Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-08-13
TIE pEsrlLEscE AT NEW DRIP ANS.


Our daily teegraphic reports inform as Of the con-
tinued mortality in New Orleans from the yellow fe
yer, that dreadful pestence whose favages have so
often bowed down in mourning II le hearts Of that
city But grievously the dcs' royer has afflicted
the inhabitants in former years there is no record
Of such mortality as seems nc w almost to aim at
the utter determination Of the population. In l847,
a memorable year, the deaf as did not amount on
any one day TO more thi an seyenty-seven. The
present week will probably number among its vic
tins one thousand, as rom Saturday to Wednes-
day seven hundred had been swept Off /
Many Of the people ave fed from the fated city
to more salubrious arts Of the country and all
the unacclimated re sidents who can are escaping
from the sphere Of he scourpe But there are null
titudes tied to thei daily task who cannot fly, and
many more whose. poverty compels them and their
tamihes to rema IN and await the blow which may
strike down so' ne one or all of the family group
II the head o. the house and its prop falls beneath
the la'a Or .ath of this destroyer too often is it
from lack medical aid and inability to purchase
remedies. In that case what fate is reserved for
ms strcs en- family? The mother may witness the
iaiiing Of her tchildren around her; the children
nay .wal their parents, borne off to the charnel
house }, when they might possibly have been saved
Dut for their penness condition. Those who es-
ca pc the pestilence suffer from priyation of the
ecessaries of life when their stay and sup
porters are removed Therefore it is that those at
distance who look on with sympathy at their suffer
ings can do much to alleviate them.
We have been much pleased to see in some of our
sister cities generous manifestation philanthropy
Baltimore has commenced with contribution Of SIX
thousand dollars, while New York noby leads the van
in this good work with subscription thirteen thou
sand dollars Other cities will doubtless follow these
benevolent examples; and unfortunately there is
need Of all the sums that can well be raised The
disease is now we sincerely hope, at its climax
but, if we may judge from former experience, it can
hardly be expected that the epidemic will rapidly
diminish in vrulence for some time, or that its
wages will cease before frost, perhaps two months
hence
Can we here, at the national capital, do nothing
to aid and preserve our suffering fellow-citzens !?
Is there any heart so isolated in selfish shell as
not to expand at the call for help in urgent
and so warmly appealing to every sentiment of SYM
| pathy? We believe that we only give form and
direction to the general wish Of our community in
suggesting that public meeting of our citizens be
invited Immediately for the purpose of receiving
subscriptions and appointing committees to procure
contributions from those who may be unable to at
tend We venture to suggest also that our worthy
Mayor rhsuld take the initiative in work SO con-
genial with his own benevolence. This would give
N more efficacy to movement in whose success we
believe that all will feel interested
P. s. Since writing the above we have been glad
to learn that the Mayor has issued call for pub
lie meeting this evening at the City Hall.