The Sun. — 1859-12-28 (London, England)

REK.  + (From the Report of the Registrar-General.) The cold weather which set iu with severity on the 11th inst., and continued till near the middle of last week, has produced an increase of mortality. The deaths in London, which were about 1,300 in each of the four preceding weeks, rose to 1,548 in the week that ended last Saturday. Within the period to which reference is made the mean weekly temperature of the air fell 12 deg. In the ten years 1849-58, the average number of deaths in the weeks corresponding with last week was 1,155; but, as the deaths returned for last week occurred in a population that has increased, they should be compared with the average raised in proportion to the increase .—namely, with 1,270. The result is that 271 persons died last week who would have survived if 'atmospheric conditions bad not been in a less degree than usual fircourable to health. The births of last week exceeded the deaths in the same period by only 220. The deaths from pulmonary diseases, exclusive of phthisis, rose from 279 in the previous week to 430 in the week ending last Saturday. This latter number exceeds the corrected average by 152. Bronchitis was fatal to 260 persons, pneumonia to 135, asthma to 24. The deaths from phthisis rose in the last two weeks from 134 to 186. Smallpox carried off 37 persons, of whom 15 were adults ; scarlatina, 85 ; diptheria, 14. Four deaths from small-pox occurred in the London-road sub-district ; 5 from scarlatina in Rotherhite. From the latter disease, 11 in Pancras, 6in Islington. Two infants were murdered ; 9 died from suffocation, apparently by accident. Of 66 persons who died at the age of 80 years and upwards, 6 were nonogenarians, the latter class being exclusively women. Of bricklayers 2 died in the week, of bricklayers' wives 3, of bricklayers' children 11; of carpenters 12 died, of carpenters' wives 7, of 'carpenters' children 21 ; of masons 2 died, of masons' wives 2 ; of painters 4 died, of painters' wives 2, of painters' children 9; of plasterers 1 died, of plasterers' children 10.  Last week the births of 961 boys and 807 girls, in all 1,768 children, were registered in London. In the 10 corresponding weeks of the years 1849-58 the average number was 1,478. At the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, the mean height of the barometer in the week was 39.402 inches. The barometrical reading fell from 29 71 inches on Tuesday to 28.94 inches on Saturday, being respectively the highest and lowest in the week. The mean temperature of the air in the week was 33 deg., being 5.4 deg. below the average of the same week in 43 years (as determined by Mr. Glauher). The mean daily temperature was 16 deg. below the average on Sunday and Monday; 9 deg. below it on Tuesday; the air then became warmer, rain fell, and the mean temperature was above the average on Wednesday and Saturday. On Monday the thermometer in the shade fell as low as 14 deg.; on Saturday it rose to 47 deg. these were the lowest and highest points in the week, and the range was therefore 33 deg. The mean daily range was 10.5 deg. Snow fell on Monday and Tuesday. The amount of rain in the week was. 0.37 inches. The mean temperature of the water of the Thames was 36 deg. The difference between the mean dew-point temperature and the air temperature was 4.5 deg. The humidity of the air approached complete saturation on the last two days. The mean of the week was 81. On Sunday and Monday the wind blew from the south east, afterwards from the sonth-west.  [