The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-05-11 00:00:00

TOWN COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS

The usual monthly meeting of the Council was held on
Wednesday, in the Town Hall.
The Finance Committee's proceedings having been read,
Sir T. Brancker moved their confirmation, and called
attention to the contract made for the purchase of the
Yellow-house estate, on the London road. The property,
in connection with the Newsham-house estate, would give
the Council a frontage of two roads, and enable them to
lay it out to more advantage. The price of the estate
was £20,000, and it contained 53 statute acres. The
committee had also concluded a contract with the Earl of
Derby for a piece of land for a gaol at Walton, where
water-had lately been found, and they had- concluded to
purchase it for £228 per statute acre. The site was upon
the line of the Liverpool and Bury Railway. There
would• be a station close to the gaol ; and every conveni-
ence which could be required.-In reply to questions,
Sir T. Brancker said that nothing could be done, in the
absence of the Town-clerk, towards improving Park-lane,
but that everything was being done with a view to the
widening of Everton-road. Mr. S. Holme cordially ap-
proved of the purchase of the Yellow-house estate, and
the site at Walton, being exceedingly desirable as mere
investments, almost as speculations. The Yellow-house
estate only averaged is. 6d. per square yard. With
reference to the site of the new gaol, the one chosen had
removed a very vexatious question, and was very superior
to the one formerly chosen. This also averaged only
about one shilling per square yard. He considered these
purchases extremely judicious, and trusted the Council
would unanimously approve of them. He now suggested
that as they had possession of the Newsham-house estate,
the Yellow-house estate, and, as he presumed, the Waver-
tre-hall estate, it would be well to open a new road or
thoroughfare, so as to connect Bootle with Aigburth and
Swithdown-lane. The purchases were then confirmed.
-The proceedings of the Dock Committee having been
read, Mr. Bramley-Moore moved their confirmation, and
informed the Council that the landing-stage was now
actually afloat in the dock. The pontoons were under it;
it was floated on Monday : it drew 2 feet 9 inches of water ;
and, notwithstanding the extreme size of the stage, 500
feet long, the " swag," as it was called, was not more
than about an inch.

THE FEVER CASES.-IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION FROM

THE GQVERNMENT.

The MAYOR said, that as he had a matter to commu-
nicate relative to the health of the town, he would pro-
ceed at once to put the Council in possession of the in-
formation he had received. He was fully aware of the
evils which the town was suffering under, and which in-
volved the health of the community at large ; he was also
aware that great apprehensions existed in consequence.
However, until the morning of that day (Wednesday) he
(theMayor)had seen very little chance of any practical good
being effected, but an interview had taken place in Lon-
don the day before, from which he expected much benefit
to arise. Lord Sandon, Sir Howard Douglas, Dr. Suther-
land, (who was in London on behalf of the inhabitants
of Abercromby Ward,) and Mr. James Reay, hat'
had an interview with the government respecting the
state of alarm into which the town was now plunged ;
many remedies were suggested, and at last it was con-
sidered desirable that the Admiralty should be authorised
to place at the disposal of the parish authorities here
the lazarettoes which now lie in the river Mersey. (Loud
applause from all parts of the Council.) And further,
that Irish steamers arriving here should be compelled •to
go to the lazarettoes, not to perform quarantine, but that
the medical officers connected with the lazarettoes should
go on board those Irish steamers and see if there were
any parties in a state of fever there, and, if there were,
that they should at once remove them to the lazarettoes.
(Hear and applause.) It was thought that by this means
a great deal of fever might be checked in Liverpool, and
the new plan would throw a little impediment in bringing
those unhappy people over here from Ireland, at a cost
almost next to nothing. (Hear.) And if it should please
the parish authorities to fit the lazarettoes up for the re-
ception of fever patients from the town, they would have
the power of doing so ; but this was a matter for them to
consider at once, and as he had no communication with
them, he knew not that they would accept of this part of
the proposal. Every one must see at once the great ad-
vantage arising from this last suggestion of the Govern-
ment. (Hear, hear.) Captain Bevis, R.N., had called
upon him (the Mayor) and said that he had received a
letter of instructions from the Admiralty to the effect
now stated, and he had expressed his willingness to give up
such of the lazarettoes as could be spared, (and they were
all nearly empty at present), so that in a few days the ne-
cessary arrangements for availing ourselves of this pro-
posal of the Government would be carried into effect.
Several members of the Council expressed their warm-
est acknowledgements to the Government for this great
boon, and said that the moment it became generally known
to the public the existing alarm would be immediately
dissipated, and confidence would be restored. It was the
general opinion of the members of the Council that al-
though fever did exist to a great extent, it was confined
to certain localities, and that the other districts of the
town were never in a more healthy state. Mr. S. Holme
stated that his brother and be employed some hundreds
of workmen from all quarters of the town, and the
amount of health amongst them was very great.
The Council adjourned at two o'clock.

DEATH FROM STARVATION-DREADFUL DES-
TITUTION AND DISEASE IN SOME DIS-
TRICTS OF THE TOWN.

On Saturday, an inquest was held before P. F. Curry,
Esq., borough coroner, on view of the body of Luke
Brothers, a child of eight years of age, who lived in a
court in Bannaster-street, and who died from want of
sufficient food.

The coroner and jury, who had been viewing the body,
returned heartsick at the scenes of disease, destitution, and
filth which they witnessed in the court and its neighbour-
hood. The population is dense, and huddled together in
miserable dirty holes called houses by the owners, but in
reality perfect sties—appropriate nests of disease and
death.

The coroner, before his return to his court, deemed it
his duty to call upon the Mayor, and represent to him the
fearful state of the place, and of others equally miserable,
which it had recently been his and the jury's painful and
dangerous duty to visit, in order to see the several victims
whose cases have of late fallen within his investigation.
The authorities of the town do not seem to be fully
aware of the extent of the evil ; and it is clear that if the
town generally is to be spared the infliction of wide spread-
ing disease, a greater number of medical and relieving
officers, and subordinary assistants must be employed,
the present staff being quite inadequate to meet the emer-
gency.
The Mayor, on hearing the recital of the facts, was
much surprised and chagrined. and stated that he should
lose no time in taking steps towards a remedy, so far as
it was within his power.
The Coroner remarked in the Court, that in the present
case, and in others of a similar kind in various parts of
the town, it would be much better for those suffering
under fever in such vile abodes,lo be placed under ship'
sails, or awning ranged along the inside of the west wall
of the Prince's Dock.

Dr. Walton, the medical officer of the district, being
examined, said he made a post mortem examination of the
body of the deceased, and found that, beyond doubt, death
was caused from want of necessary food. There was not
the least particle of food in the stomach or intestines, and
both were in a perfectly healthy state. In the same room
where the deceased lay there were five other persons laid
on the floor in fever. The floor was a mud one, and not
fit for any human being to live in. There were four other
patients in the same house in fever besides. He had 67
cases of fever in his own district,—more than one indivi-
dual could well attend to.

Mr. Joseph Blower, relieving-officer, said the family of
the deceased had received 3s. a week from the parish-
office, and this allowance would have been increased had
it been known they were in such a state ; but he had so
many cases to attend to that, although he strove his
Utmost, he found it impossible to attend to all.
The Coroner remarked that Mr. Walton, one of the
district surgeons, had informed him that he had frequently
prescribed medicines to poor parties in fever, and, on
calling next day, found that they had not taken it, they
having no one to send For it. or no money to pay for it, or
both hindrances. He added that the fever raged most in
such localities as Bannaster-street, where the dwellings
were filthy and unventilated, and the population unwhole-
somely dense. There were in. Thomas-street alone no
fewer than 52 persons ill of fever. The Coroner spoke
highly of Mr. Walton's services, of which he was well
aware, and urged him to go on in the good work, however
discouraging the task, and to report to the proper quarter
every day. He believed also that the relieving-officer had
zealously exerted himself. The Coroner furnished our
reporter with the following authentic account of the num-
ber of fever patients on Saturday, in only three districts
out of twelve, in the town :
Workhouse, about
• Under Mr. Lockwood .. 8
Under Mr. Walton 243
Under Mr. Burgess 100
Great Howard-street, Scc 250
Mr. Gee's District 2OO

Total ............
The Jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict of
" Died from starvation.`