Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1853-08-25
FrOmth .Mew Orleans Della, aug. IL.
THE PESTILENCE.

FrOmthe .MetC Orleans Delta, Dug. II.
THE PESTILENCE.
Sin onward stalks The dreadful pesiiIence
! through our afflicted city. Every miaule
seems 10 give il strength and vtg0r. In.
creased victims appear to sharpen rather
Than 0lut it's savage appetite. IIleaps over
al barriers, and spurns all Imposition. Be-
ginning with the poor, the ignorant and de-
ISOLATE, il has acquired strength enough 10
DEFY all the appliances 0f wealth, Of com.
(ori. of science and Of ART. II can no doEp~
er be tainted with undue viruience toward
The lower classes" II has siablshed.
BY most gloomy prOOfs, lis title 10 the ems
lhet Of general leveiler. The rich, The
lovely, the gifted, the virtu0us, the strong.
as well as the v0iaries Of vice and desti,W
lion, tie poor and the vlrIa0us, the ieno
rant and imIrudent--a!l alike, fall before
the remorseless sickle Of this great DESTROYS
err, and are gathered into one common har-
vest Of death.
There are few, ifany, parallels in histO~
ry TO the present visitation. But a week
or SO ago, we were involved in unpleasant
controversies with medical gentlemen as TO
whether the disease, which was taking of
several hundred Of our citizens weekly, was
an epidemic. l, was charged that we were
exciting panic in announcing aud declar-
ing the fact. Two weeks have scarcely
passed and the epidemic has become pes.
thence, one oi the most destructive, malig.
nant and distressing which ever fell upon
people. Considering the nsmbeT Of per-.
sons liable to The epidemic, (ihe unaccima-
ted,) there is nothing in history 10 equal The
present morialny. Dcducling our native
population a nd those who had the fever and
become acclinIa ted, we should regard il as
a large figure To fix the unacclimaied at
SO, 600 at the breaking nnl Of the fever. Oi
tina: number, al least 5000 have already
been buried, and every day udds two hun
dred more to the ghasly record.
Should il continue in the seine ratio, this
frighlu number will be swelled to 5000 by
the fist nf September, which is usually the
date when The epidemic begins It's ravages
in our city. For the week ending OH The
9Th Of August, lis viclilns were one lhOu>
sand. That for The week now passing will
be as large, and thus, unless some sudden
aud unlocked Tor change occurs, the mouth
of August will be held ever ~, mora bic n
our annals for Tire largest proporlionate
mortality which has ever occurred in the
history Of reslences. Il will equal the VII
olence Of tie Black Plague ot The Four.
teenth Century, and exceed that Of the
Plague Of London IN 1864.
The latter has been regarded The sewers
est peslilence of modern times and vet, out
of population of 100000. il only slew
10000, in one year, whereas the present,
epidemic is destroying at The rate or 4, 600
per month, oul Of total population CT mol
over $4,000, aud Of a population liable To
the disease, of no: over 10000! II is true
that, in previous years of this city, there
have been days which have exhibited
larger mortality in one day, but ON no oc>
casion has the aggregate weekly mortality
been as large, nor The progress Of The DIS
ease SO steady, regular and unbroken!--
What is The worst aspect Of these facts is,
that the season for the prevalence Of the
epidemic has barely commenced.
In lS47, the deaths in the beginning Of
August did moi average ten day. We
have, therefore, al least, three months for
the pestience To run. There is no hope
that il will terminate lis career, unless with
The exhaustion Of material. AT the present
rate, this event would appear no, to be dis
tant. AT least $4,000 Of the unaccimatcd
have already had tie disease, and are either
convaescent or tenants Of the tomb. We
have heard Of a great number WHO have
recovered Many of the pl ysiciaEs declare
lha, they have lbs, none of their patients.
Indeed, it would appear that the thousands
who have already died could not have had
The advantage Of medical attendance, as
the physicians all declare that they have
lost no cases! 1t is wonderful how suc>
ccssfu! they are considering rhe vast amount
of mortality! II our estimate oil the NUNS
Der who have been attacked he correct,
lheie would remain not more than 5000
Of unacclinaied persons, which, q, The pre-
sent ratio, would barely afford material to
last the month OF August.