Eastern times., 1855-09-27
Pestileuce at Norfolk and Portsmouth.


That dreadful disease-the yellow fever
is raging in the above cities with violence
which is almost incredible, and creating a
wide sppead distress, which calls for our most
active and earnest sympathes. A gentleman,
whose ideas of his duty to his friends keeps
him in Portsmouth, writes to the Salem Ga
zette -
A proposition was yesterday submitted to
our people and those Of Norfolk, by the noble
city OF Baltimore, TO this effect: to remove
every remaining man, woman and child, from
both cities, TO some salubrious point, within
reach, say old Point Comfort, or the Rip
Raps, and the people of Baltimore offer to as
sist in conducting the removal, and in cloth
ing and provisioning them, SO long as they
NAV be obliged to remain there.
But the difficulty in the way is this that
every individual who remains in health is
probably charged throughout his system with
the pernicious infection, and that a transporta-
.ion OF the kind would only bring out the dis
ease in greater violence than if they should
remain here. Again, every house that is in
habited has yellow fever cases, and in very
many instances the house is complete laza-
retto every individual, parents and children,
white and black, is down sick with it, one dy-
ing with black vomit, another delirious, others
In the collapsed state, and others Just taken.
And moreover, there are not now enough well
persons to take care of the sick Scanty and
insufficient as is our supply of medical atten-
dance, the suffering, in consequence of lack of
nursing and proper attendance, is incompara-
bly, greater, and beggars all description. The
nadornv hnil1inr pnnnolto nv houco ic 6lla1
to its utmost capacity with orphan children,
whose fathers and mothers have perished in
this awful plague. Some OF them are not
three weeks old. 1t is under contemplation
to seize upon the public buildings, in the pres
ent dire extremity, and convert them into tenn
porary hospitals-say the Court House, the
Halls of Societies, possibly the churches.
The few citizens who remain on their feet,
to constitute the administrative Council of the
town are at their wits end. Noble men
their number has been sadly diminished. But
God still mercifully preserves some, and they
are men who merit more than the hero's am
arant. You would scarcely credit what some
of them have done, have suffered, have en-
dured, and sacrificed
In Norfolk, the state of things is at least,
equally awful, for their citizens were beguiled
by physicians and editors into deceitful Sc
curity, and they did not begin TO flee until the
disease had become frightful epidemic
throughout every part of the city. Although
Baltimore has two or three times sent them
on lots of fifty coffins at time, they cannot
find enough for their dead bodies. On Mon
day, forty corpses were lying unburied, and
not coffin in the city. In this awful emer-
gency, they sent over to the commander of the
navy yard, imploring him TO have some fifty
boxes nailed up in the coarsest, hastiest man
ner, for the reception of corpses. could mar
rate things which would curdle your blood, if
you could make up your mind to credit them. I"
Contributions have been made in many of
the cities and large towns throughout the
country in aid of the sufferers, and forwarded
to the proper authorities. There has been, as
yet, no effort made in this city but we learn
that the renowned Shakspearian reader, Mr..
W. r. GooDALL,-well known to many of
our citizens as an accomplished actor,-has
volunteered his services in a popular enter
tainment at Columbian Hall, on Saturday
evening next, for their benefit. This is com
mendable and we hope to see the hall crowd
ed to its utmost capacity, Go, by all means,
and invite your neighbors to do the same
You'll get your moneys worth, beside the sat
isfaction of doing something in aid of suffer
ing humanity.