The Sun.
London, England, 1847-12-06 00:00:00

_DECEMBER, 6, Witt

that the money had been withheld with a felonious
intent. lie should, therefore, commit the prisoner to
take his trial at the next sessions.
WORSHIP-STREET.

On Thursday last, a foreign gentleman, named
Henri Poittevin, described as a " patent highly con-
centrated manure manufacturer," in Queen-street,
Mile-end, attended before the sitting magistrate to
ans wer an information charging him with having
suffered a large quantity of offensive and noxious
matter to accumulate upon his premises, and thereby
seriously impaired the public health.
Inspector Ellis, who had been directed by the
magistrate to visit and examine the premises com-
plained against, stated that upon reaching the place
he was conducted by the defendant's foreman into a
spacious enclosure, about 100 yards square, in which
he found three large sheds, each of about 50 or 60
feet in length and of proportionate width, and two of
them open to the atmosphere at the sides. These
sheds were each filled to the depth of four or five
feet with a mass of compounded matter, of the con-
sistency of earth, to the extent of several hundred
tons, and apparently composed of blood, nightsoil, and
other animal substances, and exhaling such an of-
fensive odour that it was perfectly overpowering. The
foreman then directed his attention to the third
shed, which was enclosed and empty, and informed
him that they had formerly been in the habit of con-
solidating the liquid manure by subjecting it to a
powerful heat, but that they had lately discovered
some chemical agents which effected the same results,
and therefore abandoned the practice. The foreman
added, that the value of the manure then upon the
ground was at least 2,0001., and that if his employer
should be obliged to dispose of it by compulsory re-
moval before March next, it would be attended with
his entire ruin. He was then proceeding to some
further explanations, when they were abruptly
brought to a close by the witness being seized with a
violent sickness, caused by the fetid state of the
atmosphere, which compelled him to immediately
retire, and the pernicious effects of which he conti-
nued to labour under for several days afterwards. He
had since repeated his visit, that morning, and found
that no steps had been taken to abate the nuisance
further than boarding a portion of it up, and although
the manufacture had been apparently stopped since
the complaint was lodged, the offensive stench still
continued with but very:slight abatement.
Mr. Samuel Byles, one of the district surgeons of
the Whitechapel union, whose duty comprised medi-
cal attendance at the Spitalfields Workhouse, stated
that the defendant's manufactory was so contiguous
to the latter building that scarcely 100 feet inter-
vened between them. The workhouse was at present
unusually crowded with inmates, amongst whom
febrile and other affections considerably prevailed,
and he had every reason to believe that these were
greatly induced by the contiguity of the defendant's
manufactory, as whenever the wind blew from his
premises it carried an odour in the highest degree
offensive, and calculated to produce the most per-
nicious consequences. On such occasions whatever
diseases happened to prevail in the workhouse exhi-
bited a great tendency to putrescence, and assumed a
most malignant and intractable character. The
house also contained nearly 400 children, who were
more susceptible than adults to the effects of an im-
pure state of the atmosphere, and amongst these there
had lately broken out no less than twelve cases of spon-
taneous gangrene, a disease which but rarely existed
unless the atmosphere was very impure, and the whole of
those cases had terminated fatally. He had likewise
found that whenever the effluvium became powerful
the adult portion of the inmates were invariably
attacked with diarrhcoa of the worst form, and, as
this immediately subsided on the wind changing, he
felt satisfied the nuisance in question was the cause of
the illness. During the prevalence of a humid state
of the atmosphere, however, whatever direction the
wind might be in, the effluvium was always highly
offensive and dangerous, and the most serious results
must ensue again if the nuisance were not abated.
Mr. John Liddell, also a union surgeon, confirmed
the evidence of the last witness, in whose experience
he entirely coincided, and added that after his own
visit of inspection to the defendant's premises he was
seized with a violent sickness, which lasted three
quarters of an hour, and was so seriously ill for three
or four days subsequently that he was obliged to
place himself under the care of the other surgeon.
The odour from the defendant's manure so permeated
the atmosphere that he frequently smelt it at a dis-
tance of three quarters of a mile, and he considered
it highly dangerous and destructive to the health of
the whole neighbourhood.
Mr. Samuel Birch, one of the surgeons of the Lon-
,don Hospital, situated a considerable distance from the
premises in question, also spoke to the deleterious
effects of the malaria so engendered upon the health
of the patients of that establishment, whose cure was
greatly retarded, and the effect of the remedies em-
ployed upon them partially neutralized.
Mr. Buchanan, for the defendant, said he could not
deny the existence of the nuisance complained of, but
as its immediate removal would be attended with the
most ruinous consequences to his client, who had em-
barked a large capital in a scientific and useful ma-
nufacture, he trusted some temporary measures would
he permitted, which, while they would protect the
inhabitants from further danger, would also enable
the defendant to dispose of his stock and plant, which
were of great value, and would otherwise be entirely
sacrificed.

Mr. HAMMILL said this was a monstrous evil,
proved to be attended by the most frightful effects
upon the inmates of the workhouse, and as he would
not allow the health of the district to be sacrificed to
the pecuniary interests of any private individual, he
should refuse his sanction to any suggestion which
had not for its object its immediate and total sup-
pression.
Mr. Buchanan trusted there was no wish to ruin
the defendant, who was willing to do anything to
prevent infection until the cold weather set in, and he
had a chance of recovering some portion of the capi-
tal he had invested. He called

Mr. Wickstead, a practical chemist, who stated that
if the whole mass of manure were covered to the
depth of three feet with earth, and a stratum of sul-
phate of lime superimposed, the escape of any volatile
gases would be entirely precluded, and the injurious
effects of the materials employed be so far obviated.
Inspector Ellis, however, said that this would be
but of temporary use, as he was convinced the whole
bulk of hundreds of cartloads would be incessantly bro-
ken into for sale, which the defendant's foreman had ac-
knowledged to him was his employer's object, and who
had also confessed that one ton of the manure had been
dug out, sold, and carted away that morning.
An animated discussion ensued between the magis
trate and the parties on both sides, in which serious ap-
prehensions were expressed as to which of two courses
suggested would involve the most danger—the removal
of such an immense mass of noxious matter at once and
continuously, which it was stated would take at least
four or five days to effect, or to cover it up and leave it
as it stood; but the whole of the medical witnesses at
length came to a decided conviction that the former, if
performed in the night time, was the only safe course
that could be pursued; and
Mr. HAMMILL, after severely reprehending the
practice of carrying on such a destructive manufac-
ture in the heart of a densely populated and imper-
fectly drained locality, said that he entirely coincided
in the opinion expressed by the surgeons, and as he
felt it his imperative duty to enforce the provisions of
such a beneficial enactment in every instance that
might come before him, whatever the consequences
might be to the persons proceeded against, he should
direct an order to be immediately made out for the
entire removal of the whole of the noxious materials
forthwith.

It was stated that there were other nuisances of a
somewhat similar character existing in the same
neighbourhood, but not of such serious magnitude
as the present, and the magistrate having expressed
his readiness to aid hi their suppression to the full ex-
tent of his powers, the persons complaining left the
court avowing a determination to actively set about
their prosecution forthwith.