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20
BATTERSEA.
In rendering a statement of the total statistics of the
rapidly increasing population of the parish, during the
year 1878, we have thought it desirable to present in this
combined report, the details which concern the parish as a
whole, reserving for our individual reports on our several
districts, matters more distinctly local in their bearings.
The determination of the population of the parish is,
of course, an essential preliminary to the statistics
which it is our province to present, and the more distant
the year from the last census, the more difficult does it
become to ascertain positively the actual numbers. We,
therefore, present our estimates tentatively; but do
not think that the next census enumeration of the people
will considerably alter our figures. The so-called official
mean population of the Registrar-General on the middle
day of the year 1878 was 79,008, which would give a
birth-rate, on the 3,748 births registered during the year,
of 47.4 per thousand. This we know to be in excess of
the real rate, the birth-rate for London during 1878 being
36.2, and the ascertained birth-rate at the last two census
enumerations of the parish being 42 per thousand. Assuming,
as we have hitherto done, that this is our normal
birth-rate, we find by calculation that the real population
of the parish must be 89,238, in order to account for the
number of births registered; this we term the estimated
mean population, and upon it we base our calculations.
The total number of deaths registered in the parish
during the year was 1,803, and deducting the nonparishioners
who died in the Workhouse Infirmary, 106
in number, a death-rate for the year under report of 19
per thousand will result.