Proceedings of the British Association, 107 



varied very much in different years ; the minimum in 1831 being 

 2*90 per cent., and the maximum in 1833 being 8.07 per cent. The 

 rates of mortality in persons of different creeds were very varied, as 

 will be seen from the following table : — 



Protestants 334 per cent. 



Roman Catholics (chiefly Portuguese) 1011 „ 



Christians generally 5.46 ,, 



Mussulmans 229 ,, 



Hindus 454 ,, 



Armenians 448 ,, 



The sanitary superiority of the Mohammedans over the other races, 

 and particularly the Hindus, was illustrated by various comparisons, 

 but the general result was the same as that given in the preceding 

 table. A return was made of the rates of mortality among European 

 officers, which showed the following various per-centages of deaths ; — 



Single. Married. 



Colonels 7'02 4*85 



Lieutenant- Colonels 638 392 



Majors 2'76 296 



Captains 4'18 255 



Lieutenants 3-74 2*06 



Ensigns 361 1*59 



Field officers generally 4*12 3 75 



Subalterns, including Captains . . 3*76 2'36 



Officers generally 3*77 2*74 



A desultory conversation ensued, in which no fact of importance 

 was elicited, and the Section then adjourned. 



Section G.— MECHANICAL SCIENCE. 



In the absence of Mr. Rennie, who wrote to say he had been de- 

 tained on business by the Government, Mr. John Taylor opened the 

 meeting, but having to attend in another Section, Mr. Scott Russell 

 took the chair. 



The first paper read was on a new Scantlometer, by Mr. James 

 Wylson. It is intended by this instrument to ascertain the scantl- 

 ings (or depth and thickness) of timber used in buildings. 



