The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1851-10-29
NUMBER 8.
The Plague in the Canary ls.ands.


The Havana correspondent of the New Or
cans Picayunc sends the following account of
the terrible mortality prevailing at the Canary
Islands, and which is supposed to be The plague
1t Is terrific beyond measure, and the people OF
Havana are fearful that it will be brought TO
that city by the slave dealers:
] History does not record anything cad as
the spectacle whisl the island of Grand Cana
ry has presented, and still presents. The best
directed pen attempts in yaIn 20 relate such mis-
fortunes and horrors. and words would not be
sufficient tp depict their intensity
The epidemic now ragged with such fury that
the inhabitants in CONSERVATION abandoned the
town, without Gazing fer anything but their er-
sons, TO suoh an extent that they even forgot
the ties of blood Death surprised them in the
midst of their flight, that the roads were COW
cred with corpses, over which not a tear Of
friendship, or of llia or fraternal love, was she'd
because terror had sinottered every sentiment
except That Of seli.prescrva.ion. As was to be
expected, the fugltves, carryn. with the fatal
germ, injected The country, which became the
theatre o.: the most hcrriL,c scenes
| The beasts, Abandoned in the city, pcrished
for want Of iood, and the decomposition of their
bodies, together with those OF The human corp
ses which remained unburricd in the streets
Vit!ated The atmosphere tC such extent that
any unfortunate person who might return to the.
city fell dead almost as he entered a
house. However, this new coatretemps was
stopped as soon possible by the energetic
measures taken by the worthy Military Cover
nor, and by the humanity Of the second alcadc
oi the C"rregidor. and various yhung men,
many OF whom fell victims to their heroism
AT last the suppnsition was confirmed that the
| n n y,cc mot fke cbnlo hut tbo la
plague of the Moors, il having been ascertained
that it was introduced into the island of Grand
canary by the fishing vessels which frequent
the western coasts Of Africa. The persons in
the islands devoted to this traffic, numbering
about 800, have almost all perlshed, as there
remain only enough 10 man single vessel
According to the declarations of the masters of
the sail vessels, on all the western shores Of
Africa there reigns dcathly pest which carries
off the Inhabitants the mortality being so great
that courses are slrewn upon the earth in in
credible numbers, and their decomposition au-
gmcnts The influence Of the corrupted utrlos-
| Phcre.
! As soon IS the Commandant General Of tie
Provincc 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 attacked by the
epidemic and died La short in order to give
an idea of the ravages of the pest it is only
necessary TO state that in two months G,G00 per
sons died in the city of Las Pal,nas and l6, ,0OU
in the whole island. Up to the last dates the
plague had spaled the towns Of Agacte and
Frjrda.
The bishop is one of the persons in Grand
Canary who have contributed most t. the ale
Walton OF suffering humanity This holy pre!aie
and worthy pastor,w with a resignation truly evan
gelicai, displayed the utmost charity, zeal, and
inte;est in behalf Of the unhappy people lie
was and still ,nntring in traverSing the streets,
opening his purse, giving spiritual consolation,
establishing hospital in his own palace, and in
ministeriny to the unhappy victims with his
own hands. The Brothers of Charity and the
youths of the hospieio, initiating this hero, who
has acquired eternal glory, and who appears a
messenger of the Most High, lent al their cf-
forts to assist the afflicted
AT the last datcs August 18Th, til. epidemic
abatsd considerably in the city, though it still
ragged in the country.