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Thames, 300 each to the Free Cancer Hospital and theHo’pital for Consumption and Diseases of the Chest, bothof Fulham-road, Brompton.-Mrs. R. B. Dodgson, of Beard-wood, Blackburn, whose death occurred on Saturday week,£ I0,000 to the Blackhurn and East Lancashire Infirmary,f:lO.OOO to the Royal Albart Asylum for Idiots and Imbecilesin Lancashire, and £ 5000 ttj the Minchester Infirmary.—Mr. Charles Carti,,4, formerly of 80, Mile-end-road, rectifyingdistiller, and late of The HitlI, Plaistow, Essex, £ 1000 to theLondon Hospital.-Mr. Charles Cooper, late of Bax-laneHouse, Bovingdon, Hert-, £ 100 to the Hemel HempsteadInfirmary.-Mr. John Worrall Walker, late of HigbfieldHouse, Hawkhurst, Kent, f:1500 each to the ManchesterRoyal Infirmary and Dispensary and the Salford andPendleton Riyal Hospital and Dispensary, and E1000 to theHospital for Incurables, Mauldeth Ha.1!, near Manchester.-Mr. John Bartholomew, late of 68, Bishop’s-road, Victoria-park, who died on Dec. 4tb, £ 100 to the City of LondonHospital for Diseases of the Chest, Victoria-park ; and :E50ach to the Queen Adelaide’s Dispensary for the Sick andPoor of Bethnal-green, and the German Hospital, Dalston.

Public Health and Poor Law.LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.

REPORTS OF INSPECTORS OF THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENTOF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT BOARD.

On the Sanitary State and the Water-supply of Burnham.Burnham is a small watering-place in the Bristol Channel,and it stands on a bed of alluvial clay overlaid with sand toa depth of from four to thirteen feet. A system of sewershas been provided; they are ill-ventilated and have no propermeans of flushing. The house-drains, too, in contraventionoi the bye-laws, are unventilated, and the waste-pipes frombaths, lavatories, and sinks are very generally in directcommunication with the drains. The height of the tide herevaries much in its rise and fall, the rise during spring tidesbeing as much as forty feet, and when it rises the sewage isat times so much dammed back that if a heavy rainfallensues at the same time it is forced out of the drain inlets inthe low-lying parts of the town. The house drains are

subject to blockage, and there is frequent complaint as tostinks from drains and closets. All this is extremelyimportant as affecting the condition of the porous sand onwhich the town lies, and considerable stress is laid upon it byDr. Blaxall, who appears to have inspected the place mainlywith reference to complaints which bave been addressed tothe Local Government Board as to the water-supply. Now,this supply is entirely derived from local wells sunk throughthe sand-bed, and generally some distance into the clay,the height of the water being dependent on rainfall andtluctuating to and fro as it is influenced by the tide. Dr.Blaxall points out that the character of water in wells

necessarily partakes of the nature of the gathering ground,and that If the subsoil be polluted the water percolatingthrough it will necessarily be contaminated in a degreecorresponding to the pollution. The wells in Burnham, heexplains, are sunk in a soil exposed to pollution in a varietyof ways-viz., by soakage of surface filth, by decaying organicmatter from the overc,owded churchyard, by casual leakagefrom the sewers and drainswith which they are innearrelation,and which, owing to blockage, tend speciallv to facilitateleakage of their coutents. This state of affairs is by no meansunknown to the local board of health, for it appears thatduring recent years samples of well water have from timeto time been subjected to chemical analysis, with the resultthat out of twenty-three samples so dealt with not one badmet with unqualified approval. Many have been totally con-demned, and one sample is described as only fit for " irrigationpurposes." The testimony of the chemi8t has thus come inusefully to stir the authority into action, although it is diffi-cult to conceive how even th1S further proof was needed toshow that a sandy soil, so liable to pollution, could not pos-sibly afford a proper water-supply for the people living onits surface. Many details, chemical and other, are enteredinto by Dr. Blaxall to prove that the pollution of this Burn-ham water-supply is pat all remedy, and so to lead up to hisprincipal recommendation that in one of several ways which

he indicates a proper water-supply should be provided. Inthe case of Burnham the matter is specially important, for,as Dr. Blaxall points out, the inhabitants of the place arenot alone concerned. Burnham is a favourite watering-place, and visitors who are attracted to it have a right to beassured that in their visits "they are not exposing them-selves to the risk of contracting preventable disease throughthe atmosphere of their dwellings being poisoned by sewerair and the water they drink being dangerously contami-nated, a guarantee which Burnham at the present, time can-not afford them." For their own sake, and in the interestsof the public, on whom the prosperity of their town in partdepends, we hope the inhabitants of Burnham will set towork to put their house in order, and so again attract toit those who in the summer desire to seek health on theshores of the channel.

VITAL STATISTICS.

HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS.

In twenty-eight of the largest English towns, 6235 birthsand 3466 deaths were registered during the week ending the9th iost. The annual death-rate in these towns, whichhad been as low as 203 and 20’5 per 1000 in the twopreceding weeks, was last week equal to 20’6. During thefirst six weeks of the current quarter the death-rate inthese towns did not average more than 20’9, whereas in thecorresponding periods of the four years 1880-83, the ratesranged from 28’5 to 22 9. The lowest rates in tnese townslast week were 15’3 in Wolverhampton, 16’3 in Bolton,and 17 ’9 both in Bristol and Derby. The rates in the othertowns ranged upwards to 24’1 in Preston and Birkenhead,25’5 in Oldham, and 27’9 in Manchester. The deathsreferred to the principal zymotic diseases in the twenty-eight towns, which had been 418 and 419 in the two previousweeks, declined to 399 last week; they included 124 fromwhooping-cough, 94 from scarlet fever, 53 from measles, 35from diarrhoea, 28 from diphtheria, and 21 from small-pox.No death from any of these zymotic diseases was registeredlast week in Halifax ; whereas they caused the highestdeath-rates in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Blackburn. Thegreatest mortality from whooping-cough occurred last weekin Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Bolton, and Huddersfield ; fromscarlet fever in Blackburn, Leicester, and Leeds ; frommeasles in Birkenhead and Salford ; and from "fever inPreston and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The 28 deaths fromdiphtheria in the twenty-eight towns included 19 in Londonand 3 in Birmingham. The 21 fatal cases of small-poxshowed an increase upon recent weekly numbers, andincluded 9 in Birmingham, 4 in London, 3 in Liverpool, 3 inSunderland, and 1 both in Wolverhampton and in Man-

chester. The number of small-pox patients in the metro-politan asylum hospitals, which had been 104 and 110 on

the two preceding Saturdays, declined to 97 at the endof last week; only 7 new cases were admitted to these hos-

Ipital during the week, against 19 and 28 in the two previousweeks. The Higbgate Small-pox Hospital contained 5

patients on Saturday last, 2 new cases having been admittedI during the week. The deaths referred to diseases of therespiratory organs in London, which had been 360 and

367 in the two preceding weeks, declined to 347 last week,and were as many as 284 below the corrected weekly

r average. The causes of 80, or 23 per cent., of the deathsin the twenty-eight towns last week were not certifiedeither by a registered medical practitioner or by a coroner., All the causes of death were duly certified in Hristol, Brighton, Norwich, Plymouth, Derby, and Cardiil. Thes proportions of uncertified deaths were largest in Halifax,t Blackburn, Huddersfied, and Hull.oJ -

tI HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNf.

- The annual rate of mortality in the eight Scotch towns,n which had been equal to 22’1 and 22’4 per 1000 in the twon previous weeks, further rose to 24 7 in the week ending theI- 9th inst. ; this rate exceeded by no lets than 41 the meanorate during the same week in the twenty-eight large Eng-I- liah towns. The rates in the Scotch towns ranged from 19’5n and 20’8 in Leith and Dundee, to 27’2 and 31 9 in Grfenockd and Perth. The deaths in the eight towns included 97 whicht- were referred to the principal zymotic diseases, showing anLa increase of 30 upon the number returned in the previoush weeks; 23 resulted from whooping-cough, 15 Horn scarlet

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fever, 14 from "fever," 12 from measles, and 10 from diar-rhoea. These 97 deaths were equal to an annual rate of 4 0per 1000, which was 1 ’6 above the mean rate from the samediseases in the large English towns. the rates from thesediseases in the Scotch towns ranged last week from 1’4 inAberdeen, to 5’1 in Edinburgh and 7’2 in Greenock. The23 death from whooping-cough in the eight towns showedan increase of 2 up)n the number in the previous week. The23 fatal cases of diphtheria showed a marked increase uponthe numbers in the previous weeks; 7 occurred in Greenock,6 in Glasgow, and 3 in Edinburgh. The 15 deaths fromscarlet fever included 12 in Glasgow and 3 in Edinburgh ;and of the 14 deaths referred to "fever," showing a con-siderable increase upon recent weekly numbers, 7 werereturned in Glasgow and 4 in Edinburgh. Six more fatalcases of measles occurred in Edinburgh, making 170 recordedsince April last. The deaths attributed to acute diseases ofthe respiratory organs in the eight towns, which had been91 and III in the two previous weeks, were 109 last week.The causes of 82, or nearly 14 per cent., of the deaths inthe eight towns last week were not certified.

HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The rate of mortality in Dublin, which had been equalto 24 ’5 and 297 per 1000 in the two preceding weeks,further rose to 30’0 in the week ending the 9th inst. Duringthe first six weeks of the current quarter the death-rate inthe city averaged 27’8 per 1000, whereas it did not exceed20-3 in London and 20-7 in Edinburgh. The 202 deaths inDublin last week showed a further increase of 2 upon thenumbers returned in the two previous weeks ; they included6 which were referred to "fever" (including typhus, en-

teric, and simple continued), 4 to scarlet fever, 3 to whooping-cough, 2 to diphtheria, 1 to measles, and not one to small-

pox. Thus 17 deaths resulted from these principal zymoticdiseases, against 13 and 14 in the two preceding weeks; theywere equal to an annual rate of 25 per 1000, the rate fromthe same diseases being 2-4 in London and 5’1 in Edinburgh.The 6 deaths referred to "fever" in Dublin correspondedwith the number in the previous week, as did the 2 deathsattributed to diphtheria. The fatal cases of scarlet fever,which had been 5 in each of the three previous weeks, were4 last week. Seven deaths were referred to different forms ofviolence, against 10 and 4 in the two previous weeks. Thedeaths both of infants and of elderly persons showed afurther increase upon recent weekly numbers. The causesof 37, or more than 18 per cent., of the deaths registered

Iduring the week were not certified.

MORTALITY STATISTICS OF TASMANIA.

Tne health officer (Dr. Edward 0. Gibbin) in a report tothe Legislative Council estimates the mean population ofTasmania in the year 1882 at 120,701, and states that thenumber of recorded deaths was 1906, equal to a rate of 15’7per 1000 for the whole island, showing a slight excess uponthe still lower rate in 1881. In Hobart Town, however,which with its suburban districts had an estimated popula-tion of 27,291, the death-rate was equal to 24’4 per 1000.This high death-rate appears to have been mainly due to thelarge number of deaths in the Invalid Depot situated withinthe Hobart registration district, but receiving aged andinfirm poor from all parts of the island. The death-ratefrom the principal zymotic diseases was not high, beingsomewhat less than 2 per 1000. The rate of infant mortality,measured by the proportion of deaths under one year to

births, was equal to 141 per 1000, which is excessively highcompared with the rate of infant mortality in most of theother Australasian colonies. It is satisfactory to learn thatgood hospital accommodation for infectious diseases has beenprovided by the General Hospital, in addition to a smiH-poxhospital and quarantine station at Lind isferne. The cityand suburbs, however, have at present no comprehensivesystem of drainage, the side channels of the streets in manyplaces doing the duty of sewers, and hundreds of houseshaving no drains at all. Badly constructed cesspools aboundeverywhere, the contents of which soak into the surroundingground, whence emanates an ahomiuable stench. These andother sanitarv defects are forcibly pointed out in the reportbefore us, and constitute elements of danger to the health ofthe town. On the other hand, the health officer congratu-lates the town on being now supplied with a pure andabundant water supply.

Correspondence.

WELLINGTON COLLEGE.

"Audi alteram partem,"

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SiR,-Mr. Baldwin Latham ignores the difference betweensoil which has been trenched and drained and that whichremains in its natural state charged with water and organicmatter, and thus refuses to recognise what is a healthy andwhat an unhealthy soil, apart from the question whethersuch soil is malarial or not.The terra "niarsh-miasm," which is synonymous with

malaria, points to the association between marsh land andmalaria, and no one can deny the existence of marsh lind oathe Wellington College estate, as well as the extensiveexpanse of marsh which stretches for miles to the south andsouth-west of the College.A gentleman who made the survey of the Wellington

College estate has volunteered to me the information thatboth he and his servant suffered from malaria in consequence.One of the worst cases of ague I ever saw was in a boy atWellington College. Some of the boys have had enlarge.ment of spleen, and in those who have had pneumonia anderyslas the temperature chart marked the temperature ofmalarial fever instead of the well-known tracing of purepneumonia and erysipelas.

a

Mr. Baldwin Latham admits the necessity for furthersewerage on the estate, and he can only raise the questionas to who is responsible. This aspect of the question is im.portant. It would be manifestly unfair to impose on thesmall ratepayers in the district living near, but not on theestate, the burden of a heavy rate to provide sewerage onWellington College property. While Mr. Baldwin Latham’ssystem of sewerage is but partial, it places the College, likethe ostrich with its head in the sand, in a position of self.satisfied security, but still exposed to danger from thedistrict around and houses on the estate. Mr. BaldwinLatham writes in figurative language of my having"planted myself near one of the marshes. I had nochoice, as my duties called me there, but if he would advisethe governers to do exactly what I did-namely, trench anddrain the ground with a double system of land drains, andthen cover over, as I did, the marsh land with six hundredloads to the acre of sweet purifyiog earth, brought from adistance of four miles for the purpose, he would purify andmake Wellington College marshes as healthy as I think Ihave made mine.The reference to my son’s recovery is incorrect. He

met with a grave accident in Cambridge, and was treatedthere througtiout by Mr. Carver with a skill and successfor whicn I cannot be grateful enough. He only returnedto Wellington College when all his wounds had healed.

It is also an incorrect statement that diphtheria has onlyoccurred at Wellington College within the last two years.The nrat case occurred twenty-four years ago. The presenthead-master’s family have had diphtheria, and so did theformer’s ; and it has occurred in a sporadic form, sometimesat long and at others at short interval, and at last as anepidemic. But during its greater prevalence in the past twoyears in one term only one case occurred, so that its absencefor a time is no indication of the permanent destruction ofits cause. Some cases occurred before any of the houses ordrains Mr. Baldwin Latham regards as the cause were inexistence, and while the College and its sewerage were freshfrom the hands of the distinguished architect, now dead,who designed it. I believe there is a close relationshipbetween blood-poisoning, so-called, and diphtheria, andthat these have causes apart from defective sewerage, andnone more potent than emanations from marsh lands,whether malarial or not, but especially if malarial.

If Mr. Baldwin Latham had witnessed, as I have, thesuffering and premature death of boys at Wellington Col-lege, which the highest skill from London was powerless toavert, and the grief of their parents, his sympathy wouldhave been touched as mine has been ; and he would notlend his distinguished name rather to check than advancethe further sauitary improvements he admits to be neces-sary. Not one improvement would have been effected evennow had I not persistently represented the existence oiinsanitary conditions there.