The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-03-05 00:00:00

HEALTH OF LARGE TOWNS.

This important subject has, of late, occupied a considera-
ble share of public attention, and it is gratifying to see the
legislature taking the matter into consideration. As Liver-
pool yields to none in this particular, we are authorised in
publishing the following letter upon the subject, written by
Mr. Sam. Potter, and addressed to a member of the council.
The document is truly valuable, as the facts therein stated
are the result of practical experience, whilst visiting in
capacity of surgeon to the North Dispensary.

SIR,—Having been a close observer, for several years pas
of the injurious effect which the impure atmosphere, in close
courts and cellars, has upon the poorer classes of the inha-
bitants of this large town, it gives me unfeigned pleasure to
see the attention of the council brought to the subject,
through your philanthropic exertions, with a view to the pre-
vention of so lamentable a source of disease and mortality.
Permit me, therefore, to offer such information as I have
been enabled to obtain during my official connexion with the
above charity, as well as since the termination of that
period.
Inasmuch as the amount of disease is commensurate with
the density of the population, and the difficulty of its eradi-
cation to the want of proper ventilation, I have invariably
found, that, irc those parts of the town thus circumstanced,
when disease once enters a habitation, it becomes generated
by the impurity of the atmosphere, and soon spreads to the
surrounding dwellings; and, were there but the means of
introducing pure currents of air into the abodes of the
sufferers, it would not only afford more reasonable hope of
recovery, but arrest the progress of disease through the
family and neighbourhood.
From the statistical returns of the Dispensaries it will be
seen, that there is a greater amount of sickness at the north
than the south end of the town ' • and, as my observations
have been chiefly confined to the former, I shall give a brief
summary of the prevailing diseases, and divide the section
into four districts, for the sake of arrangement.
The Northwest part of the town abounds with chest and
rheumatic affections. This is more especially the case in the
streets adjoining the river, commencing from Chapel-street
and extending in a line to Carlton-street. Many of these
streets are thickly populated by the Welsh and Irish, and,
from their low situation and proximity to the river, the hu-
midity of the atmosphere is a fertile source of the diseases be-
fore alluded to. As we proceed from Oldhall-street to Vaux-
hall-road, and the streets situated between these thorough-
fares, the number of courts 'and cellars increases, and fever
becomes more frequent. The worst instances occur in the
neighbourhood of Smithfield, and, extending in a line north-
wards, in Charter and Chisenhale-streets.
The North and Northeast Districts. The former, chiefly
inhabited by English, and the streets being more open and
elevated above the level of the river, and, consequently, drier,
fever is, generally, trifling, of a mild character, and, for the
most part, confined to children. There is, however, one ex-
ception in Back Portland-street. This street is very narrow,
and the houses closely built, and, from the dense masses of
low Irish, fever prevails in some one part incessantly. The
streets situated between Burlington-street and the North
Dispensary, bounded on one side by Vauxhall-road, and on
the other by Bevington-hill and Marybone, form a complete
labyrinth of narrow streets, courts, and alleys. To give one
or two examples : Ford-street, Oriel-street, and Cherry-
lane. The courts here are so numerous, and in such a filthy
condition, that disease never disappears : fever spreads With
fearful rapidity, speedily assuming a typhoid type. Instances
might be adduced where eighteen individuals have been seized
with it in succession, and as many as fourteen of the number,
living in a crowded court, have, in a short time, fallen vic-
tims to the dire scourge.
The worst portion of the town, which I may call the South
District of this division, seems to be the seat of disease to
the most alarming extent. Poverty and vice, too, its usual
concomitants, here reign in the most aggravated form. The
streets in the vicinity of Dale-street, Orange, Preston, and
Peter-streets, and Spitalfields exhibit every thing favourable
to the spread of contagion, too manifest to pass unnoticed
even by the most casual observer. From the cellar to the
garret they are crowded with human beings, whose condition,
both physically and morally, is barely a remove from savage
life. Some of these abodes scarcely admit a ray of light, and
it has been my painful duty to enter such receptacles of
misery, with the floor half covered with water, where the only
article of furniture was a wooden stool, and some straw and
shavings in one corner for a bed. Extending our observa-
tions, still further propfs can be adduced where disease is
fostered, owing to the crowded localities preventing a due

circulation of air through the dwellings. Lace, Henry Ed-
ward, Addison, and Harrison streets are instances. Disease
abounds in them continually, and the filthy state of these
streets and of the courts is rendered worse by the damp from
the open privies. The noxious exhalations emanating from
these sources combine in harbouring and disseminating dis-
ease and death amongst the victims compelled to occupy
their pestilential haunts most appalling to contemplate, and
which loudly calls for the interference of the Legislature to
adopt some means for its removal.—l remain, sir, your most
obedient servant,

SAMUEL POTTER, Surgeon.
24, Roscommon-street, 1841.

MOST EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

On Tuesday a case of bigamy, which we believe is without
a precedent in the annals of our law courts, underwent a long
preliminary investigation before Mr. Rushton. A young fe-
male was charged with having married a second husband, her
first spouse being still alive. This was the simple aspect of
the case, in the first instance. As the circumstances were
gradually developed, however, it became apparent that the
first husband had been cognisant of the second marriage. It
appeared pretty-obvious that he had instigated or urged it to
a completion ' • and it was clearly proved that, in the pseudo
character of brother-in-law to the accused, he had visited the
second husband repeatedly after the marriage. lie appeared
to have had no notion that all these circumstances would be
brought to light, for he visited the court merely as a spec-
tator—took his seat opposite the magistrate, and, to most
persons in the vicinity of the bench, was lookedl upon as a
casual visitor. As the facts of the case one by one came out,
attention was called to his name ; and when, at length, it was
asserted that he was in court, and he was pointed out at the
very elbow of the witness, he was covered with confusion.
This was, of course, greatly increased when Mr. Rushton
directed that he should be taken into custody, an order which
was immediately complied with. lie was forthwith placed
by the side of the female prisoner, when, after having heard
some further testimony, Mr. Rushton ordered the deposi-
tions to be taken, so far as they went, against both the pri-
soners.

The parties are respectably connected in the middle ranks
of life. The name of the male prisoner (the first husband)
is John Daniel, that of the female Elizabeth Daniel: her
maiden name was Elizabeth Whitaker. Daniel, who is a
particularly small, young man, was well, and rather fashion-
ably dressed: Mrs. Daniels is a pretty, innocent-looking
young woman, though, from the. evidence, it appeared that
her conduct has been not a little extraordinary. The follow-
ing is an abstract of the evidence in a collected form :
William Edmundson, the brother-in-law of the female pri-
soner, stated, that in the month of September, 1839, he was
present at the marriage between the two prisoners, John Da-
niel and Elizabeth Daniel. The ceremony was performed at
St. David's Church, at the bottom of Brownlow-hill, by the
Rev. Mr. Davies. It was by license. He had known her
from childhood, and she was described as Elizabeth Whita-
ker, single woman. She was never married before. He
signed the register as a witness, and they lived together us
man and wife after the ceremony, and had visited together at
his house as such three or four times. About a week ago he
heard that she was married again, but did not believe it. On
the preceding night (Monday), Mr. Smith (the second hus-
band) and some of his friends called upon him with the fe-
male prisoner, and stated that she was married to him
(Smith). They asked if he had been present at the first
marriage, to which he replied in the affirmative.
Joseph Smith (the second husband and accuser) stated,
that he was an engineer. He lodged at No. 49, Great Or-
ford-street. He first became acquainted with the female pri-
soner about July last, when in the garden behind St. James's-
walk. He met her in the street two or three times subse-
quently. She told him that her name was Mrs. Daniel, that
she was a widow, that her brother-in-law, Mr. Edmundson,
resided at No. 73; Mount-pleasant, and that she had quar-
relled with her sister, Edmundson's wife, in consequence of
which she had left his house, and gone to reside temporarily
in Bolton-street. Ile (Mr. Smith) visited her two or 'three
times in Bolton-street, the house in which she lodged being,
as she said, kept by an old servant of her mother. After he
had been acquainted with her a couple of months, he pro-
posed marriage to her. She professed herself unwilling to
accede to his desire, as she said Mr. Edmundson had pro-
posed a match for her with a Mr. Leigh. a man of property,
Who 'resided near Preston. She afterwards consented, and
he procured a license from the Rev. Mr. Stafford. She was
therein described as Elizabeth Daniel, according to her own
representation. She had told him that her husband was
captain of the Oxford, and that he was drowned on a voyage
from America. In December, he accompanied her to St.
Anne's Church to be married; but in consequence of her
averring that it would occasion uneasiness to her friends, he
stopped the ceremony. On the Bth December, being about
a week afterwards, they went again to St. Anne's Church,
and were then married by the Rev. Mr. Blundell. Mr. El-
liott was present. He had several times seen the male pri-
soner at the house in Bolton-street, but he had not spoken
to him. The female prisoner said he was her brother-in-law
—the Mr. Edmundson, who resided in Mount-pleasant.
After they were married he took her home with him to his
lodgings in Great Orford-street, where she had called for him
in the morning to go to church. In the evening of that day,
(the day of the marriage,) the male prisoner called upon
them at his lodgings. He had not spoken to him before, but
had told the female prisoner where be lodged. When Daniel
entered the room where he and the female prisoner were, he
(Mr. Smith) addressed him as Mr. Edmundson: The pri-
soner replied, with great confusion of manner, " My name
is not Edmundson," and then asked abruptly, " Are you
married ?" and on receiving an answer in the affirmative, he
left the house immediately. They (Mr. Smith and the
female prisoner) lived as man and wife together till the
preceding day (Monday.) His supposed wife told him,
that Edmundson detained her clothes, and as the male
prisoner called upon them afterwards, he asked him for
. .

them, still supposing him to be Edmondson, as had been
represented to him. He addressed him in her presence as Mr.
Edmondson. Daniel, when so addressed, said the clothes
should be given up, if she restored a deed which she had taken
from his desk. She told him, (witness,) that she had secreted
the deed behind a picture-frame in Edmondson's, otherwise
Daniel's home, in Mount-pleasant. He wished several times
to call at the house, in Mount-pleasant, on the subject, but
she always opposed it, and he did not go. She said, as an
excuse for her opposition, that Mr. Leigh, the gentleman who
should have married her, was staying at the house, and his

presence would make a disturbance. He frequently proposed
to the male prisoner to go to his (as Edmondson's) house, for
the clothes, and at one time an hour was fixed, but she begged
that he would not go, and she would go herself. She went
out for the purpose, but, on her return, she said she had
again quarrelled with her sister, and broken some property.
His (Mr. Smith's) brother had, on the preceding night, dis-
covered to him, that the female prisoner had another hus-
band, upon which, having discovered the real Mr. Edr,-.und-
son, they took her there, and, after the interview with him,
conveyed her to Bridewell, and booked her on the charge of
bigamy. He also saw the male prisoner in the preceding
evening. He addressed him, as had been his wont, by
the name of Mr. Edmundson : the prisoner t,hook hands

with him, but said nothing. He had always been led to be
lieve, that the male prisoner was Mr. Edmundson, the bro
ther-in-law of the female prisoner, and he (Daniel) had told
him that he had provided wedding clothes for her marriage
with Leigh, at an expense of £3OO. On the morning of their
marriage, a note was given to her in Church by the clerk.
She read it, and tore it. lie asked her what it' was. She said
it was from her brother-in-law, Edmundson. lie called at
the lodgings of the female prisoner on the morning of his
marriage, and the female prisoner told him that her brother-
in-law, Edmundson, was up stairs at the time.
Joseph Elliott, who was present at the second marriage,
proved the event, and that the prisoner and Mr. Smith had
lived together as man and wife in Great Orford-street.
Thomas Holden, clerk of St. Anne'a Church, stated, that
he recollected Mr. Smith and the female prisoner going to
the church to be married. When at the altar, Smith stated
that he wished the ceremony to be deferred, and he and the
female prisoner left the church. About a week afterwards,
they came to the church again, and were married by license
from the surrogate. On the morning of the marriage, about
half an hour after Mr. Smith had desired him to be once
more in attendance, the male prisoner called upon him, at
his house, and asked if a marriage was to take place that
morning. " Yes," replied the witness. He asked if the
names of the parties were Smith and Daniel. "Yes," said
Mr. Holden. "This is a strange business," said the male
prisoner. " Why, do you know anything connected with it ?"
asked Mr. H. • because they have been two or three times
about it." Daniel replied, " She is committing herself."
" What do you know about her?" asked Mr. Holden.
"Oh," said he, "she has been married about four years,
and my brother has gone to sea, and we have heard nothing
of him for three years, and she does not know whether he
may not be living." He said he had been to Mr. Blundell,
to see if he could not stop the marriage, and that Mr. Blun-
dell could do nothing' with it. He wished Mr. Holden to
interfere. Mr. Holden said, he could do nothing in it, nor
could Mr. Blundell : they could not hinder Mrs. Daniel from
being married, unless he (Daniel) could prove that she had
a husband living. He again requested M. Holden to speak
to her. Mr. Holden said, it would be better if he would go
to the church, and speak to her himself. This he declined,
but he said he would write to her. Mr. Holden gave him a
slip of paper, on which he wrote, " Elizabeth ! think seriously
what you are about : the man is mad !" He then went away,
and witness took the note to the church, and gave it to her.
Sarah Jones said—l live in a house in Bolton-street, No.
4, kept by Mrs. Holland. About 6 or 8 months ago, the
female prisoner took lodgings in the house. She had the
front room. The male prisoner lived with her there, and
they lived as man and wife. I have seen Mr. Smith there
several times. The two prisoners passed there by the name
of Daniel. One morning, about 8 weeks ago, she called me
up, and asked me to give Mr. Smith a note. He was at the
door at the time. 1 gave him the note. The same evening
she told me she was going into the country, and she went
away, and I never saw her afterwards until to-day. I do not
recollect seeing him on the morning on which I gave Mr.
Smith the note.
Frederick Smith said—l am the brother of Joseph Smith.
I live in Yorkshire. I heard of my brother's marriage two
or three days after it took place. I have been in Liverpool
since about six weeks after the marriage. I latterly began
to have suspicions, and made inquiries; and yesterday I went
with my brother to Harvey's public-house in Brownlow-hill,
where we found the male prisoner. Mr. O'Brien was also
with us, and bad spoken to Daniel before I did. I heard
Mr. O'Brien ask him if he was married, and he said he was
married to the same woman to whom my brother was mar-
ried ; that he knew of her marriage to my brother, and that
be did not care so that she was comfortable. He ;afterwards
said that he was glad to get rid of her on any terms. I have
been several times at my brother's lodgings. I have heard
her say that Mr. Edmondson, of Mount-pleasant, was her
brother-in-law, and that she was to have been married to a
Mr. Leigh, a gentleman who resided near Preston ; and that
he had been at his brother-in-law's ever since her marriage
to my brother, very iii. I have heard him tell the same
story which my brother has detailed. I never saw the male
prisoner until last night.
The case was adjourned till Wednesday, but no evidence
of much importance was taken, and it was again adjourned
to Thursday, to procure the testimony of the Rev. Mr.
Blundell as to the second marriage. Mr. Rushton intimated
to the male prisoner, that as on the previous day he had not
had a legal adviser, hp might be provided with one if he
thought proper, and might have an opportunity at the next
hearing of cross-examining any of the witnesses. He (Mr.
Rushton) should commit him as an accessory, and his wife
as principal.
COMMITMENT OF 110TH THE PRISONERS.
.Yesterday, the prisoners were again placed together in the
bar. The female appeared to be in delicate health.
The ReY. William Blundell being called said in reply to
questions from the court-1 do not know a person named
Daniels, nor do I recollect the prisoner. A person (a man)
came to me a quarter of an hour before the marriage, and
said that the mother of the lady did not wish it to be so-
lemnized. This was not a legal objection, and I said I should
marry them. I was three or four times in attendance on
this marriage and was always disappointed.
To questions from Mr. Davenport, who appeared for the
prisoners :—The first time, the lady did not come. My son
then attended once or twice. The second time of my going
to the church, 1 waited from a quarter to half an hour, and
said I had been so often disappointed I would wait no longer
as it was useless. The third time I perfectly recollect the
man calling on me as stated. When I attended the lady did.
not. Mr. Smith was always there when I went.—The in-
formation of the witness was then taken as follows :—I am
minister of St. Anne's Church, in this town. About a fort-
night before the Bth of December, the witness Joseph Smith
applied to me for a license to marry. I was not a surrogate,
and referred him to the Rev. Mr. Stafford, who is. A few
days after that I attended the church according to Mr.
Smith's appointment, to solemnize the marriage; byt the
lady did not come. The name of the Osmals in the license

tor—

was Elizabeth Daniel, widow. My son attended at the
church another day to marry the above parties, but the
ceremony did not take place. On the Bth of December I
married them in St. Anne's Church. On the morning of
that day a man called at my house, and said he had come
from the mother of the lady who was to be married, who did
not wish it to take place. I stated that I should marry them,
and he went away. No other person appeared to me that
morning on the subject of the marriage. I cannot say posi-
tively that the male prisoner is the person who so applied to
me. I entered the names of the parties in the register of
marriages. They described themselves as Joseph Smith, of
full age, a bachelor, by profession a civil engineer, residing
in Great Orford-street, his father's name being Charles
Smith, a coal miner ; and Elizabeth Daniel, of full age, a
widow, residing in Mount Pleasant, her father's name Wil-
liam Whittaker, a captain in the army. I took these parti- •
culars from the declaration of the parties.
This being all the evidence, the prisoners were asked with
the usual caution if they wishel to say anything.
They respectively said, " Nothing at present."
The prisoners were then committed for trial at the assizes—
the wife as principal in the act of bigamy, the husband as
accessary before the fact.
Mr. Davenport said he understood that the male prisoner
could find good bail, and wished to know if Mr. Rushton
would take it.

Mr. Rushton—l think he is more to blame than the wo-
man.

The prisoners were then put down.

LITERARY NOTICES.

The Turkish Empire, Syria, the Rely Land, Asia Minor,
&c. Illustrated by W. H. Bartlett, Thomas Alton ; the
descriptions by John Came, Esq. Fisher, Son and Co.

London.

This is another new work, published by Messrs. Fisher and
Co., uniform with that noticed in our last, and comprises ii..
lustrations of countries at all times interesting, from the scrir -
tural and remarkable events with which they will remain
associated to the end of time, and whose modern position,
arising out of the late political occurrences in their locality,
and the remains of ancient grandeur which they present,
afford a peculiarly rich and inviting field for the exertions of
the modern historian and artist. On looking over this, as
well as the former, one feels surprised that both the beautiful
and talented can be produced for so comparatively trifling a
sum. The achievement is one which the judicious division
of labour, the mechanical improvements of modern times,
and the command which the publishers, from their former
exertions, have attained of an extensive circulation, both ha
the metropolis and in provinces, could alone accomplish.
The portrait of that staunch and extraordinary patriarch
Mehemet Ali, in whose character there appears to be a com-
minglement of the noble in nature, with the obdurate, and,
in some instances, the unfeeling, is itself.a gem well worth
the whole cost of the book. It is accompanied by a biogra-
phical sketch of that remarkable potentate, written with
great spirit and originality, and bearing the stamp of an im-
partial adherence to historical truth. The views—impres-
sions from steel engravings-L.are four in number, " Mecca
Pilgrims" (a vignette); " Berout and Mount Lebanon,"
" Damascus," and " The Ruins of Balbec. Of these, Berout
is much to our taste. The light is beautifully thrown upon
the tops of the distant precipitous mountains, and the town
and bay are admirably executed. The " Pilgrims" and
" Damascus" are also fine pictures, minute and laborious in
detail. We are strongly inclined to question the perspective
accuracy of the plate of the " Ruins of Balbec." The
broken remains of a Corinthian column, with its capital,
intended to represent the fragments of a portion of a ruined
collonade retiring behind them, are greatly too large or too
proximate to the standing portions of the pile, to own with
it an affinity. This, however, is but an individual opinion.
The work as a whole, whether as regards illustration or de-
scription, will no doubt be highly acceptable to the lover of
the fine arts, as well as to the antiquarian.