gated by the Hydrate of Chloral, a medicine lately introduced as a powerful 

 hypnotic. Consumption caused 2 doaths, one Tusnianian born. 



The total deaths in the registration district of Hobarton, during 1870, were 

 500. The population at the census on the 7th February, 1870, was 25,004, the 

 death-rate therefore was 20 per 1,000. Nearly 0,000, however, of the popula- 

 tion is extra-urban and purely rural. On the other hand 45 of the deaths are 

 known to have been of persons not belonging to the district, and 70 others 

 were invalids collected from all parts of the island, and concentrated within 

 two establishments in the district. It may therefore be fairly calculated that 

 about 400 was the actual number of deaths of persons belonging to the district, 

 being at the rate of 16 per 1,000 per annum. The Registrar-General of 

 England assumes 17 per 1,000 to be the normal death-rate, being that of the 

 65 healthiest districts of England and Wales. The average of the total deaths 

 in the Hobai-ton Registration District for the 13 years, 1857, 1869, was 564 

 8-13, the year 1858 having the largest number, 644 ; and 1869 having the 

 smallest, 462. Of the 500 deaths in 1870, January had the greatest number, 64, 

 November the smallest, 25. No disease prevailed epidemically, and the deaths 

 in the Zymotic class of diseases were only about one-tenth of the whole. From 

 the records of the 13 years ending 1869, the mean mortality of each month is as? 

 follows : — January, 49 1-13 ; February, 54 6-13, which considering the small 

 number of days in that month, is the most fatal month in the year ; March, 

 54 11-13 ; April, 41 1-13 ; ]\[ay, 40 7-13 ; June, 45 9-13 ; July, 56, this is 

 numerically the most fatal month, but not so if the number of days is calculated. 

 Moreover, an epidemic of influenza in July, 1860, when 114 deaths were 

 recorded, principally of old people, swells the average of this month differently 

 to any other of the months. Excluding this very fatal month, the average of 

 the other 12 years is only 50 4-12 August, 45 10-13 ; September, 42 ; 

 October, 43 6-13 ; November, 39 12-13, being the least fatal month to life ; 

 December, 44 9-13. In the year 1870 the deaths in each month under 5 years 

 old, were :— January, 23 ; Febniary, 18 ; March, 12 ; April, 9 ; Blay, 10 ; 

 June, 6 ; July, 1 ; August, 12 ; September, 6 ; October, 9 ; November*, 6 ; 

 December 11 ; total 123. This is a very small proportion of the total deaths 

 at all ages, according to the laws of mortality in England and Europe generally. 

 At 60 and all ages above, the oldest being 93 years old, the deaths were : — 

 In January, 16 ; February, 13 ; March, 16 ; April, 9 ; May, 17 ; June, 18 ; 

 July, 18 ; August, 15 ; September, 16 ; October, 16 ; November, 11 ; 

 December, 9 ; total, 174. The hot months are most fatal to children, the cold 

 months to old j)eople. By the census in February, 1870, thete were 3,402 

 children under five years old enumerated in the Hobarton Registration 

 District, and at 60 and all ages above, 1825. It is very remarkable that while 

 the constituent elements of the population as to age, have year after year, 

 been increasing in the proiDortionate numbers of the very young, and the very 

 old, the total death-rate has been decreasing. By the ordinary laws of 

 mortality it should be otherwise. This proves that our climatic advantages 

 have heretofore been under- estimated, not exaggerated, and that the native- 

 born have a much less death-rate than the imported inhabitants. 



