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pervision of the District, and the numerous works performed through the
agency of this, the medical department, have assisted materially in preventing
the ordinary per centage of attacks from proving fatal.
In consequence of several proprietors of noxious trades having omitted
to adopt the best practicable means for preventing injury to health, I have
deemed it adviseable to require their attendance before you. In two instances,
the opinion expressed by the Board has caused two owners of these
works to discontinue their manufactures, and it led, in another, to the
adoption of the means which were deemed necessary for abating the evil ;
but in two other cases it has been necessary to take legal proceedings before
the Magistrates, when a conviction was obtained in each. Other persons
have attended before the Board respecting unwholesome cow.yards, piggeries,
dilapidated dwelling houses, noxious cesspools, and insufficient
drainage ; and of the nineteen who have so attended, it has been necessary
to take further proceedings against three only. As these nuisances were
injurious to health, I have, in all instances, examined the premises previously
to the appearance here of these parties, and also in many other
similar cases in which the works required were performed immediately after
my inspection.
The total number of nuisances removed during the quarter by Mr.
Valentine, your Inspector of Nuisances, has been no less than 560.
These may be divided as follows:—
Cesspools emptied, filled up, and drained into the sewer 159
Cesspools emptied 106
Horse, cow, pig, and vegetable refuse removed 28
Rooms lime-washed and purified—dilapidated houses repaired 18
Road gullies cleansed, repaired, &c. 11
Filthy roads cleansed 9
Filthy and offensive places cleansed and purified 9
Pigsties purified, repaved, or removed 12
Foul and offensive drains cleansed or reconstructed 131
Foul and offensive open sewers cleaned out 11
Unwholesome collections of house refuse, &c., removed 66
560
The number of births registered during the quarter have been 565, and
of deaths 318 ; the excess of births over deaths being 247, or 177 births
to each 100 deaths, being a decided excess of births above deaths compared
with the ratio for all London. In the corresponding quarter of last year
there were 349 deaths, which corrected for increase of population would
have been 363, or 113 in the second quarter of last year to 100 in this.
This is very satisfactory, for in the whole of London 100,310 deaths were
registered in the second quarter of 1856, against 100,205 in the