The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1843-07-18 00:00:00

voice they could depend for the
Throne, the Constitution

Church of the Empire

trayed with respect to the latter portion of the com-

pact is plain ; and the only question that can remain

in any of their minds, is whether the same " liberal"

construction of the meaning of Conservatism may

not at a fitting time be extended to the former.

Conservative, who can contemplate with satisfac-

tion the purchase of a few years peace by the sacri-
fice of his Church ; a Conservative who can regard
the proposed appropriation of her revenues by the
late government, with satisfaction, because " it paci-
fied the great Agitator for a time, and the great
Agitator managed to pacify the country, and, thank
God (9 they had some years of tranquillity," is a
character of whom no constituency has great reason
to be proud, or to trust.

The comparative high rate of mortality existing in
this town has always appeared to us to demand the
most serious attention of the entire community; and
especially the attention of our municipal government.
We have repeatedly urged, in the columns of the
LIVERPOOL STANDARD, the pressing importance
of some extensive remedial measure being devised,
by which the rapid progress of disease and death in
this once-salubrious and healthy town could be
checked ; and it is gratifying to us to know that
our efforts have not been altogether unsuccessful.
Something, approaching at least to the seat of the
evil, has been achieved. By the act passed last
session, " for the promotion of the health of the in-
habitants of Liverpool," the further extension of that
injudicious system of building, to which is attri-
butable much of the disease engendered in the
populous districts of the town, will be prevented ;
and, at the same time, a portion of the evils atten-
dant upon the state of existing property will be gra-
dually removed. Many valuable sanitory regulations
have emanated from the "Health Committee" of the
Town Council ; and we may hope that at least we
are progressing towards a period, at which we can no
longer be reproached with the disgraceful fact—dis-
graceful to us as a Christian community--that, with
all the means ordinarily conducive to health within
our reach, we have permitted our town to become
the most pestilential and unwholesome locality in the
United Kingdom, and some thousands of our work-
ing population to
.be swept off yearly by disease,
which might with a little sacrifice and care have
been averted.

An instance of the advantages (so far as the pro-
With the valuable statistical details contained in
the pamphlet of Doctor Duncan before us, that fact, motion of health is concerned), which is derivable
however unpalatable may be its acknowledgment, from the formation of wide thoroughfares leading
through densely populated and crowded parts of the
can no longer be denied. Whilst in country dis-
tricts the annual mortality is but lin 54.91, in the town, is mentioned by Dr. Duncan, Saint Andrew-
the parish of Liverpool it is lin 2815, and in some street, some years ago, a most unhealthy neighbour-
portions of the town, inhabited principally by our hood, was so ventilated by the formation of a tole-
poor, the rate is infinitely lower. Whilst in the. rably wide street intersecting it ; and the result was,
metropolis itself, the average duration of life is 261 a considerable diminution of the number of fever
years, in Liverpool it is only 17, and, in some parts cases occurring there, and, of course, of deaths as
of the town does not probably exceed 10 years well. The generally improved appearance and con-
Nordition of the locality may be known to many of our
is the contraction of the period of human life
the whole of the evil. We have to lament, as well, readers,
the loss of a great portion of its usefulness and a It may be objected, against the adoption of any
great portion of its enjoyment. Sickness renders comprehensive measure far constructing such addi-
tional thoroughfares through the crowded parts of
ing population of this, than of any other town in the
valueless a greater amount of the time of the labour-
the town, that it:would require a great outlay, which,
i
empire. Fever is ever prevailing; and it is remarked in the present state of the corporate revenue, could
as a striking fact in one of a series of valuable letters not be afforded. We maintain, however, that it
which appeared in our columns in January last, would not require that very large outlay which may
,
under the signature of " Medicus Achates," that bethe generally supposed. A great portion of the pro
class principally subject to its ravages are robust perty which would have to be removed is of a very
worthless description ; and the increased value of
working men, whose families are dependent for
t
existence and comfort upon the profitable and con- that which would be erected in its place, and the
increased slue of the entire property of the
tinuous employment of their labour. Doctor Duncan
neigh-
mentions one locality—a court in Crosbie-street—
bourhood, would, in our opinion, go far to meet the
outlay. Such has been the case with regard to most
in which "fifty cases of fever (nearly half of the
entire number of inhabitants) were attended by the of the improvements in the metropolis. Wherever
dispensary in a single year, besides a considerable a thoroughfare has been driven through any portion
number of patients with other diseases ;" and when of the town, the large prices received for front build-
we reflect upon the amount of deprivation and ing plots have paid the greatest part of the expense;
whilst, at the same time, the neighbouring property
wretchedness which must have resulted from, pro-
has at once assumed a totally changed aspect, and
bably, weeks of compulsory idleness in each case,
been doubled and even quadrupled in value.
the sum is almost appalling to contemplate.
Whatever maybe the difficulties however, and by
It is needless, however, to multiply proofs of an
evil which is now admitted, or to picture misery whomsoever they have to be met—whether by the
which, by stepping aside into any of the dens of Council or by the town by means of an Improve-
filth and disease which surround us, may be seen in ment Act—some such measure as that which we
the reality. A far stronger incentive to exertion
have pointed to must be undertaken. The awful sa-
than would be any appeal which we could address
crifice of human life and health and morality, re-
to our fellow-townsmen, is contained in the last two suiting from the present defective sanitory condition
lines of Doctor Duncan's pamphlet. " Could the of the town, must be arrested; and its toleration even
rate of mortality now be reduced to that of Birming-
thus far is disgraceful to us as a Christian commu-
ham, 1,250 lives would be annually saved !" ONE nity. We can erect new prisons, new workhouses,
THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY LIVES
new courts of law; we can lavish hundreds of thou-
sands in promoting the security of our merchandise ;
preserved annually, by the reduction of the rate of
mortality to that of Birmingham only—a manufac-
and surely we can also be induced to step forward,
and at least make an effort to snatch from premature
turing town, with numberless unhealthy employ-
ments for its working classes, and not a tithe of the graves those thousands of our working classes, who
local advantages for the preservation of health which are yearly wasting in consumption or fever, pent up
Liverpool possesses over every other large town in
in filthy cellars or garrets, in streets whose pestilen-
tial atmosphere is never visited by the sun, or the
the empire ! Would it not be a noble effort—
fresh breath of heaven !
would it not be an achievement greater than any to
We shall return to the further consideration of
which the energies of our fellow-townsmen could
this important subject. At present we have ex.
be directed—if we could, by any sacrifice, rescue
from the attacks of disease, and from premature
seeded our usual limits.
death, so large a portion of our wretched and suf-
fering community ?We are all anxiety—all energy
—when the object is to prevent the destruction of

FAILURE OF THE IRISH EDUCATION SCHEME.
—From a pamphlet which has just been published,
entitled " A Review of the Administration of the
Board of National Education in Ireland, from its

and our

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