these, 50 had either reached or exceeded the age of 100, giving 1909, or say 9-10ths, very nearly two persons to every 10,000. Within the same period the sum of deaths registered for the whole of England and Wales was 2,549,182, and 501 had attained the age of 100 years; and, singularly enough, the result was the same, 19-10ths, or almost two persons to every 10,000 deaths.

Taking a period antecedent to this we find a higher ratio. In ten years-1831-40-the deaths registered in London were 348,018; of these, 24 were males and 55 females, making 79 persons who had survived to the age of 100, giving 2:270 to every 10,000, or a little over 24. In 30 years--from 1728 to 1758-the deaths recorded in England and Wales amounted to 750,322, and 242 were registered as having attained the age of 100, giving 3,225 to every 10,000, or say 34. Taking, therefore, a given number of deaths in the present and past centuries, without regard to time, the inference is that more people lived to be very old in the last than in the present century.

The census of the people lately taken confirms this supposition, as, notwithstanding the increase of population, the census of 1861 returned only 201, whilst that of 1851 gave 215 persons who had survived to the patriarchal age of 100 years.

Having seen the number of deaths of centenarians, the reader of the paper proceeded to portion them out over the different parts of England and Wales in the following way:1st, into divisional counties; 2nd, counties; and 3rd, into districts and sub-districts. This part of the subject was illustrated by a series of tables, for which, from their great length, we are unable to find room. We, however, subjoin the first. It shows how these 501 centenarians are distributed over the 11 divisional groups of counties into which England is split up for registration and other purposes.

The divisional counties returning the largest number of centenarians, and therefore most favourable to longevity, are Wales, North and South, returning 89, or one centenarian to every 14,030 of its inhabitants. The difference between the three next groups of English counties is slight; nevertheless, it is somewhat remarkable that the eastern division, embracing as it does immense tracts of flat marshy country, and in no great repute for its general salubrity, should take the palm from all the others for the superior longevity of its people. With regard to the three divisions that absorb very nearly one half of the whole population of England and Wales, viz, London, with the metropolitan portions of Surrey and Kent, Lancashire and Yorkshire, it is curious that London, with its huge and pent-up population, should compete so successfully with country districts, where the inhabitants are scattered, and therefore in a condition better calculated to prserve health and to prolong life. It seemed to imply that crowding or agglomeration of individuals, as seen in large cities, is not unfavourable to extreme longevity.

With regard to the next table, No. 2, which showed the number returned for each separate county, it would be observed that the healthiest counties were not always those that returned

the greatest number of centenarians. Heading the list, for example, was Lancashire, the county giving the highest death rate in England. At the bottom was Westmoreland and Rutlandshire, with a low death rate, and therefore among the most healthy of our counties. In the rear also was Northamptonshire, abounding in beautiful scenery and pastures, and containing more seats of the nobility and gentry than any other county. The two last did not return a single instance of a person dying at the advanced age of 100 years within the period before mentioned. The fewest centenarians were principally found in the north and south midland counties, and north-west of London. They were with few exceptions fine agricultural counties, and considered extremely healthy. Starting with Middlesex, we have Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire, Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Rutlandshire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.

The counties giving the largest number of centenarians are, for the most part, in a position directly west of those above named, commencing with that peninsular tract of our sea-girt isle whose shores are washed by the Irish Sea. We have South Wales, Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Somersetshire, then follow the two eastern counties, Norfolk and Suffolk, with North Wales. The counties next in order most favourable to longevity are the two northern, Northumberland and Cumberland, taking precedence of three of the five south-western counties, viz., Cornwall, Wiltshire and Devonshire.

From counties this little band of remarkable people were followed into minuter divisions of teritory comprised in what were called districts. The 44 registration counties were subdivided into 623 of these districts. They were collections of contiguous parishes or places, and were generally identical with the poor-law unions of the same name. The following

analysis, for reasons explained, were mainly confined to town districts:

Beginning with London, it was found that the majority of centenarians were stowed up in the worst parts of the metropolis. Whitechapel, which comprised the Artillery, Spitalfields, Mile-end, Old Town, with a population of 78,470, and having a death rate of 29 in 1,000, in 1862 returned the largest number. East London, embracing St. Botolph and Cripple-gate, the most densely populated part of the metropolis, with only 17 square yards to each person; the City of London giving 31, and St. George's, Hanover-square, 79 square yards to each individual, returned 4 centenarians; Bethnal-green, 2; Marylebone, 2; and Lambeth, 3. The fact of so many old people having been found in these parts of London clearly showed that they must have been in a very humble position, and in many instances were probably paupers or mendicants. Some might have resided on the banks, inhaling for half a century or more the sweet perfumes of that much abused river the Thames.

Liverpool told very much the same tale. This district, as defined by the Registrar General, is known as the Parish of Liverpool, and included St. Martin's, Howard-street, Dalestreet, St. George s, St. Thomas's, Mount-pleasant and Islington. It has necessarily a very dense, and in some parts of it a most foul population, and any one at all acquainted with the filthy and ill-conditioned state of some of the courts and alleys in which a large proportion of the working and lower orders lived would scarcely be surprised to hear that the deaths had in several cases much exceeded the births. Was

it not remarkable, under such circumstances, that Liverpool should return 8 centenarians, whilst the West Derby district, which included all the out-townships, which were pleasantly situated on the slopes and heights of the surrounding hills, and inhabited, for the most part, by the well-to-do classes,

should not give a single example of a centenarian within these six years? Exeter returned 4, whilst the Newton Abbot district, including Teignmouth, Torquay, Newton Ashburton, and with twice the population, and having a climate singularly mild and genial, gave only 1; and Plymouth, with 76,000 inhabitants, did not present a single instance.

There is one locality in England that contributes more to swell the list of old people than any other, and we could not refuse to regard it as the district the most generally favourable to longevity in our island. It is the estuary of the Severn and immediate vicinity of the Bristol Channel; on one side of it we have Somersetshire and Gloucestershire returning 43, being more than twice the average of the other English counties. The average for the forty English counties was about 10 to each county. The districts returning these deaths are Clifton 6, Bristol 2, for Gloucestershire; and Taunton 6, Bath 6, Bridgewater 4, in Somersetshire. On the other side of the channel we have two Welsh counties giving 33, Glamorganshire 22, and Monmouthshire 11. The districts returning these deaths are Merthyr-Tidfil 6, Neath 4, Cardiff 4, Swansea 3, Abergavenny 7. All these places are within a few miles of the Bristol Channel, and are among the most important iron and coal districts of South Wales. Carmarthen returned 4, Llandovery 3, and at the extreme west of the county of Pembrokeshire we have the ancient city of Haverfordwest giving 6.