MOR 
authorizes a satisfactory inference of dimi- 
nishing mortality in England since the year 
1780; the number of marriages and bap- 
tisms indicates that the existing population 
of 1801, was to that of 1780, as 117 to 100, 
while the amount of registered buiials re- 
mained stationary during the same period, 
as will be seen in the following account. 
Total number of burials in England and 
Wales. 
Years. 
Males. 
Females. 
Total. 
1700 . 
... 65,752 
... 66,976 . 
.. 132,728 
1710 , 
... 70,606 
... 69,702 . 
.. 140,308 
1720 . 
.. 81,1.56 
... 79,268 . 
.. 160,424 
1730 . 
... 89,085 
... 87,408 . 
.. 176,493 
1740 . 
.. 83,706 
... 83,267 . 
.. 166,973 
1750 . 
.. 77,149 
... 77,.537 . 
.. 154,686 
1760 . 
.. 77,750 
... 77,887 . 
.. 155,637 
1770 . 
... 85,952 
... 88,431 . 
.. 174,383 
1780 . 
.. 95,845 . 
... 95,891 .. 
.. 191,736 
1781 . 
.. 94,505 . 
... 94,867 .. 
,. 189,372 
1782 . 
... 90,189 
... 90,725 . 
.. 180,914 
1783 . 
..*90,606 . 
... 91,383 .. 
,. 181,989 
1734 . 
.. 92,851 . 
.. 9.5,070 .. 
,. 187,921 
1785 . 
.. 91,548 . 
.. 93,922 .. 
. 18.5,470 
1786 . 
.. 88,330 . 
... 90,728 .. 
.. 179,058 
1787 . 
.. 88,123 . 
.. 90,593 .. 
. 178,718 
1788 . 
.. 89,227 . 
.. 92,118 .. 
. 181,345 
1789 . 
.. 88,411 . 
.. 90,973 .. 
. 179,384 
1790 . 
.. 87,954 . 
.t 90,777 .. 
.. 178,731 
1791 . 
.. 90,895 . 
.. 89,557 .. 
. 180,452 
1792 . 
. 90,963 . 
... 91,646 .. 
. 182,609 
1793 . 
.. 98,560 . 
.. 98,305 .. 
. 196,865 
1794 . 
.. 95,311 
.. 95,638 .. 
. 191,149 
1793 . 
..102,086 . 
..101,242 .. 
. 203,328 
1796 - 
.. 92,289 . 
.. 92,245 .. 
. 184, ,534 
1797 . 
.. 92,292 . 
.. 92,637 .. 
. 184,929 
1798 . 
.. 90,657 . 
.. 90,656 .. 
. 181,313 
1799 . 
.. 92,078 . 
.. 91,189 .. 
. 183,267 
1800 . 
..101,686 . 
.. 99,442 .. 
. 201,128 
Total number of baptisms and of burials 
in the twenty-nine years above specified. 
Males. Females. Total. 
Baptisms 3,285, 188... 3,1 50, 922... 6,436, 110 
Burials. ..2,575,762.. >^,590,082., .5,16.5,844 
The proportion of births therefore ap- 
pears to be 104J males to 100 females ; of 
the deaths 99i males to 100 females. The 
average number of burials during the last 
twenty-one years was about 186,000 per 
annum. 
MORTAR, a preparation of lime and 
sand mixed up with water, which serves as 
a cement, and is used by masons and brick- 
layers in building of walls of stone and 
brick. 
Mortar, when well made, and of the best 
materials, becomes as hard as stone, and ad- 
hering very strongly to the surfaces of the 
MOR 
stones which it is employed to cement, the' 
whole wall is as one single stone. To ob- 
tain this end the lime should be very pure. 
Earl Stanhope, who has made many expe- 
riments on this substance, found that almost 
every thing depends upon the burning of 
the lime ; it must be almost vitrified to be 
completely free from the carbonic acid, and 
then reduced to fine powder ; the sand 
should be free from clay, and partly in the 
state of find sand, and partly in that of 
gravel ; the water should be pure, but if sa- 
turated with lime so much the better. The 
best proportions are said to be three parts 
of fiiie sand, four of the coarser kind, one 
part of quicklime, and as little water as may 
be. 'The stony consistence of mortar is 
partly owing to the absorption of carbonic 
acid, and partly to the combination of part 
of the water with the lime ; hence if to 
common and well made mortar, one-fourth 
part of unslacked lime reduced to powder, 
be added, the mortar when dry acquires 
much greater solidity than it would other- 
wise. Morveau has given the following 
proportions. 
Fine sand go 
Cement of well baked bricks go 
Slacked lime go 
Unslacked lime go 
100 
The best mortar for resisting wafer is 
made by mixing with lime, puzzolano, a 
volcanic sand brought from Italy'. Ba- 
saltes may be substituted in its stead. 
Mortar, in chemistry and pharmacy, an 
utensil very useful for the division of bodies 
by percussion, trituration, &c. Mortars 
are of different shapes and sizes, and the 
matter intended to be broken in them is 
struck with a pestle made of wood, iron, or 
marble, according to the different degrees 
of hardness. ‘ 
Mortar piece, a short piece of ordnance, 
considerably thick and wide; serving to 
throw bombs, carcasses, fire-pots, &c. 
The use of mortars is thought to be older 
than that of cannon ; they being employed 
in the wars in Italy to throw stones and 
balls of red-hot iron, long before the inven- 
tion of bombs ; which, as Blondel informs 
us, were first thrown at the siege of Wach- 
tendorch, in Guelderland, in 1588. 
It was formerly the opinion of gunners, 
that only one certain charge of powder 
was requisite for each mortar, and that the 
horizontal range could not be altered but 
by changing the diiection of the piece; but, 
/ 
