The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-14

SeS were left unburleO In the sCreets Vi
Djeddah, the seaport of Mecca, by the
returning pilgrims, and the whole route
from this place through the desert to
Mecca was covered with thousandsupon
thousands of dead bodies. AS the pill
grims returned to their respective coun-
tries they carried the pestilence with
them. The caravan had hardly reached
the gates of Damascus before the cholera
broke out there, and in a few days the
deaths were two and three hundred
daily. Thence it spread to neighboring
| localities, and will no doubt soon de-
velop itself in Persia. In Beyrout 1000
persons have died of cholera at .Iaffa,
l8OO. The latest reports give hedeaths
per diem at NablOns at $50; at GAIA,
200; at Aleppo, 800. Indeed, it has not
| left town or village untouched in Sy-
| ria. The total mortality in the Turkish
| Empire cannot fall short of $50 900.
| A TERRIBLE CONFEDERATION.
\ As if we had not enough disaster, the
most destructive fire that has happened
| in Constantinople for four hundred years
| twelve days since laid waste one of the
/ finest quarters of the city. Commenc-
| ing at midnight, in cafe, while north
wind was blowing with the fury of q
hurricane, 1t made clean track from a
point close to the Golden Horn across to
the sea of Marmora, a distance of one
mile and a half, and extending on eth
err side, in some places, three-fourths of
q mile. The destruction of houses, khans,
shops, and palaces is immense. The
| value of property destroyed is estimated
at twenty-five millions of dollars. Over
eight thousand houses were burnt, and
-, Io - IN Zoe hotrr ut n tr,
! cover their heads. This part of the cap
sc ourged by the cholera. The houses in
Constantinople, being chiefly of wood,
fires are of common occurrence, and
generally very destructive. Five years
ago, three thousand five hundred houses
were burnt in the Greek quarter of the
Phanar; two years ago eight hundred in
one Of the quarters of Pera, and last year
| one thousand two hundred in Cassim
| Pacha. The north wind generally pre-
walls here, and if it happens to be blow
ing pretty strong at the time of a fire,
nothing can stop the confiagration but
the pulling down of whole squares o.
houses ahead. 1t is this frequent whole
sale destruction of houses by fire tina
renders house-rent so dear in Constan
tinOple, placing it in this respect on 6
level with London itself. Here, as rents
are paid in advance for the whole year,
if your house happens to burn down be-
fore the year is out, you lose both rent
and furniture. Altogether, with fire
and cholera, Constantinople may be re-
garded as most sadly afflicted city this
year. 1t is to be hoped that we shall
not have an earthquake to complete the
sum of our calamities. I.U
Some people have made themselves
supremacy ridiculous by af1ixing thei
names to cholera prescriptions, and an
suming to themselves the merit of tn
accidental curesthey have effected, Will
they have really had their origin in tn
apothecary shop, or are the reproduc
ton of old remedies. These egotistica
empires in some cases, by administer
ing their remidies without regard to TIN
peculiar characteristics of different cases
have done a great deal of mischief L
utation for medical knowledge to pur
loin some well known prescription anG
dub it with your own name; but 1t il
evident that there is no universal pana
cea for cholera, and that practical ply
stefan is the only safe adviser, and tha
all cases cannot be treated with the same
remedies.
As this is the season for the reopenina
of schools, it may be mentioned thai
ConstantinOple is now amply supplied
with good institutions of educatiOn.-
| The Italians have fine institution al
Bebek, the Austrians and Prussians each
one at Pera, the French several superior
colleges for males and females i'm Pera
and the Greeks numerous educational
establishments of all grades in the quar-.
college at Bebek struggling for exis-
tence founded by Mr. Robert, of New
| York, which has some dozen pupils. AS
| to Turkish schools and colleges, little
else is taught in them than the writing
and spelling of Turkish and the recita-
| ton of the Koran.
| PRIVATE LETTERS FROM GEN. LEE
| AND Mr.. DAvIs.-The Troy New
1 y 90 NJ rrr