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employed have returned to Mirzaporc. I think six sweepers might be usefully em-
ployed for some days in perfecting the cleanliness commenced. All cesspools and drains
should bo filled up with dry earth, and so left until such time as cholera has disappeared,
when their contents should be carried out and buried. The village with its lands
belongs to the Rajah of Benares, who might perhaps-dcsire to permanently improve
its sanitary state by permitting the entertainment of two paid sweepers for its conser-
vancy.
The supply of medicines for administration by a Native Doctor.—The Native
Doctor employed was noticed to be a young lad, a compounder, sent from Mirzapore.
His medicines were noticed to consist of about eighty cholera pills, one drachm of
camphor in a piece of paper, and one drachm of carbonate of ammonia in a bottle, and
a few ounces of castor-oil. With this supply of medicines, and two bottles of
brandy, neither of which had been opened, the Native Doctor was endeavouring, I
believe to the best of his ability, to dispense the benefits and uphold the advantages of
modern medical science, but not, I think, so successfully in the eyes of the Native
population as seems desirable. But this is a wide question, which cannot be pro-
perly discussed here. Yet I may say that of the four patients I saw I think three
would have been greatly benefited by tonic doses of quinine, and one by the appli-
cation of a turpentine stupe to the loins; and perhaps it might be advantageous to
cause Civil Surgeons to be supplied with a properly-divided medicine-tray in which
a reasonable supply of medicines might be sent with the Native Doctor deputed in
any district to such work as this at Akhoree.
The use of disinfecting powder.—This I saw sparsely sprinkled over the contents
of three cesspools; but then I saw several not so treated ; and I believe if dry earth is
largely used, and drains and cesspools filled up with it, they will be better disinfected
than by a partial treatment with any disinfecting powde r.
7. Altogether it cannot, I think, be doubted that a considerable amount of
energy has been displayed by Dr. Paske, the Civil Surgeon, and Mr. Anthony, the
Deputy Magistrate, of Mirzapore, (the latter of whom kindly accompanied me to
Akhoree) in combating the rather severe visitation of cholera from which Akhoree
has recently suffered.
The disease appeared 35 days ago, and during that time 73 men, women and
children have died of it, or 1.5 per cent, of the inhabitants.
8. The village stands almost due west of Mirzapore, and about half way be-
tween the two lies the town of Bindhachul, a rather important place on the banks of
the Granges, famous for its temple to Devi, reached by narrow ascending stone-paved
streets with many crowded shops.
9. During my recent visit to Mirzapore I inspected Bindhachul also, as I
heard the Nauratree fair was taking place there daily at this time. I found it greatly
crowded with people—it was said 15,000 strangers in all were assembled. At the
temple on the highest point of the town was a scene of extraordinary confusion, very
many people passing in and out of the narrow temple, throwing water on the idol, the
water running down into the narrow street below ; and facing the temple door, down
in a large shallow stone tank, a scene rather horrible and disgusting—many men
bringing sheep and lambs, goats and kids, and young pigs for sacrifice by the Pundahs,
who decapitated the animals with considerable dexterity, and in such numbers that the
floor of the tank was covered with blood, dogs being engaged amongst the legs
of the men in licking and eating it up. The animals' bodies were carried away by
the owners to be eaten in the evening, and I noticed many places in and about the town
where offal had been thrown out to decompose. The place was too crowded to permit