The Express.
London, England, 1865-11-17 00:00:00

THIC OBOLIIRA AT NAPLES.
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(nox A

NAPLES, Nov. 8. 1
Everything is dreadfully gloomy here. Naples
and Rome are hie the English watering-places; they
depend much on the strangers who crowd to both
every winter ; but this year there is not a creature
to be seen. The rich Neapolitans are all staying
izt their villas, or have gone to Florenos or Switzer-
laud. There is not a single English family ; all
the great hotels are shut up, and the tradespeople
are in despair. The poor coral shops have pre-
pared in vain their beautiful ornaments, in coral,
lava, and tortoise-shell ; there jilt° one tobny them.
As we drive about, the solitary porters at the large
hotels glare at us as if they would like to
haul us in by main force. We are staying at a
comfortable, clean hotel ; the beat drained, I
believe, in this place of bad drainage. We have
been here often before, and we are the only people
here now except the prima donna and first tenor of
the great Opera of San Carlo. They have apartments
near us, and we oceasioaally hear the shakes and
runs preltised that are to astonish the audience in

the evening.
H things had been more cheerful we should have
goes to the opera, but every day the cholera cases
increase, and oessequently the pante. We saw
a poor man when we were driving yester-
day seized in the street with cholera, sur-
rownled by terror-stricksai bystander.. It
was raining, and he lay on the ground with a
policeman beside him until he could be taken to
the hospital. The people looked pale and terrified,
and many were crossing themselves. They are so ig-
norant that they believe the people are poison,
that the water and food are poisoned, and
will scarcely go to the hospitals, or take the
medicines. They think the things seed for disin-
fecting purposes are intended to poison the people,
and the doctors are sometimes in danger from the
ignorant lower class. They say, too, the priests are
doing all they can to spread these reports to
induce the people to get up a revolu-
tion, and the poor creatures are almost frantic.
It is a sad state of things--and I think we are not
at the wont. When one sees the places some of the
people live in, and the sort of things they are con-
stantly eating--indigestible raw vegetables--you
almost wonder that any of them escape. Many are
quite reckless, and go on eating quantities of the
things which the government has condemned, say-
ing " that it is better, if they must die, to die with
a full stomach ;" but it is not a pleasant subject,
and we talk and try to think of it as little as pos.
aible. The worst of it all, as far as we
are concerned, is the difficulty of getting
away to any other place on account of the
quarantine. It is impossible to obtain any
are
trust-
worthy information ,as there o travellers or
visitors of any kind ; almost all then steamers have
ceased to touch at Naples, as there are no pas-
sengers. The quarantine arrangements are every-
where shocking ; people might almost u well have
cholera at once as go into the lazarettos. They
treat you as though plague-stricken already, turn
you in with no provision for food, cleanliness, or
accommodation, not caring what becomes of you
so that they get you safely locked in, with sentries
outside holding loaded guns. The strong
and healthy may get through, but it is
terrible for invalids to pass seven days
in such misery. There are seven days'
quarantine both at Genoa and Leghorn to persons
coming from Naples. We hope that a small steamer
will sail direct from here to Marseilles on the 11th
by which we shall get off with three days on board
in the harbour. Things are, indeed, come to a bad
w.Ol when that is the best we have to look forward
to, after two days and nights at sea, and the smells
in the harbour at Marseilles are something dreadful
to endure ; perhaps, however, we may have to go
into the Chateau D'lf !