The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-05 00:00:00

" BERMONDSEY ; St. James.

" Mr. Martin, the registrar of St. James', Bermondsey,
appends the following note to his return:—' It will be
observed that six of the deaths registered this week have
occurred on the banks of the disgusting tidal ditch so
often reported, now rendered more offensive than ever
from a great length of its narrow part having been
covered in; nearly all the refuse from the very poorest
houses have accumulated at that part of the ditch near
to the new water pipes, and where, under the window of
a typhus patient of mine, might have been seen the
budies of thirteen dead dogs and cats on one day this
week, beside other offensive matter. As district surgeon,
I have, with great respect, but perfect sincerity, warned
the authorities of the fearful and tremendous respon-
sibility they are incurring.'
44 SOUTHWARK ; Borough-road.
_ _ _ _

"To the cases in the neighbourhood of the Borough-
road the following report is appended With reference
to the various streets and dwellings in which deaths
from cholera and diarrhoea have occurred this week, any
observations I could make would be but a repetition of
those convey( d in last week's return ; indeed, the
whole of this district, with the exception of the
leading thoroughfares, may be said to be densely
populated ; it is truly astonishing oftentimes to
find the number of persons who live in the same
house. Of the 14 cases which have occured in the work-
house, it will be seen only one was an inmate. Many
of the ether 13 wire persons brought in when the disease
had done its worst for them; one did not survive a quar-
ter of an hour after admission, and some only a few
hours, I have ascertained also that several were per-
sons of very questionable reputation and habits; still,
the sudden and great increase this week ovir the pre-
ceding clearly shows that those localities which have
been visited by the epidemic, and where it appears par
tially to have subsided, are by no means to calculate on
security at the present, as will be seen by the following.
—ln the weeks ending August 4th, 11th, 18th, and 25th,
the numbers were 48, 28, 25, and 21. This week I
have registered 33, hence the importance of increased
watchfulness and increased exertions; and this applies
not only to the authorities, but to tradesmen, employers
of workpeople, and heads of families; who can often
impart advice and instruction to their neighbours and
dependents with greater effect than official communica-
tions produce; and thus, whilst the guardians of the
poor and the medical officers of the various parishes are
endeavouring to fulfil their duties, let those to whom I
have referred strengthen their hands and aid their
efforts.'

"LAMBETH; Waterloo-road (Ist Part).
"M. 3, son of a journeyman carpenter, cholera, 14
hours, August 25,9, Le Grand-place.—Le Grand-place,
where these four deaths occurred, is a small place, con
taining 12 houses, situate at the back of the Waterloo-
road; one end is close to the wall of the churchyard,
the other runs into a mews at the back of Stamford-
street; the houses have, I believe, two rooms each;
they aro densely populated; and the entrance from the
Waterloo-road is the site of nuisances which increase
the pestiferous atmosphere breathed by thelnhabitants.
" M. 20, shoemaker, natural death, cholera 11 hours,
July 25, 5, Bate's-buildings, Broadwall. Inquest.
Bate's-buildings is one of the narrow courts in Broad-
wall crossing the boundary sewer. The house No. 5 has
been the scene of snore than one tragedy; a brother of
deceased, a youth of 12 or 14, hung himself—by accident,
it was presumed; a younger sister died of cholera in
July; the mother was next taken ill, and removed to the
workhouse, where she also died of cholera; the next
death was the one now registered. The father, a shoe-
maker, was in the hospital during the period of the ill-
ness and death of his wife and two children.

WATERLOO•ROAD (2d Part).
" M. 8, son of a tailor, cholera, 16 hours, August 29,
14, Apollo-buildings.—This small spot of Apollo. build-
ings abounds with noxious effluvia. The privies sre most
offensive, the water scarcely fit to drink; heaps of refuse
matter constantly thrown about by the costermongers,
hosts of whom reside in this locality. Pigs, horses, rabbits,
and all sorts of animals are kept hereabouts. lam told
the fish, vegetables, &c., in which the people deal, are at
night frequently placed under the bed. There are two
cats'-meat dealers in Apollo-buildings, the stench from
which is much complained of. The landlord refuses to
cleanse, and tells the inhabitants if they don't like it they
can leave it.

" CAMBERWELL.

" M. 27, bricklayer, cholera, 48 hours, 15, Acorn-
street.—The next house, No. 14, is where the cholera
broke out on the 21st of June, and many deaths took
place in this street of that disease for some weeks after.
The informant complains of a very offensive smell from
an open ditch near the house, also from some pigstyes
at the rear of the house, 'which have been many times
complained of, but not yet removed.
" WOOLWICH ARSENAL.

" M. 53, waterman, cholera 12 hours, August 26, on
board a coal bulk off Woolwich.—A man of very in
temperate habits; he had an attack of diarrhoea early in
the morning, and afterwards went out rowing on the
river, drinking ale and spirits, upon which he got worse
and took tincture of rhubarb, then sent for medical as-
sistance, but too late to be of any avail."
Such aro a few only of the numerous instructive cases
contained in the Registrar-General's last weekly report-
It is to be regretted that in those districts where cholera
has been moat severe the particulars of each case are
most scanty. This perhaps is inevitable from the ad-
ditional amount of work thrown upon the registrars. The
difficulty, however, might be met by their furnishing a
short report as to the condition of those spots in their
districts in which the epidemic had manifested itself with
the greatest virulence.

PLYMOUTH, MONDAY, SEPT. 3.
At Plymouth the cholera has given some evidences of
abatement. The deaths for the week ending on the 2d
inst. are 54, against 61 for the previous week, and 84 for
the week ending on the 19th ult. The deaths for the
week, daily, are August 27th, 8; 28th, 10; 29th, 7;
30th, 13; 31st, 4; Sept. Ist, 2; and 2d, 10. One re-
markable feature in the present visitation of the disorder
iu Plymouth has prevailed throughout, viz , the attacks
tieing confined almost exclusively to the labouring, the
pauper, and the itinerant classes, especially the latter.
Quarry-court, in Stonehouse-lane, where the disorder
first appeared, was depopulated, and thoroughly cleansed
by the local board of health. The structure of the place,
however, and the mode of its occupation, are circum-
stances over which the board has no control. This in-
fectious vicinity is being fast occupied again by vagrants,
who nightly crowd the small, ill-ventilated rooms, bring-
ing a large revenue to the landlords, and a serious evil
to the town, the ratepayers of which have to provide
food and medicine for them directly they are overtaken
by siekness or want, real or feigned.