Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1841-11-17


Eclectic Review. There is nothing on earth
more terrific than fearful pestilence. To see
] men dying daily and hourly, struck down by an
unseen power; while the breeze seems as gem
Tie & heallhful; the sky as bright and clear and
The earth as teeming and fruitful as ever, marks,
most emphatically the hand of Omnipotence.
Plague and Fire i'm London, 1895.
"In the month Of June, the heat became ex-
cessiye, and The deaths reported as from the
plague were 276 for The last week In the
middle Of July, it began 10 make alarming pro-
gress among the suburban parishes northward
With the approach OF September, the eastern
ones shared the same fate; so that the dark
cloud, having thus moved round the whole cir
cumlerence Of the city, began to shed lis disas-
trous Influences over the trembling myriads
who still clung TO i; as their home From June
TO September the weekly reports of deaths con-
! tinued 10 increase in various degrees until
they rose 10 6297. But the terror and conru-
sion of that time were such as TO render il i'm
possible that complete returns should be made,
| and we safely believe that the scene of horror
was much greater than even the largest of these
numbers would Indicate. According TO the best
authority IVe possess, the weekly mortality dur
ing The early part of September was not less
than ID ,000, third part of which amount were
supposed to have died in the course of one fea-
ful night The bills for the year report the to-
lal 68,596: which fails probably by one-lhrd
10 exhibit the real extent of the calamity, Ma
ny died of fright, in the case Of others, lunacy,
brought on by the same cause, preceded disso-
luton; the instances of females dying in state
of pregnancy increased more than tendlold; and
the new born seemed 20 live only to become
capable of dying. The symptoms of the disease
varied considerably in different constitutions.
In some cases there was no appearance Of
swclngs; and the infected person fatlered
himself that his more partial and moderate
symptoms were only those of ordinary indispo-
tion; until the chest was found to exhibit num-
Der of purple spots, which warned the victim
and his friends that life wonld be extinct in a
few hours at The utmost. These spots were
called The tokens, and were present before the
imagination of The people as the messengers of
death. The person in whom the disease took
This shape died with comparatively little suffer
| ing bat when carbuncles appeared, the inter-
nal functions retained much Of their Strength,
and high state OF fever commonly ensued.
Many in their paroxysm broke away from The
beds in which they were fastened, aud raved
upon passengers in the streets from the wind
ows of their apartments; some laid violent hands
upon themselves; whilst others gave uiterance
TO their misery in loud and bitter lamentations,
or forcing their way abroad, fed, with litt!e or
nothiDgto cover them, from sireel 10 street, shout
ling forth the most phrenzed language Some
of these unhappy creatures threw themselves
into the Thames; others sank in sudden ex-
hauslion and expired; even The officers, so great
was The fear of infection, commonly forbeaHng
10 put any restraint upon Them OF those who
were visited with disease in this form, few died
in less than twenly-(our hours, some lived hro'
twenty days, but the average limit was five or
SIX days. In July and Angus! The majority Of
the infected perished; in September and Octo-
Der, the recoveries are believed to have been in
the proportion Of three 10 five.
"The means employed to counteract this aw-
ful calamity sometimes aggravated lis violence.
Thus on one occasion the Lord Mayor orde red
sea-coal fires to be kiudled III the streets, amidst
which the pestilence salked with increased
desolaiion; until enormous falls of rain happen
ed 10 exlinauish them Comets and Unusual
meieors dil1uscd horror and dismay all around;
whilst sooihsayers, asrologers, quacks and 9th
er impos,ers, reaped deestable harvest from
the fears Of their fellow creatures. London
empued herself of all who had The means Of
removal Not less than ten thousand houses
were deserted In the city and its adjacent par
ishes; so that grass grew in The most lrequenIed
lthoroughfares; all abodes reported by the local
authorities, as containing infected persons, were
Immediately shut up, whilst on the door large
red cross was painted with the words written
over il, The Lord have mercy upon u.s.
Waichmen, with halberds in their hands, pre-
vented all ingress or egress; trade was wholly
suspended, and Two general peslhouses we're
opened. The following is graphic picture, 10
be read almost with ters.
"When those who veh!ured abroad met, they
might be seen keepiug at the most cautious dis
tance from each other; and the man who passed
house with the fatal mark upon it, commonly
glanced indirectly at it, and mufling his cloah
about him, made his way limid and hurried
step along the forsaken footpah on the oppo-
site side Men feared even the fragrance Of
flowers. lest they should ihhaie the sickness
from ihem,---and scaled for anidoes--rue,
mvrr,h and zedoary As the deaths nu!llpii-