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Bristol, 22 in Hull, 24 in Sheffield, 26 in Salford, 31 in Manchester, 32 in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 50 in Liverpool. In Edinburgh the rate of mortality was 23, in Glasgow 25, in Dublin 24. The excessively high rates of mortality are generally due to the invasion of cholera.

Average Annual Rate of Mortality to 1,000 of the Population in the Eleven Divisions of England in the Ten Years 1851-60; in the Year 1865; in the Summer and Autumn Quarters of 1865; and in the Winter, Spring, and Summer Quarters of 1866.

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It is well known that this epidemic raged around us in France, Belgium, and Holland earlier in the year, and during July it established itself in England, where it put the sanitary defences of nearly every district on the coasts to the test. Indeed the cholera matter (Cholerine) has evidently been diffused all over the kingdom; for in every county, except Herefordshire and Rutlandshire, deaths from cholera have been registered, and diarrhoea has prevailed to such an unusual extent as to imply the existence of some specific zymotic element. It was only, however, when that element was diffused by water, and by the wilful neglect of hygienic precautions, that the mortality became appalling.

Thus, although the waters are yet by no means free from impurities, the people of London are no longer supplied, as they were in 1849, with unfiltered waters contaminated by their own sewers; and the deaths in the districts of the west, north, centre, and south of London were 1,023 by cholera and 1,558 by diarrhoea, among 2,430,046 people. Whereas 3,691 deaths by cholera and 740 by diarrhoea, that is, 4,431 together, occurred in the East London districts, among 607,945 people supplied with water chiefly from the Old Ford reservoir of one company. Deduct these deaths, and the deaths by cholera in London are reduced to 1,023, while the deaths by cholera in England are reduced from 10,365 to 6,674. Again, of the 2,022 deaths from cholera in Lancashire and Cheshire, no less than 1,603 were registered in the Liverpool and West Derby districts alone. Deduct these deaths, with 2,447 more in West Ham (adjoining East London, and supplied with the same water), in Portsea Island, in the Isle of Wight, Southampton, Exeter, with three adjacent districts of South Devon and Swansea, as well as in certain districts of South Wales, and the deaths from cholera in the rest of England are brought down to 2,624.

This proves that although the freest intercourse has been kept up between the various parts of the country, the epidemic has only assumed an aggravated form where the defences have been weak and circumstances have been in its favour.

By some fatality, Dr. Trench, the able medical officer of health for Liverpool, "ceased to have any direct voice in the cholera arrangements so soon as the Orders in Council were issued." Energetic measures were, however, adopted by the vestry with his approval.

On the other side of the Mersey is Birkenhead, exposed to the same epidemic influences as Liverpool; and in that district the deaths from cholera only amounted to 30, out of a population of more than 61,420.

ANNUAL RATE of MORTALITY per Cent. in Town and COUNTRY DISTRICTS of ENGLAND in each Quarter of the Years 1866-64.

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34,037,732 9,135,383

....

March 2-252 2.295 2.514 2.512
June 2.170 2.024 2.049 2.070
Sept. 1.755 1736 1.828 1.833
Dec.
1.901 1.927 2.014

In the remaining
Districts and Sub-
districts of Eng-
land and Wales,
comprising chiefly
Small Towns and
Country Parishes

Note. The three months, January, February, March, contain 90, in leap year 91 days; the three months, April, May, June, 91 days; each of the last two quarters of the year 92 days. For this inequality a correction has been made in the calculations, also for the difference between 365 and 365-25 days, and 366 and 365-25 days in leap year.

Dr. Baylis, the medical health officer, thus describes the successful precautions taken at Birkenhead :

In addition to ordinary measures, we commenced a system, before its appearance, of deodorising all the worst middens in the town, on the principle that, if we could destroy the gases of decomposition in the worst parts of the town, we should remove one of the greatest depressents of the vital force; this system was carried out more effectually after the disease appeared.

I saw the first patient that died, and my friendly connection with all the medical men of the place enabled me to reach nearly every succeeding fatal case. To the friends of each I gave the most urgent instructions, furnished the poor with disinfectants, sprinkled their floors with carbolic acid, had chloride of lime regularly thrown in their and neighbouring ashpits, used carbolic acid in their waterclosets and drains; took, in the first instance, and until the guardians moved, the responsibility of burning the soiled bedding; had all the soiled clothes steeped in chlorine water, and saw that the houses were perfectly cleansed down. Finally the body was partially covered with charcoal, and buried in a few hours.

ENGLAND: MARRIAGES Registered in Quarters ended 30th June,

1866-64 ; and Births and Deaths in Quarters ended 30th September, 1866-64.

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No.

No. Engld. & WALES.... Totals 37,324,883 20,066,224 48,523

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No.

No. EngLD. & WALES.... Totals 178,982 181,642

No.

No. No. No. 181,015 116,826 113,404 112,223

I. London

25,776

25,711

25,285

22,353 16,682 18,272

II. South-Eastern
III. South Midland.
IV. Eastern .....

15,197
10,722
8,702

15,560
10,948
9,015

15,539
10,830
9,355

9,025
5.904
5,282

9,383
6,676
5,751

9,057
6,761
5,526

13,481

V. South-Western
VI. West Midland
VII. North Midland..

22,134
10,847

14,194
22,452
11,290

14,519
22,525
11,323

8,081 7,994 8,468 11,517 12,656 13,829 5,994 6,807 6,370

VIII. North-Western
IX. Yorkshire
x. Northern

28,366
19,658

28,247
20,315
12,194

28,187 22,069 20,381 18,157
19,911 11,925 13,41 12,130
11,986 6,985 7,150 6,501

12,164

XI. Monmthsh. & Wales 11,935

11,716

11,555

7,791

6,480

6,819

REMARKS ON THE WEATHER

DURING THE QUARTER ENDING 30TH SEPTEMBER, 1866.

By JAMES GLAISHER, Esq., F.R.S., fc., Secretary of the Meteorological Society.

excess,

The last quarter closed with fine warm weather. At the beginning of this the weather changed to cold, with rain falling almost daily in every part of the country. The mean temperature of the first eight days was below their average daily by 5° On the 9th of July the weather changed to fine and hot, which continued till the 17th ; the average daily excess of this period was 61°. From 18th July till 27th September the temperature was nearly always cold; the exceptions were 24th to 28th August, and a few days at the beginning of September, whose mean temperatures either just reached their averages or were slightly in

The mean daily deficiency of these 72 days was 120. In July rain fell frequently all over the country. In the first week wheat in the southern districts passed the flowering stage, and in northern appeared in ear. Towards the end of the month some wheat in extreme south districts was cut. In August till the third week the weather was very unsettled, with low atmospheric pressure and frequent rain, which greatly interrupted harvest work. During dry intervals a large portion of the crops in the south of England were stacked, but in some cases in a damp condition. The month of August was not favourable to agricultural pursuits, the absence of sunshine retarded the crops ripening, the frequent rain injured them, but to a less extent than was feared, in consequence of the heavy drying winds. In some places the crops were beaten down by the rain and twisted by the wind, so that reaping machines could not be used.

In September the weather was unsettled; the atmospheric pressure was always low. Rain fell all over the country in excess, amounting in Guernsey and in the western parts of England to 8 in. and 9 in., gradually decreasing in amount proceeding eastward to 3 in. near the east coast; about London near 4 in. fell.

In the south of England most of the crops were housed, but in every other part of the country they suffered greatly, and those in the north and in Scotland, owing to want of sunshine and the low day temperature made but little progress towards ripening. In the midland counties, owing to the heavy rain, there were great floods, the waters of the Trent, the Soar, and the Derwent overflowed and covered thousands of acres of corn land, and caused great damage.

The month of September was very bad for all agricultural pursuits.

The co-existence of cholera with coincident meteorological phenomena, which were experienced during the three preceding visitations in the years 1832, 1848, and 1854, viz., great atmospheric pressure, high temperature, small diurnal range (owing mostly to high night temperature), deficiency of rain, very little wind (and consequently a stagnation of the atmosphere, and prevalent mist), a deficiency of electricity (as evidenced by the few electrical disturbances), and in 1854 the presence of a remarkable blue mist which prevailed night and day, give a high interest to the meteorology of the present quarter, during which the epidemic of cholera bas again visited us.

The mean temperature of July was 61°0, being 0°.4 below the average of the preceding 95 years, 09.7 below the average of 25 years, and lower than any year since 1863, when the temperature was 600.8. The mean temperature of August was 59.4, being 10.3 lower than the

average

of the preceding 95 years, 10-8 lower than the average of 25 years, and 1° 8 below
that of last year.

The mean temperature of September was 56°4, being 0°1 lower than the
average of the preceding 95 years, 07 lower than the average of 25 years, and
lower than the temperature of last year to the amount of 7°.5.

The mean high day temperatures for the three months were below the averages to the respective amounts of 10.2, 3.4, and 20.6.

The mean low night temperatures were below their averages in July and August to the respective amounts of 0°-4 and 0°8, and was 1°-6 above its average in September.

Therefore the days and nights were cold in July and August, but the days were cold and the nights were warm in September.

The daily ranges of temperature were respectively 0°8, 2°-6, and 4°-2 below their average during the three months.

The fall of rain was 10 in. below the average in July, the same as the average in August, and 1.5 in. above the average in September.

The mean temperature of the air at Greenwich in the three months ending August, constituting the three summer months, was 60°4, being 0°.2 below the average of the preceding 25 years.

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Note. In reading this table it will be borne in mind that the sign (-) minus signifies below the average, and that the sign (+) plus signifies above the average.

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