312 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1778. 



the city; tliey are dry and clean immediately after the heaviest rains. The rows 

 form a dry communication with the walls from nearly every place within their 

 circuit: their frequent ascents and descents: their elevated, airy situation, and 

 varied prospects; all contribute to render walking on them peculiarly well adapted 

 to preserve or restore health. The Dee, a large n;!vigable river, divides a small 

 part of the town from the rest, skirts the less, and surrounds three quarters of 

 the larger portion. Where it makes this division, it falls over a causeway, form- 

 ing a widely extended cascade, and then runs with rapidity down loose rocks; 

 the whole descent is 1 3 feet. The tide always flows up to the town, where it 

 rises, on a medium of spring tides 15 feet: the highest tides 21 feet: every new 

 and full moon, about 6 or 8 tides flow over the causeway, and sometimes more 

 than 20 miles above the town. Besides washing away the liquid filth, which 

 quickly runs into the river by a short course from nearly all quarters of the town, 

 the agitation of the waters, bcjth by the cascade and tides, is probably of further 

 service in purifying the atmosphere. 



The air of Chester is uncommonly clear. In a register of the weather, kept 

 for the last 4 years, there were only 6 foggy and 32 hazy mornings. In general 

 the atmosphere on the western is much clearer than on the eastern shore of 

 Britain, though more rain falls on the west than on the east side of the island. 



That the inhabitants of Chester should have nearly an equal chance of living 

 to twice the age of the inhabitants of Vienna, London, or Edinburgh; and that 

 no large town, as far as inquiries have been hitherto made, should approach to 

 a nearer proportion of longevity than as 28 to 40, are astonishing facts. The 

 centre is by far the most salubrious part of the city: the average of deaths within 

 the walls is only 1 in 58, a degree of longevity much superior to what in general 

 is recorded even of the country. 



Dr. Price, in his Observations on Annuities, has adduced numerous facts to 

 prove that women live longer than men. These tables afford many confirmations 

 of the remark. There died this year, under 20 years old, l52 males and 149 

 females, that is, a majority of 13 males; 52 husbands and 50 wives, that is 2 

 more husbands; 28 widowers and 48 widows, which is only a majority of 20 

 widows; though by the general survey, table 2, there are in Chester 258 wi- 

 dowers and 736 widows, or near 3 times the number. The total of males is 

 6697, of females 80 16, hence there is 13ig or nearly a 5th majority of females: 

 it may not be impioper also to observe, that the women, especially in the iiigher 

 and middle ranks of society, are remarkably beautiful. These facts clearly 

 prove, that the manners and situation ol Chester are peculiarly favourable to the 

 female constitution. 



Other observations may be deduced from these tables, which confirm, correct, 

 or illustrate, various questions of importance to society. The number of mar- 



