Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-08-04

island" have heard it suggested to-day that
the Creoles of Cuba know all about this enter
prise Of O'Donnel and that at the right time
they will take advantage of it, What this
means, you are as capable of conjecturing as
your correspondent. If it means anything,
there will be no necessity for an appropriation
of ten millions to the Executive to aid him in
bis negotiations with the Spanish government,
for their will be no Spanish government with
which to negotiate for some months to come |;
while in the meantime, the Cubans will pri-
vately take care Of themselves.
A rough pine coffin has just passed before my
window, carried by two men. 1t tells ola case
of cholera, and reminds us that our cholera list
this past week, was 24l, against 1873 for the week
preceding, and lat for the week before that
The fatality of last week was unexpected for the
weather was comfortable rs compared with the
week before but the city has been stocked with
green fruit, cucumbers, melons, Holsters and all
sorts Of trash, and our newly arrived, ignorant,
and unclimated emigrants, devour this rubbish
by wholesale. 1t is cheap, it is palatable to
them after living through alongsea voyage upon
salt Junk and dry sea biscuit. The result is, that
they are seized with the cholera and die. With
a fair allowance for the foreign population, the
total mortality, last week, in the city Of Balti-
more was fully equal to that of New York.
The comparative healthiness of Washington is
due to its broad clean streets, its thorough ven
tilation, and the entire absence there Of those
poor unfortunate broken-down emigrants from
Europe, who arrive here by ship-loads in
diseased and starving condition, from their pri
vations on ship-board; and who on landing
here, are packed into those disgusting holes
called emgrants' boarding houses, so filthy and
repulsive as to shock ones sense at the very
threshold. No language, no descriptions have
been given-no conceptions on the part any one
who has not seen these nurseries Of disease and
death, can equal the horrd reality of these loath.
some quarters into which the haplessIemigrant
from Ireland and Germany is slowed away,
awaiting transportation up the river for the
westward.
Much might be done by our corporate au-
thorities in mitigating the evils to which our
emigrant population are thus subjected. Very
little has been done thus far; but, until some
thing in the way of radical and complete re-
form is effected, New York, which by nature
occupies the very healthiest position of any
seaport in America, must continue to present
the largest average bills of comparative NOR
tality of any city in the Union.
1t was about the last Of July, in le49,
when the cholera here reached its maximum.
The highest weekly sum total of deaths from
all causes, then, was some 400. with popu-
lation of at least $50 900 in the city less than
we have at present. The sum total hst week
was l,I39. We are thus vastly better off than
in 40, should the cholera have passed its cul-
minating point. We hope it has, and that this
weeks report will show decisive abatement
The disease has been amongst us since the
| first of June, and surely it cannot many days
longer continue to increase, Notwithstanding
| the abundance of the material upon which 1t
feeds. May an all-wise and bene6cent Proyi'
dence speedily deliver US.
Your correspondent has been for week or
two past almost daily visiting seaside resort,
where he has quartered, for the present, his
household gods. With the abatement Of the
heat and the cholera, we hope to be more reg
ular in our communications to you than of late.
May the citizens Of Washington continue to be
exempt from the pestilence which here walk
eth abroad at noon day.
UNCLE SAM.