North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1841-02-18

HISTORY OF LOWER CANADA
(cosrrsulp.)

ANhs ttHNSb'l
A ouf traders have seen, the fears Of
Lord Aylnrr. on the appearance al the
Asatic Ci"'irta in Europe, aud more par
tieulatly ia Great Britain, from whence
the communication was So ircqueEt with
Lower Canada, had beeu partaken by the
Provincial Legislature, whcl passed
Quarantine. law - pfevent the lntrodue-
1i1u "l that fatal Epihemie into the Colony.
The Roman Caihoiic Bishop of the Pro-
vince, appointed The 9th day ol April, Ia
be observed as q day oi general fasting
and prayer, fur his followers Ia invoke the
protection olti, Almighty, and 10 besrcrh
Him ~ avert from the countfv, TINT terri
bic Scourge which was then raging ia
Europe iu such a dreadful manner as to
leave scarcely family, without having Ia
Mourn the loss NJ sunie of their dearest
members Lord Avimer, according 10 The
English custom, appointed The 4h day Of
Nav, as n lay Of humiliation and fasting
- anprase the wrath OF an offended God.
Bat all This show " peaauce and cnnt;itiun
was ni M avail and Canada was doomed
to he visited by this dcsnlasing Epidemic,
which, in Europe, had so numerically
sundctrd the ties that united husbands and
wives, parents and children, brothers and
sisters. o. sunday the i0th Of June, the
tncsin ~ alarm was snunded through the
streets II Montreal. II was currently re.
ported, thai The Cholera had maze its APP
pearancr in the Civ. The report ~ the
phvSrianS, IN The following morning, left
no doubt of its truth as several cases at
the most violent nature had occurred, many
ol which proved mortal. The confusion
and alarm became general, and the inhah-
ilanis hy hundreds, abandoned their hus-
ness and nei from The City with horror
and .repidaiinn. into the country, where
they Unsigned the AIR was purer and con
sq,urnily, less likely To he contaminated
with The deadly poison, which was snppo-
sri IN h. The priacipnl agent in The spread
Of this destructive maladv. Quebec was
ais, destined to feel The effects of this dire
ful calamity which spread sn rapidly as IN
leave nougi, hut mourning, tesolaiion and
ruin in it's course. The whole Province
was soon under The haneful inhucncr al
slal malignaa, dissase though It's most Tea
ful ravagrs were fell in those parts Of The
Province, through which Emeranrs from
Great Britain. had passed. lis fatality
was OF first very great, and we venture to
saw, that the moral influence of fear upon
the physical powers of The human system,
caused The hiss Of more lives, in Lowe
Canada, than the disease itself. Ate
faving dcsnlatrd the country, this la,a
scnutgc made lis disappearance, early u
the fall and confidence and Tranquility
was acain restored Ia the county, wher'
Out short time hri"rr, all was dIsmay ano
confusion. We shall not hazard our owf
private opinion on the specific nature g
This extraordinary disease, hu, according
60 The views uf the most influential pbysl-
riaas, whose extensive practice made then
acquainted with the Cholera, we wnuk
say that this disease is epidemic and uo'
contagious. As proni Of the CORRECTNESS
of t,is position, we shall cite the plii'an'
thnpic experiment, made by the celebrate,
DR.. BARRIER NJ BrrIhier. in The District "a
Montreal. This parish had hcrn extensive
" afflrird with this raging epidemic
This scientific grnilrmaH. lar The purpas'
ef aseefisining wh-ther this disease va