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been effected. Further impetus in the same direction
will shortly be given by the removal of sanitary
evils, already in fact or in principle condemned.
The approaching institution of your extramural
cemetery and—I venture to hope, the translation of
all slaughtering establishments to the site of your
new Smithfield, will be important contributions to
this effect. I therefore make bold to speak with
some sanguineness of the slight change of death-rate
already noticed; though, while so much remains to
be accomplished, I doubt not you will welcome the
amelioration rather as an encouragement to proceed,
than as the final reward of a completed task.
Here, Gentlemen, terminates all that I have to
submit for your consideration in respect of your past
and present record of deaths. The greater extension
which during the last two years I have given to my
habitual weekly reports, and to sundry occasional
statements which it has been my duty to lay before
you, may seem, at least generally, to render it
superfluous for my annual report to contain anything
beyond such statistical particulars as I have
now brought under your notice. But, however
this may generally be, there exist exceptional
circumstances at the present time which induce me
to trouble you at somewhat greater length.
II. Two years ago—adverting to the non-completion
of metropolitan sanitary works, on which the