The Sun.
London, England, 1866-08-14 00:00:00

THE CHOLERA.

3IANSION-HOUSE RELIEF COMMITTEE.
Yesterday, at the Mansion-house alone, irresrec

tive of the sums paid into the banks in connection
with it, upwards of V.,324 was received towards
the fund now being raised there towards the relief
of the suffering and destitution occasioned by the
visitation of cholera. It is the largest sum that has
been received there in one day since the movement
was set on foot by the Lord Mayor, acting in con-
cert with a committee, and it has raised the subscrip-
tion to nearly £6,000 as tae result, of barely six
days' work. The committee were engaged upwards
of three hours yesterday in hearing applications for
assistance from the fund by local bodies, and in
making grants proportionate, as far as possible, to
the distressed districts. There were present the
Lord Mayor, Mr. Thomas Baring, M.P., Mr. Alfred
Rothschild, Mr. Nathaniel Rothschild, M.P., Mr.
Joseph Hoare, Sir Moldaunt Wells, Mr. R. B. WTade,
Mr. Alderman Cotton, Mr. R. N. Fowler, Mr.
Needham, the Rev. Wm. Rogers; rector of Bishops-
gate ; the Rev. F. G. Blomfield, rector of St. An-
drew Undershaft ; Mr. W. J. Maxwell, Mr. Ripley,
Mr. Andrew Johnston, Dr. Andrew Clarke, and
Mr. Charles Hutton.

A communication was read from the Rev. Robert

11. Atherton, incumbent of St. James's, Ratcliffe,
describing the state of that parish, and the rev.
gentleman attended before the committee to afford
additional information. There, he said, the disease
had been fatal, and a local committee, of which he
was chairman, had been giving medicines, disinfec-
tants, and food, as far as their means allowed, but
which were wholly inadequate to the necessities of
the case. The deaths in Ratcliffe from cholera alone
had been 21 for the week ending July 21, 44 for
the next week, 47 for the next, and 31 for that end-
ing Saturday last, being four or five times more
than the ordinary average from all diseases. These
sudden deaths, he said, had created an immense

amount of distress which called for immediate re-
lief, and while he was writing a poor woman was
dying whose husband died on Saturday, leaving her
with five children altogether unprovided for, and in
a few hours they would in all probability be orphans.
That was only one out of many cases, and he should
rejoice to help them.. A poor man who died on
Friday of cholera was ill twelve hours, and a woman
who lived in a back room in the same house, and
who went in to see him, died the same day. A child
in the same house had since been taken ill, and now
the man's wife was dying. The people in the neigh-
bourhood were becoming greatly excited. The
committee made a grant in this case for St. James's,
Ratcliffe, of £5O, with five gallons of port wine to
be distributed at the discretion of the local com-
mittee. .

According 'to the Rev. Isaac Taylor, incumbent
of St. Matthias, Bethnal-green, the epidemic has
attacked that part of London with great severity.
About 50 cases had come to his knowledge, more

than half of which had proved fatal. A local com-
mittee had been formed, consisting of the clergy,
churchwardens, and leading parishioners, and they
had already taken energetic measures for preventing
the spread of the disease. St. Matthias has a popu-
lation of between 6,000 and 7,000, and is situate in
the very poorest corner of Bethnal-green. On the
motion of Sir M. Wells, the committee made a grant
of £5O, with five gallons of port wine. From a state-
ment made to the committee by the Rev. S. Han-
sard, rector of Bethnal-green, it appeared that the
number of applications at the free dispensaries dur-
ing the week ending Saturday last was 5,783. Of
these 2,983 had recovered, 37 had died of cholera
and choleraic diarrhoea, 1,340 were under treatment
and 1,423 were unaccounted for. Altogether, how-
ever, he said, there were 118 deaths from cholera
and choleraic diarrhoea in the parish last week. A
place for an hospital capable of containing 30 beds
had been obtained and would be ready on Wednes-
day. The vestry, of which he was chairman, was
convened to consider the Order in Council before
an official copy of it had been received. Au hospital
would also be opened by the Sisters of l‘lercy, under
two medical men, capable of holding 300 patients,
in Counnereial-street. The Sisters of Mercy bad
also an excellent dispensary in Bethnal-green, under
the superintendence of a medical man, and they had
made arrangements to supply any number of wipes
on an emergency to sick people in Bethnal-green.
There were five dispensaries at work in the parish ;
and a house-to-house visitation had been attempted,
but the staff was not yet equal to it in consequence
of the pressure on the dispensaries. The vestry had
a three qualified medical visitors and three assistants,
and the parish divided into three districts, in each