The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-12 00:00:00

lIIGII WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.

THIS DAY.—darning, 10h. Stn.—Afternoon, 11h. Gni,
IJ-Alolutow.-Morning, 11h. 40m.—Aftenaoon, h. in.

• $
fri,7
tv
v.tte."' --Prr
PI-*
44416

LONDON, FRIDAY, JAN. 12, 1866.

-O.-

Contrary to expectation the cattle plague has
not abated since the cold weather set in, but, on
the contrary, increased in violence of late, and all
that relates to its consideration becomes of great
interest in consequence. Last evening the members

and friends of the College of Veterinary Surgeons

held a conrersazione, when Professor SIMONDS de-
livered a lecture on the cattle plague, which was
both instructive and interesting. He first of all
alluded to the history of cattle plagues, and cited
the first instance of their occurrence, which is
mentioned in Holy Writ, when a " grievous
murrain fell among the cattle of the Egyp-
tians." HOMER, VIRGIL, and OVID allude to
the ravages of the cattle plague, and in 1810 great
loss accrued from its visitation in the dominions of
the Emperor CHARLEMAGNE, in Germany. After
the lapse of the dark ages mention of the disease
again appears in the chronicles of history. In 1514
the Council of Venice forbade beef and veal to be
eaten. In the year 1912 the present cattle dis-
ease prevailed on the Continent and spread into
England. It is curious to notice that Mr. BATES,
surgeon to the household of GEORGE 1., gave
great attention to this subject, and produced a
paper on the disease. The disease was " stamped
out" by the most rigorous measures, but its
ravages lasted from July to Christmas.
Later on there was another outbreak in this coun-
try, which GEORGE 111. mentioned in his Speech
from the Throne. The Privy Council applied to
Dr. LAYARD for advice and assistance, and in con-
sequence of decisive steps being taken by Orders in
Council and Acts of Parliament the spread of the
contagion was stopped in less than six months.
This is an example which it would have been well
if we could have followed ; but the Government
lost so much time, and were so unwilling to take
any responsibility upon themselves, that much pre-
cious time was lost, and the disease assumed a form
and magnitude with which it seems impossible to
cops. Dr. LAYARD considered that the disease in
cattle was similar to the small-pox in the human
body, and should, be managed the same as it was
communicated in a similar manner. The surest
means he considered of doing away with the infec-
tion was to kill the animals without effusion of
blood, burying strangling them, and buryin
them deeply
with their whole skins, and avoiding l'comniunication
of pe r-onE., and beasts. These, as be thought, were the
moat effectual means of extirpation, and the result
certainly seemed to bear out his theories. Another wise ,
observation was that which declared the danger 1
that arose from the admission of infected cattle,
from foreign countries, and
hides, hay, straw, &c.,
the care which should be taken to guard against it,
lest the disease become naturalised and fixed in
these kingdoms, as in Holland, during many years.

Deferring to the present time, the lecturer dis-
played a map of Europe which contained a map of
of the plague-stricken countries from the Baltic to
th.eakariatic, and he traced the origin of
L
the atence of the pest'' to Hungary. This
assertion was carried out by the fact that

that country receives supplies from all other
nations, and hence a type of the disease might come
from Northern Poland. However, the learned
Professor reminded the meeting that a " cordon"
had been drawn round all the affected portions of
Germany, and hence the only place to fix upon as
the cause of the present epidemic in England was
Russia. He did not agree with the notion of " spon-
taneous disease," and, as for its dissemination, he
said there was abundant evidence of the disease
being transmitted in various directions.
Another prolific cause of the spread of the disease
is the conveyance of herds from one place to an-
other, which lamentable practice caused the out-
break at Taunton ; and, again, danger results from
the burial of the infected animals not being pro-
perly managed, and a too thin layer of earth being
put over their remains. Professor SIMONDS con-
siders that hunting in infected districts is a very
blameable habit, and gives rise to great evils.
" Disinfection and isolation," in his opinion, are the
only means of getting rid of this decimating plague.
Indeed he goes so far as to state that he thinks
medical treatment of it is the surest way to keep the
disease in the country, and " was now the chief
source of plague." This seems rather a sweeping
assertion, and it has not been found that it is the
" policy of proprietors to stamp out the disease by
prompt and decisive agency." The number of
cattle attacked during the week ending January 6
was 9,120, and the total loss in the metropolitan
district since June was 15,957, aid in the Board of
Works district, 9,730. It is difficult to over-
estimate the loss and distress which the fearful
extent of this malady will occasion throughout the
country, and in course of time its disastrous effects
will be felt by all classes ; but, of course, as yet, the
agricultural interest feels the pressure most consider-
ably. The inactivity of the Government has been a
fruitful source of mischief, because although they
have issued many orders more efficient measures
have not been taken to insure that those orders be car-
ried out with scrupulosity and crowned with success.
It is much to be regretted that the recommendation
of the majority of the Commissioners was not
adopted ; if it had been, much of the mischief that
subsequently ensued would have been prevented.
Giving the order for the prohibition of the move-
ment of cattle should be done in a decisive manner
to be at all effectual, and the attempt made by
Government to shirk the responsibility of the affair,
and let the odium fall on others, has been a signal
failure. In fact, our Executive has not properly
performed its functions, and with good intentions,
and no doubt the hope of realising its efforts to the
good of the community, they have been
wanting in that spirit and energy which
alone can suffice to prole effectual in
cases of emergency. We have seen-that Mr. GLAD-
STONE has hastened to deny, on the part of the Go-
vernment, that there is any probability of indem-
nification. This is taking advantage of one side of
the question, and ignoring the other, which urges
upon the Government the duty of prevention. It
is a pity that Parliament was not called together
before this in order to devise some means of relief,
if the authorities did not intend to bestir themselves
more actively, and to more effective purpose. Everi-
thing seems to have conspired against the interests
of the holders of stock, and they will 'not rest satis-
fied in being told that they must bear the
loss as best they can, and take their chance
of bad as well as of good fortune. The far-sighted
and experienced declared long before this that
unless stringent measures were adopted to prevent
the spread of infection it was no use trying to
" stamp" it out. In spite of all this, however, no
heed has been taken to the wise hints, and thus in
every possible way have losses been incurred,
and hardships inflicted for nothing. It was stated
at a meeting or me quarter sessions of the County
of Middlesex yesterday that the principal question
with which they had to deal was to restrict the
traffic for the great cattle market at Islington, but
that this could only be done by the Privy Council
or the Lord Mayor, and all that could be done was
to prevent the traffic indirectly. The motion of
the Committee was adopted unanimously, which
was satisfactory so far.

At no time could Mr. PEABODY'S munificent

donation have been more valuable to the poor of

London, and the report which the trustees of the

fund have just issued gives satisfactory evidence
that it has hitherto been applied with economy and
discretion. The wants of such a city as London
are always great and pressing, and no one would
pretend to say that he would have any difficulty in
finding suitable objects for charitable assistance
to three times the amount of Mr. PEABODY'S
magnificent gift. Sickness and sorrow often
press heavily on the close of a long industrious
life, while accident, disease, or other disaster
frequently rob children of their natural protectors,
and leave them dependent upon strangers for sup-
port and training. Yet, although the hardships of
old age and childhood may have an especial right to
our kindness, and the thousand terrible ailments
which afflict huManity, many of them arising from
the industrious pursuit of unhealthy trades and
callings, have powerful claims on our sympathies,
yet we cannot but think that the trustees of the
PEABODY Fund have done wisely and kindly in
devoting their first efforts to the ereetion of im-
proved dwellings for the poor at a low rent. The
want of clean and wholesome dwellings, at a reason-
able rate, has always been one of the great wants
of London, and it is now increased. Besides the
natural increase in the population, and the con-
tinued tendency to flock to London from all parts
of the country, which would in any case have made
the demand more urgent now than it was ten or
fifteen years ago, the rapid and almost universal
extension of railways have destroyed whole streets
and rows of houses tenanted by the industrious
poor, as well as those miserable rookeries, courts,
lanes, and alleys, which are thronged by the
lowest classes of all. The increase of fever and
sickness in the metropolis has kept rapid pace
with the diminution of house-room, and
consequently over-crowding, while both expe-
rimental and theoretical science insist upon the im-
possibility of adequate sanitary reform where per-
sons are so closely packed. The grievance to the
poor is very great and real, for not only
do the railways destroy the streets, but they at the
same time draw labourers and their families
into the neighbourhood, so that rents go up and
rooms become scarce. The various Metropolitan
Improvements, the Courts of Law, the new streets,
and other undertakings, while no doubt highly bene-
ficial in the long run, areat the present moment aggra-
vations of distress. It should be one of the first objects
of our Legislature to try to ameliorate this state of
things, but as official and regular ways are usually
very tardy, it is well for the great body of the
suffering poor that large-hearted individuals like
Mr. PEABODY
should come forward to their
assistance.

The report of the trustees commences by rehears-
ing the conditions of the gift. These were threefold,
and such as no enlightened and charitable man
could do otherwise than cordially approve. First,
he wished to limit the use of the money absolutely
to the akketance of the poor of London ; second, he

excludeel from the management any sectarian or
exclusive influences, whether of religion, politics, or
locality ; thirdly, he provided that the only quail&
cationL necessary should be good character and
poverty. But though the gift was clogged with no
directions, and was merely restricted to these gene-
ral principles, there were two passages in Mr.
PEABODY'S letter which assisted the trustees
in arriving at a decision. He expressed
a hope that the money might be so applied as to be
appreciated not only by the present but by future
generations of the people of London, and he threw
out a suggestion for their consideration as to the
desirability of employing part of the fund in im-
proving the dwellings of the poor. The claims of
the hospitals were duly considered, but the trustees
resolved at least to defer assisting them, both from
their desire to meet Mr. PEABODY'S view of making
his fund a permanent one, and also from the ur-
gency of the need for increased accommoda-
tion. In many cases the hardship of loss of
employment attends on a forced removal, while
the rate of rents for the meanest and
dirtiest places is exorbitant. A gentleman
well acquainted with the poor of London, writing
recently on this subject, says—" Even in our
crowded and deplorable districts, such as the streets
and alleys running out of Drury-lane and in the
region of the Seven Dials, apartments are not to be
had, and the rents in some neighbourhoods are
raised 50 per cent." The same authority says that
two dingy little rooms cost 7s. per week, and two
damp kitchens ss.
To the occupiers of such miserable places we
can fancy how wonderful must be the change into
the airy, healthy, and commodious tenements
which they can attain in the PEABODY Buildings
at a less rate than they formerly paid. The
blocks which have been erected in several
directions, so as to include the poor of
all parts of London in the benefits of the gift,

are erected with a minute attention to the wants
and requirements of the poor. " Drainage and
ventilation have been insured with the utmost pos-
sible care ; the instant removal of dust and refuse
is effected by means of shaft% which descend from
every window to cellars in the basement, whence it
is carted away ; the passages are all kept clean and
lighted with gas without any cost to the tenants ;
water from cisterns in the roof is distributed by
pipes into every tenement, and there are baths free
for all who desire to use them. Laundries with
wringing machines and drying lofts are at the
ervice of every inmate. Every room is plentifully
supplied with shelves and cupboards, and every
fireplace has a boiler and an oven." It is interesting
to find that the two things which gratify the
tenants more than all are the ample spaces in which
their children can safely play, and the security of
their furniture and effects, which are no longer
liable to be taken for rent. Yet for all these ad-
vantages a less rent is charged than for the dirty
and
,miserable rooms, without proper ventilation,
driinage, or supply of water, where the rents are
exacted with rigorous regularity. It is very gratify-
ing to find that the poor fully appreciate the advan-
tages offered, and have shown themselves worthy of
them, since out of 880 persons occupying the
tenements only one has been expelled for non-
payment of rent, and one for disturbing the peace.
There is a preliminary inquiry into the character of
the applicants, and habitual drunkards are not
admitted, so that the occupants start with a fair
chance of doing well, and they have hitherto fulfilled
the promise in a remarkable degree.
The sanitary state of the people is most satisfac-
tory, affording convincing testimony how much the
mortality of the poor is due to the state of their
dwellings. The applications for admission are far
more numerous than the vacancies, and when we
ALIC/11. (4, Gat 0110,11 IILII., fie billpflSEU.
Spitalfields, Islington, Shadwell, Chelsea, and Ber-

moudsey are the sites chosen, and the trustees,
should they decide on erecting more blocks,
will have no difficulty in finding situations.
They have effected so much by personal labour
and superintendence that the total expenses
of administering the fund as yet is but £517 108. ;

but they express their regret at the heavy charges
levied on their houses in the shape of rates and
taxes. Surely their modest claim to exemption has
a right to be heard on the ground that these build-

ings assist in repressing the poor rates. They have
demonstrated that it is possible to erect healthy
and cheerful and comfortable houses for the poor,

at moderate rents, with a fair prospect of return for
the investment ; and by giving rooms such as we
have described at 2s. 6d. for one, 4s. for two, and
ss. for three, in place of the wretched apartments
charged at 3s. each, they have, it is to be hoped,
shamed some of our house owners into doing better
things. The PEABODY Fund, large as it is, cannot
meet the wants of the poor of London ; but enough
has been done to show the way to those who lacked
the courage or the humanity to be the pioneers.

Passports in Germany.

o-

FOREIGN OFFICE, Jan. 11.
Her Majesty's charge d'affaires at Munich reports
that a convention had been concluded between the
Governments of Bavaria, Saxony, Hanover, and
Wurtemberg, by which it is provided that travel-
lers, on entering or leaving the States forming part
of the association, shall be exempted from the obli-
gation of bearing passports.
Every traveller, however, whether native or fo-
reigner, is bound to furnish to the authorities, if
demanded, information as to his name and habitual
domicile, and also as to his means of subsistence, as
far as may be deemed necessary, according to the
object and duration of his intended stay.
The charge d'affaires further reports that the Go-
vernments of Baden and Oldenburg have declared
their willingness to adhere to this convention, the
stipulations of which came into force on the Ist inst.

A NEW ARTESIAN WELL.—To the two artesian
wells which Paris already possesses a third is now
being added, viz., at a point called Butte aux Cailles, in
the thirteenth arrondissement (Gobelins). The perfora-
tion has now reached the depth of eighty-two metres,
being twenty metres and a half below the level of the sea ;
but before reaching that point; considerable difficulties
have had to be overcome in the shape of intermediate
sheets of water, forming as it were a series of subterranean
lakes. The first of these was kept within its natural bed
by means of a strong iron tube driven perpendicularly
through it ; that which followed received wooden palings,
and the subsequent stratum being clay, the masonry was
continued without difficulty to a depth of five metres above
the sea level. But at this point a layer of agglomerations
was reached which let a great deal of water escape. It
thus became necessary to have again recourse to pumps;
those employed were in the aggregate of 20-horse power.
Owing to the bad nature of this stratum, it was resolved
to protect the perforation by a revetment of extraordinary
thickness ; and in order that the well might preserve its
diameter of two metres, the upper part has had to be
widened in proportion, so as to give it the enormous width
of four metres at the top. After this labour the work
of perforation was continued through a stratum of pivo-
lithic limestone. At the depth corresponding to the
level of the sea, they reached a layer of tubular chalk, all
pierced with large holes, forming so many spouts as thick
as a man's thigh, through which water poured into the
well with incredible velocity. While the pumps were at
work to get rid of this water, a cylindrical revetment
of bricks was built on a sort of wheel made of oak, and
laid down flat at the bottom of the perforation by way
of a foundation, and the intermediate space between this
cylinder and the chalk stratum was filled with concrete,
47,000 kilos. of which were expended in this operation.
As soon as the concrete might be considered to have set or
attained sufficient consistency, the brick cylinder was
taken to pieces again, and the perforation continued to the
pressure point, where a new sheet of water has been
reached, requiring ingenim contriTaucce.