The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-10-02
GINIA A.

VIRGINIA.
In PRrrn.Buae.-Hon II Bailey, Of Accom,c
Msy, In Petersburg.
SrABB1Se.-In Petersburg, Saturday, Jsck. q
colored boy belonging to Mrs Gillian. was stabbed
| in one of bis lungs by white boy named WelIa
| Both boys worked 10 the same factory and the
| stsbbing was the result OF quarrel
THE CHrScH BUe.-The Fredericksburg Herald
says that owing to the ravages OF the chinch bug
the corn crop 10 that neighborhood will fall far
below the estimate that had been MADE OF II q ie"
/ months ago.
| EMRRrINa OF PHYSICIANS IN NoBFoLK-LETTER
| Faon THE MAYoR-The following is an account OF
a meeting OF medical men held in Norfolk tuesday
prepared by gentleman present for the Dispatch.
1t was delayed day In consequence OF no sunday
mail over the Petersburg road:
| DR. whitman, from Charleston, 8. c., was called
TO the chair, and DE- West, from New York ap-
| pointed Secretary.
The object of the meeting was stated by the
Chairman TO be for the purpose oil liking upon osy
| when the delegations of stranger medical men
| might with propriety be enabled to leave norfolk
| and return to their respective homes.
During few days past cool and delightful
change has come over the pesdlentiai atmosphere
| of the city, and currant report prevailed that
many physicians and nurses were becoming ioie:
The experience Of ths Chairman, added TO that OF
other Southern medical gent smep, gives reason to
believe in a rapid and approaching decline 10 the
epidemic disease which has now desolated this
population.
1t has always been remarked that towards the
first of October, In Southern cities, q manffeSt
abatement 10 the number of sick 10 observable
Already the prevalence of tb 10 epidemic is of long
continuance. This circumstance, together win
| the fact of an atmosphere now much puriIed, ana
the moro important consideration that most OF the
Inhabitants have suffered illness avors the suppo.
| sition of early restoration TO health.
Upon such Views II might be predicted that for.
elgn mecical aid would not long be necessity, and
that such members OF the profession as desired TO
leave the scene of their recent labors could now
quit them With satisfaction
| Ga motion of DIR Read, from Savannah, 1t was
Resolved, That committee be appointed to
walt Up )n the Mayer, aud inform him that Oct. 1st
| be the day when stranger medical gentlemen who
have been on duty 10 Norfolk propose TO leave this
| city.
| O1 motion of DR. Freeman, from Philadelphia, 1t
| was.
: Resolved, That all absentees be notified through
| the Howard Association to remain away from Nora
tolk until physicans resident here sha give them
information that 1t 10 safe TO return. ALSO that the
city authorities Of Norfolk be entreated to give
thorough and systematic ventilation 10 all resi-.
denees and shops which have been closed during
month or two past; and that such ventilation be
not commenced sooner than the 10Th day of Octo
bernex..
Upon inquiry by the chairman It was ascertained
that only IlO sixteen new csses of fever had been
ueFeiOp6u Inc p6sI Gay 1u OF ISI
nine physicians, who were present.
On motion OF DR. Read, 1t was
Resolved, That the secretary be requested to
write out the minutes OF the meeting Ia due form,
and that the Chairman embody the same In let
ter, and forward the same to the Mayor of Nor
folk.
On motion of DR. Read, 1t was
Resolved, Thst such States or cities, as had sent
delegates to Norfolk at any time during the
Of the epidemic, should receive honorable men.
tion.s
NORFOLK Sept. 9Th, 1855.
DR.. A. B. WILLIMAN, Chairman, &C.,
Dear Sir :-l have received from you the min.
utes of a meeting on Tuesday evening, of the phy-
slcians from abroad who have ministered to the
susrinas of our si cted people during this season
OF psstence, notify ing me, az the acting Mayor OF
the city, of their belief 10 rapid and approaching
decline In the epidemic disease which has devasta.
ted our population and of their appointment of the
first of October next as the day when they might
with prepriety, leave Norfolk ior their respective
homes.
The proposed departure of yourself and your
gallant assoc iates from the fald where you have
baded 80 bravey sgainst the monster death 10 Its
most hideous forms, Is indeed " confirmation
strong" that the unwonted energies OF the dreadful
enemy are fast failing. The spirit that prompted
you TO your work of mariyrdom would retain you
at your posts.so long there might be aught to be
accomplished.
Ii indeed matter for rejoicing that the plague
Ia at l'Dgth In degree stayed. Though disease
has entered every abode in our sfflicted city,
though 'the pestilence' has walked Ia darkness,
and the sickness destroyed In the day time,
though the arrows of death have chosen the proud.
eat spd the dearest among Us for victims, though
many have felt for the time, iu their bresvemens,
that all OF earths blessings were lost to them-yet,
for the sake Of the remaining few of our scsnty
popuation-tOr the sake OF the infant, the orphan,
the needy and those who have a new weight of
duly imposed upon them-for the sake OF thou.
IL ,k,, laHf th.fr op1
happy homes, and may add, for the sake of YOU,
Who have been contendng, with daily diminishing
numbers aganst the desth.tbursts of the foe, away
from your families and fre.sides, your pleasures
aud your Interests cheered on solely by the con.
sciousness Of doing good on behalf of the helpless
and the stranger II Is q matter OF coneratuaton to
| each other, and of thankfuness to Almighty GGd,
| that the rage of the epidemic has almost ceased
| within our limits.
The annals of our cyiliz alton furnish no authen.
tic record of visitation of disease awfuy se-
we're as that which we have just encountered Out
OF an average population OF some six thousand
souls (much the larger portion of whom were ne
groes-a class less Liable than the whites to the
have falen-a proportion of nearly one to three
and but few have escaped attack of the disease.
We are now community Of convalescents.
Had we not received material aid from abroad
had not the different portions OF our country sent
their heroic delegations oI physicians, nurses and
staiwart co.aborers-had not noble spirits volun-
teered to the rescue TO die, If need be- like Cur.
thus, for Rome) people must have sunk beneath
the burden of their agony. There was period,
about the first of September when the evil seemed
greater than We could bear. Corpses lay unburied
the sick nnvidsed-the dying unanelsd Our sur
viving physicians were either sickening or becom
Ing exhausted; our remaining population wal
panic struck at the sight of sccunuatng horrors
and duties. You, who visited US for our relief
were astoundei at the unreslized state of things
which you found here-at evils the like of which
you had never before witnessed. But nerving
yourselves to the task, and telegrsphiug for re
serves, you went resolutey forward with your
science and Its accompsI imentr carrying aid wher
| II was most needed and infusipg vieor into many
hearts that would otherwise soon have ceased theiI
| painful throbbipes.
| Your noble bands too, have experienced worse
than decinatlon, though many of you were accli
mated 10 the disease n other iatitudes before com.
| Ing hither. A list, which has been carefully pre-
pared from the original entries. and handed to me
by Franklin II. Cisck, E,q. OF New Orleans, (oul
| efficient temporary Chief ofPolice) shows that, on
OF eighiy.sevsn physicians and assistants who Wis
| tied US during the space of thiriy-three day,
| preceding the 18Th inst, twenty ply icisns arr
numbered with the dead This is exclusive of thu
| mortality among our resident physicians, more
than half of those abiding here having died M
better evidence Of the pure self devotion, of th,