156

DISCOVERY OF NATURAL GAS AT HULL.-On the 28tlult. an extraordinary phenomenon was witnessed in Crystalstreet, Hull, at the private residence and private water work:of Mr. Thomas Stather, civil engineer. It was that of fireand water issuing at the same moment from the same fountain,Mr. Stather wished to sink a well, and for that purpose hacengaged a large body of experienced men. Up to five o’clocl;on Monday afternoon the well-sinker had bored to the deptlof forty-eight feet below the surface, and at forty-five to forty.eight feet had found a bed of peat, three feet thick, beneatlwhich he came to a bed of gravel, containing broken flint andthe remains of marine shell-fish. As the water now issued fromthe surface of the boring in a bubbling fountain, varying inheight from one to six or seven feet, and from that to ten feet;spurting out volumes of gravel and fine sand, the sinker, whohad, in sinking other wells, previously seen something of thekind, though on a smaller scale, being certain that this wa,occasioned, not by the force of water, but of gas of some kind.determined to try whether it was inflammable, a thing whichhe had never in his life attempted before, and to his surprisethere arose a lurid flame, two yards in height, issuing from atube three inches in diameter, and through which tube thewater continued to flow and boil over without at all diminish-ing the volume of flame, which ascended considerably higheIthan the garden wall, which is seven feet high. The flamewas extinguished for the night for fear of alarming the neigh.bourhood. On Tuesday morning Mr. J. D. Sollitt, the che-mist and lecturer, and head master of the Hull GrammaiSchool, was brought to the spot in consequence of the dis-covery ; and during the day Sir Henry Cooper, M.D., andother scientific gentlemen, also examined the extraordinaryphenomenon. A tube, three inches in diameter, and six feethigh, was added to the one which was a few inches only abovethe ground, and the water and the gas still flowed freely to-gether, but after a time the water ceased to rise so high, andgas only escaped. At ten o’clock on Tuesday morning, Mr.Sollitt stated that the quantity of gas which had escapedthe orifice-supposing it to have continued with the same forceas he witnessed--would, from five o’clock on the precedingafternoon, have more than filled the largest gasometer at anyof the gas-works in Hull, and would, in fact, have been suffi-cient to light during the night all the streets in this town ol100,000 inhabitants.-Hull Packet.MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS AT DELHI.-We are happy

to contradict the report of the deaths of the following gentle-men :-Drs. Hockin, Clark, Cotes, Batson, Waghorn, andScott.HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEEK ENDING

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1st.-In the first three weeks of July thedeaths registered in London were consecutively 988, 1061, and1209; in the week that ended on Saturday last they exhibit afurther increase, the number being 1238, of which 632 aredeaths of males, and 606 those of females. In the ten years1847-56 the average number of deaths in the weeks corre-

sponding with last week was 1138. But as the deaths of lastweek occurred in an increased population, it is necessary, forthe purpose of comparison, to raise the average in proportionto the increase, in which case it will become 1252, which differsbut little from the number actually returned. The average is

derived, in part from two seasons-viz., those of 1849 and1854-when epidemic cholera had made progress; and henceit may be inferred that the mortality that now prevails is

high for a time when the population is only subject to the ordi-nary sickness of summer. The increase on previous weeks,above shown, arises from the mortality from diarrhoea, whichhas constantly advanced during the last five weeks. In theweek that ended June 27th, this complaint was fatal in 33cases; thereafter the weekly numbers were 65, 133, 150, 259,and (last week) 302. Of these 302 cases no less than 262 oc-curred to children during the first two years of life, 11 at twoyears and under three, 5 at the age of five years and underfifteen, 5 between the ages 20-60; they then begin to increase,and at the age of sixty years and upwards, 19 cases were fatal.Besides the deaths from diarrhcea, 24 are referred to cholera,having been returned as "choleraic diarrhoea," "cholera in-fantum," &c. By combining the numbers under the two heads(diarrhoea and cholera), it will be seen that 6 occurred in the sub-district of Kensington Town, 6 in Chelsea N.W., 6 in theHanover-square sub-district, 6 in St. John, Marylebone, 8 inIslington W., 12 in Islington E., 6 in St. Giles S., 7 in St.Botolph, 7 in Bethnal-green Town, and smaller numbers inmost of the other sub-districts. One death from small-poxwas registered; it occurred to an infant in the Amwell sub-

156

district. From measles 21 children died, from scarlatina 20,from hooping-cough 40, and from typhus 31 persons. Of sevenprincipal diseases in the epidemic class, hooping-cough is rathermore fatal than is usual in summer, but diarrhcea alone prevailsto a degree which requires to be noticed as excessive.-Lastweek the births of 843 boys and 830 girls, in all 1673 children,were registered in London. In the ten corresponding weeks ofthe years 1847-56 the average number was 1482.

Births, Marriages, and Deaths.BIRTHS.

On the 30th ult., at Portman-street, Portman-square, thewife of John Randall, M.D., of a daughter.On the lst inst., at Brompton-row, the wife of J. Baber,

M.D., of a daughter.On the 4th inst., at Bow, Middlesex, the wife of W. T. G.

Woodforde, M.D., of a son.

MARRIAGES.

On the 27th ult., at Newport, Thos. Nicolas, M.D., F.R.C.S.Eng. (Exam.,) of Cardiff, and late Civil Surgeon to the BritishMilitary Hospitals in the East, to Mary, youngest daughter ofMrs. Jones, Mountpleasant, Newport, Monmouthshire.On the 28th ult., at St. Pancras Church, C. S. Elliott, Esq.,

War Department, Tower of London, to Ann Eliza, eldestdaughter of Dr. S. Richards, Bedford-square.On the 5th inst., at Christ Church, Spitalfields, T. N. Brush.

field, Esq., M. R. C. S., Superintendent of the County Asylum,Chester, to Hannah, only daughter of Mr. John Davis, ofPrinces-street, Spitalfields.

DEATHS.

On the 12th ult., at Civita Vecchia, Italy, Louisa Eliza, wifeof J. Bright, Esq., and only child of G. Bateman, M.D., ofLeamington, Warwickshire.On the 22nd ult., at Clifton, Gloucestershire, Louisa, wife of

Dr. Lancaster.

THE REPORT

OF THE

ANALYTICAL SANITARY COMMISSIONON THE

FOODOF

LIVERPOOL

Will be published in THE LANCET of the 15th instant.

MEDICAL DIARY OF THE WEEK.

MONDAY, AUGUST 10...

TUESDAY, AUGUST 11...

WEDNESDAY, Aua. 12 .

THURSDAY, AUGUST 13-

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14......

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15

ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL.-Operations, 1 1/2 P.M.METROPOLITAN FREE HOSPITAL. - Operations,

2 P.M.ROYAL ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL.—Operations, 2L P.M.

GUY’S HOSPITAL.-Operations, 1 P.M. WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL.-2 P.M.(ST. MARY’S HoaPIxarr.-Operationa,1 1 p.tf.UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL. - Operations,2 P.M.ROYAL ORTHOPAEDIC HOSPITAL.-Operations,3 1/2

L P.M.(MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL.-Operations, 12 1/2 P.M.Sx. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL.-Operations, 1 P.M.CENTRAL LONDON OPHTHALMIC HOSPITAL.-

I Operations, 1 P.M.LONDON HOSPITAL.-Operations, 1 1/2 P.M.

OPHTHALMIC HOSPITAL , MOORFIELDS.-Opera-tions, 10 A.M.

WESTMINSTER OPHTHALMIC HOSPITAL. - Opera-tions, 11 P.M.(CHARING-CR0SS HOSPITAL.-Operations, 12 1/2 P.M. ST. THOMAS’S HOSPITAL.-Operations, 1 P.M. ST. BARTHOLOMEW’S HOSPITAL.-Operations, 1 1/2

P.M.COLLEGE HOSPITAL.-Operatrions 2 P.M.