The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-21 00:00:00

CHOLERA NESTS ►T THE EAST END.

The Times publishes this morning a startling letter from
• gentleman who has been acting as medical visitor to the
East London Union. It seems that on the 10th of Sep-
tember he reported six house., one of them inhabited by
25 tenants, another by 20, and another by 19. Each of
these had but one privy, which was not supplied with
water, and was in a disgusting state, and " the dust had
not been removed from any of them for weeks." On the
17th of September, or a week afterwards, none of these
nuisances had been remedied. Again, the first two cases
of cholera in the Bishopagate district occurred in one of
the houses of Catherine Wheel-alley on the 28th of July.
On the 15th and 17th of September, or more than six
weeks afterwards, the condition of the single privy of this
house was " most disgusting." Once more, on the Ist of
September both diarrhos. and smallpox existed in a house
" which literally stank of sewer gas emanating from the
one privy, which, with the uncovered and =cleansed
water-butt and house refuse, was in the cellar and practi_
tally useless." A fortnight afterwards, on the 14th of
September, this house was in the same state. No atten-
tion had been paid to it, and no alteration effected. The
very house which he first reported was in no better condi-
tion at the end of five or six weeks. In short, he
has sent in "some half-dozen repetitions in as many
weeks " of some of the representations in his letters
Dr. Fowler's letter narrates some facts as to the condition.
under which the poor live in the crowded parts of London
which are disgusting and horrifying beyond conception.
He finds house after house inhabited by from 20 to 30
people, in which there is only one privy, and that wholly
neglected ; no dustbin at all, so that all the refuse of the
house is thrown into a narrow alley and there allowed to
rot ; and, worst of all, no water supply whatever. As to
a constant supply of pure water, it is a thing completely
unknown. An uncovered water-butt, containing all
kinds of decomposing matter, forms the only reservoir.
Whatever may be the special cause of cholera,
such circumstances prepare for it a congenial Dome.
Some means most be found, sooner or later, of providing
better constructed homes for the poor. But, meanwhile,
let it be remembered, says the Times, that, under the
new Sanitary Act, the local authority, with the sanction
of the Secretary of State, has the power to compel the
landlords of these houses to keep them in proper order.
They may require them to be whitewashed as many tunes
• year as they think proper ; and they may insist on the
privies being properly fitted and cleansed. In short, there
is no reason whatever why such disgusting circumstances
as those described should any longer exist in any quarter.
The local authorities have the power to prevent such
abuses, and U they fail to do so, the neglect will be un-
pardonable.

The Daily Telegraph published a telegram yester-
day from Berlin, representing that In official circles the
grayest apprehensions were felt as to the recovery of
Count Bismarck from his very serious illness. It appears.
however, that the celebrated minister mast ham allayed
those apprehensions, for he rode yesterday at the heed of
the troops on their sntry into Berlin.