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64
reached its highest point in 1865, when it was 22'3, and
gradually declined from that date, though with some fluctuations,
until in 1883, as before mentioned, it had fallen to 17'8.
BIRTHS AND BIRTH RATE.
The births of 4,230 children were registered in 1883;
males, 2,162; females, 2,068: 3,374 in the Town sub-district,
and 856 in Brompton, the total being 97 below the
number in 1882, and 735 below the decennial average corrected
for increase of population. For so small a number of
births, we have to go back to 1873, when the population was
some 33,000 smaller than in 1883. The birth rate was only
25.2 per 1,000; 4.4 below the decennial average; (27.2 in the
Town sub-district, and 19.4 in Brompton), being 8.7 per
1,000 below that of the Metropolis generally, (33.9), and
8.0 per 1,000 below that of all England and Wales, (33.2).
There was one birth to every 39.7 persons living, and 104
male births to 100 of females. The illegitimate births were
203; males 107, females 96, and of these 186 took place in
the Town sub-district, which includes the parish workhouse,
at which institution, out of a total of 147 births—males 82,
and females 65—121 were illegitimate. The illegitimate
births in the parish formed 4.8 per cent of total births.

Additional particulars respecting births and birth rates
during the decennium 1873-82, are set out in Tables 1 and 2
(Appendix).