appear invariably to reach their greatest height in the
last, or autumn quarter. Last year, for instance, the
marriages in the first and last quarters respectively were
33,144, and 47,666; in the year preceding, for the same
periods, 35,014, and 48, 886; in 1852, 32,977 and 47,313.
In the quarter ending last, March they were only 29,131
—a result ascribed in the return to the combined
operation of high prices, diminished employment in some
districts, severity of weather, and the withdrawal of
an increased number of men for the services of the army
and navy. The births in the last quarter were 165,250,
being below the numbers for the same period of 1854,
but above those for the corresponding quarters in 1851,
1852, and 1853. Taking the mean for ten years ending
in 1854, the rate of births per cent, in the second or
spring quarter of the year would be 3·489; whereas last
quarter they were 3·534. The deaths in the same period
were 106,584, so that the net increase of population
during the three months in question was 58,666. Against
this, however, must be set the emigrations to foreign
countries; and these are put down in the return as
65,210; but it must be understood that the computation
of births refers solely to England, whereas the emigrants
spoken of were by no means exclusively Englishmen.
Upon the whole, it seems to be calculated that the
population of England increases at the rate of some 200,000
a-year. For the middle of the year 1845 it is estimated
at 16,721,000, for the middle of the present year at
18,786,000, giving an increase of about 2,000,000 upon
the whole period. The document includes some statistics
from a new return compiled by the Emigration
Commissioners, indicating to a great extent the various
occupations and capacities of the persons who emigrated
during the year 1854. The aggregate number was
323,429, and of these 136,375 were females, and 187,054
males, while 250,487 were adults, and 72,942 under 14
years of age. Of the adult women—100,918 in number
—28,564 were married, and 11,378 were domestic and
farm servants. The 134,789 adult men included 50,914
labourers, gardeners, carmen, carriers, and carters;
13,491 farmers; 3,984 bricklayers, masons, slaters, and
plasterers; 5,185 carpenters and joiners; 1,790
blacksmiths, farriers, or veterinary surgeons; 1,989 tailors;
1,151 boot and shoe makers; and 933 bakers. What
were the destinations of these emigrants we are not
informed; but of the 65,210 who emigrated during the
last quarter it is stated by the Registrar-General that
39,509 proceeded to the United States, 10,397 to British
North America, 14,639 to the Australian colonies, and
665 to other places. The prices of provisions, which are
recorded by the Registrar-General as "sensibly affecting
the births, deaths and marriages" of the people, though
still high, are lower than last year. The general state
of the public health, as indicated by the last quarterly
return, shows a distinct improvement over the three
previous quarters. The total deaths for the quarter
ending last September were 113,939, for that ending
December 109,664, and for that ending with March
134,605. In the last quarter, as above stated, they were
only 106,584, but this shows a slight excess over the
corresponding period of 1854, when they were but
102,666.

The practice of Colonels Contracting for the Clothing
of their Regiments is done away with. In lieu of the
emoluments from this source, Colonels of regiments are
in future to receive the following allowances per annum
—Grenadier Guards, £1000; Coldstream Guards, £1000;
Scots Fusilier Guards, £1000; 1st Dragoon Guards,
£800; other regiments of Dragoon Guards and Dragoons,
each £450; 1st Regiment of Foot, £1200, to be reduced
to £1000 in the event of a vacancy occurring; 60th ditto,
1st battalion £600; 2nd ditto, £600.  Rifle Brigade, 1st
battalion, £600; 2d ditto, £600; other regiments of
Infantry of the Line and West India regiments, each
£600, if appointed before the 1st June, 1854, but if
appointed subsequently, only £500 per annum.

The practice of Open-air Preaching has been adopted
by some of the clergy. During several weeks, the Rev.
Newman Hall, of Surrey Chapel, has preached to working
men, on Monday and Thursday evenings, at the
Obelisk, in Blackfriars-road. A police-serjeant having
lately obliged the rev. gentleman to desist, Lord Shaftesbury
interested himself in the case, and has since written
to Mr. Hall as follows:—"I saw Sir R. Mayne on
Saturday. He spoke in high terms of open-air preaching,
and gave orders that you should not be interrupted
by the police in any way. You may safely resume your
station and your work, and may God be with you in
preaching the Gospel to the poor."

The management of the National Gallery has been
reconstituted by a Treasury minute recently published.
A board of trustees is to be continued, but the number
is to be diminished as vacancies occur. No man is to be
trustee ex officio; and the Treasury is to have the
appointment. The office of keeper is not abolished, but
amalgamated with that of secretary. A director is
created, with the salary of £1000 and a five years'
tenure of office. The trustees are continued, not to
share the responsibility of the director, but to keep up
a connection between the cultivated lovers of art and the
institution, and to invest the management with social
influence. A fixed sum is to be voted in the estimates
every year for the purchase of pictures. The director
will recommend in writing the pictures to be purchased
to the board of trustees. The director is also charged
with the care of the pictures and the construction of a
correct history of every picture in the collection, its
vicissitudes and repairs— the history to be posted up
from time to time. A travelling agent will be appointed,
with a salary of £300 a year, for surveying private
collections abroad and collecting information of probable
sales. The director newly appointed is Sir Charles
Eastlake; the keeper and secretary, Mr. Ralph
Wornum, with a salary of £750; and the travelling
agent is Mr. Otto Mündler, with a salary of £300.

Wild Court, Drury Lane, long the opprobrium of
that quarter, has undergone a complete transformation
at the hands of the Society for Improving the condition
of the Labouring Classes. Up to November last, this
notorious court sheltered about 1000 persons in its
thirteen houses. These crowded dwellings and their
inmates were in a state of indescribable filth, and the
place was the resort of the worst and lowest characters.
In November, the Society undertook to cleanse this
human sty, and they have accomplished the task at a
cost of £1700. The filth has been removed, the drainage
made more effective, and due supplies of water insured,
and the interiors of the rooms have been re-arranged so
as to secure ventilation, comfort, and decency. The
rooms now accommodate 83 families, instead of 200, and
they enjoy this superior accommodation at a little less
than the old rental. A few days ago, the Earl of
Shaftesbury and a number of gentlemen interested in
the schemes of the society inspected the new arrangements.

The New Beer Act has come into operation. The
hours for public-houses to be opened are now on Sunday,
Christmas-day, Good Friday, or any fast or thanksgiving
day from one to three and from five to eleven.
The houses are not to be opened before four o'clock on
the morning following the days mentioned, except to a
traveller or lodger therein. Houses for public resort are
prohibited in the same manner from being opened for
the sale of liquors. Constables are empowered to enter
public-houses. A penalty not exceeding £5 may be
levied for every offence against the act, and every
separate sale to be deemed an offence. The expression
"boná fide traveller" has been left out of the new law.

The new act for further promoting the establishment
of Free Public Libraries and Museums in municipal
towns, and for extending it to towns governed under
local improvement acts and to parishes, has been
printed. There is a new provision as to the City of
London. The public libraries act of 1850 is repealed,
and under this act the admission to the public is to be
"free of all charge." Town councils may adopt the
act if determined upon by the inhabitants, and the
expenses to be paid out of the borough fund, so also
may the board of any district within the limits of
an improvement act under similar circumstances.
Upon a requisition of at least ten ratepayers a meeting
of a parish may be called, and if two-thirds of the
ratepayers then present shall determine, the act shall
come into operation in the parish, and the expenses of
the same to be paid out of the poor-rate. The vestries
of two neighbouring parishes may adopt the act. With