The Express.
London, England, 1866-07-24 00:00:00

TO THZ IDITOR OP VHS PIPITS..

Sia,—The following appalling picture of a anb-
urban district stricken down with cholera reached me to-
day. The writer is a clerk in the City with a very modest
inc,me, who, aided by his wife, habitually spends more of
it and of his leisure time amongst the poor than the sons
of Mammon would consider either wise or prudent. The
sacrifices this young couple make, and the practical good
they do, ought surely not to fall to the ground for the
want of help. I have sent them my mite.—l am, &c.,
July 20. W.

I "My dear Sir,—l am sure you will excuse my begging
of you even if you are unable to assist me, but we are in
such an awful condition at Chiswick that lam obliged to
I appeal to some of my own friends for help. The cholera
has broken out here, there have been several deaths, and
the people are in the utmost poverty. My wife and •
Sister of Mercy, who came at my request, are all the
nurses we have. The sister is living in my house, and we
have spent every penny we can spare, and much more than
we ought to spare. The clergyman of the district gave my
wife all the money he had, amounting to 125., and all his
brandy, which was about half a bottle full. He went with
me and the vicar of the parish to ask for some money, but
could not get any, only permission to spend 10f., of which
he would guarantee the repayment, but our ready money
sources are already dried up in this moneyless locality.
My wife found three cases of choleraic diarrhoea without •
penny in the house, and one poor woman now dying of
cholera was found by the sister and my wife lying on a
bed covered only with a carpet, with her sister lying dead
in the house, and no living person in it, and she shouting
for help. The doctors say this case might have recovered
if it had been discovered in time. There is now to my
certain knowledge one dead body lying uncolfined which
kill been dead since Wednesday night, and I am in-
formed that two others who died on Monday are still
unburied. We have given away every blanket and piece
of flannel which we can spare, and are now at our wits'
end for further assistance.

"Mr. Tooth, the clergyman, wrote to the Times making
for help, but his letter has not been inserted. His letter
described the state of the district, which is certainly in
the most awful condition you can imagine. There is no
drainage, and the poor ha►e to buy water or else drink
th►t supplied from pumps, one of which stands in each
so-called street, which are at present simply receptacles
for filth of all sorts, and through some of which I don't
believe it would be possible to drive without being upset.
My wife tested the water in several hence yesterday, and
in each case found it impure.
" What we should have done, if the sisters bad not so
promptly replied to my letter I dont't know ; but I should
be most thankful to you if you will help us, either with
money, wine, or br►ndy, or in any way you can, but more
especially if you would try and induce some of the papers
to take up and expose the awful oondition of this district.
" The Rev. Arthur Tooth, the Minion-house, Chiswick,
has consented to receive any aid that the charitable may
choose to render."