The Sun.
London, England, 1856-06-09 00:00:00

QUARANTINE AT MALTA.

We regret to see on the part of the Malta Cham-
ber of Commerce an attempt to revive certain anti-
quated regulations, very prejudicial to the develop-
ment of commercial intercourse. The following
correspondence has passed between the local Go-
vernment and the Chamber :

" Chamber of Commerce, Valetta, April 5, 1856.
"Hon. Sir,—The Chamber of Commerce, in acknow-
ledging the receipt of your letter, dated the 2d inst., in
reply to that of the Chamber addressed to you on the
29th ult., respecting arrivals in this port having oL,
board fever sick, deems it its duty to submit that, as the
precautionary measures alluded to in your letter have
not been publicly made known, the Chamber has reason
to fear that the other sanitary boards of the Medittr-
ranean, doubting such measures to be sufficient to re
move the danger of the introduction of the malady into
the country, might probably subject to quarantine arri-
vals from Malta in their ports.
"In consequence of this uncertainty, the Chamber
takes the liberty to beg of your Excellency that the
measures alluded to may be published ; and it embraces
this opportunity to submit to your Excellency that great
benefit would result to the commerce of this island if the
Government would be pleased to make known to the
public,the regulations at present adopted by the Health
Department at Malta, with regard to cases in which
quarantine ought to be imposed.
" I have the honour to be, &c.,
" GIOVANNI SCIORTINO, Assistant Sec.
"To the Hon, V. Houlton, Esq., Secretary to
Government, &c."

"Chamber of Commerce, Valetta, May 2.
" Hen. Sir,—The Chamber of Commerce, in its lettei•
of the 29th March ult., submitted to his Excellency the
Governor the necessity of adopting sanitary measures
with reference to arrivals from the ports of the Levant
where typhus is prevalent; and in its other letter of the
sth April it took the liberty of euggesting that the pre-
cautionary measures which his Excellency has been
p:eased to adopt with regard to the above-mentioned
arrivals should be made public, in order that the neigh-
bouring sanitary boards of the Mediterranean should not
find by reason of silence a motive to impose quarantine
restrictions upon arrivals from Malta—a suggestion which
has not been adopted by the Government, and to which
the Chamber has not had the honour of an answer.
" 2. The Chamber, in the fulfilment of its duties, finds
itself now in the unpleasant position of submitting to his
Excellency that what it forebcde has unfortunately taken
place. In fact, this island, for the reason above stated,
has been put in quarantine with Sicily and with nearly
all the Italian continent, as also with the neighbouring
coast of Barbary. The Chamber deems it unnecessary
to explain how prejudicial are such quarantines to the
local commerce. It is, therefore, an incumbent duty
upon it to beg again of his Excellency the Governor
that adequate measures be adopted by the Health De-
partment, as much with the view of remedying the
injury that commerce is suffering and will suffer in con-
sequence of the above•mentioned quarantines as to in-
sure the public health of the place. Meanwhile the
Cbamber takes the liberty to inform his Excellency that
the evils arising from quarantine do not weigh merely
upon commerce, but are felt by the population in gene-
ral, as one of the immediate consequences of the inter-
ruption of free communication with Sicily and Barbary
is an increase in price of all articles of food of primary
necessity.

" 3. Besides the injury arising from the fact of pre-
cautionary measures not being adopted in this island of
a nature to inspire confidence in the other santitary
boards in the Mediterranean, the Chamber forbodes that
much greater evils will be experienced later by this state
of things.
"4. The Chamber also considers it its duty to submit
to the consideration of his Excellency that it is currently
reported here that cholera has manifested itself at Mists-
rata, and small-pox of a very virulent description at
Tripoli ; and as these places are in free communication
with Malta, the Chamber takes the liberty to beg that
his Excellency will be pleased to investigate the fact, i❑
order that, if such be the case, proper measures may be
adopted for the protection of the mercantile interests and
the health of the population before any serious incon-
venience may result.
" 5. Finally, the Chamber takes the liberty to repeat
1 its request that his Excellency the Governor should canoe
to be published the sanitary measures which it hopes his
Excellency will adopt, so that the foreign consuls may
be able to give an exact report of the precautions taken
by the Health Department of Malta, and avoid doubts
which can have no other result than that of interrupting
the free communication of this island with places with
which it has frequent and very important commercial
relations.

"I have the honour to be, &c.,
" GIOVANNI SCIORTINO,
A ssistant Secretary.
"To the Hon. V. Houlton, Chief Secretary to
Government, rte."

"Chief Secretary's-office, Valetta, May G.
"Sir,—l have to acknowledge the receipt of your let-
ter, dated 2,1 instant, on the subject of quarantine.
" 2. His Excellency the Governor desires me to in-
form you that, in consequence of the arrival of cases of
typhus fever in transports from the Levant., a grant of
money was obtained from the Council of Government
for the purpose of es,‘Ablisbing a separate hospital for
such cases at the Lazaretto, and which was accordingly
formed there. The governor is happy to be able to in-
form the Chamber that, so far from the fever spreading,
there remains this day only one man in that hospital.
" 3. Another similar hospital is established at the La-
zaretto for fever cases brought from the Levant by
French ships. The number of fever cases in the French
13,,spital this day is nine.

"4. Both these hospitals are conducted on the prin-
ciple of ordinary fever hospitals, a principle answering
well without in any degree impeding the passage of
troops from the L'a.st, an object which it is essential to
guard against.
" 5. As respects vessels from Tripoli, I have to in•
form you that orders have been given to the superinten-
dent of the ports to subject to quarantine all vessels
coming thence until they shall have been visited by the
medical health officer, and that officer's report con-
sidered.

" G. With respect to the last paragraph of your letter,
I am further to inform you that the Governor has
directed that all sanitary rules or occasional restrictions
shall be published.

" I have the honour to be, sir,
"Your most obedient servant,
" VICTOR HOULTON, Chief Secretary to
Government.
"To tho Secretary to the Chamber of Commerce, &c."