The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1846-03-30
EDITORS CORRESPONDENCE.
From our regular correspondent
NEw YoRK, March %, 10.

| The ns1ly contemplated overland mai-rouie 20 b,-
dia, from Bremen 10 Trieste, and thence east,
! ria the Mediterranean, through Ala and he
/ Persian Guf 10 Bombay, the shortest and mOsi
direct rOuie.--Ihs quarantine lasos Of .Nso York
| Of general, as iceH as Of local bearing and IN
tsresi-Bshind the spirii Of the age, and anh-eOU,-
pstretai.-.Non eOniagiousnsss Of ysliO,o Gue and
rOI,-iapOriatiOn.-Th The absurhiy Of supposing u
possible 10 propagate ysOto sper atey The advent Of
,ohiis frost In autumn, beyond ,ohieh period the quar-
anhns laos are made 20 apply The opinions Of a
| majority Of physicians and Intelligent men against
all quarantine laos for keeping oui Jsper. The bssl
protection IN Nsu Ysrk found ia cleanliness 10Th
Croion toaieT iOithn and salt toaisr rilho- Wheat
JiH Of eOntagiOn cat up ioiihoui inducing tsper Of
any sOrt.-Opening Of The canal, &C., &c,
As far back as 1910, or about the period Of the
| first establishment Of the overland mail from Eng
land TO India, the inland route through Asia was
| proposed. IL was then contemplated to pass from
the eastern extremity of the Mediterranean TO the
Euphrates and down that river, &c, TO the head Of
| the Persian Gulf, and along it to India. Should
this part Of the route be established in connexion
with railroad from Bremen TO Trieste there be
| no doubt the time OF travel between England and
India can be greatly abbreviated The whole course
will then be nearly in direct line from London TO
Bombay. Bremen will in that respect become an
| important point or terminus for the American
| ocean steam packet ships.
Ono Of the most annoying local regulations to
/ u
generally, are those growing out OF the establish.
ment Of absurd quarantine laws
| IL may not be considered appropriate, generally
| 10 notice what would appear TO be a merely local
question; but when risid and unnecessary quaran-
tine laws are put IN force in great commercial city
like this, holding shipping intercourse with all parts OF
the world, and every port in the United States, az
fecng alike the trade and interest Of other Amer-
can cities, Il becomes question Of general note.
| few eminent medical men, al an early day,
when the beefin tho Importation Of yellow fever
was more common than at present. biased the public
| mind in this city in favor Of coniagion.
| DR.. Rush, with many other leading physicians,
on the contrary, took decided stand against the
| contagiousness Of yellow fever. At the present
! day, there Is not one medical man in a hundred
who believes in contagiousness Of yellow fever.
| They believe that, most commonly, il il OF local
origin, and ncommunicable in healthy state Of the
| atmosphere.
| New York is the only city in the United States
that has adhered strictly 10 the doctrine Of conta-
gion. Philadelphia, which was at one period worse
afflicted with yellow fever than New York ever
was, or probably ever can be- adopted TO great ex-
tent the views Of DR.. Rush. Her quarantine laws
fair and liberal compared TO those OF New York.
In New Orleans, Mobile, and nearly all other southern
cities, their laws only provide against contagion
from small pox, or against vessel with some fatal
epidemic disease on board.
The quarantine laws Of this State, venture to af-
Il
known IN England, or in any other part OF the Uni
ted States. have not time TO 20 into details; but II
sufficient to state that all vessels arriving from the
3ls May 10 the 18th oct from any foreign port in the
ordinary passage Of which they have TO pass south
| Of Cape Henopen, are subject TO quarantine. And
If they have any sick on board during the passage
between the LIST Of April and the LIST Of November,
they 10 be subject TO quarantine; and If any
sci has had any Of yellow fever, a bilious
lgnant fever on board arriving between the LIST Of
| April and the LIST Of November, she is to undergo
| thirty days quarantine-to have her cargo dis
charged vessel whte-washed three four times, the
clothing, bedding, &c. Of passengers TO be overhaul
ed and washed, before the vessel can proceed to the
! city.
| BY clause in the law, all passengers from all
| foreign ports are compelled TO have their clothes
| washed before their baggage can be delivered to
| them, between the 3lst Of May and LIST of Octo-
ber The passengers themselves, if well, may 60 10
the city with the clothes they wear full Of infec-
ton, suppose but they must leave their ward
robes behind to be washed and ceansed at their
pense-at about 81 90 TO 81 so per dozen--or which
| washing charges, ! understand in part forms the
perqusites of the medical officer stationed quar-
antne, whose income, it is said often reaches the
enormous sum of $40 900 per annum.
Establishing quarantine from April and May TO the
lst Of October and November is absurd Il il well
subject to yellow fever till about the LIST of July and
not of In epidemic violent type till August or
September. II is also we'll known that il cannot be
communicated spread in any place after the ad-
vent Of white frost, which in New York always
happens in September or before the first day Of Oc-
tober, to say nothing Of November, when the river
is often closed with ice. Admitting the doctrine of
contagon to be true, the period assigned for quaran-
| tine regulations is too long, and wholly absurd.
The quarantine laws, with pains and penalties, I'll
thirteen pages of the Revised Statutes hence to at
! tempt an epitome Of them would fill a column.
They prescribe what goods, produce, &c. can con-
| vey the yellow fever, and what cannot. They sup
pose pitch, tar, and turpentine cannot while wheat,
corn, &c, Goods ships of an infectious
character may go through the sound, or up the
North river land at Brooklyn or Jersey city;
but must not anchor than three to four hun
dred yards from the city.
| In one case, a summer two since, a cargo Of
wheat put under quarantine bonds, and was
denied entrance into the city on the ground that
would prove dangerous to the health of the people.
This wheat was landed, however, at Brooklyn,
ground into -FOUR which was sent over to the city,
and by the people, contagion and ALL without the
| least inconvenience being experienced.
see the subject has been taken up in the present
legislature, and an sr parte report made by COM
mittee in favor of contagion, founded the evil
dence of the strongest cortagionst; and believe
is contemplated to increase the rigor Of these laws
instead Of yielding to the spirit Of the age to COM
| mon sense, and to the commercial interest Of the
city, and, indeed you may say, to that of the whole
Couhuy' Ing omPPm6 inpcrcbt, uhIpOWneTs, MGR
chants of intelligence as we'll as an immense major
| ity Of medical men verywhere--especially among
those best acquainted with yellow fever-utterly
condemn and repudiatc all quarantine laws made to
keep il out.
| If New York cannot be made clean and healthy
| by the. supply of Croton water within, and the
washings Of salt water without, all the guarantees
| the Legislature burden commerce with will not
succeed in doing Such barbarous laws origi-
mated with the filthy cities of the East. The term
quarantine is derived from the Itnan-gusranto,
}ory-as the usual period prescribed for quarantine
was forty days. The New York legislature has
abated ten days, reducing it to thirty days.
The canal commissioners of this State have given
notice that the Erie canal will be opened on the 10th
Of April
Tirrell, on trial for murder in Boston, has been
defended on the ground of his being a confirmed
somnambulist. This is the first time in the history
of criminal trials that have ever heard Of such a
defence being set up! The plea of insanity has
grown STALE
Boston SAILS at auction on the 27h-l9 casks rice,