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since 1856 from 12 groups of diseases. By Table XIII, we see
that the average death-rate from Order 1 of the RegistrarGeneral's
classification, which includes not only the eruptive
fevers and diarrhoea, but also deaths from rheumatism, syphilis,
privation, want of breast milk, &c., was 20.80 in 1856-65, and
20.42 in 1866-75; so that the proportionate number of deaths
remained nearly the same, although their rates oscillated between
16.8 and 23.7 in 1056-65, and between 16.4 and 28'4 during the
10 years 1866-75. From diseases of uncertain seat, such as
gout, dropsy, mortification, &c., the differences were somewhat
greater, as in 1856-65 the mean was 4.84 against 4.69 in
1866-75, although the range from year to year was less than in
the former order. The mortality from tubercular diseases was
also singularly close, having been 16.77 in 1856-65, and 16.52
in 1866-75; and the variations also were not large, as the smallest
proportion in 1856-75 was 15.1, and the largest was 18.5; but in
1866-75 they were greater, viz., 15.1 in 1873, and 20.0 in 1867.
The death-rate from affections of the circulatory organs has
decidedly increased since 1870, as the average for 1866-75 was
5'88 against 5.04 in 1856-65, or about 15 per cent. increaseTha
mean rate from diseases of the respiratory organs are
moderately close considering the great variations of temperature
in different years. Thus in the decennium 1856-65 it was as low
as 13.9; in 1866, a cold and rainy year, it was as high as 18.5,
and in the next ten years it varied between 15.0 in 1869 and
22.1 in last year, when the weather was at times very
cold, and nearly always very changeable. The mean for the
first period was 16.39, and for the second 16.64. Deaths
from diseases of the digestive and urinary organs claimed their
number of victims in closely corresponding ratios, as the mean in
1856-65 was 6.50, and in 1866-75 it was 6.15. The greatest
difference in the whole is, as we might have expected, amongst
the deaths entered as premature birth, debility and atrophy,
because in proportion to the increase of density of population so
as a rule the population becomes relatively poorer; a larger
number of children are born, and a greater proportion die during