The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-27 00:00:00

WOOL W ICH-FRIDAY.

The anniversary of Prince Albert's birth was this
day selected for laying the keel of the first-class ship
Royal Albert, and from an early hour the town pre-
sented an unusual appearance of gaiety. As custom-
ary on such o:casions, tickets were issued for admis-
sion within the dockyard, and at two o'clock, the
hour appointed for the ceremony, the platforms on
either side were filled with ladies and gentlemen.
Among the officers were Lord Bloomfield, Com-
mandant of the garrison ; Colonel Parker, C. 8., Com-
mander of the Royal Marines; Rear-Admiral Sir
James Gordon, Air. Oliver Lang, &c.
Miss Collier (daughter of Sir Francis Collier,
Governor of the dock-yard) performed the usual cere-
mony of striking with a hammer the points where
the dowels and scarfs are made to meet ; the band
playing the national anthem, and the air resounding
with the cheers of those assembled :
A brief notice of this vessel, which was ordered to
he laid down in March last, may not be uninteresting.
Its size is intended to exceed that of any other ship
in the navy. The following are the exact dimen-
sions and measurement of tonnage :—Length of gun-
deck, 220 feet; Extreme breadth, 60 feet 10 in.;
Depth in hold 25 feet ; Tons burden, 3,394 ; Num-
ber of guns, 120.
The Royal. Albert will be fifteen feet longer than
the Trafalgar, which was launched from the same
stocks last year, five feet wider, and her burden 700
tons greater. She is to be constructed en a new prin-
ciple, combining increased strength and safety with
improved sailing qualities ; and a sketch of her pro-
posed form, exhibited by Mr. Laing, previous to the
ceremony, was greatly admired. The number of
guns will be the same as the Trafalgar and the Queen,
but they will he of muclr larger calibre. She is to
be completed in three years.
The preparations for her Majesty's embarkation on
Monday are nearly completed, and Sir Francis Col-
lier left his official residence for the Admiralty at an
early hour this morning, in order to make a report of
the 'final arrangements.
Her Majesty will be accompanied on the voyage by
two war frigates, the Pique, Captain Montague Stop-
ford, and. the Daphne, Captain Onslow ; and the fol-
lowing Government steamers will also be in at-
tendance :
Shearwater Captain Washington.
Salamandrine ..... Captain Hamond.
Fearless .
Rhadamanthus.. Lieutenant Lane.
Lightning. Lieutenent Snell.
Monkey
It is expected that the sailing qualities of the two
frigates above-named will be tested during the voy-
age, and much interest is excited among their respec-
ive officers at the opportunity afforded of displaying
leir skill and seamanship.

MORTALITY in the METROPOLIS

The following are the results •f " A Table of Mortality in
Oho Metropolis, showing the Number of Deaths from all Causes
Rcgistered in the week ending Aug. 20, 1842." The Table %
issued from the Office of the Registrar-General:—

Weekly
Average
1638-9-40-

Four iFour
Summers Years
Epidemic, Endemic. & Contagious Diseases 232 191 190
Diseases of the Brain, Nerves, and Senses 144 150 149
Diseases of the Lungs, and other Organs of
Respiration ...
diseases of the Heat and Blood-vessels
Diseases of the Stomach, Liver, and other
Organs of Digestion
Diseases of the Kidneys, &c. ll 4 4
Ctiildbed, Diseases of the Uterus, &c 9 8 10
Diseases of the Joints, Bones, and Muscles 3 5 6
Diseases of the Skin, &c 3 1 1
Diseases of Uncertain Seat. ll3 95 104
0%.d Age, or Natural Decay . 6O 54 69
Deaths by Violence, Privation, or Intem-
perance
Causes not specified 1 6 7
959
,oaths from all causes.
Average Weekly Deaths B4B 912
Population: Average Death
en u Weekly in
merated Deaths the
Ib4l. 183e-s-4,;-1. eek.
Vert—Kensington, St. George
(Hanover-square), Westmiu- Four I Four
ster, St. Martin in the Fields, Ye , rs. 'Summers.
St. James 300,705 135 124 160
North—. St. Alary-le -bone , St
l'ancras, Islington, Hackney 365,660 162. 149 171
Central—Saint Giles and Saint
George, Strand, Clerkenwell,
Holborn, St. Luke, East Lon-
don West London, City of •
London
East—Shoreditch,Whitechape ,
Bethnal Green, St. George
in the East, Stepney, Poplar 392,49 i 206 198 228
South—St Saviour, St. Olave,
St. George( Southwark),Ber-
monthey, Newington, Lam-
beth, Camberwell, Bother-
hitlae, Greenwich . —.438,060 221 203 238

Total.

CAUSES OF DEATH.

DIgTitiCTS.

Total 1,870,727 912 848 959
It is stated that under the term Metropolis ire comprised the
32 districts herein mentioned, which include the City of Lon-
don with and without the walls, the City and Liberties of
Westminster, the out-parishes within the Bills of Mortality—
and the parishes of St. Ivlarylebone, St. Pancras, Kensington,
Fulham, Hammersmith C'hapelry), St. Luke (Chelsea), Pad-
dington, St. Mary (Stoke Newington), St. Leonard (Brom-
ley), St. Mary-le-bow, Camberwell, Greenwich, St. Nicholas
and St. Paul (Deptford), and Woolwich. The population, as
enumerated in 1831, was 1,594,890, and in June 1841, was
1,670,727. The weekly averrge tor 1838, 1839, 1840, and
1841, was obtained by dividing the deaths in the four years by
ot, and the deaths in the four winters by 52.
TEUrEKATUN.E IN THE WEEKS ENDING
Aug. 13. Aug. 20.
87° 869
58 61
70 72
25, 1842.

Highest

Ljrest
Daily Mean .... .........
General Register Office, Aug.

THE LAND RAIL.—(From a Correspondent.)—
The above bird, which is known in some parts of Eng-
land under the name of the Corn-crake, never was noticed
to be so abundant as it would appear to be this year,
owing to the remarkably fine summer. It is a bird of
passage, visiting our shores about the middle of May,
and returning again in September to some milder cli-
mate. About the neighbourhood of Andover they are
most plentiful. The land-rail is little otherwise than a
lump of fat, and is admitted by epicurean judges to be
the most delicious bird of its size which is brought to the
table. So speedily is it • apt to fade, after it is killed,
that it is scarcely ever to be witnessed in the shops of
the London poulterers, and the usual price set upon
these birds, when such is the case, is half a guinea
the brace.