New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-07-14
A LETTER TO JEFFERSON D., ESQ.
ON THE FEVER AND AGUE IN rnE SOUTHWEST
CAaP DEFIANCE, Cairo july 9, isGi.

DEAR SIR Please excuse this letter from one who
is stranger to you, VITO has never been Member Of
Congress nor an otH ,er 10 the army, hut who, with
yourself, has for long time been afflicted with the
fever and ague We have hid it much, that lie, for
several years, that cannot now, even If we were
able-boded, except when we harpen 10 feel WELL en-
gage 10 any uatter requiring mncb ply scal effort, AID
yet we attempt uany things which We cannot sccon-
psh. The trouble Is that lis disease not only destroys
our digestive organs and general health, Dul IL 20 affects
our mluds that tliEa We sa- things IL a light IN
which thew really do not exist. For instance 10: cog
ago. as Hay my bed, which I have had placed IN
my library as l beginning TO feel little better
since the fever g " Of cast my eyes large
map which Is named map Of the Uned States, and
tbougLt | discovered very curious female figure,
which will describe 10 you. Her dress 10 beautifully
coirtd in vaiiJus plG O., hruy thar is common
IN glugan ana yet presents sqnares something like
THO uh and ACROSS them run divers dark lines and
waving iidles.
Ii yoa viii cast your eyes upon this map you win
perceive that her head s formed by the State OF Maine,
and her face by is ts thai her breast IL pcudcdby
the projection of the shore hom Massachusetts, 20
STAT, Llaud, her waist by Pennsylvania, and her neck
and shoulders by the States Newell ,mpshre, Nef-
mont and NeW.York; While size is adorned with
Streaming ribbon which be4rs uIon tue Of the
NO,trem Lakes. Her heat, course IL rightly To-
Gated az Washington and her lungs that r,gon which
includes the cities Of New.lork and Philadelphia. nor
ean We lelp seeing however little it may I.eu-e u
that her brain h within the regicn If NUw-England
fou wii notice that her hnee rests upm the Atlantic
at Cape lIatteras, one Of her feet upon the F-ida
Reefs, ADD The Otler upon the Rio Grande. The re-
manning gts OF her person ono ingenious Yourself
will easily locate, particularly when remark that she
is lady eaboraiely dressed in hocrs, which spread
from the Gull oil Mexico 10 The Lake Of the Woods,
and that her extended and yOlDminJus train sweeps lie
shores of he Pacific Ocean. Willie lay lusiug uTon
this fgurc il struck ne q very bllbarous thing ia
you rst you cut ker OK the lines OF South Car
Dina thon on those OF Alabama and Georgia Mssi..
sppi aud other States, All different imes, rausing
gieut torture may be supposed. haegiug zee OF
butaery Ike this has not been known tlo days OF
HouIan 81 Rascbid when tue jealous husband muir.
died bis beautiful WIFE, and then ont her in pieces %
a. 10 get her in box. But it that you th'nk
you put the inferior paTiH ot Lns lady together 10
as to suit yOu better but would iaqaife WIN, on
gUing 10 90 with said parts when yon hayc neither
heart, lungs nor brains within your reach. IL il my
opinion tjaL this whOe business oil chipping oil ht.
been ike our ague illusions indeed you know yourself
that tie spinal column al along the Cumberland Noun
taEs IS 60 FAR from being separated TO BE- wholly
injured and il is malilest that whatever injury You
may do t. the skirt Of The L1ys dress by ripping and
slashng il, unless you touch Vi al pat, such
the heart, lungs, brain or spine, you only act Ike
rioJer and bring the lady 10 shame.
When the ague fairly gets bold o. us it becomes
hard master, and no ways easily satisfied for after We
II -.
little Ike somebody, and -et out upon some mans
work with mans resolution, We begin 10
feel unwen and know not what is the matter
with us. AZ one time, think we have all The
symptoms Of consumption, then Of liver complaint,
next dropsy in short every dsease combined in
this one, and il is with grim satisfaction thai we d-
cover that only chill is coming Sill our lungs
ave affected, for our voices are weak and we feel
almost gone Then We have all tina; there il in rhsu-
.natsn, when we feel sharp and sudden pains, and
iwitchiDgs and camps, and rtabbings and cuttings a.
with kniyes If ever has the p!eurisy it is when
the chill and foyer gone and We think will get
a little sIeep, for then in our sOmachs feel the
most awful torture and we think that the only
fatal termination Of the ague, which Is congestion has
come and lheni do moi know how it ia with you but
Il can't help crying out for bcp however il wears
Toese pains arc similar 20 tboee which precede the
collapse etaie in cholera and thus may GO on to show
that Ire ague hos in it parts of every disease with
which man ID afflicted. When the fever Is on, what is
our state but that o Inflammation of the brain and
insanity How vainly we GEEK for rest, we lie
down, we rice, we Sit and il able. walk out in the
shade for in addition the heat almost burns us up aud
we exclaim 20 Ourselves, and frequently aloud: " Be
I.l.al L. IL
de die die die. o, il il would only get q little
cooleI--I know what makes 1t, rs those hcrrid
rwamps-0, how they must ENJOY themselves up
North, on tie mountains high, ut Quebec, at Lake
Superior and away off OF the plans where the Rocky
Mountains shine with everlasting Snow At last we
are obliged sleep, nature can endure no more, even
though the fever lngers, and If we awake, as we are
likely to in Eve minutes astonished TO see the
sun yet shining, for in that short tne we saw 80
rnany sights travelled such ioag and weary journeys,
and experienced much trouble, that surely It mns'
be night, aud the cool breeze blowing. How long, D
how ongl There ia not breath OF air, the mercury
Is at 95o, and il will be hours before the sets.
Surely this head VIII burst, surely death must come;
aud then we repeat the old chant OF die die die.
OF all miserable, hateful aud ornenting diseases, the
ague is most 70. IL makes handsome man look ugly,
smart man like fool our wives az though they had
been abused our daughters like inmates OF the poor
houses, and our ssns like yagabonds. How many
children, how many women and men, Jefferson d.
have been forced by the cruel oyerseer TO pick cotton
in the cotton6ed through every stage from the FIRST
(nt chill to the blazing binding Supplying fever, oil
this DUE difeasei
O Jefferson D., II the holding Of slaves would keep
off the ague indeed it would be Divine Institution