The Portland daily press., 1871-05-22

We HAVE ALLUDED to the rava9es of the
black vomit in the city OF Buenos Ayres; but
the half has not been told. A more terrible
picture of suffering and death than is suggest
ed by some figures showing the mortality OF
the place and the surrounding country was
never known. In the New York Times we
find some startling details of the great plague.
"In the latter part of February last" we read,
"the yellow fever appeared suddenly in
Buenos Ayres, was confined to the lowest
novels on the river front; and though for
nearly month the deaths exceeded by far
the ordinary mortality, very little attention
was paid by the authorities to the increasing
yirulence of the disease. About the middle
of March, though the disease had not yet
commenced its direful work in the upper part
| of the city, its fearful ravages among the low
| er orders, the majority OF whom are Italian
emigrants, at last aroused the fears OF the peo-
pie generally, and public meetings were held
| i'm every part OF the pestiential city, to devise
/ plans and raise the means by charitable con-
| tributions to succor the needy and stay the
| progress of the epidemic. Panic-striekeD,
| those who could flee fed with the utmost
| precipitancy The exodus was indeed gener-
| all; rich and poor hastily decamped; in fact,
| everybody that could manage to leave the In
| fected precincts hurriedly departed, leaving
the once lovely and lively capital almost de-
| serted. All the villas and towns within fifty
| miles of Buenos Ayres became the refuge of
its terror-stricken inhabitants, who suffered
| untold miseres and discomforts in conse-
I quence of the utter impossibility of the coun-
try people to make adequate provision Tor
them all. In the little towns of Belgrano,
Lujan, Moron, Flores and San 1sidro, all in
the vicinity of Buenos Ayres, the spectacle
was pittul one indeed. Crowded wlthlh
| the narrow, filthy confines OF the most squal-
| i'll novels. and huddled in masses under open
| sheds. were seen delicate and refined women,
with their children, enduring almost incredi-
| ble suffering by actual hunger and exposure
| TO the drenchng rains of the wet season, III
order TO escape, il possible, the fatal contaeion
which surrounded their luxurious homes III
| the citv. With population of considerably
over 10000, Buenos Ayres, by the 4th OF
| April last, had been decmated by the death
| of nearly 10000 of its inhabitants, while fully
| 100000 had taken flight to the country towns,
leaving scarce 10000 in the city, one hall
nearly of whom were lnvalids or GONZALES
cents, unable to assist in caring Tor their sick
fellow citizens. Most of the pubic buildings
in the city, including nearly all the churches
theatres and clnb-houses, were converted into
public he spitals. The Grand "Cathedral," the
/ tiSuIy chuOWSu ltulplc' tic Dtiti'h"i
Colon, on the Plaza de la Victoria; the Inc
afro Victoria, on the Gale Victoria; ths
Theatre Argentine. on the Gale Gang allo; ar auu
| the foreign club house. on the Cdie oah hiu W. :
. | tino, had all been Tor weeks over or III,
| with the jaundiced looking Nic'ia ,,oeoverino
pestience, some it is true $40" ~ what thev
nna m.n JUS Jase 'b but many, very many, rapidly dy
r | once Wefe' U'I ,itb all the loathsomeness OF
. ing, snrIoulit SURE UNIT In its most hdeous form. "A
: the black vo.ar native of Buenos Ayres-writ-
tie ine Argentine consul general sa at New Se
1s YORK. under date Of April $d says he o2sv Sg
: cj,v lGw Of Buenos Ayres. Hundred and thou
sands have left the pest-ridden city, and hun
dreds and thousands are daily following the
. example of those already gone. In lac,
: Buenos Ayres is almost completely deserten'
It is the general opinion that there are IN. no'
: remaining in it more than 6o.OOO OF us l1o,
600 inhabitants, and even among the reVuceu eoo C
population the mortality exceeds over ayU pdii poi
J diem. The business houses are nearlS "l
. closed"