The Express.
London, England, 1866-09-04 00:00:00

THE MANSION-HOUSE RELIEF COMMITTEE..

Up to last evening the total amount received at the
Mansion House sine the cholera relief fund was set on
foot, less than • month ago, was nearly 17,0001. Of that
nun 7,0001. has been dispensed in grants to local com-
mittees towards relieving the distress in addition to relief
in kind, and 5,000/. has been set apart for providing for
the maintenance of children made orphans by the ravages
of the disease, leaving a b•lance of about 5,0001. in hand
to meet further calls for assistance. Yesterday the
working committee held • meeting at the Mansion House
for the despatch of business connected with the fund. On
the motion of she Lord Mayor they passed a resolution
inviting the chairmen of the various local committee-, to
a conference with them, with the view to devise means
for the relief of convalescents in their respective districts.
It was stated incidentally by • member of the committee
that six cases of cholera had occurred at Richmond,
three of which had proved fatal, one being that
of a woman who had gone thither from Bow.
The Rev. Thomas Richardson, of St. Matthew, St.
George-in-the-East, reported that since the disease had
begun to subside there low fever had set in, and that among
the men who bad suffered from cholera and were recover-
ing there was a great want of abilit7 to work, and come-
quent distress among families. With a population of
shalt 3,500, there had been from thirty to forty deaths
from cholera, =dim had that morning visited nine families
who were practically suffering from the epidemic. In one
he found • boy dead, who had been seized with the disease
on Sunday.
A local committee from Bromley and Bow, to whom tho
Mansion-house committee had previously granted 501.,
and 251. for purposes of relief, stated that while the
cholera was fast subsiding fever of various kinds had
supervened, and the distress attendant thereon, and re-
sulting from the removal of many heads of families by
death, still demanded a large measure of help. With the
two previous grants they had relieved 1,011 cases by the
distribution of butcher's meat, bread, rice, arrowroot,
groceries, port wine, and brandy, bedding, body linen,
and the like. They mentioned the case of a widow in
Charles-street, whom they had found with her daughter
and two grandchildren living in a miserable
room without furniture, bed, or bedding of any kind, the
three latter suffering from diarrheea. A man and his wife
were living in a single room in the same street ; the hus-
band was much afflicted and suffering from diarrhoea, and
• son having lately died in the same apartment from
cholera. Their only bed was made upof dirty rags. A widow
with two sons suffering from diarrhom had neither furni-
ture, bed, nor bedding. A man and his wife with two
children, who were living in a small filthy room in Nelson-
street, without bed or bedding, had all suffered from
cholera. The deputation made a revolting statement to
the effect that in some parts of the district night soil was
being used in making new roads, and even in some way for
building purposes. The draining too, they said, was in a
dreadful state. The committee made them a further
grant of money, and urged them to address a remonstance
to the Board of Works in reference to the shameful sani-
tary condition of the district.
The Rev. C. F. Lowder, chaplain to the Mission of St.
George's-in-the-East, accompanied by two of the principal
parishioners, made =application for • grant in aid towards
the relief, by change of air, of a number of convalescent
children and adults. He had spent, he said, a large sum
in feeding the poor there during the visitation. By an
appeal to the public he had received from friends and
others about 1,7001., of which be had dispensed GOO/. in
relieving the distress, leaving a balance in hand of about
1,100/.' of which he had it in contemplation to set aside
1,0001. for the maintenance of children made orphans in
his district, and who, being very young, would require
to be supported for perhaps 12 yews before they could be
expected to do anything for themselves. In some cases
they had lost both parents, and in others one, and were
generally very poor. The Lord Mayor in the course of the
morning had received a letter from Mr. Cuthbert Born-
thine enclosing • remittance to the fund, who bore testi-
mony, from two recent visits he had made to the scene
of Mr. Lowder's missionary labours, to his energy and
self denial during the emergency.
On the motion of Dr. Andrew Clark, physician to the
London Hospital, who, though not personally known to
Mr. Lowder, said be knew that he was one of the most
active and useful men in the East of London, and that he
worked over a strictly defined district, the committee
voted him 1001. towards his temporary convalescent home.

A report from the oommittee.of cholera visitors in con-
nexion with the King Edward Ragged Schools, Albert-
street, Spitalkelds, stated that they had under their
visitation 200 houses in that immediate locality, many
of which contained three or four families. In one
house containing 8 rooms they found no less than 8
families, numbering in all 40 persons. During the past
week there had been 6 deaths from cholera--3 in Pelham-
street and 3 in Dunk-street. The cues, however, are now
fewer in number, but typhus is much on the increase—
some 10 or 12 eases having come under their notice during
the last few days. Since a systematic visitation was
begun they had dispensed 7321ba. of mutton, 18 gallons
beef tea, 401 U. arrowroot, 4611 be. of rice, 16 ailing port,
7 gallons brand). 38 gallons milk, 2221ba. bread, Mb.. of
potatoes, and 501bs. of sugar. They had also given blankets
and sheets where they were wanted, and had procured
others from the parish authorities. They still continuo to
give a dinner twice a week to the convalescent chil-
dren, and as a preventive measure to about 80 of the
poorest children. Many of the houses, they said, are found
in a very shameful condition, and they were now drawing
the attention of some of the landlords to the disgraceful
state of the water closets. _ . _

During 13 days up to Sunday, 103 patients had been
received into the Temporary Cholera Hospital in Com-
mercial-street, Whitechapel, of whom 27 had died, 31
had been discharged, and 45 remained.
In the course of the sitting, Dr. Andrew Clark took
occasion to question some of the local committees as to
whether, where brandy was administered, it was given
under medical authority, remarking that in cholera cases
any excess in the use of stimulants was positively inju-
rious ; that he had received letters from different parts
of the East of London pointing out excesses in that re*.
pact, and that it had been observed that immediately
after pay-day among workmen there had been a great
influx of cholera patients.
The oommittee, before separating, voted 1001. to Miss
Twining towards the fund she is now raising for a tem-
porary home for convalescents.

THE CATTLE PLAGUE rw NORFOLIC.—It appears
from a report presented by the general committee of the
Norfolk Cattle Plague Association that between August,
1865, and August, 1866, the society received 25,580/. from
voluntary rates and subscriptions, and MO/. from bankers'
interest, making a total of 26,9101. The compensation
allowed for losses amounted to 20,6631., leaving a balance
of 5,2471. to be still disposed of. These figures, it should
be stated, represent the efforts voluntarily mule by Nor-
folk to grapple with the calamity of the cattle plague, and
have no reference to the county rates made since the pass-
ing of the Contagions Diseases Prevention Act, 1866.
WRECK OF A SCHOONER OFF LIVERPOOL.—On
Sunday t and up to an early hour yesterday morning
• heavy gale from the westward swept over Liverpool.
During the night a schooner, called the Margaret and Eli-
zabeth while beating up the Channel en route from Farr
to RWICOM, with • cargo of china clay, struck on the
West Hoyle Bank. near the:entrance to the Mersey, and
soon became a total wreck. Fortunately the signals of
distress exhibited by the crew of the schooner were ob-
served by the Point of Ayr lifeboat's crew, who at once
launched their boat, and after a difficult struggle succeeded
in rescuing the orew of the schooner.
STEAMBOAT ACC/DENT ON THE THAMES.—Yester-
day afternoon, about 1 o'clock, • serious accident occurred
on the Thames, between Cherry-garden Pier and London-
bridge. One of the Woolwich and Watermen Company's
steamers ma into • small boat containing two men. The
boat was completely stove in, and the men thrown into
the river. One of them disappeared immediately, and
the other drifted with the tide under one of tbe paddle-
wheels of the steamer, neither of them being afterwards
seen, notwithstanding every effort on the part of the mew
sad paesesman at the steamboat.