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in the sub district of higher death-rate: or, in other words, the higher
the death-rate, the greater is the proportion of deaths from epidemic
diseases in relation to the total deaths. This is worthy of notice,
inasmuch as it pointedly indicates the direction which sanitary operations
should assume.
The death-rate for the year 1860 was 19.64 per 1000, or about
the average rate; the birth rate was 31.19 per 1000; and the rate of
natural increase 11.55 per 1000.
The population of the district has undergone a great increase since
the period of the last census. In 1851 it numbered 50,764, and
according to the recent census it numbered 70,381, so that in the
interval of these periods it has increased at the rate of 38.64 per 1000
annually This progress has been due, in round numbers, in the
proportion of one-third to natural increase, and the remaining twothirds
to immigration.
The female greatly exceeds in number the male portion of the population,
the males numbering 31,585, and the females 38,796. There is
an excess of females, therefore, of 7211, or upwards of 10 per cent.
A greater or less excess is observable in each sub-district, but particularly
in Clapham and Streatham; in the former it is rather more, and in
the latter somewhat less than 15 per cent. The causes of this are not
very apparent.