The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-07 00:00:00

THE CHOLERA IN MALTA.

VALETTA, July 31.
While accounts received from Alexandria indicate
a constant decrease of cholera in that city and

throughout Egypt, the disease has somewhat in-
creased in Malta during the past week. This has

induced the Lieutenant-General Commanding to

remove some of the regiments from their close and
ill-ventilated barracks and place them under canvas
in airy situations, and they have already benefited
by the change. The 4th Regiment is now encamped
on the Floriana parade-ground, and the 100th on
Fort Manoel Island.

_
The following is a summarised statement of the
course of the malady within the last eight or nine
days:—On the 22d inst., after an oppressively hot
day and night, seventeen attacks were reported
throughout the island, in addition to the military,
of whom seven are said to have been interred
on the 23d. On that and on the following day there
were 14 new cases among the civil population, and
seven deaths, and nearly as many among the troops.

,
-On the 25th and 26th some 26 fresh cases were re

ported, of which about half terminated fatally. On
the 27th there were 22 attacks, seven of which oc-
curred in Valetta. Among the military there was
only one case. On the 28th the number of attacks
reported was 28, and the deaths 12 ; on the 29th, 31
attacks and 18 deaths ; and on the 30th, 23 attacks
and 12 deaths. Several of the distant villages have
returned a few cases each ; and two cases are re-
ported to have occurred in the neighbouring island
of Gozo.
In order not to add to the prevailing alarm, the
Lieut.-General has dispensed with the band at mili-
tary funerals, and a somewhat corresponding order
has been given by the Roman Catholic bishop, di-
recting that no bell shall accompany any viaticum
issuing after the second Ave Maria, while during
Ithe daytime the large and noisy bell shall be super-
seded by a small one. A very important sanitary
step has also been taken by the ecclesiastical autho-
rities—namely, prohibiting interments within the
churches of Valetta and the Three Cities of any
cholera subject.
Alexandria has now turned the tables upon us by
placing all arrivals from this island in quarantine.
In consequence of this the outward Indian mails
have been debarred from all communication with
Malta (except under quarantine restrictions, for the
purpose of replenishing fuel), so as to avoid being
put to any inconvenience on arrival in Egypt. Many
of the fugitives who took refuge at Malta on the
outbreak of the cholera in Alexandria are now re-
turning, but they are obliged to look for othermeans
of conveyance than the mail steamers, for the rea-
sons above given.
Letters from Sicily state, that, notwithstanding

the assuredly vigorous enactments of the Sicilian
Boards of Health, some cases of cholera have mani-
fested themselves in Catania as well as in Palermo.
Trapani, which received vessels from Malta under a
quarantine of seven days, now rejects them entirely.
The following is the extract of the letter from
Naples above alluded to
" I find myself unexpectedly in Naples, in conse-
quence of the dreadful fear of Cholera in Sicily,
where they first warned us off at Syracuse, not
allowing us to enter the port, although with a clean
bill of health. As a great favour they allowed us
to take in fresh provisions, and the captain was de-
sired to hoist the yellow flag and proceed forthwith
to Palermo without touching at Messina, where the
populace, we were told, were ready to pull us to
pieces, and perhaps burn us bodily, had we attempted
to land, even in the Lazaretto. When the Marsala
was seen with her yellow flag at Palermo on the
morning of the 6th she was met by a boat from the
Office of Sanita, and ofdered to anchor in the offing.
Here again a great excitement ; so much so, that it
was said that Signor Florio's ships and stores, which
are very extensive, were threatened with fire and
destruction if the Marsala was not sent immediately
away. At length we arrived on the morning of the
7th at Naples, where we were more mercifully
treated by being ordered to the island of Nisida, to
perform five days' quarantine. The Lazaretto had
not been used for 11 years, and consequently was
not in a state to receive us, and we rode out our
time on board the Marsala. We were 25 passengers
in the saloon—not too many to be quite comfort-
able, and what is not often met with in such a con-
tretemps, not a grumbler among us ; so that the time
passed merrily enough, surrounded by the most
beautiful scenery and fed on the fat of this favoured
land, brought daily from the shore. The Corriere
Italiano arrived yesterday morning (the 13th) from
Malta, and was sent to Nisida to perform quaran-
tine, I suppose, for five days, following the example
of the Marsala."
A second and also fatal case of cholera was re-
ported to have manifested itself on the 29th inst.
on board the Chanticleer, in the person of a sea-
man of remarkably steady habits. On inquiry on
board I found the report to be untrue, though gene-
rally believed in Valetta, and I merely allude to
it to remove any alarm its circulation uneontra-
dicted might occasion. The Chanticleer will take
the next mail to the squadron.
A meeting has been convened at the Exchange
to raise money to supply the indigent with bread
during the present cholera visitation. It is under-
stood that Government will accord a grant of £3OO
or £4OO for the same purpose.

AUGUST 1.

The mortality from cholera showed a slight de-
crease on Sunday last, but on Monday the number
of attacks rose to 25 and the deaths to 17. On
Tuesday (to-day) a still further increase is reported.
the attacks being 33 and the deaths 18. It must be
borne in mind that we are now at the height of the
hot weather, and that these casualties are distributed
over a population of 130,000. In other respects the
island enjoys excellent health, and hitherto the
chief sufferers have been the troops and the poorest
class of the people.

SPECIMEN OF Dn. COLENSO'S LOGIC.—" In refe-
rence to the text, They sewed fig-leaves together and
made themselves aprons,' will it be believed that the
bishop asks, not iu joke, but seriously, ' Where did they
got needles and thread ?' He quotes and endorses the lan-
guage of Dr. Thomas Burnet (Part IV. p. 151)—' The text
says, They sewed fig-leaves together and made to them-
selves girdles.' Here we have the first step in the art of
sewing. But whence had they a needle—`whence thread ?'
Ay, and a thimble ? Now, let us suppose that Eve's work-
box really had a supply of these useful implements. . .
Does the bishop imagine that Eve would have been such a
goose as to have used them for the purpose of
.stitching
her fig-leaves together ? Why, if, in her perfect igno-
rance, she had been so inconsiderate, she would have
found her fragile workmanship soon give way, and after
only a very short experience would have discovered that
her object was but half accomplished."—Young's Modern
Scepticism.
LAW LATIN DESCRIPTION OF A KITCHEN.—
" Camera necessaria pro usu cooker°, cum saucepannis,
stewpannis,
puddm sculloro, dressero, coalholo, stovis, smoke-
ja.cko roastandum, boilandum, fryandum, of plum-
g-mixandum, pro turtlesoupis et calre-headhashi-
bus, cum Wipe° et ealipashibus."