The Sun.
London, England, 1867-06-15 00:00:00

of neglected vaccination. The statistics of the last
century furnish, one would think, an unanswerable
argument in favour of Dr. JENNER'S discovery, and
no other means of prevention have been proposed
by its objectors. Our ancestors ranked Dr. JENNER,
and with reason, among the benefactors
of mankind for giving them so power-
ful a weapon of defence against the
dreaded scourge. Besides the greatly dimi-
nished chance of taking the disease, vaccination
so greatly increases the chances of recovery. The
statistics of the Smallpox Hospital during a period
of twenty years show that when a person who has
not been vaccinated is attacked by smallpox the
chances of a fatal result are one in three ; whereas
with a person who has been thoroughly vaccinated
they are ono in two hundred. No arguments or
prejudices can alter the conclusion to be drawn from
such figures, and there is little doubt that if vacci-
nation were properly carried out the disease would
scarcely be found among us. As it is, thanks to the
ineffective operation of the Act, great numbers of
persons are never vaccinated at all, and these being
chiefly among the lower classes, where the chances
of infection are increased tenfold from the lack of
cleanliness, deficient ventilation, overcrowding, and
bad living, are of course the very ones most likely
to take and to spread the disease. The report of
the inspectors shows that, in elementary and work-
house schools, from 20 to 30 per cent. of the
children are not vaccinated, the proportion
in some cases reaching as high as 50 per
cent. The consequence of this neglect is appa-
rent in the increase of small-pox during the
last few years. Prior to 1862 the average death
rate from smallpox in England and Wales was
3,967. In 1863 it was 5,964; the next year it was
7,684; and in 1865 it was 6,411. Thus in the last
three years the deaths from smallpox have been
more than 20,000, and though that is certainly but
a small proportion of the deaths in a populous coun-
try, yet, considering the effects of a regular system
of efficient vaccivation,we must admit it to be far too
high. In contrast to this high death rate in England
and Wales the statistics of Scotland are most strik-
ing. Before the Vaccination Act was passed the
death-rate exceeded 2,000 per annum. In 1865 it
was only 123, and in 1866, 280. The proportion
of children vaccinated in Scotland is, however,
only two or three per cent. So regularly does the
death-rate from smallpox rise and fall with the
rate of vaccination that the inspectors were able
to predict with certainty in what places the
deaths would be most numerous before the re-
turns came in, and their predictions were
completely verified. As we have seen the
deaths in the whole of Scotland were in one year
only 123, whereas at Northampton, with a popula-
tion of 41,000, it was 151 ; at Mertbyr Tidvil, with
a population of 93,000, it was 185 ; and at Neath,
with a population of 58,000, it was 153. The
Bill which Lord ROBERT MONTAGU brought for-
ward last evening is intended to assimilate the law
in this country to that of Ireland and Scotland,
where it has worked well. It belongs, in
fact, to the late Government, for it was
introduced by Mr. BRUCE, and was c2re-
fully examined by a select committee. The
bill now before the House is substantially the same
as was then decided upon, and in spite of a good
deal of opposition and criticis►u it is likely to pass
into law. No doubt there are difficulties in the
way of detail, but since the large majority of in-
telligent persons of all classes accept the principle
of compulsory vaccination there is nothing to be
done but to consider the most effectual means of
enforcing it. Among the poorer classes especially
there still exists a great amount of prejudice and
ignorant opposition to any thing of the kind, and
unless it is made to be somebody's business to hunt
up defaulters and get them punished according to
the statute, we fear there will not be much done.
A system of inspection quarterly or half-yearly
might be organised in the poor and populous
parishes, by means of which the inspector could
ascertain whether or no the children in a house
were vaccinated. Unless we have some arrange-
ment of the kind we shall struggle in vain against
the vis inertia which holds everybody's business to
be nobody's business.

The question of Luxemburg was reverted to last
night in the House, and Mr. LABOUCHERE very un-
necessarily indulged in some criticisms on the sub-
ject of the Treaty, declaring that a guarantee, such
as had been given was an intervention of the worst
kind, and laid great stress upon the point that the
consequence would inevitably be to draw us into a
war in the event of France and Germany becoming
involved in hostilities. Mr. AYRTON went still
further in his observations, and manifested great in-
dignation at the idea of taking up arms, inquiring
what became of the power of the house of Corn-
mons to stop the supplies. To these virtuously
indignant questions the noble lord replied by a
speech that gave universal satisfaction, and that
completely explained the situation. He showed, in
the first instance, that Mr. AYRTON'S second ques-
tion answered his first one, as to the power of the
House of Commons to interfere in the event of an
attempt being made on Luxemburg, when called for
on assistance by force of arms. There was, in
fact, no need to advert to constitutional doctrines,
with which all are more or less internally acquainted.
An argument of another speaker was also noticed
by Lord STANLEY, which complained of these
treaties and stipulations being made first, and the
House only being allowed to call them in question
afterwards. This is, said the noble lord, the Con-
stitution under which we live ; and indeed we think
that there is a just reason for such an arrangement
to be made. It would be impossible for Foreign
Secretaries to effect their awkward and complicated
tasks if time were lost in discussions, and if the
various opinions of different speakers were made
public, so as to prejudice matters abroad. In the
present state of things relating to foreign policy it
would be found quite impossible to allow of discus-
sion before the settlement of matters concerning
Treaties, and such like affairs.

Lord STANLEY declared, with the force of con—
)
viction, that if any change take place in this ar-
rangement, no one would more rejoice than the per-
son who, for the time being, occupied the place he
now fills. The responsibility is not a desirable one
by any means, and no Foreign Secretary can be in-
different to the opinion of the House, 7 but
is, on the contrary, very anxious to
secure it. It needed not the assurance
of the noble lord that he did not by any means
desire to increase the "diplomatic liabilities" of
this country, because it is well known that he is the
least likely to do so of all our Public men ; but
still as mistakes are perpetually arising, and certain
far-seeing politicians are always hiagining dis-
asters to be looming in the distance, it is as well
that he should have given a decided opinion upon
the subject. The question of this Luxemburg
Treaty has not as yet produced much comment,
and we think that Lord STANLEY'S interpretation
of the reticence that has been displayed is correct,
namely, that the House and the public having
all the parts before them, have " appreciated
the difficulty and the gravity of the position," and
the necessity under which the Cabinct acted, and
I the position of England as regard: Luxemburg,