The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-25 00:00:00

THE LATE DR. LYNCH.

We gave a prominent plqce, in our columns of Satur-
day, to a communication from one of the first medical
authorities in this country, on the progress of
epidemic disease in the metropolis. Yesterday we re-
corded the death, at the early age of :38, and after a few
hours' illness, of one of the ablest and most energetic
advocates of sanatory reform, Dr. Lynch, of Farringdon-
strt et. The cause of death was inflammation of the
throat, which, from the ace 'tints we have received, we
conclude to have been of an endemic character, or at
least to have been aggravated by the tendency which at
present exists in the atmosphere to generate affecti 'as
of that nature. In ordinary years they are not common.),
dangerous, unless to delicate females, or persons of ad-
vanced age. But during the past year the bills of mor-
tality have shown a large increase of deaths from this
class of diseases, amounting to nearly double the ordi•
nary proportion. The last quarterly returns of the
Registrar-General state, that "in the summer of 1846
the mortality was greater than it had been in any quar-
ter of the last seven years ; and in the last winter quar-
ter, ending March 31, 1847, no less than 56,105 persons
died in the districts which make the returns; a number
greater than has been registered in any corresponding quar-
ter, and 6,035 (or nearly 11 per cent.) above the cor-
rected average." In the next paragraph the report pro-
ceeds—" the registrars in their notes ascribe the in-
creased mortality generally to inflammation of the lungs
and air tubes, to typhus, and other diseases, and to the
effects of cold upon the aged ;" inflammation of the
lungs and throat being placed foremost among the ag-
gravating causes. We notice this case, not only to tes-
tify our regret for the untimely loss of an indefatigable
worker in the cause of sanatory reform, but likewise
because the most determined effort yet made to awaken
the City authorities to a sense of the awful respon-
sibility they are incurring, by a neglect of the sana-
tory condition of the City, was due to the exertions,
and sustained by the professional testimony of Dr.
Lynch. It is precisely a month (25th May) since the
churchwardens of St. Bride's, St. Dunstan s, and other
parishes in the ward of Farringdon Without, gentlemen
who, as they stated, had personally inspected the
dwellings of the poor, waited on the Lord Mayor, to re-
present the awful condition of that " worst of the thirty-
six metropolitan districts." Dr. Lynch was the spokes-
man on the part of the churchwardens; and we know no
document containing a more powerful and comprehensive
statement of the sanatory condition of the City, and the
dangers resulting from its present state, than the elo-
quent address which he delivered on that occasion. A
brief abstract of it appeared in our next day's publica-
tion ; but we are not aware that a full report of it has
been published in a separate form—an omission on the
part of those more immediately concerned which is
much to be regretted. Now, not a month has elapsed,
and this eloquent denouncer of City filth and City negli-
gence is struck down by the invisible enemy whose for-
midable presence he denounced. The cause of his death
might be summed up in one of his own expres-
sive sentences on the occasion referred to, that
amid atmospheric influences such as he described,
"the most simple diseases become malignant."
The petition which these churchwardens of the
parishes comprised in the ward of Farringdon Without
put up to the City authority was lucid enough, and easy
of execution. In the words of Dr. Lynch, " they en-
treated his Lordship to name an early day for the consi-
deration of the public health, included in the memorial
of the ward, urging the Corporation to adopt sanatory
measures for the benefit of the poor." (And just in the
same proportion, we conceive, for the benefit of the
rich; and the latter, we may hint to the worthy church-
wardens, being an argumentum ad hominem, is likely to
be not the least effective with corporators.) Dr. Lynch
continued, " The gentlemen of the inquest"—(an appro-
priate term that; for what was the scrutiny into the filth
of their neighbourhood, which at such peril to themselves
these gentlemen carried out, but a coroner's inquest on
the wholesale murders, committed, say at the rate of
100,000 per minute, by persons in authority, from Lord
Morpeth down to the Lord aiayor, and from the Lord
Mayor down to refractory dustmen, who refuse to
eleanse the out-offices of the poor, unless they treat
them to extra drink—who know their duty, but will
not do it?)—" suggest to his Lordship the propriety
of calling a Common Council, as soon as possible,
to apply to Parliament for a short Bill, empower-
ing the City authorities to enforce the abolition
of cess-pools, and other nuisances which were of
mortal injury to the community, to compel landlords to
trap and open the drains of every house into the sewer,
and to appoint an inspector to take care that this law
was enforced. They indulge the hope that the Govern-
ment will render every facility in the laudable endeavour
to accomplish such good." After further details of the
peril that was daily incurring, and of the precautions
taken at Liverpool and elsewhere, the appeal continued—
" every precautionary measure which science can sug-
guest ought to be had recourse to, to prevent the spread
of such an appalling calamity amongst us. To delay, in
such a moment of imminent danger, would be criminal in-
difference to the safety of society." Alas 1. it was easy
for him who uttered these powerful appeals to the
authorities to indulge in hopes ; but it is the reverse of
easy to make any real impression—any impression that
will induce to action—on Lord Mayors or Lords Com-
missioners of her Majesty's Woods and Forests. The
Common Council have taken, so far as we are aware, no
steps like those so impressively urged upon them. They
have asked for no " short Bill." On the contrary, they
and the great majority of their class, intra-mural and
extra-mural, in the Mansion-house and in Mary lebone,
have protested against all sanatory measures, long and
short, that threatened to
"Molest the ancient solitary reign"
of immemorial uncleanliness. Perhaps, however, the City
authorities, though they heeded not the voice of the living,
will pause at the mute appeal which is made by the dead
to their better sympathies as well as their fears. Dr.
Lynch, by virtue of his political activity, as well as his
professional skill, enjoyed considerable popularity, if not
with the immediate authorities of that Corporation whose
abuses, as well as all other social evils, he sought to reform,
at least with great numbers among the most influential
and respectable of his fellow-citizens. It is strange,
however, if anything connected with this subject could
be strange, that Lord Morpeth, in ascertaining what the
wishes of the City were as to the measures which he had
brought forward, did not apparently make any account
of this appeal, publicly addressed to the City authorities
by the churchwardens of a whole group of parishes in
the most crowded part of the City. Surely this one
voice, uttered, and by parish authorities too, in behalf of
the stifled, poisoned poor, had a better right to strengthen
his Lordship's wavering purposes than the minatory
growls of these aldermanic dogs-in-the-manger, who will
neither wash themselves nor let other people wash them,
ought to have had to wring from him concessions which
in his heart he knows to be not only weaknesses on his
part, but actual sins, which, ere the year is over, most
prohab
wilytthh hotuseainrdlv
sioefs._hisciionicie.
fellow-subjects. will have to
expiate

CHARGE OF FRAUD AGAINST THE MAYOR OF
LIMERICK.—The Limerick Reporter contains the follow.
ing extraordinary statement:—" By order of the Go-
vernment informations were exhibited before the bench
of petty session in this city on Friday, against Thomas
Walnutt, Esq., mayor of this city, as one of the firm of
Stein and Co., for having defrauded the finance commit-
tee by substituting a different description of Indian corn
for that sent to their mill to be ground. The facts are
already before the readers of this journal. They are
briefly these:—dir. Walnutt is charged with having ab-
stracted a portion of the sound corn, and substituting in
its stead, and mixing with the remainder, unsound and
damaged Indian meal of his own. The informations in-
clude those of the Messrs. Stein, the other two partners
of the firm. Mr. Walnutt had left town on the previous
day, and we believe has not yet returned. This is a
sad blow, and we trust fur the character of Limerick, and
for his own, that the mayor will be able to vindicate
himself at the assizes. It seems strange that he should
be the only member of the firm who knew anything
about the transaction, though so much engaged other-
wise in virtue of his office."
FATAL ACCIDENT ON THE CROYDON RAILWAY.—
An accident of a very distressing nature occurred .near
the Anerley station of the above railway, at about a
quarter before six o'clock last evening. The Anerley
Tavern and Tea Gardens form a picturesque object on
the right of the Croydon Railway. They are tenanted
by Mr. Buckmaster. The son of this gentleman is the
victim of the unfortunate occurrence, and the manner in
which the accident took place may be thus briefly de-
tailed:—lt appears that Mr. Buckmaster holds some land
on the opposite side of the railway to that on which the
tavern is situate. On this land some labourers were em-
ployed yesterday in hay making, the son of Mr. Buck-
master, a remarkably fine young man, aged only nineteen
years, superintending their operations. At the hour above
mentioned the deceased was in the act of crossing the
railway,
i from the tavern into the field, when a pilot en-
gine on its way to town passed the station at a rapid pace,
and before the unfortunate young man could clear the
line he was struck by the off buffer and thrown a distance
of several yards, falling with great violence on the back
of his head, and fracturing his scull to a frightful extent.
The accident was observed by the driver of the engine,
who immediately brought up, and, assistance flaying
been procured, the deceased, who still breathed, was
placed on a truck and brought immediately to the
London-bridge terminus, whence he was removed on a
stretcher to Guy's Hospital. Mr. S. Abershaw, the
house-surgeon, on making an examination, at once pro-
nounced the unfortunate man to be quite dead.
ANOTHER, ACCIDENT ON THE BISLIOPSTOKE AND
SALISBURY BRANCH OF TUE SOUTH-WESTERN RAIL-
WAY.—WEDNESDAY, JUNE 23.—This morning a ponde-
rous mass of earth suddenly gave way about a quarter
past nine, at the clay cutting within three miles of Salis-
bury, burying several of the labourers there at work.
Two of the poor unfortunate workmen were some time
before they were extricated. When they were got out,
fbrootmh wt
heer
te found
r mouths,
nboesde t
rril as
,d
B,f u
cl y ;
they
werecrushed, blood
p lae
efldo wi
ni n ga
ot rnu
beinge k an
examined
xtaamk
ienne
dt o
btyh et
hien
surgeons,tirm ary at
one
w as Salisbury,
fou n
wwhere,ith
a dislocated ancle, and the other with his knee cap
forced from its socket, besides other external injuries.
It is hoped that they have not suffered internally so
much as was first feared. Fortunately, there being
many men at work on the spot, their united exertions
rescued the poor fellows before they were suffocated.
This is the unfortunate cutting where so many accidents
have occurred during the progress of the works for the
South-VV estern Company, although the utmost care is
taken to prevent such happening.
THE WATERLOO DINNER.—We regret to find that
Major-General Sir Alexander Cameron, K.C.8., Colonel
of the 74th Highlanders, was unable to attend this festi-
val from severe illness. The eallact General came every
year from his seat in the Highlands expressly to join
his distinguished friends in the commemoration of the
glorious victory. Sir Alexander served with marked
distinction in Egypt and throughout the Peninsula cam-
paign, and at Waterloo, with the Rift) Brigade, where
he was very severely wounded.—Observer.