The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-07-20 00:00:00

FAVER IN DUBLIN.

[From the Dublin Freentan'A Jonritati
We are sorry to say that a low contagious fever, which
has prevailed in many parts of the city, for two months
past, has, during the last week, had a very considerable in-
crease. This disorder is found chiefly in the narrow streets
of the Liberty, and other confined situations, which are the
lordinary resorts of poverty. Several causes may be as-
signed for the prevalence of fever at this time; some of
them adventitious and unavoidable ; but one of them cer-
tainly, which might and which ought to be remedied, and
which, to the disgrace of the city, appears to be permanent.
We allude to the filthy state in which the by-streets are al-
lowed to remain. No person who views the collection of
putrid vegetable and animal matter that is accumulated in
the to streets can be surprised at the existence of fever; on
the contrary, the only matter of wonder is, that we have so
little coutae,tion,and we have no hesitation in saying that were
it not for the natural salubrity of the air of the city, situ-
ated at the foot of a range of mountains, and with the title
flossing and ebbing through the centre of it, we would never
be a eutnmer without a malignant fever. Nevertheless, the
citizens of Dublin are most heavily taxed for the cleansing of
the streets, and this cleansing is confined to removing the
manure from a few of the principal streets once or twice a
week. The narrower streets, where, from the very circum-
stance of confinement, and the elms of people who reside
in them, crowded together in ill-ventilated houses, should
be more particularly attended to, are never thought of.—
We could name numerous streets and lanes where the pre-
sence of a scavenger's cart is unknown, but where, not-
withstanding, the owners of houses are most punctually
called on to pay the tax for paving, lighting, and cleansing,
nay more, the houses in those situations being under an old
assessment, are much more heavily taxed than the larger
houses in the new and spacious streets. That the cleansing of
sucha city as this should be at all a charge upon the citizensis
really monstrous. In London it forms, as it might do here, a
considerable source of revenue to the different parishes. In
one parish in Westminster the contractor pays 10,0001. per
annum, for permission to cart away the ashes from the
different houses, and every parish, both in London and
Westminster, makes more or leas of its rubbish. When
this is the case, surely the citizens of Dublin have a right
to expect—we will say more, they have a right to demand,
that their streets should be at least kept free from conta-
gion, where they pay heavily for it. This is a subject
which interests every person residing in the city, as well
the inhabitant of Merrion-square, as the room-keeper in
the Liberty, for when fever is once engendered, there is no
calculating where its ravages may stop. A more than or-
dinary attention to the cleansing of the narrow streets was
vatted for this summer ; first., from the extreme heat of the
weather, and the absence of rain to wash and purify them ;
and, secondly, from the distress which was known to exist
among the labouring classes. These are what we call the
adventitious causes of fever; and though it might be im-
possible
imuch might have been clone by a proper attention to
I cleanlinesc.
It is well known that very few of the houses in the con-
fined streets and lanes have any reres, consequently the
inmates of them are compelled to throw all their rubbish
into the streets; the twin rolls inhabitants of cellars are
similarly circumstanced; and through the summer, with
almost a tropical heat, this accumulation of filth, pregnant
with diseases, has been allowed to remain unremoved, in
the most populous parts of the city. The natural conse-
quences have arisen : the hospitals are full of fever patients,
there is not a vacant ward for new cases, and the Governors
of the Meath Hospital have been obliged to erect sheds
contiguous to the hospital to accommodate the patients.°
This really becomes a subject which imperatively calls for
the interference of the Government. The commissioners
for paving, lighting, and cleaoaiug, should be compelled to
do their duty ; it is not solicitation that will succeed with
these gentry. They have been frequently appealed to,
through the medium of the public press : in most cases the
public press has a powerful effect in reforming abuses, but
in the present instance we feel convinced that nothing but
the strong arm of power will prove effectual. The inter-
ference of the Executive should no longer be delayed ; the
lives of the citizens are too precious to be left at the mercy
of any incorporated body.
• One of our morning contemporaries, in an article on Saturday
last, disapproves of this measure, under an impression that these
sheds were intended as an appendage to the regular fever hospital.
But this is not the case; they are merely to relieve their own wards,
and to separate the different cases of fever.

' The paragraph mentioning the deatli of the Earl of Bes-
borough, which appeared in the Kilkenny Independent, is,
we learn, from the best authority, unfounded. The follow-
ing letter in a Morning Paper leaves no doubt on the sub-
ject .
" file—Be so good as to contradict a paragraph which appeared
in your paper this morning, announcing the death of the Earl of
Ilesborough, who is in perfect health at his residence at Roeharop-
tun. " Yours, &c. IV. F. PoxsoxßY."
'• St. James's-square, July 18.
Mr. FARQUII R.—The late Mr. Farquhar was a native
of Aberdeen, and his heirs are two nephews and two
nieces, children of his sister, Mrs. Mortimer, who was the
wife of the late Mr. IVilliam Mortimer, merchant in this
place.. One of these, Mr. George Mortimer, is a merchant
in London; the other, Mr. James Mortimer, and his
sisters, r. side in this neighbourhood. On being informed
of Mr. Farquhar's death, they have set off for the metro-
polis.—Aberdeen Paper.
An absurd paragraph has been making the round of the
papers, stating that the expenses of Mr. Beaumont's con-
test for Northumberland amount to 80,0001., while the
expenses of neither Mr. Liddell or Mr. Bell would exceed
30,000!. ; and further, that Mr. IL•aumont had upwards
of 100 law agents employed. The fact is, that he had not
more than 21 or 25, a number not at, all extraordinary for
a county of such extent; and with regard to expenditure,
it is perfectly well known to every person upon the spot,
that not one of the candidates has yet had sent in to him
one half of his accounts; any estimate therefore of the
expense must proceed upon grounds purely imaginary. We
are enabled however to state, that there is no reason what-
ever for believing that Mr. Beaninont's expenses will ma-
terially, if at all, exceed the expenses of either Mr. Liddell
or Mr. Bell-7 yrse Mercury.
ITALIAN PASQUINADE ON CARLTON lIOURF..—An Ita-
lian, a man of sonic taste, being accustomed to sec columns
supporting something, or of some use, stood amazed be-
fore the sinecure colonnade of Carlton Ilouse, and ques-
tioned them as to their employment thus:—
" Care culonne ! the fate quer
" Nun sappiamn in vents."
My dear pillars, what are you about ?
Oh ! my dear Sir, we can't find that out.
EDUCATION or Tile POOR.—A system of education,
founded upon the resolutions of the Catholic Prelates, is,
we understand, about to be acted upon. A plan has been
prepared for raising a fund for this sole purpose, which
has met the approval of the Most Rev. Doctor Murray, and
will, we have no doubt, be warmly supported by the Ca-
tholic Prelates and Clergy .throughout the country.—
Dahlia Morning- Post.
A letter has appeared in an Evening Paper, written on
the part of the Magistrates and Local Relief Committee of
Burnley, to contradict the assertion of the Wakegiefd and
Halifirx Journal, that a riot hail taken place there, in the
course of which the military bad been called out and shot