Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1851-10-30
From the ~ o. Picayune.
The Plague in the Canary TsI.
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Our Havana Correspondent, under date of
the I'd inst, says: 81 send you a statement of
a terrific epidemic, the plague, at the Canary
Islands. They got it fishing on the coast OF
! Africa, where the fishermen report that the
dead bodies were as numerous as the sand OF
the sea-" 1t is feared that the negro traders
will bring it to Havana. The following is
our translation of the statement referred to:
The year 1851 opened under the most ia
vorable auspices for the Canary Islands, their
increase in commerce and population being
well known. The fine arts also flourlshed.
But the destiny which for moment seemed
to rest from the persecution of these islands,
which had dated from the time when they
took the name of the Unfortunate" again
fell upon them with more fury than ever
Before its terrible anathema, commerce was
paralized, the theatres were closed, conster-
nation seized every mind the inhabitants hid
themselves or retired to the country, and soon
stupor, sadness, and almost despair, replaced
the hours of felicity of those once happy peo-
pie.
On the 9th June, 1851, the official journal
of the province contained the following -
''The Board of Health of the District of Las
! Palmas, in the Canaries, has informed the
/ Superior of the Province, under date of the
5th inst, that in the barriO of San Jose, in
the city Of the same name, some cases of ep-
idemic cholera morbus have appeared" In
consequence Of this, precautionary measures
were ordered to be taken
For some months this infirmity has been
prevailing in the city of Las Palmas, display
ing itself In isolated cases. The faculty,
through ignorance or malice, classed it as
malignant quincy. But the authorities, as
certalnlng that many persons were dying, that
the sick survived but short time, and that
the corpses showed black spots and were hor-
rlbly d!stgured, ordered the Board of Health
ci the Island, under the strictest responsible
ty, to declare the nature of the Epidemic
Then, with general terror, the announcement
we have alluded to was received.
History does not record ANYTHING so sad
as the spectacle which the Island of Grand
Canary has presented, and still presents
The best directed pen attempts in vain to re-
late such mlsfortunes and horrors, and words
would not be sufficient to depict their inten-
sity.
The epidemic now ragged with such fury
that the inhabitants, in CONSERVATION, aban-
doned the town, without caring for anything
but their persons, to such an extent that they
even forgot the ties of blood. Death surprised
them in the midst of their flight, so that roads
were covered with corpses, over which not
tear of friendship, or of fIial or fraternal love
was shed, because terror had smothered eve
ry sentiment except that of selfpreservation.
As was to be expected, the fugitives, carry
ing with them the fatal germ, infected the
al IL q
most horrible scenes.
The beasts, abandoned in the city, persisted
for want of food and the decomposition of
their bodies, together with that of the hu-
man corpses which remained unburied in the
streets, vltiated the atmosphere to such an ex-
tent that any unfortunate person who might
return to the city fell dead almost as soon as
he entered house. However, this new con-
tretemptS was stopped as soon as possible by
the energetic measures taken by the worthy
Military Governor, and by the humanity of
the second alclade of the Corregidor, and va
rlous young men, many of whom fell victims
to their heroism
AT last the suppostion was confirmed that
the epidemic was not the cholera. but the /
terrible plague of the Moors, it having been
ascertalned that it was introduced into the Is !
land of Grand Canary by the fishing vessels |
which frequent the western coasts of Africa !
he persons IN the Island devoted to this traf- I
nc, numbering about 1,S0O, have almost all
Perlshed, as there remain only enough to man
a single vessel. According to the declaration
OF the masters Of the said vessels, on all the
western shores of Africa there reigns a death .
ly pest which carries off the inhabitants, the .
being so great that the corpses are I
streWed upon the earth in incredible numbers, I
and their decomposition augments the innu- !
ence OF the corrupted atmosphere.
As soon as the Commandant General of the .
Province learned the abandonment of the /
City OF Las Palmas, he sent portion of the /
garrison OF the capital to bury the dead, but /
the greater portion of the soldiers were at
lacked by the epidemic and died. In short,
IN order to give an idea of the ravages of the
pest, 1t is only necessary to state that in two
months 5000 persons died in the City of Las
Palmas, and 10000 in the whole island. Up
to the last dates the plague had spared the
the towns of Agatee and Feeda.
The Bishop is one of the persons in Grand
Canary who have contributed most to the al
deviation of suffering humanity. This holy
prelate and worthy pastor with resignation
10y wang clicdi' uiSpiayed lhe utmost charI-
y, zeal and interest in behalf of the unhappy
people. lie was, and still is, untiring in ira
'erslng the streets, opening his purse, giving
spiritual consolation, establishing a hospital
n his own palace, and in mnistering to the
unhappy victims with his own hands. The
of Charity and the youths or the hos
'1c'o, Initiating this hero, who has acquired
eternal glory, and who appears messenger
u the Most High, lent all their efforts to as
list the afflicted.
At the last dates, August IL, the epidemic
Ioated considerably in the city, thong h it still
aged in the country
"A LITTLE GIRL ON TRIAL FOR NuRnPp
IN the OlSt int ir,t 4