The Express.
London, England, 1849-07-16 00:00:00

PROGRESS OF THE CHOLERA.

The following lug:teats were held in London cn
FridaT and Saturday :

On Pride, evening, berate Mr. Baker, at the Peirce Albert,'
Princes-street. Ilsgeentone, on view of the body of Themes I
Cul. y, aged 38, a compositor, who resided in a cottage at the I
rear of the Prince Albert, an i who died o! Asiatic cholera. I
Deceased had been for come time put in a state of destitu-
tion, and could only obtain occasional employment. Lest
Sunday afternoon he took some tea, not hating had any
d caner, and soon after he was attack( d with cramp
and sickness. The same evening between seven
and eight o'clock, he was attended by Mr. Hooper,
surgeon, Queen's row, who found him in a state
of coliapse, and he died the following enclosing at 10 o'clock.
Mr. Hooper stated that ho attributed the cause of the attack
to the fact that there were no drains in the street, end that
all the filth and refute matter were thrown in tke street.
Since the deceased's death he had two other cases, one of
which had ti rminsted fatally.—Mr. Ditchner, oae of the in.
speetors. said that the neighbourhood altogether WAS in a
very bad state from want of drains.—The Foreman (a trus-
tee of the parish) stated that the commiasione re of sewers
had bcen repeatedly written to, and that no attenticn was
paid to the state of the perish.—The Coroner ri marked that
he saw, from the daily papers, that the sewers commissicn
had been noticed in the house. and that he hoped some good
would be the consequence.—Fareman In fact, nothing is
done, and the pariah pays 90 per cent. more than is laid out
upon it.—The Coroner said that he hod repeatedly written
to the commissionen, and that he would write to them again.
—Verdict, "Death from Asiatic cholera."

Before the same coroner, at the Chamberlain's Attar,
Noble sreet. Doswell-street, St. Luke's, on view of the body
of Rebecca Hopecroft, aged nine years, who lived at No. 6,
in the same street, where the died on Tuesday afternoon last,
of Asiatic cholera, after twelve hours' illnem. The evidence
in this cue showed that there were no drains nor any
sewers in the street, the consequence of which was, that
there wee a constant accumulation of refuse and decayed ve-
getable matter, from which there was daily a most nauseous
alluvium, which was the source of continued fever. There
wee also a very unpleasant smell from the gas factory in
Brick-lane. Verdict, " Death from Allelic cholera." The
coroner in this case said he should write to the Commis-
sioners of Sewers, and to the chairman of the Board of
Guardigns.

Mr. W. Curter also held an inquest en the bodies of
Cecilia Wagg and George Wsgg, mother and sou, who lived
in Moss.flelos.—Richard 131 said he heed at 3, Welling-
ton-place, Mosafielde, Vauxhall.walk. The deceased, with
his wife and family, lived at their helm. On Thursday the
mother was taken ill, and conveyed to the workhouse with
her child, who was also suffering from cholera. Witness's
wife died of Asiatic cholera the next day, and • young
female and child who lived s ith the deceased were ill and
taken to the work'nouse.—To the Conner: There is a small
hack yard, which, in wet weather, overflowed the privy, and
the soil was then allowed to sink into the earth as the only
vent, and this caused • meat noxious smell, even in the
kitchen, where it ft Jived. They had no weer, except what
was fetched from the and at high tides the whole space
in front was overflowed, and it remained until it was
dried up by the sun. The coroner hop d the board of
guardians would interfere in the ease. under the order of the
Board of Health, which he rased. Mr. Sayer, the clerk to
the guardians, said that should certainly be done.
The jury returned • verdict of " ll:e 1 from Asiatic cholera."
Woohwiers.—Tois terrible disease does not, fortunately,
at present make much progress in the town, though several
obstinate eases of diarrhea and Engl sh cholera have die-
played themselves. One ease only has at present terminated
(••ally. A Mr. Greenwood, a poulterer and pork butcher,
residing in Church-street, had been to the London markets
on Friday morning, and returned home apparently in good
health. At 11 o'clock he was seized with magenanteholm,
and, notwithstanding the immediate attention of his
medical adviser, Mr. Stusrt, he died at 11 s'closk at
night, the second stage of the distare lasting just
twelve hours. We see not informed of the length of
time durint which the premonitory symptoms ex.
hibited themselves. It may be remarked that, not-
withstanding the expose of the state of the town, no steps
whatever hare yet bee n taken to abate the evils complained
of. Isolated nuisances, however, have been proceeded
against, and nn Friday six or seven persons were summoned
before the smistratse, charged with allowing privies to flow
into the public streets; and in one case a pork-butcher was
summoned for allowing a casts of refuse, consisting of blu d,
manure, the int sti-es of animals, acd other disgusting sub-
stances, to remain on his premises, which are situat'd in the
central mud most business street iu Woolwich. O wing to an
informality, however, in the service if the summons, this
and several other casts broke down; and in ethers,
although the nuisance had been abated, Mr. Traill inflicted
a nominal tine of is. per day for every day the nuisance re-
mained unabated Aft. r the service cf the summons.

Llvettrooh.—From the report of the medical officer, pre-
sented to the h. alth coo mittee on Friday, it appears that
the deaths during the past week doubled ranee than the
usual average of this season of the year. 441 deaths had
been registered during the put week against 378 in the
previous week, end 316 in the week before. The number et
deaths from cholera last week amounted to 201, against 1791
in the previous week, and 119 in the week before. The
deaths from bowel complaint* last week were 49, against 28
in the preceding week, and 28 in the week before.
HCLL.—According to a statement mode tons last evening,
u the result of personal inquiry bye gentleman connected
with the medical profession, the number of cholera e-s ain
North and South Myton have been 49, of which 20 hove
proved fatal. Seven CAWS were re-teetered yesterday and the
day before, and, we believe, three or four previously. It
having become known to the authorities of the town that
cholera was making extensive promreu, a meeting was con-
vened et the workhouse last Friday evening, to consider the
best measures (or adoption in order to meet the outbrook in
ire earliest stages. The fallowing resolution was passed :
" That the guardian, be requested to appoint in the localities
where they may bs regained, as many erupting as may he
considered neeessary for the purpose ot furniehing medicine
to pled. s requiring it, who are anp;osea to be infected with
cholera." A requisition duly signed having been presented
to the governor of the workhouse, be announced that
he should call a special meeting of the Ruarcl;sai nn
Monday next. The Ea:owing letter Au been addressed to the
the mayor :—" Sir,—The Medical Sanitary Society of this
b menet beg most respestftely to draw your attention to the
letter addressed to you on the 13th July, 1849, suggesting
the adoption of certain means for the prevention and treat-
ment of the Asiatic cholera should it visit this town. We
regret to say that the necessity of immediate attention to
those recommendations is new become most urgent, as the
disease in a most virulent form has appeared in certain dis-
tricts of this town, and has been fatal in nearly every case.—
We are, sir, your obedient seeasnta, signed on behalf of the
committee, DALT.— Hull Infirmary, July 12, 1849."
Butesehte —Several severe cases of diarrt m I, with others
of undoubted cholera, having manifested themselves in the
pariah of Burolena, some of which have proved fatal, the
board of guardians have made arrangements for the medical
practitioners of the town to attend gratuitously all persons
effected with diarrher 1 or dysentery, who are unable to pay
for suitable medical aid. The dirtiest and most
neglected parts of the town arc those in which the worst
cars have appeared.
GIAUCEST/111.—According to the Somerset Gazette, Asia-
tic cholera has assumed a more mild form in Gloucester
during the past week than in the two weeks previonie ; fewer
deaths have taken place, and most of the victims were young
children. Still, exertiore are continued, both by tha Com-
mittee of Health and by the bench of magistrates, to carry
out entire the important suggestions of Dr. Sutherland.
Poowt.—The whole number of fatal cases, from the first
breaking out of the disease up to the present time, bas
been but 23, and we (Poole Herald) are assured that if
medical aid bad been promptly called in, the result of many
of these would have been far different.
_ _

Bnisrox.—The disease is stili almost wholly confined to
the unbe,lo.y and ill-ventilated district of the Rackcay, re-
specting which some representations have been made to the
magistrates and the Cortorathn of the Poor. The number
of cases which have occurred during the past week is 57.
Of these 10 have recovered sod 23 have died; and, including
3 remaining from last week, there are now 34 patients re-
maining under treatment. 13 inmates have availed them-
selves of the refuge offered by the union house, which has
been opened in West-street; and as the exirence of this
establishment becomes more generally known, we hope the
parties resident in the affected localities will avail themselves
of the abode here cffered them during the time their own
dwellings are rendered morn fit for habitation, and conse-
quently less liable to the attacks of this terrible visitation.
Nos., DIMON.—At this place, a email fishing village, swill
population of only 3:io, it is said that 50 persons have
lately died of cholera.
Wonceerzte.—The lVorcester Herald reports as follows •
Since our last there have been some additional cases of
cholera in this city; but all have occurred in the dirtiest
and most unhealthy localities. Tee total number of cakes
has been 21, of which six terminated fatally, and seven
remain under treatment. Of the,e,.l4 cases have occurred
in Sidbury, three in Copenhagen•street, and four in the
Blockhouse. In all tiara localities the air is poismed by
noxious gases escapir g in a tree state from depositories of
filth; nothing has occurred yet in Worcester to fix a strong
epidemical character upon the visitation, end it is possible,
looking to the efficient means taken to cope with the disease,
that it may be confined to a few isolated spots.
Poirremouru.—The Hants Telegraph is grarfied to be
able to allay that apprehension and panic which suddenly
' and injuriously lass seized on the public mind, during the
last week, in reference to the exislice epidemic. From the
exagrerrated statements that hove appeared in the Times,
it would be supposed that pestilence was ravaging the town ;
whereas the cases of cholera (and these are nit belies( d to
be of the Asiatic type) reported are few ; and have cocurred
in purlieus where the filthy state of the drains and gutters
was likely to breed disease. Added to which oysters which
have been vended at 6d. per hundred, and are now extremely
unwholesome, have been used as a common diet by the
people, and in most casts of d. ath, the cause has been
generally traced to the use of such charaoter of food.
It is true that diarrhea has displayed Loll in a somewhat
virulent manner, for,the most part in dirty courts and alleys,
but the general health of the borough is somewhat better than
average, as is shown by comparing the number of deaths
registered during the last week with that of other week,.
As • proof of the present general good health of the coun-
ties of Hants, Wilts, and Dorset, we mention that of the
8,000 men, under the command of Major-General Lord
Frederick Fitz:latent:a, who hu charge of the south-west
district, only 31 per cent, of the soldiery are now under me-
dical charge ; and we are particularly desirous to caution
the troops and Royal Marines against the use of oysters,
which are now very cheap, being brought from a newly-
found bank in the Channel, but onsisting of fish which,
from the number of layer or Bakes cf lime of which the shells
are composed, and from which the age of the fish is judged,
must be exceedingly old, tough, an 1 indigestib:e. We re-
commend everybody to avoid eating them.

THE GJvEaNmEsr PLAN OF TRANS-
POR VATI ON.

[Continued.—from the Elsalnerg.'i Revive.]
We n tw turn to e.e meand stsge of punishment, the
!seri id or compulsory :alone. A year's impaiesnmenr, hew-
ever severe, ending in simple exoutriation, is not a sag, lent
puniciment in the mere aggravated felonies, wi h the slew
of either deterring or reforming. It is therefore to be fol-
lowed up by compulsory labekr for whatever length of time
may he requisite to flit up the measure of the sentence.
Now it is admitted, in the first place, that, in order to enable
prisoners to hear prolonged punishment, :hey must be a-so-
elated together. Labour ire association seems also to afford
the means of miming on an essential part of the process of
reformation, wh:ch is in abeyance while the prisoner is in
separate co..finem 'at. Moral and religious impreasi. ns may
be made, and penitence felt, and good resolutions formed in
a cell; but these can only grow or be coafirmed by practice.
They must be braced and hardened by ezpoture to actual
temptations;—temptations strong enough to IMO'. them,
Lot too strong to ov.rpower them. When tee convict is
finally set at liberty, his freeeb-m will bring many a &Ili-
tufty with it, and goed resolutions will yield to strong
temptations, unless the cormii nee has been trained, by actual
conflict, to overcome weak ones. This peculiar discipline
may be be-t applied by a well-administered aystem of asso-
ciated compulsory labour. Moreover, the profit open com-
bined labour is so large as to be of importance. Lthour in
serration is, of course, of little value. It may be es much
as 101. a year, or as little as 2L, according to eircusestauces.
Bur, in association, Colonel Jehb considers that the value of
each man'. labour, when favourably directed, will bo worth
2s. a day—more than enough to defray the whole current
cost of the seta►lishment.

For many years our Feel system was as gnat a fai!ure
in its attempts at setting prisoners to work in company, es in
its attempts at reformation. The buildings were unsuitable,
the supervision faulty, the relicious instruction inadequate.
the discipline either blindly severe and vindictive, or weakly
lenient ; while the prisoners were not subjected to pi evious
probation and seclusion. But then, agate, are evils of ad-
ministration, not of principle. In nearly all Mrs they may
be removed ; in many they have already been greatly dimin-
ished. At Norfolk Island, where evil had reigned more
fearfully than on any other spat is the known world, the
reduction of the numbers front 2,000 to 600, and the appeint-
ment of an efficient suptrintendi ut, secured at least oeceney
and subordinatico. In Van Diemen's Land, where the pro-
bationary gangs were little superior to the Nortolk Wend
men, similar reforms were introduced with the same
effect. When once the annual supply of convicts had
been cut off', and the establishments weeded of in. IS ient
officers, the changes were followed by a diminution of crave
offences, and by order, regularity, and steady rk ; al-
though, from other causes, m ral improvement could nut be
looked for. And, to show what economy there is in any
syn, in by which good conduct can he obtained, Sir William
Denison was able to reduce his military strength from
1,400 to 630 men, and render a whole regiment available for
servffie in India.

We have also had experience of the labour of con-
victs aesc ciated together on board the hulks. This
is confessedly the worst part of the whole system.
We trust the time is approaching when cleating
prisons will be finally abandoned, and cone lets placed
tw buildirgs on shore, where individual separation at eight
may be Strictly carried into effect, as is now done at Port-
land. A ship is necessarily a lona prison, and the expense of
repairing these old vessels is enormous.
At home we have two hulk establiehments—one at Wool-
' wich and the other at Portsmouth. In the farmer there are
aliout MO men, distributed &ming an old 74-gun ship, two
frigates, and a hospital ship ; in the latter there are about
900 men, occupying two seventy-fours and a hospital ship;
in addition to which is a hulk appropriated to the recto-
time of incurable invalids, and fitted to hold 400 men ; so
that :altogether there is accommodation for 2,110 con-
vict., of whom the greater part work in the dockyards.
Although we believe that many of the provincial,
and even tome of the metropolitan prisons, present pro-
minent points of a far worse chsracter than are disco-
verable us the hulks, in respect of damning intercourse
and mitigated punishment ; yet, to:a er. at extent, there are
evils (Meting in the hulks inseparable from their c nstrue-
tion ; because the men ale brought into too close contact,
and effective supervision by the officers cannot at all times
be maittained. The lower gun (leeks and the °Hop decks
are Riven up to the prisoner,. A gallery runs fore and aft
amidships on each deck, and is divided from the wards or
bays by iron bars, forming a serum railing on tithe r side.
From these railings to the ship's side ( xtend tie boys, which
are separated from each other by bulk-heads, and, in gene-
ral, e,sch embraces two pert bides. In the day-time the
hammocks ate removed, and tables are put up, where the
prisoners t uke their meals us messes of about 15 men. Order
and decorum are preserve d, and intercourse between the pri-
contra is perniitted. No great mischief can take place at three
times, nor, indeed, is it in the broad light of day, when
the officeis' eye is upon them, that they prepare schi meg of
villerty ; besides, they are then occupied by external objects.
But sleekness brings them comparative security from ob-
servetion. As the hammocks are slung in the usual man-
ner to the upper beams, in lines parallel to the gill rite
where the warders patrol, throe prisoners alone who are
immediately adjacent to the railings can be seen. Night,
therefore, is toe time fur mil cetnrounication between then
evil spirits, with the invariable and acknowledged effect of
mutual deterioration. So trig as separation at night is
warning, no discipline can prevcrit this mischief, no school
teaching can lessen it, no chapl.in'e preaching can comae e-
ven it. Happily, the government has announced that
this epochs of imprisonment is a temporary tip client ;
only to continue until some other system can be ei.teblished
free from those objections which, in the hulks, are so
patent and so powerful. At Gibraltar there are two hulks,
containing about 300 men each, and convict barn.ck on
shore containing 300 more—in all 900 men—chiefly em-
ployed in ordnance and naval works. At Bermuda there
are four frigates and a hospital ship, with accommodation
for 1750 men employed in the dockyard, and on the fortifi-
cation,, and other ordnance works. It is, we believe, in
contemplation to build a prison use chore scfticient to contain
the whole number.

When convicts are workfare in dockyards in genes, and
accompanied by armed sent. ice, there must necessarily be •
waste both of p-wer and time. They cannot well be employed
as handicraftsmen, and are chiefly occupied in the removel of
heavy weigh's. each re, masts, timbers, and stones But there
is an essential difficulty in applyiP g compulsory labour to work
which cannot be measured; where it i-, therefore, d .ne by
the day, and not by the tack or piton. It is impossible to
obtain exertion from &melees in such eases, because there
exists no test of their labour, according to which reward can
he given or punishment inflicted. The value of their labour
when employed on day work ie not therefore much; though
probably equal to the eat of their maintenance. Until of
late years, the condition of the hulks was a discredit to the
country. Owing (to the crowded state of the ships, there
was neither separation nor classification—there was no ade-
quate moral superintendence, the expenditure on moral and
✓eligious instruction being kin than one-ninth of what it is
at l'entonville for the same number of men. The work was
dull, continuous, and devoid of any s.imulus ; the discipline
was ci nducted on the old prineple of appealing to fear only.
But a bete:, system has been introduced ; and, though not
so gond se it ought to be, and though much remains to be
done, a great change has already taken place.
."fhe efforts that fir several yells have been made to im-
prove the discipline of the convicts employed on the public
works at Bermuda and o.braltar, notwithstanding all the
disadvantaxes under which they have taken place, have
been attended with a degree of euccess sufficient to justify
the expectation, that employment of this destript:nn may be-
come a very useful part of the punishment of the majority of
offenders. Already, under the system which h:.l been
adored at Gibraltar and Bermuda, notwithstanding the
want of proper building*, and the difficulty, under the dis-
advantage of it sufficient Grace, of applying adequate means
of moral instruction, the good order, and the industry of the
convicts, have become very remarkable."—Earl Grey to Sir
W. Denison, 27th April, 1848.
All experit cc , however, of compulsory labour by crimi-
nals shows—that the attempt to enforce discipline and hard
labour by punis!teent alone, leads to a great deteriora'ion in
the moral condition of the men, and to an incredibly small
quantity of work, and that additional punishment telly in-
cremes bath eves, Some reward is absolutely necessary as a
stimulus ; and, if possible, it should combine immediate
gratification with prospective advantage. It was with this
view that the meth. dof task work was introduced. Sir G.
Grey, in the letter (1817), in which he explained his views
upen the whole question, dwelt strongly on the recommen-
dation and experience of Captain Maconochie and Col:nel
Reid, late Governor of Bermuda. A et rtain amount of
work was called a day's work; and a scale was care-
fully framed, according to which a convict might,
in one day, by hard work, COW let. one and a
half or one and three quarters day's work. He was
always obliged to remain the full time upon the
ground; but whatever surplus beyond a day's work had
been performed was /Aimee to his credit. This extra work
went either in diminution of his period of sentence ; or a
value was put upon it, and he was allowed to take eut one-
half or one.th;td in luxuries, such as bread and cheese, sugar,
er tobacco. The effect of this apparently trivial regulation
is quite extraordinary. It woul 1 be ludicrous, we' e it not
deeply painful from the serious consequences, to note the
extreme importance attached by the convict officers to the
allowance of a little tobacco. The desire of obtaining this
luxury bad form'rly led in Van Diemen's Land, not only to
great irregularity and to "en erre-mous amount rf unieh-
meet," but, in the opinion of Mr. Hampton, the •mp-
troller General of Convicts, to the conami,sion of the most
dreadful crime,. The temptation to indulge in it was
"so great as altogether to overpower the fear o eunish-
ment." The chief difficulties, indeed, at N.efedk
Island were fatted to be "the absence of Lope
and a strong d sere for tobacco." But by the intro-
duction of task work this propensity was tuned from the
snore into the right channel. with singularly good effect.
Sir W. Denison reports that the change was highly setisfac.
tory, and telling meet beneficially upon the conduct and
discipline of the men. " The amount of work has, in the
greater proportion of cases, increased from one-third to one-
half, and in some has been doubled. It has the very best
effects on discipline ; the men are now diligent and EVIIIV all
day, and remain at the works every evening as late as the
overseen will permit then), r.tnening to the to a'ion by
moonlight without a grumble."—Report from Mr. Grant,
Jericho Station,' May 18, 1848. Another superintendent,
Mr. Lapham, is disappointed with the amount of work ev-
aded, but adds, that," with respect to the effect of the present
tisk-system upon the general cenduct and diseirine of the
men, I think it would he difficult fur me to furni,h a too
leyourable report ; as, since its adoption, they have assumed
a totally different character."—Report from Mr. Willis,
Glenorchyroad Station, May 20, 1848. At Bermuda,
Captain Nelson, of the Hoye! Engineen,fivieg the results
of nearly six years' experience, sayer-0, The day-work plan
amounted to no more than an ex/Pei:neat of how little *old
be done for any assigned amount And It was one incessant

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