The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-11-08
EXTREMES oE sPLENDoR AND OF MISERY

EXTREMES OE SPLENDoR AND OF MISERY.
take physic, pomp;
Expose thysef 10 feel what wrelches feel;
That thou mayst Ike the superhux To them,
And show The heavens more Just ="
In country calling itself free, and England pre-
tends To be free country wealth should not be pos
sessed IN such excuses and dispariies. Contrast the
enormous spieDdors Of tete at Windsor with some
official reports respecting the state OF the poor Here
Is the description Of the Queens dinner 10 the Is ing
Of the Preach:
"rhe long table which the dinner was served
was covered with magnificent candeabra, epergnes,
placed acknowledgement OF the former OF circu-
lar FORM being filled with artificial flowers. A row
OF candeabra with wax lights were placed on each
side, and beyond those al both sides 9th table, were
numerous vases wne.coolers and dishes OF the most
elegant forms and designs. AT each end Of the hall
were elevated sdeboards of equal Dimensions, con-
tanning choice selection from the numerous and val
liable articles Of plate in the Royal treasury, remark
able for their excellence Of workmanship, antiquity or
historical interest. Flaxmans celebrated Shield OF
Achilles 'The Armada Urn" and some ancient
sconces were displayed on the west sideboard And
large shield culptured IN rich relief with the rep
resentatIon Of battle, and the Neptune EperBae
richly embellished with marine embems, and sur
mounted with statue of the marine deiiy, were on
the east sideboard Numerous taDkards, vases,
shields, and bulb cups richly chased, were tastefuy
brilliantly Illuminated with candelabra and sconces
of silver guilt, bearing wax-lights. The Princess OF
Wales epergne, crowned with his Royal Highness's
plume was placed at this part Of the liable, between
two other epergnes of greaibeauty ptured in gold
at the base, with dancing fauns these sspergnes
had on either side the 'Hesperides' candelabra.n-
There is something ridiculous in the extreme in ex-
posing the baby Prince Of Wales's feather 10 ep-
ergne, on dinner table and having looked at the
one case LEI US advert to some others. In the sana-
tory report made by the Secretary of the Poor Law
Commissioners, of the Investigators into the
dion OF the poor says that in the counties Of Eng
land "a ,577 persons have died in year, in houses
that wanted draining and roofing. Those who died
from other causes make the whole obituary amount TO
2l6,3 99 persons in one year. One would suppose
that this alone would be sufficient to thin the popua-
tIon.
In England and w aes the deaths in 1888 we're 2s2,-
$40, excluding deaths by violence by suicide or other
causes, which the Parliamentary and parish papers
do not specify. In 1888, the deaths amounted TO 81
per thousand Most OF them had taken place in
swampy and unwhoesome localities Mr.. Gilbert,
one OF the Poor law nquirers stated that he found
the open drains and sewers had been the of
larie, and consequently Of death In this rich and
beautiful country the poor often live mud cottages,
with little or roof, and with floors of absolute mud
Mr. Fox, medical officer says that the poor
were badly fed badly clothed and consequently dirty.
have he remarks, often seen the springs burst
and little channels cut from the centres under the
doorways to carry of the water whilst the door has
been removed from its hinges for the children put
their feet on 10 making buttons" The local gentry
and parochia authorities ought 10 interfere in these
cases, which very sensbly and quickly take so many
OF the poor of our hands. In cottage consisting
Of only one room measuring IL feet by 10 and half
ieet high, one thid was partItioned off by rough
boards, and IN tins small space three beds, and
SIX persons sleeping IN them, and the consequence
was that typhus fever did Its work. relieving the pa
rlsh OF all further expense than that Of paving for
their funerals. lD family of Fix persons taken
with the fatal disease Of typhu the doctor found the
mud hoor OF tins cottage least one foot below
the lane. IL consisted Of but ROOM the ladder in
the middle leading to platform where the patient
slept and from this platform boy, in a fit Of deliri-
UNI, threw himself on the ground and was killed.
The Report says, that the cottages in which the
typhus fever broke out in Ftwck, and TO which the
dreadful disease was almost exclusively conGned,
were OF the most wretched description. or course
neither the Queen her husband or their children
run any risk OF catching yphus fever in the spacious
well ventilated rooms OF Windsor Castle, but the
villages do not escape this terrible maady In such
towns as Stafford for instance, the poverty and filth
OF the cottages are described almost beyond credi-
Dillty aud diseases ensue from these causes The
very splendid entertainments given 10 the King of
Toe French cost more than would be required FOR
benehting vast number OF small towns, which are
every year the toei Of fever In one case five sisters
were attacked with fever from the malaria arising
from an uncovered drain, and they all died In Lii
verPool, from thrty-fye TO forty thousand persons
live IN cellars, always damp and low, generally IN
paved, and devoid OF sewers or drainage. Through
out Northumberland the case is the same The cot
tages most wretched and II does not seem thai
The local gentry have done much, or any thing TO |
remedy the evil In one town the people were DIS |
covered TO be in such vrechedness tina, ,hi,ty-6ye
thousand persons were supplied with beds ana bed.
Ding by voluntary subscription. The suiIsrinps oil
the uned, aud almost unclothed poor in winter nights
Tor want OF bedding, must be excessive.
In Manchester, with all its wealth. nine thousand |
one hundred and seventy nine families are living In
cellars, and some Of these Of the worst descr,pton
posslble-worse than the dust holes and coal celia,
OF London houses These people are not only the
sufferers from all the evils Of cellars undrain,d
without floors and nearly dark, but thew are mill
below the level Of the river, and the wretched in
ha6snis on an extraordinarily high tide are aroused
from their sleep, and obliged TO y for their lives
Such Is the state Of this rich and happy Kingdom
he Queen, IN showing her guest the magni6cence
oil Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace and NJ !
The adjacent neighborhood, should have let him see
The other SIDE OF the picture that he might 90 back
10 france with fair impression of the general con.
dtion OF ell classes but he must otherwise thint |
that England Is the h Dorado of the world surnas
sing ~ splendor even what IS described in fairy tales
~here oil Is composed OF gold, diamonds, pearls and
precious stones, worked In the most fanoiiul forms
Manchester and Stafford, with their immediate ,cin-
ties, are suPerintended by bodies Of missionaries
Doe oil these missionaries reports that he had me-,
wlth many who had not meal in two DAYS An |
other missionary states the case of an exhausted man
who, getting days labor was so oyerworsed tho,
on reaching his wife and family, be fell apparently
dead How The poor can 90 50 long without food q,
hnng must astonish all persons. The contrast he.
tween families living In wet cellars ALWAYS without
iueli ana oien without food, must be incredible 10
nose VINO ENJOY Only the gorgeous splendoIs Of such
a palace as W indsor Castle. There must .lw,,, ha
a sad discrepancy between the rich and The poor but
the difference ought not to be increased art6c,sIlv
as u Is IN The case Of the Queen. Now thai ever,
newspaper makes great boast Of the wonderful
weslih displayed before the French visiters. thew
msn1 ~ wen look on the other side, and as winter
oeneYolenee might avoid splendors and give all ths,