The Express.
London, England, 1847-08-13 00:00:00

Elie eppreo.

MAILS._

The aunt it Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Madetre, Cadiz, and Gibraltar
will be wade up co the morning of the 17th August.
The West bulk mule. ezelertlag thaw lor Mexico, Honduras, sad
the Memineeli, win he We up ea tbesiessingerthe 17th August.
Thomas be Irkke Delp Yaralar. lienemika, and the United
States, will bomb mg es the Mails ef die teth August.
Ifs emelemintellelhe an ter Metre,Greees, the look. Islands,
pt,Adres,Omlea.lidlkimegnimegimei China. me Southampton,
will le made -em Mr =mein et the Suva.
The dosed 111fil Oil XIII Wiles, to the Mediterminean,
=Mesh WPM. bliM• Meg Irma Ito, will be made up on the
(Inhalant ANIMA.
The nleile he New South Wales, Ten Diemen's Land, and New
Seakilel will he lugs ap on the ereahig tithe Slut August.
The malls for the Brazils, the Rime Plate, Monte V 01.., Poem-
=.‘Bahla. Madre, and Beano. Ames, will be made op on the
of the 4th September.

TO CORRESPONDENT.
:Lb 1ab04.41 lac The Lim.. Lomb. b.
aL 0/1 Tye o'clock ts, et

NIGH WATER AT LONDON.IIIIII3OII.
TAN DAr.-14nabs.W W. port 3 Afearres.3.l....l 3.
Twig —ll(enAa{.l3 Ws. per 3. A/Wawa. 14 M. peat 4.

LONDON, FRIDAY, AUG. 13.

DIRT is determined td die hard. There are places
where it is engrained, a fast colour, and defies wash-
ing. There are others which shrink from water like
mad dogs. These are generally found to be the
dirtiest. Perhaps if there is an unsavoury neigh-
bourhood in London it is that which comprises the
district to the north of Holborn about Gray's-inn-
lane. Nowhere, as everyone will admit, were baths
and wash-houses more wanted. Nowhere, as every-
one would have expected, would they have been
more eagerly set a-going, when the opportunity was
once offered.

itp Quite the reverse. A motion was lately made in
the united vestries of St. George the Martyr and St.
Andrew's, Holborn above Bars (tor the parishes
deserve to be set forth with all their additions), to
portion a sum, under the act, for erecting baths
and wash-houses for the poor. The motion was re-
jected by a show of hands, and a poll demanded.
The poll took place on Tuesday and Wedaesslay.
The neighbourhood was in a ferment. Those who
had vested interests in dirt and disease were active
and astir. The friends of filth mustered their forces.
The dirtiest persons that could be found were set to
canvass the district. Their hands and faces supplied
the place of the usual canvassing cards. Choice
weamens of the great unwashed bore the placards, and
the rosettes and favours were composed exclusively of
soiled ribbons. The baths and wash-houses poll com-
pletely threw the Middlesex poll into the shade. Im-
purity of habits created infinitely more interest than
purity of election, and WOOD was not half so mach
dreaded by the Holborn liberals as water. The state of
the poll was displayed hourly at an appropriate locality,
a very dirty gin-shop, at the corner of a very dirty
lane. The neighbourhood breathed an odoriferous
tribute to the dirtocrats, and never were seen assem-
bled a more rank and high-flavoured band than those
who rallied round the flag of uncleanliness when the
poll was declared on Wednesday. The numbers
were—

For baths sad wash-hotisos
Against 355

Majority for dirt

Then followed an oration—a procession with flags
and favours. What a pity they had no representative
of their victory to chair! They might have found some
very foul chimney-sweep, or some Gray's-inn-lane
embodiment of frowsiaess and squalor, to sit enthroned
in all the majesty of dirt ! As it was, they seemed
satisfied with the different amounts of uncleanliness dis-
tributed about their own persons. This is the first time
that the dirty principle has not only triumphed but
gloried in its triumph. The question must be helped
forward by such an outburst. Hitherto, sanitary re-
formers have proceeded too much on the assumption
that they had only negative enemies to contend with,
such as selfishness, supineness, thoughtlessness. They
were not prepared for an active assertion of the
value of dirt to the community—for a positive putting
forward of filth as a desirable garnish of " the old
ways" which conservatism so loves. The conserva-
tism of St. George's and St. Andrew's, Holborn, is not
content to stick to the old paths, unless they have the
old dirt upon them.
It is well to know what is before us in our warfare
against filth and fever. It is well to be prepared for
the fall sketch of Bumbleian oppontion. ffere is no
seises If N mmtraliration" to hide behind—no threat
siffsesumas interference to give the pariah a pre-
MA sesidemes. Cleanliness and dirt stand simply
ass'stiloft boo to face. The united parishes dell-
bleakly Anse dirt. The choice of HZICULIS
bah's= Pleasure and Virtue was a favourite gab-
led of the old painters. Let some modern aspirant
m high art paint for the district vestry-room the
choice of St. George and St. Andrew between Clean-
liness and Dirt; in other words, between health and
disease, between neatness and squalor, comfort and
misery, good and bad.
fib much for self-government. Those who voted on
this poll were, probably, persons of the middle class ;
few among them likely to feel or suffer from the want
which the proposed baths and wash-houses are in
tended to supply. As the original expenses must
come out of their pockets, or at least be risked on
their security, they reject the proposal. They do not
think, for a moment, of the thousands of poor, neg-
lected, scrofulous, inhabitants of the district ; unclean
for want of water, either wearing the same rags,
week after week, because they have no room
or convenience for washing
miserable rooms made yet
steam of wet clothes, and et
vessel and washing-tub, who
for decency or health. This
virtually unrepresented under
system of government. T
into contact with them is

workhouse muter, or the
the poor man comes cm the
nisei his existence and '

refugee to be troubled

meanwhile, the economical
and diagraoefial neglect.
and failure of health are the great
which the workhouse is filled. The parish grum-
blingly pays its poor rates, when it might cut off the
drain by taking the stream lower down. St. Georp
the-Martyr, and St. Andrew's, Holborn-above-Ben,
are types of a class too numerous among theprishes
of England. They are penny-wise and ponn -foolish.
They grudge the penny for a bath or a school, and
•

king them, or with their
yet more miserable by the
Ld encumbered with
when already • 41. e • . pal
ibis chum is both •• ' -4 "*"."
order our •
•
The only aloud .411.4
is the relieving '
e poor-law gthe • - •
he pariah, •rt •
4,
his wants. •
3, p
with him. r* 1. p
nical effect of its
ct. Want of ad
re the great sources from