The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1806-07-08

enfing in places not yet Infested zpi.5 il, asr ID
fbe BsaySef Heaiib.
great deal has been written refpe aing the yellow
Fever. Firf with refpea its can(es whether do
eitic or imported. Secondly, the mode of treat
Ing it.
What an, going to fugget in this efIay is to az
certain fone point begin in order to arrive at
The csufe aud for this purpore fone preliminary OBJ
fervations are necsiiary.
The yellow fever always begins in the lowell part
of a popuous mercantile town the water. and
continues there without affecting the higher parts
The fphere circuit it ass in is fll, and it RACES
moa where large quantities of new ground ha, been
made by banking out the river for the prrpoe Of
making wharves. The appearance and prevalence
of the yellow fever in thofe places, being thofe
where veels arrive from, the e-Indies, has caured
the belief that the yellow fever imported from
thence. Ru, here are two cafes acting in the fame
place. The one, the condition of the ground at the
wharves, which being new n,ade on the muddy and
filthy bottom of the river different the natural
dision of the ground in the higher parts of the city
and confequently fubjeta produce different kind
of efluva vapor the other cafe, is the arrival
OF vef1els from the We0-Indies.
In the fate If Jerfey neither of thefe cafes has
ken place, chipping arrives there aud eoniequent-
Iy there ha, been no ,mbanment for the purpofe of
wharves and the yellow fever has broke out in
Jerfey. This however does not decide the point as
to the immediate cauie Of the fever but it hews that
this fpecies of fever is not natural the country in
It's natural Gate and believe the fame the cafe
in the Wet Indies before inbankments began for the
purpofe of making wharves, which always alter the
natural cendi>on Of the gronnd-no old hiory of the
Wen-I Indies, that know of, mentions fuch difor-
der as the yellow fever.
perfon ieizei with the yellow fever in the at
feaed part of the town and brought into the heal
thy part into the country and among healthy per-
fons, does not communicate it TO the negbborhood
81, r., aI,, a..
are we to fnppofs it can be brought from the Wet
Indies, a ditapce of more than thoufand miles.
Gnce we can fee il be carried from one town
10 another, nor from part of a to another
at home; but healthy perfon going from healthy
part :uto an affected part will be ized with it. which
hews it has limited exiffence and is not conn,uni-
cable Is it in the air !-This queaion on the cafe
requires minute examination. In the fira place.
the difference between air and wind is the fame
As between ftreaun OF water and ltanling water
A Cream Of water is water in motion, and air is
wind IN motion. In gentle breeze the whole body
of air far the breeze extends in breadth moves
at the rate Of 7 or miles IN hour. In a high wind
at the rate of TO, 81 or 100 miles an hour. When
we Zee the fhadow OF cloud gliding the furf.ce
OF the groznd we fee the which the air moves;
and il mutt he a good trottng horfe that keep
up with the fhadow in a gentle breeze-confe-
quently body OF air that is in and any place Of
the fame extent the Affected part of city may be-
rate fpeak Of be moved miles ieeward
and its place aud the City will be iupplied by
new body of air coming from healthy part the
srary way, and then in continual fuccet'on. The
dorder therefore is nor in the air confiered in it's
natural fate and never eatiouary.-This leads to "a
mother confederation on the cafe
An impure etluva arGng from forle caufe in the
ground in the nlannts that fermeuting liquors pro-
dHces an elluva near its frfaee that is fatal to e
viii become mixed with the air contagious it, and
fat that body of air off it will irnpregnate
every fucceeding body of air however pure it may be
when it arrives at the place.
The refut from this Rate of the cafe is that the iu
pure air pour that generates the yellow fever il
fnes from the earth, that is from the made earth
or ground RATED on the muddy and filthy bottom of
the river, and which inpregnates every freih body
OF air that the place in like manner air
becomes heated when it approaches pafes
fire. becomes oEenfiva in fnell when it approaches
or PaGes over body of corrupt vegetable or animal
matter.
The muddy bottom of rivers contains crest quant-
ties Of impure and often inaamabie air injurious to
life, and which remains en,augled in the mud till fet
loole from thence by fome accident This air is pro-
duced by diGolution and decomposition of any com
bubble matter falling into the water and linking into
the mud, of which the following circumstances will
ferve to give fen,e explanation.
In the fall of the wear that New-Yors was evacua-
ted (t7Ss), Gen. Wilmington had his head quarters
at Mrs Berriaa's, Rocky hill in Jerfey, and was
shere-Congreis fat then at Prince Town. We had
fevera times been told that the river creek that
runs near the bottom OF Rockv-hill, and which
there is mill, mieh be TT FIRE, for that the
the country people ufed and as Gen. Waihing-
ton had mind to try the'experiTeDt, Gen. Lincoln
who alto there, undertook to make preparations
for it againf the next evening Nov. 6th. This was
to be done as we were told by dilturbiDg the mud
at the bottom Of the river and holding fomething in
blaze as paper or lraw little above the fnrface OF
the earth.
Coionels IIumphries and Cob at that time
ADS IF General Warrington, and thofe two gentle
men and myfelf got into Argument the cauls
Their opinion was tiiat dililrbing The bottom of
the river for1e burinous aro!e the furrace
which took fire svhec tie LIGHT put 10 il. I on
the contrary fuppo(ed hat quantity of inddmmable
air was let loofe which Attended through the water
and took fire above the furface. Each party held
his opinion and the next evening the experiment was
to be made
A Icovv had been Nationej in the m-dam, and
Cen Warrington, Cen. Lineeln aud nIyfelf, and
believe Col. Cob, (for HuniPhries was iic) and or
folders with poles were put board the fcow n
Batteaux. General Wafniugton placed himfeF at
one end Of the fc6w and at the other. Each Of us
had roll Of cartridge paper which we lighted aul
held over the water about three inches above
The furfaee, when the folders began diaufbing the
bottom of the river with the poles.
As Cen. Waihingteu fat at one end ofthe fcow and
at the other, could fee better any thing that might