In making up this table, all who were not distinguished as master tradesmen were entered as mechanics. This circumstance would give to the labouring classes an appearance of a higher average age of death than is gained by them. On the other hand, some of the labouring classes will be found to have died in the workhouse, which would perhaps keep the average where it now stands, whilst if the registration were more accurate, the average age of death of the middle classes might be found to be about 27. The average age of death of 27 given for the whole metropolis is not made as an average of the averages, but from the average of the whole. The apparent high average of the age of death of paupers arises from the smaller proportion of children amongst them: and the larger proportion of aged adults who seek refuge in the workhouse.[10] § 38. The deaths registered from epidemic, endemic, and contagious diseases during the year 1839, which was by no means an unhealthy year, were as follows in Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds, and Birmingham:— ─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┬───────────────── │ │ Deaths from │ Ratio of Deaths │ Total Number of │ Epidemic, │ from Epidemic │ Deaths. │ Endemic, and │ Disease to the │ │ Contagious │ Total Number of │ │ Diseases. │ Deaths. ─────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┼───────────────── Liverpool │ 7,435│ 1,844│1 in 4 Manchester │ 6,774│ 2,006│1 in 3–4/10 Leeds │ 4,388│ 965│1 in 4–5/10 Birmingham │ 3,639│ 747│1 in 4–9/10 ─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┴───────────────── The numbers of deaths which occurred during that year amongst the labouring classes are not distinguished, but they were for the next year as follows. And in the three first-named towns, I conceive that the proportion of cases of deaths amongst those classes where the corpse is kept in the living room, is in all probability as great as in the metropolis. Liverpool 5,597 Manchester 4,629 Leeds 3,395 Birmingham 2,715 I am unaware of any data existing in the towns in Scotland from which any estimate can be made of the extent to which the evils in question are prevalent there. In the recent Report on the Census, sufficient is shown of the condition of the labouring population in the towns in Ireland to prove, that in them, the evils must fall with at least as great severity as they are described to occur in the worst, conditioned districts in England.[11]