170 EIGHTH REPORT 1838. 



A Scries of Statistical Illustratiotis of the principal Universities of Great 

 Britain and Ireland. By the Rev. H. L. Jones, M.A. 



These illustrations consisted principally of tables, in which Mr. Jones 

 calculated the amount of income derived from, the ancient endow- 

 ments of the colleges, and from various other sources of revenue, 

 the degrees conferred in the Universities, and the number of members 

 qualified by their degrees to take a part in the government of the 

 Universities. 



At the present time, it appears that the total number of members in 

 each of the two great English Universities, of Oxford and Cambridge, 

 exceeds 5000, and that the number of resident members in each of these 

 Universities is about 1 600. 



Mr. Jones states that the total annual expenditure of 1600 members 

 amounts to about ^SOjOOO/. per annum in Oxford, and about 400,000/. 

 per annum in Cambridge. 



A Description of the '^'^ London Fire Engine Establishment," and of the 

 Number, Extent, and Causes of the Fires in the Metropolis and its 

 Vicimti/,durinff the Five Years fromlSSS to 1837. £'?/W.R.Rawson. 



It appears that the average annual number of fires during this period 

 was 4-95, the number of alarms from chimneys on fire 108, and the 

 number of false alarms 68. 



Of the total number of fires, nearly one third occasion serious damages, 

 and in 6 out of 100 instances the buildings were wholly consumed. In 

 13 instances, 2 buildings were destroyed by a single fire ; in 4 instances, 

 3 buildings ; in 6 instances, 4 ; in 2 instances, 5 ; and in 1 instance, 8. 



The numlDer of fires is on the increase, but probably not out of pro- 

 portion to the great increase of buildings. 



The number of fires accompanied by loss of human life was 41 ; the 

 number of lives lost was 57. 



It appears that although the gi-eatest number of fires have occurred in 

 December, yet the number from May to October slightly exceeds that 

 from October to May. 



Private houses and the dwelling parts of other houses furnished 

 nearly one half of the whole number of fires. Next in frequency were 

 sale-shops or offices, victuallers, carpenters, bakers, oil- and colour- 

 men, stables, cabinet-makers, tinmen, booksellers, warehouses, hat- 

 makers, &c. The number of fires in the houses of lucifer match-makers 

 was considerable. 



The causes of fires have been discovered in four-fifths of the cases. 

 Of these causes accidents from candles fofm by far the largest class, or 

 3 in 10 cases ; and of these 43 per cent, arose from the setting on fire of 

 bed-curtains ; 22 per cent, from the setting on fire of window-curtains, 

 and 35 per cent, from otljer accidents. The next most frequent cause is 

 the defective construction or imperfect cleansing of flues, chimneys, and 

 stoves, amounting to 22 per cent, of the whole number. The number 

 of accidents from gas was 7^ per cent., from fire-heat applied to various 



