The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-10-30 00:00:00

COAL NANACT, Orrona 19.

Ships at Market. Mgr Sold. PIC e.
MI Newcastle
11 Suoderlaod
i Scotch Coal
I Sloue Coal .. 0 .......—a. Od, to —a. Od.

and pbanthropic teal by hasardiug a few coojestetes—
should they bate no other effect, they possibly may rouse the
domain receipts of abler writers, and awaken attention to a
subject which, though we at a distance may regard with in-
dlfferemte, is yet of a fearful importartee to theme visited with
thew moot heavy calamity. . ; , •
J •eed scalcekt Pranlitreffir' AMIE endeart of fever IC
gffiletal, but more especially of fever as monocled alllkpitp.
Is involved in the utmost perplexity. The sibs*
elll world remains to this hour completely at earlier'
y on the general points of doctrine, but in each par
atom vieitatiou of fever the most perfect discordance of
prevails. Of the origin and progress of the fever in
question, the accounts which have hitherto reached us have
been .o distorted by terror, ignorance, and mistatetneut,
as to leave us no meats" of forming any accurate notion of
the character of the disease. Indeed arch is the total dearth
of the authentic details that it might justly be deemed both
premature and presumptuous in me to offer a single obser-
vation on the subject. But the occasioo it taus that claims all
our sympathy, sod, so far as we eau give it, our assistance.
The nature of the opinion formed of the disease is likely to
influence the fate of thousands; common humanity, therefore,
requires that every one should contribute Ms mite.
-Yon proceed, 1 perceive, on the supposition that the fever
which ravages Bat CY loos and its neighbourhood is contagious.
This you take fur granted. Now, Sir, the very singularity
pointed out, namely, the comparative exemption of females,
taken in conjitection with other circumstances in your state-
ment, appears to me rather to militate against that supposi-
tion; or, at any rate, the exemption is more easily explicable
on the principle of the disease not being a contagious one.
My reasons ale these:—
The simultaneous prevalence of the fever would seem to
imply the presence of a cause or causes more rapid and uni-
versal in their operation than contagion. The great num-
bers attacked at or nearly about the same time—deaths to
the amount of a thousand in the short space of three days,
cannot well be accounted for with the imperfect data before
us, according to the usual rate of movement of any contagi-
ous disorder. The mode in which contagious diseases pro-
1114.01ktbasmelves is by attacking individuals ill :recession,
inieee ee Seee regularly and slowly, and by extending as from
a antes to places in immediate communication and vicinity
of the infected source. They seldom act by synchronously
prostrating thousands in a single district, unless, perhaps, in
the case of the Plays., the real nature of which, however,
still .remains very obscure. In seizing upon men in pre.
ference to women, the fever of Barcelona but observes the
averse which sporadic, endemic, or epidemic disuse, (call
them what you will) of warm climates are found invariably
to pursue. The Yellow Fever of the West Indies and Amer
ries, now generally acknowledged to be non-euntagious,
selects fur its victims foreigners in preference to the indige•
moss iohabitaiits, the robust rather than the feeble, and Men
ratheateco women; and this peculiarity its its character ad-
mits efdlislauation upon sound and abeam ateiverenMy rim
eeived pathological principles. It will not be forgotten,
that mew are necessarily more exposed to the causes of en-
demic diseases than women, and, on the other band, at is
probable that women are more iu the way of exposure to
contagion than men ; besides, contagious dmorders are cum-
mostly ouderstood, I do not say with what truth, to attack
the weak sooner than the strung, the timid rather than the
bold : at all events, they art more likely to lay bold of
these immediately in contact with the sick; consequently,
females, by the same title. might to have suffered more tbsr
the males from the Barcelona Fever, were it contagieds;
fur upon them has devolved the horrifying duty, if your or
• be correct, of "conveying their deceased husband,
and fathers to the grave," men nut being found to perform
the rites of sepulture!
It may be further remarked, that merely contagious dim
do sot abut, preferences of sex, generally speaking;
but fur such diseasi• to attack must numerously those who
are least exposed, snd to spare those who are most exposed, is
• result that would almost surpass credibility, did we sot
every day meet with anomalies altogether unaccountable, of
which it M possible, Omagh not very probable, that this
may be oue •.
Your theory, as to the devotedness of the females leases.
ing their susceptibility, is bold and ingenious, and may, is
the end, be found to be the collect solution of the enigma,
yet you will pardou me fur doubting whether it will bear
you completely out. As yon lay but little stress upon it, I
shall nut trouble you with any lengthened discussion; hat
simply suggest, that in di which are specifically conta-
gious—tor example, motile., small pox, &c. the individuals
most liable are those over whom tear has no power, from their
mere sioconactuu S f mean children, who,
therefore, so far as regards any effect of the depressing
passions, usual be considered to a certain degree on a fooling
with those fi nodes to Spain who have been placed in the
pitiable condition mentioned is your Paper. At the 'isms
lime, 1 am tar from being unmindful of the wide &tremor
belt/eta simple itisetisibi thy of danger in the one case, and
that resolute energy in courting it, which the Spanish wo-
men display, or rather which you suppose, in the other.
With every allowance, however, it •ppeets to me that the
difficulty may be more easily gut over on the principle of the
disease nut being contagious, than on the contrary supposi-
tion; and this is the utmost that I would he understood to
Mena by these hasty speculations, especially in the absence
of all authentic documents; but even with the utmost at
esracy of observation of which medical phenomena are sus-
expiable, the strangest incongruities are continually occur.
ring. Sometimes we hazard an explanation—much oftener
we
are are obliged to let the matter alone (and perhaps we
least en' when we du so), referring it to the agency of a
power '• to ui invisible or dimly seen."
Whalen r be the event, this much is essertlin,lhat the opi-
s formed of the character of ths dimes* must, as I for-
staled, involve coureqaences the most serious to the
now suffering under this awful 'visitation ; and at a
dm toe when their country is push bay in the very crisis
it. potion-al fate. The severest puttee, therefore, is re.
spidelle, prior to the adoption of say decidid opinion. The
teesite which medical (*Moo un,terateut in America and
, t Indies, forms a memorable precedent 011 lber poia:
lirstbreaking ant of the Yellow Fever in those regions
the belief in it. contagious property was as strong as it can
he with regard to this fever of Barcelona; yet the best autho-
rities of the present day, with experience fur 110.4108de,
have pronounced that fever woe coutagioss.
One thing is to he said, the disbelief, or rather the distrust
• of its coutagiuus power fn the prevent instance, is now the
safopti as well as the most comfortable side of the question's
this mortal disease ultimately prove to be not emotes•
robe, how many precious lives have been already sacrifice&
to alarm and neglect Should it actually be found to be all
virulent a contagion as it has bees represented, au catastrophe'
no r a direful cast happen than hes happened : cuutagieliti
" bath done his worst.
Before concluding, I ought, perhaps, to app. ice you that

• This idea receives immediate coltatelmica from the pas-
sage in the " Report of the Intendants of the Public Health
at Marseilles to his Britannic Majesty's Consul in that
port."—" It is to be observed," they say, in detailing the
quarantine measures adapted in regard to this very Barre-
lona Fevers-" that 11.4 persona placed to attend the sit* in
theLazaret and who have been in continual unit immediate
commnoicatiuu with them, have constantly enjoyed perfect
health,"

by stratagem Or force, during the last we wilt)
a circle of three miles.
Whilst the police soda party of the 40th regiment
were patioling the vicinity of Aakeaton ou Saturday
night, they were attracted towards Rock. Abbey by
a continued fire; to a short time they came up with
• large body of insurgent'', who without much cere-
loopy attacked the military. hut ou returning. the
fire the deluded pearatitry decamped in all direc-
tions. One of the police. mimed Macghn, was
badly wounded, as was elm one of the insurgent'.
who was observed to fall, but was carried *tray be
Iris associates. The total tiorktim of the titgl•t
prevented the military and police from making any
peisosters.
On Thursday night last, between the hours of
ten and elven o'clock, the house of Mr. Willii,us
Meetly. of Elton, was *thicked by a number of
urtned ruffians, who fired several idiots in this di.
rection of his bed, which on heariog them he
just left; a thick iron screw was driven amigo
the heed of Ms bed and • partition, which lot %d
in the opposite wall—thc curtains of Ins bed look
I fire from the vsaddieg of another piece—Aiery
dow in the house was smashed to atoms.

The houses of Patna k Grady, of Ballymorphy,
Edmond Molony, Edmond out) Juhu Carmody, of

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