The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-08 00:00:00

chored at Baljick, her crew suffered but little from the
prevailing scourge. Diarrhceal complaints were of fre-
quent occurrence amongst them during the month of
July, while passing to and fro between the Sulina mouth
of the Danube and Sebastopol, and between the latter
and Odessa ; but they were of a billions character—the
diarrhcea, in fact, already noticed as being peculiar to
these regions during the summer months. In August,
however, no sooner had she anchored at Baljick than
diarrhceal attacks of a truly choleraic nature became
prevalent, and one case terminated fatally on the 14th.
Subsequently, in Septensber, there were two other deaths,
but both persons seem to have contracted the disease on
shore at Varna, where they had been employed for seve-
ral days assisting to embark the troops, horses, and
military stores destined for the Crimea.
In like manner the crew of the Firebrand suffered but
little, in consequence of her having been kept constantly
moving about from one port to another ; a few cases of
diarrhoea and one of cholera occurred in August, but
where contracted is not stated. On the 7th of Septem-
ber there was a second case of cholera which terminated
in death. The man belonged to the gig's crew, and,
being frequently on shore, he had eaten largely of un-
wholesome fruit and other indigestible matters. On the
night previous to the attack, though suffering from
diarrhcea at the time, be ate voraciously of raw onions
and vinegar.
The Triton forms another instance of immunity from
the more fatal form of the disease, in consequence of her
being almost constantly employed at sea, although in
the immediate vicinity of Baljick and Varna when it
was at its worst. She even remained four days at
anchor off Baljick ; but between the 4th and the 21st
of August she was running frequently between these
places, passing alternately into the infected atmosphere
which was supposed to be present in each, yet with the
exception of about twenty cases of diarrhoaa, her crew
entirely escaped.

TheHighfiyer is another case in point ; she bad been
employed off the Sulina mouth of the Danube, some
fifty •r sixty miles to the northward of Baljick, from the
Ist to the Eth of August. She anchored at the last
named port on the 9th, and on the 11th sailed for the
Bosphorus. A number of cases of diarrhoea afterwards
made their appearance, but there was not one of them
deserving the name of cholera. It is worthy to be re•
marked that, when at Sulina, the men were sent on shore
is a most unhealthy locality to procure wood for the
squadron, yet they did not suffer in consequence—not
even from fever. Quinine wine was given to them while
thus employed, and may have had some effect in coun-
ter2.cting the febrific poison.
TABLE showing the total number of cases of diarrhoea
and cholera, and the total number of deaths from
each, in the following vessels, between the Ist of July
and the 30th of September.

No. ' Deaths.
Ships. of Cases of
Men. Diar. Chol. Diar Chol.
- --
Britannia ... 1040 396 229 -
...-- 139
Albion
Fat lolls
Trafalgar
... 35
London
Vengeance
... 18
Agamemnon 848 149 17 ... 15
m Aug
.{fro
Bellerophon 649 131 15
... 7 12 to
Sept. 30.
from Aug
Caradoc
...
... 9 to
Sept. 30.
Diamond ... 240 39 3 ... • •
Firebrand ... 207 13 2 . •
. 1
..
Highflyer ... 234 47 . • •••
.
Inflexible ... 161 30 ...1
Leander 491 161 12 ..
... 5
Megmra
Niger
Queen 912 144 5 • 1 5
Retribution 302 87 2 ... 2
Rodney
3hcarwater 56 8 Spitfire
... ... ...
... • • •
Terrible ...
Triton
Tribune
•• •
Wasp
Sidon ....
Vesuvius

From the preceding table it appears that as the crew
of the Britannia amounted to 1,040 men when the dis-
ease broke out, the mortality was in the ratio of 13 per
cent. ; in the Albion it was 9 ; in the Furious 8 ; in the
Trafalgar 4 ; but much less in the other vessels.
These losses, on a cursory glance, do not appear to be
large ; but when it is considered that they occurred prin-
cipally within the short space of ten or twelve days, it
must be acknowledged that they are very great ; and
were it possible to add the subsequent loss by death and
invaliding from the effects of the disease, they would
appear, at least as regards the Britannia, Albion, and
Furious, to be excessive.
From all that has been stated respecting the eruption
of the disease in the respective vessels of the fleet, it is
sufficiently evident that it was contracted only at Bal-
jick and Varna. There is, in fact, no proof in any of
the medical returns of its having prevailed in an epidemic
form at any other anchorage or seaport in the Black Sea.
As to why one ship suffered more than another, it
would be difficult to explain, were we to adopt the
theory almost universally entertained, that it originated
from purely atmospheric or meteoric agencies. There
were a number of vessels, for instance, the Britannia,
Albion, Trafalgar, Rodney, and others, which anchored
off Baljick on the same day, with their cress in a per-
fectly healthy condition. There is no evidence to show,
nor i 3 there any reason to believe, that the men of one
ship were more frequently on shore than the men of an-
other ; they were all, in fact, nearly equally exposed to
the influence of atmospheric and to any meteoric changes
which might be supposed to be taken place ; conse-
quently, they ought to have suffered somewhat nearly
in the same ratio ; yet the crews of the Britannia and
Albion were at least ten times more severely attacked
than were those of the London and Rodney, though they
lay side by side with them at Baljick, and afterwards
sailed with them during the short but eventful cruise
between the 12th and 19th of August.
If, however, it be admitted that the disease has a re-
productive power in itself—that it can, through the in-
strumentality of a specific personal virus, be communi-
cated from one person to another, in the same manner
as small-pox and measles, there is no difficulty in under-
standing why it proved more destructive in one ship than
another. If the ventilation were bad, the virus or in-
fection would accumulate, and increase in proportion
to the number and severity of the cases; there is not,
therefore, I apprehend, any way of accounting for the
destructive virulence of the disease in the Britannia,
Albion, and Furious, unless it be supposed that it arose
from the greater abundance, and consequently the greater
force, of the exciting cause—namely, an infectious ema-
nation from the bodies of the sick.
Various modes of treatment were adopted, but I re-
gret to say with no very satisfactory results, especially in
the more advanced stages of the disease, or in those
cases in which collapse suddenly supervened. Calomel,
in large and small doses, appears to have had no influ-
ence whatever on the system ; it did not alleviate the
suffering, or break the chain of morbid action, which
was rapidly hurrying the victim to his end. Dilute
sulphuric acid, which had gained a temporary place on
the list of empirical remedies, was also tried, but with
no better effect ; and the same may be said with respect
to the exhibition of opium, either alone or in combination
tgi
inneg ,
er
with other medicines. Brandy, ether, ammonia, turpen-
tine,
egvieesn
of life,
were given to rouse the flag-
but to little purpose ; they were
generally thrown from the stomach as soon as swallowed,
and draughts containing creosote, chloroform, and cam-
phvve eorr, shared the same fate. The stomach had, as it
Y, lost the power of ministering to the wants of the
Y
Warm baths were used to restore heat, and to mode-
rate the force of muscular spasm ; and bottles
filled with
hot water were applied
to the back and feet to equalise
the circulation ; but the means were inadequate to the
ends.
trufraiL7htiunte,itamncla
ystfraoirnig
bed
dwehre
hap-
p Se
n toaP itsnihe u
fiyerieng.
ou e w et whether
they did not add to the patient's
su
In the vessels which lost many
men, the mode of
treatment adopted appears to have been as judicious as
it was in those that lost but few; the rate of mortality
being influenced, apparently, much mere by the virulence
or concentration of the exciting poison than by any
other cause. It is satisfactory to observe that no reme-
d.es of an heroic, of a dangerous, or of a purely empiri-
cal nature were employed, with the exception of such
of the latter as had been sanctioned by previcus use.
The results on the whole, as regards the medical treat-
ment, were not satisfactory, but they were not, more
di-estrous thin generally happens from similar visitation.
In the less severe forms, however, and in the diarrliceal
affections which arise from the true choleraic cause,
medical treatment was of essential service. The purg-
ing, in most cases, reedily yielded to mixtures contain-
ing Ptepared chalk, opium, and carminatives. Astring-
eats, such as kino, catechu, and acetate of lead, were also
thought to be useful when the more simple mixtures
fi.ailed. By these means, by suitable diet, warmth, and
y confining the men to their hammocks, there can be
little doubt that
many patients were rescued from the
more malignant form of the disease. The means that
were taken to detect who •
under diarrhoea, or were unconsciously labouring
cholera, or who, thoughother premonitory symptoms of
affection, yet affected to consciousde of the nature of the
effects ; as the wore early s)ise it, had also their good
in practice the snore the remedial means were put
(Signed) likely were they to succeed. W. Bertram
Admiralty, Somerset-house, Nov. 30Dir , e ItBosriGeneral.

NEWSPAPERS SENT ABROAD.— ..A. ve large number
of newspapers for places abroad,
uponry which a postage
ought to have been pre-paid, being continually posted
without such pre-payment, the Post office authorities
have issued a notice, recommending persons who are in
the habit of transmitting newspapers to foreign coun-
tries, or to au of the colonies, to sath.fy themselves,
by inquiry at the Post-office, whether or not any
postage is payable upon them in this country, before
they deposit their newspapers in the letter-box. NC-NE:-
papers for foreign pacts, which have been improperly
posted unpaid, are detained and sent to the Dead Letter
office.

CORPORAL PUNISHMENTS IN THR NAVY. From
re-
turn printed on Saturday, procured by Mr. Ilumae,it
appears that in 18 months ended June, 1853, there were
1,122 floggings in the Royal Navy,land the number of
lashes inflicted was 34,860. The highest number in.
flied was 48, and the lowest one. The offences ranged
from drunkenness, theft, disobedience, desertion, inde-
cency, &c. In 1853 there were 792 floggings and 24,807
lashes given. In the half-year of 1854; from January to
June, there were 330 punishments and 10,053 lashes