The Howard union. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1865-1866, 1865-07-20
From Cornhill.

u lis class, can be traced lar back into We
remote East; and there is no doubt but tint
L was the same disease which ravaged Chi.
na and Tartary in 1888, fifteen years bahre
il arrived on the shores of Europe. Tbre
had been great famine in China, PRECEDED
by floods and earthquakes, which alonede-
stroyed 100000 persons, and in the follrw-
ing year not fewer than 5000, 900 died th're
of this plague. From the remote Eas it
made its way into Europe some years later,
for pestilence often travels slowly; accom,a-
nying the migrations of men, and being ar
ried about in their clothing and merchandise.
1t did not arrive in Europe until 1913, if-
teen years after the outbreak in China.
"From China" says Hecker, "the roites
of the caravans lay 10 the north of the Cas-
plan sea, through Central Asia, 10 Talris.
Here ships were ready to take the pr,duce
Of the East to CoDstantinople, the capital Of
commerce and the medium Of communication
between Asia, Europe and Africa" Con.
tagion made it's woy along these channels,
and Constantinope and the seaports Of Asia
Minor were the loci whence the disease
was carried to every country Of Europe.
Making It's way across the European cont
nent, it committed its greatest ravages =
save, perhaps, in England in Italy; tagging
terribly in Florence, where it was observed
and described by the poet BOccaccio.
Passing along the shores of the M4liler-
ranean, it invaded France by way of Avig-
non, spreading thence to England on the one
hand and to Germany on the other; whence
like the cholera of the present day. it doub-
led back, two years later, 10 Russia, and SC
back to the East.
The black death, so called from the rapid
putrefaction of the bodies of the victims
was of the same nature as the Orienta
plague, viz putrid typhus, only of great
er malignity. The boils and buboes Of thu
latter disease were found in the former
whenever the patient lived long enough t,
permit their development. The iEhabilant
of Europe at that time have been compute,
at 5000 600, high estimate. OF these
5000,0 900, or one-fourth of the whole, per
ished. In England it was still more fatal
owing, probably, to the ruder habits of til
people. During the term Of one year, viz
from August, 1913, 10 August, 1919, three
fourths Of the whole population persisted
Indeed, if we are to credit the annaists {
the period, not more than one-tenth escaped
Many suceumbed in few hours, like Ser
nacherib's host; none endured for three day.
In France, numbers died on the spt
where they were first smitten, as if struc
by lightning. This terrible scourge havin
swept over the then known world, commit
ting such destruction Of life and leaving be
hind it such misery and poverty as the worl
never saw before nor since, at length die
out, never again, we trust, 10 revisit tn
earth. 1t spared neither age, sex nor cor
dition; the rich and The poor alike succumt
ed. There died in Venice, the aristocraii
no less than 100000 persons; in FIorenc
e the refined, 10000; in Paris, the gay, Sc
900, and in London, the wealthy, 100000
while in busy, rich, industrious Norwc1
e there died the almost incredible number
: $4,000 persons nearly the whole, one wo
suppose, of its inhabitants. At Ayigno
# the deaths occurred with such frightful r
Il pidity as to wholly battle the attempts of Il
J: living TO inter their friends and relative
/; and the Pope was obliged to consecrate Il
! Rhone 10 allow of the dead bodies finding
hallowed resting place upon its bosom, un
it finally ommitted them 10 the great dee