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future this great and growing evil. The mortality from the four
groups of disease which cause the chief mortality, viz.:—zymotic
diseases, including epidemics; diseases of the nervous system,
of the respiratory organs ; and tubercular affections, was 65.8 per
cent, in 1860, against 67.0 per cent, in 1859, 65.4 per cent, in 1858,
and 66.1 per cent, in 1857 ; so that deaths from these causes have
been reduced in an equal ratio with those from all other causes.
Of the 259 deaths from zymotic diseases, 228, or 14-8 per cent,
of the total mortality, were caused by seven diseases, viz.:—small
pox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, diarrhoea,
and fever. Of these scarlet fever was the most fatal, as it caused
64 deaths out of the 228, whilst measles produced 43 deaths, (a
considerable increase over those of last year), and fever only 38.

The next Table shows the mortality of epidemic diseases in the
whole district since my appointment, and, in my opinion, affords a
very satisfactory proof of the value of the sanitary precautions
adopted; for we s e that fever has been continually on the decline
since 1855, not one-half the number of deaths having occurred
from that disease in 1860 as were registered in 1855, after due
allowance has been made for increase of population.