extreme heat of the weather.
The bill passed through committee in the
Lords ; and in order to facilitate this desirable end,
Lord ROMILLY very wisely withdrew an amend-
ment for infringing on the monopoly of shorthand-
writing respecting election inquiries. It is most
satisfactory to know the measure is now safe, for
many times during the last few weeks it has seemed
wellnigh hopeless to think of its passing, and even
those who at first were sanguine became doubtful
when so many objections were interposed, and so
many new plans were put forward. All is well
that ends well may, however, be said, in regard to
this or other questions. And even if it should not
answer all the ends now supposed, it seems an ad-