The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-22 00:00:00

CITY COMMISSION OF SEWERS.

On Tuesday a court was held—Mr. Deputy Peacock,
occupied the chair.

THE FLEET DITCH.

Mr. G. YONGE, of No. 1, Crescent-place, Blackfriars,
attended for the purpose of complaining of a nuisance
which had existed for some months, by reason of a hole
having been opened in front of his house into the Fleet-
ditch, from which a most offensive smell arose. In, ad-
dition to this there was a wooden box made, which in a
great measure covered his house from public view, and
in it was a door through which the workmen entered,
the pavement around it being covered with bricks and
other materials, and resembling the yard of a brickJayer
or timber merchant. Some months had elapsed since
any carriage had been able to approach his door, and
the value of his premises had been very greatly deem-wed,
on account of the several sources of annoyance to which
he had been and was still subjected.
Mr. HEYWOOD said he had only to admit the truth of
everything that Mr. Yonge had stated, and to say that
the annoyance complained of was perfectly unavoid able.
He believed, however, that such extensive and trouble-
some works had never been carried on with so little pub-
lic inconvenience, and although it was true that Mr.
Yonge could not get up to his door, it was necessary that
the materials should be placed as near as possible to the
hole that had been opened into the Fleet-ditch. He was
exceedingly sorry that any inconvenience should be: ex-
perienced by the inhabitants of the district, by reason of
the works in course of erection, but feared it must con-
tinue for a long time to come.
Deputy HOLT said the place which was now so seri-
ously complained of was in his ward, and his attention
had been called to it by Dr. Macquinney and another
medical gentleman. He (Deputy Holt) had descended
the hole, and entered the Fleet sewer, accompanied by
the medical officer and the surveyor, and after having
examined for himself in respect to the necessity for the
continuance of the inconvenience complained of, had
soon become convinced that it must be endured for some
time. In his judgment it was quite impossible that a
more easy course of effecting an improvement of the
Fleet-ditch could be adopted.
Mr. HEvwoon—Such a work was never _carried on
before ; the hole is three feet square, and hundreds of
thousands of people have passed the spot without knew-
ingthat anything in the subterranean world was going on.
Deputy HOLT suggested that the matter should go to
a view, in order to ascertain whether the nuisance could
be mitigated, if not entirely removed. (Hear, hear.)
The foundations were giving way, and unless the works
in progress were executed, the whole of the houses. in
Bridge-street and Crescent-place would be falling dawn.
Mr. YoNGE thanked the court for their courtesy in
listening to his complaint, and the matter was referred
to the General Purposes Committee to view and report.

HEALTH OF LONDON DURING THE WEEK.

(From the Registrar-General's .Report.)

In the week that ended on Saturday, the total number
of deaths registered in London was 1,358. Increased
coldness of the weather has acted unfavourably on the
public health during recent weeks, and the present re-
turn shows that its effect, an advanced rate of mortality,
has not abated.

In the ten weeks corresponding to last week of the
years 1843-52, the average number of deaths was 1,210,
which, if raised in proportion to inorease of population,
becomes 1,331. The 1,358 deaths of last week show an
excess of 27 on the calculated amount.
Zymotic diseases are in the aggregate scarcely snore
fatal than usual, but the mortality of hooping-cough is
high, 64 children having died from it. Small-pox was
fatal in only 3 cases, measles in 39, scarlatina in 33,
croup in 10, typhus in 56, diarrhcea in 27. The number
of deaths from cholera was 11.

Fatal cases arising from diseases of the respiratory
organs amount to 319, whilst the corrected average of
ten corresponding weeks is 299. In this class bronchitis
was most fatal, numbering 163 ; pneumonia carried off
121 persons, nearly all children ; asthma 20, laYingitis
4. The deaths from phthisis were 144.

The following are the cases of oholera that were regis-
tered in the week :

WEST DISTRICTS. Population, 376,427. Deaths from
, cholera 3.

Kensington—St. Paul, Hammersmith. —At 5, Wil-
liams•terrace, on 16th October, the son of a shoemaker,
aged 18 months, "exhaustion caused by cholera." In-
quest.
St. George, Hanover-square--Hanover-square.—At
1, Pollen-street, on 9th December, the daughter of a
coffee-house keeper, aged 4 weeks. "English cholera."
Westminster—St. Margaret.—At the Westminster
Hospital, on 12th December, a labourer, aged 53 years,
" bronchitis, choleric (4 days)."
NORTH DISTRICTS. Population, 490,396. Deaths from
• Cholera, 4.
Islington—West.--,-At London Fever Hospital, on
12th December, a married woman, an ironer, aged 35
years, "cholera, primary symptoms (6 days), collapse
(about 12 hours)." In hospital 10 hours. Mr. Watts,
the registrar, states :—" She was admitted as a tramp
into Islington Workhouse on the previous evening, suf-
fering from diarrhcea ; the resident medical officer pre-
scribed, when, on the following morning, extremities be-
came blue and cold, tongue blue, eyes sunk,tpulse almost
imperceptible ; stimulants were administered ; at about I
p.m. collapse occurred. She was immediately conveyed
to London Fever Hospital, which has appropriated soine
wards for cholera cases ; she was then blue and pulseless;
on means being used, pulse returned for a short period,
but patient speedily relapsed, from which she never re-
covered, and expired at 12 the same night."
CENTRAL DISTRICTS. Population, 393,256. Deaths
from cholera; none.
EAST DISTRICTS. Population, 485,522. Deaths from