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meeting, the chairman of the meeting shall have a secondor casting vote in respect of that question.

(5) The Commissioners shall have a common seal whichshall be judicially noticed. i

(6) Any act of the Commissioners shall not be invalidby reason only of any vacancy in their body ; but if at anytime, and as long as, the number of persons acting asCommissioners is less than four, the Commissioners shalldiscontinue the exercise of their powers.

3.-(1) The Commissioners shall make statutes and ordi-nances for the University of London in general accordancewith the scheme of the report hereinbefore referred to, butsubject to any modifications which may appear to themexpedient after considering any representations made tothem by the Senate or Convocation of the University ofLondon or by any other body or persons affected.

(2) In framing such statutes and ordinances the Com-missioners shall see that provision is made for securingadequately the interests of non-collegiate students.

(3) All such statutes and ordinances shall be laid forth-with before both Houses of Parliament, and shall comeinto operation on the expiration of forty days after theyhave been so laid, and shall have effect as if enacted bythis Act, but shall be subject to alteration in mannerprovided by such statutes and ordinances.

4. This Act may be cited as the University of London Act,1895.

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CHOLERA.

IT will be remembered that there were reports of a some-what severe outbreak of cholera among the Japanese troopsengaged in the Chino-Japanese war. The official returnsshow that the total cholera mortality of the outbreak in

question among the Japanese at the Pescadores Islands,between March 26th and April 24th amounted to 1300.There are still a few sporadic cases reported daily, but theepidemic-which at one time gave the Japanese authoritiessome anxiety-is believed to be at an end. There isno doubt that cholera has broken out and is veryprevalent at the present time at Mecca and amongthe villages and pilgrim caravans. The outbreak inMecca has given rise to an average daily mortality of Itwenty-five ; and the Sanitary Board at Constantinople ’,is busy devising precautionary measures against the spreadof the disease by the returning pilgrims. The number of

Egyptian pilgrims this year is said to be much smaller thanusual. There would appear to have been a revitalisation ofcholera at a number of places this spring, for the OfficialGazette of Madrid has imposed quarantine on arrivals fromHong-Kong, Haiphong, San Nicholas, San Pedro, and Jeddah,all of which are notified as being affected with cholera.There have been occasional reports of the arrival of vessels

alleged to be cholera-infected at Gravesend from abroad.One such vessel arrived the other day from the River Plate,on board of which a fatal case of cholera is stated to haveoccurred on March 16th last, followed by four other cases ofa slight but suspicious character, all of which howeverrecovered.

VITAL STATISTICS.

HEALTH OF ENGLISH TOWNS.

IN thirty-three of the largest English towns 6494 birthsand 3585 deaths were registered during the week endingMay llth. The annual rate of mortality in these towns,which had declined in the nine preceding weeks from 35’0to 17-5 per 1000, was last week 17-7. In London therate was equal to 16-6 per 1000. while it averaged 18’4 in thethirty-two provincial towns. The lowest rates in these townswere 12’9 in Swansea, 13’5 in Brighton and in Hull, 13 6 in Sunderland, and 14’1 in Gateshead ; the highest rates Iwere 23’0 in Liverpool, 23°6 in Burnley, 23’9 in Halifax,24-5 in Preston, and 25 8 in Plymouth. The 3585 deathsincluded 351 which were referred to the principal zymoticdiseases, against 327 and 305 in the two preceding weeks;of these. 83 resulted from measles, 81 from whooping-cough, 65 from diphtheria, 60 from diarrhoea, 31 fromscarlet fever, 31 from "fever" (principally enteric), and notone from small-pox. No fatal case of any of these diseases

occurrad last week in Croydon or in Swanaea ; in the othertowns they caused the lowest death-rates in Oldham, Gates-head, and Derby, and the highest rates in Cardiff, WestHam, Bolton, and Plymouth. The greatest mortality frommeasles occurred in Cardiff, Manchester, West Ham, Bolton,Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and Plymouth ; and from whooping.cough in Salford and Burnley. The mortality from scarletfever and from " fever " showed no marked excess in anyof the large towns. The 65 deaths from diphtheria included38 in London, 6 in West Ham, 4 in Birmingham, 3 inWolverhampton, and 3 in Liverpool. No fatal case of small-

pox was registered either in London or in any of the thirty-two large provincial towns. There were 33 cases of small.pox under treatment in the Metropolitan Asylum Hospitaland in the Highgate Small-pox Hospital on Saturday last,May llth, against 35, 37 and 34 at the end of thethree preceding weeks ; 6 new cases were admitted duringthe week, against 4, 12, and 8 in the three precedingweeks. The number of scarlet fever patients in the Metro.politan Asylum Hospitals and in the London Fever Hospitalat the end of the week was 1438, against 1514, 1469, and M12on the three preceding Saturdays; 179 new cases were

admitted during the week, against 162, 132, and 107 in thethree preceding weeks. The deaths referred to diseases ofthe respiratory organs in London, which had been 341 and290 in the two preceding weeks, further declined to 247 lastweek, and were 86 below the corrected average. The causesof 52, or 1-5 per cent., of the deaths in the thirty-threetowns last week were not certified either by a registeredmedical practitioner or by a coroner. All the causes of deathwere duly certified in Portsmouth, Bristol, Nottingham,Bradford, Hull, and in thirteen other smaller towns; thelargest proportions of uncertified deaths were registered bBirmingham, Liverpool, Bolton, and Blackburn.

HEALTH OF SCOTCH TOWNS.

The annual rate of mortality in the eight Scotch towns,which had been 20-6 and 20’9 per 1000 in the two precedingweeks, declined again to 18’7 during the week endingMay llth, but was 1-0 per 1000 above the mean rate duringthe same period in the thirty-three large English towns.The rates in the eight Scotch towns ranged from 16’2 ir,Dundee and 16’5 in Edinburgh to 24’0 in Perth and27-8 in Leith. The 540 deaths in these towns in-cluded 30 which were referred to measles, 17 to whooping-cough, 5 to diarrhcea, 3 to "fever," 2 to small-pox, 2 toscarlet fever, and not one to diphtheria. In all, 59 deathsresulted from these principal zymotic diseases, against73 and 71 in the two preceding weeks. These 59 deathswere equal to an annual rate of 2’0 per 1000, whichslightly exceeded the mean rate last week from thesame diseases in the thirty-three large English towns,The fatal cases of measles, which bad been 32, 26, an27 in the three preceding weeks. rose again to 30 last week,of which 9 occurred in Leitb, 8 in Edinburgh, 5 in Aber-deen, and 4 in Paisley. The deaths referred to whooping-ccugb, which had been 24 and 17 in the two precedingweeks, were again 17 last week, and included 12 icGlasgow, 2 in Leith, and 2 in Greenock. The 3 fatal casesof "fever" also corresponded with the number in thepreceding week. The deaths from scarlet fever, which hadbeen 4, 3, and 7 in the three preceding weeks, declined to 2last week, both of which occurred in Glasgow. Of the 2fatal cases of small-pox 1 was registered in Edinburgh and1 in Glasgow. The deaths referred to diseases of the respi.ratory organs in these eight towns, which had been 145 and124 in the two preceding weeks, further declined to 98 lastweek, and were 15 below the number in the correspondingweek of last year. The causes of 33, or more than 6 percent., of the deaths in the eight towns last week were notcertified.

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HEALTH OF DUBLIN.

The death-rate in Dublin, which had been 27’0 and 27.3per 1000 in the two preceding weeks, further increased to 2Nduring the week ending May llth. During the past sixweeks of the current quarter the death-rate in the cityhas averaged 30-7 per 1000, the rate during the same

period being 18-0 in London and 19’0 in Edinburgh. The184 deaths registered in Dublin during the week undernotice showed a very slight increase upon the number in thepreceding week, and included 7 which were referred tethe principal zymotic diseases, against 5 and 7 in the

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two preceding weeks ; of these, 3 resulted from whoop-ing-cough, 2 from diarrhoea, 1 from small - pox, 1 from"fever," and not one either from measles, scarlet fever,or diphtheria. These 7 deaths were equal to an annualrate of 1-0 per 1000, the zymotic death - rate duringthe same period being 1’7 in London and 2’1 in Edin-

burgh. The fatal cases of whooping-cough, which had been1 and 4 in the two preceding weeks, were 3 last week. The2 deaths from diarrhoea exceeded the number in any recentweek. One fatal case of small-pox was recorded during lastweek, making 10 deaths from this disease within the city duringthe current quarter. The 184 deaths registered in Dublin lastweek included 21 of infants under one year of age and 50 of

persons aged upwards of sixty years; the deaths of infantsshowed a decline, while those of elderly persons corre-

sponded with the number in the preceding week. Sixinquest cases and 5 deaths from violence were registered ;and 85, or nearly one half, of the deaths occurred in publicinstitutions. The causes of 11, or nearly 6 per cent., of thedeaths in the city last week were not certified.

THE SERVICES.

MOVEMENTS OF THE MEDICAL STAFF.SURGEON-COLONEL O’DWYER has embarked for Halifax to

relieve Surgeon-Colonel Archer as Principal Medical Officerof the Command. Brigade - Surgeon - Lieutenant - ColonelGrose has been transferred from Belfast to Edinburgh. Sur-geon-Major Michael and Surgeon-Captain Gray have arrivedfrom Egypt on completion of a tour of service. Surgeon-Captain Hall has embarked for Sierra Leone. Surgeon-Captain Keatly has been posted to Ireland ; Surgeon-Captain Corcoran to Colchester ; and Surgeon - CaptainMacdonald to Portsmouth.

ARMY MEDICAL STAFF.

Surgeon-Colonel Edward C. Markey, C.B., to be Surgeon-Major-General, vice J. Davis, retired. Brigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant - Colonel William E. Riordan to be Surgeon-Colonel, vice E. C. Markey, C.B. Brigade-Surgeon-Lieu-tenant-Colonel Philip Le Feuvre Kilroy retires on retiredpay. Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel John G. Williamson to beBrigade-Surgeon-Lieutenant-Colonel, vice W. E. Riordan.

INDIA AND THE INDIAN MEDICAL SERVICES.The following appointments are announced:-26th Bombay

Infantry : Surgeon-Captain Sprague to officiate in MedicalCharge, vice Surgeon - Captain Heath ; Surgeon - ColonelGeoffry Hall to take up the duties of the Inspector-General-ship of Gaols in the North-West Ysovinces ; Surgeon-CaptainE. Jennings, doing duty under the orders of the Civil Surgeon,Nagpore, to be Civil Surgeon of Betul, and to the Executiveand Medical Charge of the Betul Gaol ; Surgeon-Major J. L.Poynder, Civil Surgeon, Sambalpur. to officiate as Civil

Surgeon, Raipur; Surgeon-Captain W. D. Sutherland, Civil

Surgeon, Damoh, to officiate as Civil Surgeon, Sambalpur,and to the Executive and Medical Charge of the SambalpnrGaol.

MiLITIA.3rd and 4th Battalion the South Staffordshire Regiment :

Lieutenant A. G. Mossop to be Captain.YEOMANRY CAVALRY.

Hampshire (Carabiniers) : Surgeon - Captain G. F. AEngland, M.B., resigns his commission ; John FrederickGordon Dill, M.D., to be Surgeon-Lieutenant.

VOLUNTEER CORPS.

Artillery : lst Aberdeenshire : John Marnoch, M. B., to beSurgeon-Lieutenant. 3rd Durham (Western Division, RoyalArtillery): Surgeon-Lieutenant J. Macdonald, M.B., resignshis commission. Rifle: 20th Middlesex (Artists’) : Surgeon-Lieutenant H. D. Brook to be Surgeon-Captain.

VOLUNTEER MEDICAL STAFF CORPS.The Woolwich Company: Surgeon - Lieutenant P. O.

Haynes to be Surgeon-Captain.CHITRAL.

The Anglo-Indian papers contain, of course, a largeamount of intelligence about the garrison of Chitral and theexpeditionary field forces, but the various telegraphic sum-

maries forwarded to this country have anticipated their newsand tended to render the descriptive accounts furnished bycorrespondents with the columns in the field stale reading.The chief points which strike us in connexion with theexpedition are the highly commendable promptitude-with which the forces were mobilised and took the field; pthe very arduous nature of the undertaking in the wayof the natural obstacles and topographical difficultiesthat had to be overcome ; the self-reliance and fine militaryqualities of the troops composing the native army ; the-brilliant marches under the leadership of such men a&

Colonel Kelly and Captains Borrodaile and Stewart --men who were but yesterday unknown, as it were, andbut a sample, we hope and believe, of that ability andpluck to be calculated upon as always to be found

among British officer. ; the heroism of the Chitral gar-li-on, and, we may add, the exhibition of gallantry anddevotion on the part of medical officers. Taking italtogether, we may fairly say that this Chitral affair has beena good business ; it has raised our prestige in India and onthe Continent and shown the strength of our position in theEast, and it has impressed people generally with the admir-able behaviour of our troops, European and native, of altranks, and of the good feeling and faithful services of thoseof our allies who, like the Khan of Dir, gave their aid to the-cause in which we were engaged.THE CHITRAL EXPEDITION : MEDICAL ARRANGEMENTS.

Up to the present time, as far as we have seen, no mentionhas been made as to the manner in which the duties of themedical department have been carried out during the littlewar which is just now coming to a close on the northernfrontier of India. Individual acts of heroism have beenmentioned, such, for instance, as that of Surgeon-CaptainH. F. Whitchurch of the Indian Medical Service, and the-

gallantry and fortitude, under very trying circumstances, ofthe political agent, Surgeon-Major G. S. Robertson, C.S.I.,also of the Indian Medical Service. These officers willno doubt have such honours and rewards bestowed

upon them as may seem fitting to Her Majesty andher advisers for such distinguished conduct. Thedaily and weekly press have, however, been silent as to.the excellences or imperfections of the general arrangementsmade for the carriage and treatment of the sick and wounded.of the expedition. We have reason to believe that the muletransport for the field hospitals (which in India includes thebearer companies) was taken from the medical department at,Nowshera, and that bullock-carts were supplied instead.This, we understand, was done by order of the general officer,commanding in consequence of the paucity of transportanimals, and of the imperative necessity of forwarding sup--plies of food and ammunition. We should like to know howthe field hospitals fared under these circumstances, as.

bullock - carts are absolutely useless in such a countryas the army had to traverse. The regulations lay downthat the medical transport shall not be taken away orused for any other purpose unless under the authorityof the general officer commanding. We look forward with.interest to an account of how the field hospitals fared on theroad to Chitral under these circumstances. It is quite right,no doubt, that the general officer commanding shouldpossess and exercise this authority in cases of imperative-necessity, but we think that nothing short of this should

justify the commander of a field force in using medical trans-port for other purposes, seeing that it enormously increases.the difficulties of the medical service, and might indeed,.as it has done before now, bring the medical arrangements to-a complete standstill.

A CONGRESS OF MILITARY HYGIENE.A correspondent of the Morning Post lately called attentiory

to the desirability of holding a congress in this countrydevoted ,olely to questions relating to military hygiene, and sketched a programme-in bare outline, of course-of thesubjects that might be taken up for consideration and dis-cussion at such a meeting. He advocates that a congress ofthis sort, organised under favourable patronage, should be-held at some large military centre in this country, and thinksthat members of military medical services of differentnations and others interested in the subject would be led totake part in it, with much practical advantage to all con-cerned. The general feeling is, perhapf, that medical andother congresses have been rather overdone of late. thatsubjects cannot be thoroughly or always advantageouslyconsidered at them, that too much is attempted, which is