and polishing of steel causes phthisis in an unusually short period; and that out of 250 workmen engaged in the occupation of polishing steel, 154 suffered from affections of the chest; and that there was no case of a person engaged in polishing forks reaching his 36th year, -magnets, wire masks, currents of air, and moisture, having been successively tried for the purpose of arresting the passage of the metallic particles to the lungs, but without diminishing the mortality.

To give an idea of the excessive mortality among the operatives employed in the Sheffield grinding trade, I may mention that, in the fork-grinding branch-which is stated to be the most destructive-Dr. Holland found that, out of 1,000 deaths occurring among persons between the ages of 20 and 30, while the proportion in England and Wales was 160, among the Sheffield forkgrinders it was 475. In the next decade of ages, 30 to 40, a similar disparity was observed, the proportion in England and Wales being 136, among the fork-grinders 410. The mortality in this branch of the trade was, therefore, very nearly three times as great as that among the general population of the country; the death-rate from pulmonary affections, per 100,000 males, being, for England and Wales, 569, while for Sheffield it was as high as 839, and nearly the same for Birmingham, viz., 838.

The Registrar seems to consider that the great mortality among butchers may be owing to the decaying matter by which they are surrounded in the slaughterhouse and its vicinity. About this, however, there seems some difference of opinion. The Registrar

observes that the red injected face of the indication of disease to the ordinary

butcher is an observer this

W

might be an indication of robust health. Similarly with respect to brewers' draymen; their appearance would indicate that they were blessed with strong constitutions; this is not, however, the case.

The workmen employed in flour mills are grievous sufferers from a spasmodic affection of the lungs, caused by the inhalation of minute particles of dust with which the atmosphere of most flour mills, as usually constructed, is impregnated.

Hugh Miller, himself originally, I believe, a stonemason, states that few of the Edinburgh stone-cutters pass their 40th year unscathed, and not one out of every 50 ever reach their 45th year. It is considered, however, that there is scarcely any employment where proper precaution would not very much reduce the present evil consequences, and that ignorance greatly increases the excessive mortality. From the 20th Report, published in 1857, it appears that the number of persons signing the marriage register with marks was no less than 105,778-the proportions per cent. being of the men 72, and of the women 61 only, who were able to write their names. The percentage has doubtless greatly increased during the last five years still the ignorance was dense enough to make Mr. Close, the Dean of Carlisle, declare that, in his opinion, the education of the children of the working classes should be made compulsory. He says, "slowly and reluctantly, and after struggling against this necessity for nearly 40 years, I am an absolute convert to this necessity." This opinion has doubtless long been shared by many other sensible men.

Mr. Porter says, however, "Notwithstanding the evident unnecessary sacrifice of life in this country, there is no doubt that a gradual progressive increase in

the mean duration of life has been maintained for some centuries past—with one exception, the 17th centurybut it is probably only within our own time that any considerable increase in the longevity of the mass of the population will be apparent; and this will be owing as well to the improved habits of life of the people as to the reform in sanitary matters--to the improvements in the dwellings of the labouring classes -the greater attention that is now being paid to drainage—the abolition of intramural interment-the establishment of baths and wash-houses-to the shorter hours of labour that are becoming daily more general, owing in a great measure to the exertions of the "Early Closing Association,"-to the establishment of national play-grounds, and the encouragement to indulge in manly exercises, of which the shorter hours of labour now more readily admitand to the greater care that is now devoted generally to the promotion of the well-being of that large section of the community which the labouring classes form.

GENERAL CONDITION OF THE WORKING CLASSES. M'Culloch says that "the labouring classes have been the principal gainers by the improvements in the arts and sciences, as well by the large numbers of them who have succeeded in advancing themselves to a superior station, as by the extraordinary additional comforts that now fall to the share even of the poorest families." That they have been large gainers there can be no doubt, and that the poor can now obtain many things that were considered, fifty years since, as luxuries, even by the rich, and which even kings could not two centuries ago command, cannot be denied; still the classes above them have undoubtedly had the largest share of the enormous wealth that has been created in England from the commencement of the century. The condition of the

avy ang Vaien he is unemployed *28 de intial average. National preme i ze erry, Clubs, Clothing lefederaly on this class,

rast, are growing up a different

bass of operatives is that de manufacture of clothing of all sorts, des rimming, cloth, hose, linen, lace, de mory system and factory operatives :s his class the terms are usually

Domestic Servants, as long as they continue