Supposing each member of the family to have been assured at birth, a labourer’s family in Herefordshire consisting of five persons would have to pay yearly 13_s._ 9_d._, and there a farmer’s family of the same number would have to pay 2_l._ 8_s._ 9_d._ yearly; whilst in London for an artisan’s family of five, the yearly payment would be 15_s._ 10_d._ and for a tradesman’s family it would be 6_l._ 13_s._ 4_d._ per annum. To insure the payment of the average cost of funerals, 14_l._ 7_s._ 5_d._ at the end of 27 years, on the metropolitan chances of life, the annual payment would be 7_s._, whilst on the Herefordshire chances of life of 39 years to all born high or low the sum would be only 4_s._ Or to take another form of displaying the comparative burthen; the general average cost of each burial being 14_l._ 7_s._ 5_d._, and the annual _proportions_ of deaths being different from the average duration of life—being 1 of every 40 in the metropolis, a poll-tax to defray the burial expenses must there be 7_s._ 2¼_d._; whilst in Hereford the proportions of deaths being one in every 55, the poll-tax on all of the inhabitants to meet the charge would be 5_s._ 3_d._ per head. § 76. It appears, therefore, that in considering the means of relief from the evils connected with the number and expenses of burial, it should at the same time be borne in mind that the primary means of abatement and relief of the misery of frequent funerals will be found in the means of the removal of the developed and removable causes of premature mortality. Had the annual mortality amongst the population in the high, open, and naturally-drained district of Hackney been the same proportionate amount of mortality as that in the contiguous, but low, ill-drained, ill-cleansed, and ill-ventilated district of Bethnal Green and Whitechapel, instead of 759 deaths per annum, Hackney would have upwards of 1138 deaths, and an expense of 5448_l._ more for funerals during the year than it has. So the county of Hereford, if it were afflicted with the same amount of mortality as that which prevails in Liverpool, would have 1488 more deaths annually and an additional expenditure of 21,390_l._ per annum in burials. How directly, certainly, and powerfully, defective sanitary measures in respect of drainage and cleansing, bear upon health and life, and, by consequence, on the frequency of burials, will be seen in the latter portions of the examination of Mr. Blencarne, surgeon, one of the medical officers of the City of London Union, and of Mr. Abraham, surgeon, one of the Registrars of Deaths in the same Union; which I select as an instance, because the City stands high in wealth, in endowed charities, and in supposed immunity from the removable or preventible causes of disease.[17]