The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-07 00:00:00

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LONDON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1849.

At a period when the mortality in London, in
England, in Europe—nay, more or less in almost
every quarter of the world—is alarmingly increased
by that dreadful epidemic which is at present thin-
ning our population, a powerful stimulus is afforded
to a cause which we have always regarded with pe-
culiar favour—we mean the cause of Sanitary Im-
provement. Very nearly ten thousand of our fellow-
creatures, in the metropolis alone, have already
within the last few weeks fallen victims to the Asiatic
Cholera. And according to the statements officially
notified by the Registrar-General, the disease is
gradually increasing as to intensity, and extending
as to locality. This is, consequently, no period for
either indolence or indifference. If sanitary innova-
tions were advisable heretofore, they have now
become an absolute necessity. Not only for
our own sakes, but for the sake of our neighbours,
it is incumbent upon each individual to take those
rational precautions which are judicious at ordinary
periods of sickness, but which, in extraordinary
priods like the present, have become imperatively
revisite. Indeed we would force upon the reason
every one indiscriminately a truth which all must
allow to be glaringly incontrovertible—namely, that
extreme carelessness is as culpable as over solicitude.
While we are satisfied that the general interests of
the cause of sanitary improvement have been latterly
advanced by the prevalence of this destructive epi-
demic, we cannot remain blind to the fact that its
principal advocates have been brought into deserved
di,,repute by the frivolity of their arguments, the
immethod!cal and cursory character of their

investigations, and by the extravagant inconsis.

tencies, and even absurd contradictions, which
have been perceptible in the majority of their
deci,ions. From the glaring faults, indeed, which
have I itterly marked the proceeding of the Commis-
sioners at Gwydyr House, and from the egregiously
false logic of the reasoning of such men as Mr.
CHADWICK, we augur hut a very brief (or if pro-
longed, a very inglorious) reign for the present
Seig-nors of the S2wers and Vicegerents of Ventila-
tion. Had many of the points now at issue been
subrnittel to the decision of a " jury of matrons,"
or, let us speak more plainly, had they been submitted
to a party of " old women," the result could not have
en very different from that which is conspicuous in
the judgment delivered by the sages congregated in
council in the gardens of Whitehall. If the blue-
books generally are to be stuffed full of such
twaddle as that which has of late proceeded from
the General Board of Health, we think that the lover
of historical glories, and the aspirant for the preser-
vat i)n of our political and social reputation, may allay
henceforth all his foregoing solicitude in regard to the
construction of a suitable edifice in London or West-

minster, for the preservation of our State papers and

national records. And had the book of Prospero con-
tained nothing worthier of consideration, that master
mind might have permitted its burial many fathoms
deep without any very distressing qualms of con•
science.