Baton Rouge tri-weekly gazette & comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1865-18??, 1865-08-22
History aud Description Of the Plague.

The report that the plague IS
spreading westward, and may yet
| visit tbis continent, viii render of
| interest the following article from
the CoynhtN Magazine
The black death, like many 9th.
en- plaques Of its class. can be traced
far back into the remote East and
there ig no doubt but that it was
| the same disease which ravaged
China and Tartary ID 1888, fifteen
years before itarrived on the shores
| Of Europe. There had been great
famine in China, preceded by earth
| quakes, which alone destroyed 40O,-
900 persons, and in the following
year. DO fewer than 100000 died
there of this plague. From the re.
mote East, il made its way into Eu-
rope some years later. for pestil-
ence often travels slowly, accom-.
panying the migyations OF men,
and being carried about in their
clothing and merchandise. 1t did
not arrive in Europe until l34T, fif-
teen years after the outbreak in
China. From China" says Hecker,
"the. routes of the caravans lay to
the north OF the Caspian Sea,
through Central Asia, to Tauris.---
Here ships were ready to take the
produce of the East to CONSTANT
nople, the capital of commerce and
The medium of communication be-
tween Asia, Europe and Africa" p
Contagiou made its way along these
channels, and CoDstantinople. and
the seaports Of Asia Minor, were
the .foci whence the disease was
carried 10 every country If Europe.
Making its way across the Euro
pean Continent, 1t committed its
greatest rayages, perhaps, in Eng.
land in Italy, raging terribly at
Florence where il was observed and
described by the poet Boccacio.
Passing along the shores of the
Mediterranean it invaded France by
way of Avignon, spreading thence
to England on the one hand, and to
Germany on the other f; whence,
like the cholera Of the present day,
it doubled back two years laster to
Russia, and 30 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 Oriental Plague, viz A
putIid typhus, only of greater ma.
Lightly. The boils and buboes Of
the later disease were found on the
former whenever the patient lived
long enough to permit their devel
opment The inhabitants Of Europe
at that time, have been computed
Mt one hundred and five millions, a
high estimate OF these. twenty
five afnillions, or one fourth of the
whole. persisted. In England it
was still more fatal, owing, prob.
| ably. 10 the rider habits Of the poo
pie. During the term Of one year,
from August, I34s, to August, 1349,
thrse.fourths Of The whole popula-
ton perished Indeed, if we are to
credit the anDalsts Of that period,
not more than ono tenth escaped .---
Many suecumbed IN few hours,
like seunacherib's host none en-.
dured for three days
In France numbers died on the
spot where they were first smitten,
as If struck by lightning. This ter
rible scourPe, having swept over
the known world, committing such
destruction Of life, and leaving be.
hind it such misery and poverty as
the world never saw before nor
since, at length died out. Itspared
neither age, sex, nor condition the |
rich and the poor alike succumbed. |
There died ID Venice the aristo-
cratic, no less than 100000 in |
Paris the gay, $4,000 and ID Lon.
don the wealthy. 100000 while in
busy. rich, Industrious Norwich, |
there died the almost incredible |
number of $4,000 personal---very. |
the whole, one would suppose, of |
its inhabitants ! At Avignon, the
deaths occurred with such fearful !
rapidity as wholly to battle the at. |
tempts Of the living to inter their
friends and relatives and the Pope |
was obliged to consecFate the |
Rbone to allow of the dead bodies |
finding hallowed resting.place |
upon it's bosom, until it finally COM |
mitted them to the great deep.
Cosplrros or LIEUT.. MAuRY.--A |
French paper states that LAueRiT |