Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-11-22


remains of ancient grandeur, nor t.
form a scale of the curiosity of mod.
ern art not to collate medals or col.
lect manuscripts but to dive into the
depths of dungeons to plunge into
the infections of hospitals to survey
the mansions of sorrow and pain; to
take the guage and dimensions of mis-
cry, depression, and contempt; to re-
member the forgotten, to attend to the
neglected, TO visit the forsaken, and TO
compare and coilate the distresses of
all men in all countries"
The information contained in his
appendix having been laid before the
house of commons, a bill, drafted by
Sir William Blackstone and Mr.. Eden.
was passed for building two peniten-
tiaries on the hard labor system, of
which Howard was appointed the first
supervisor. Finding that his time
was in danger of being uselessly con-
sumed in discussions with one of his
colleagues as to the site of the pro-
posed buildings, he resigned his Office,
and between 1871 and 1854 travelled
through Denmark, Sweden, Russia,
Poland, Spain and Portugal on his err
rand of inquiry and reform, publish
ing the results of his investigations in
1874 in a second appendix, together
with new edition of his work, con-
tanning much additional matter. The
fist great series of his labors, which
had extended over a period of more
than ten years, terminates here and
in consideration of his impaired pc
cuniary resources and shattered health,
he might have been considered entitled
to repOse during the remainder of his
life. His sense of duty, however, al
lowed him no rest, and he embarked
upon his second series of philanthro-
pie researches with zeal far surpass-
ing his physical powers The subject
of hospitals and lazarettOs had, to some
extent. occupied his attention during
his researches among European pris-
ons, and in ITS he had witnessed the
terror with which the approach of con-
tagiOus diseases was regarded in Medi-
terranean ports. He therefore readily
volunteered to procure for the British
government whatever information re-
latlng to quarantine establishments
was available. Designing first to visit
the new lazaretto Of Marseilles, he en-
deavOred in vain to procure passport
from the French government, which
was ineeEsed against him for having
published in 1880 a translation of
suppressed French account of the in
terror of the Bastiie. He therefore
travelled through the country in vari-
Gus DISCUSSES, and, after series of ro-
mantle adventures and several narrow
escapes from the police, who were con-
stantly on his track, succeeded in his
purpose. He proceeded thence to
Malta, Zante, Smyrna and CONSTANT
nOple, visiting prisons, pest houses
and hospitals, and in the two latter
cities gratuitously dispensing his medi-
cal services and often with great bene-
fit to the poor. The freedom with
which he exposed his person in infect
ed places, whittier his attendants re-
fused TO follow him, was characteristic
of his fearless and self-sacriicingc char
acter; but as ii by miracle he escap-
ed all contagiOn. His most daring act,
however, has yet to be recorded Feel
ing that he could not speak with au-
thOrity on the subject of pest houses
until he had experienced the discip-
line of one, he went to Symrna, sought
out foul ship, and sailed in her for
Venice. After voyage of sixty days,
during which by his energy and bravery
he assisted the crew in beating off an
attack of pirates, he arrived at his des-
tination and was subjected to 4 rigOr-
Gus confinement in the Venetian laza-
rettO, under which his health suffered
severely. After recovering his strength
he departed for England, where he ar
rived in February, 1857, after an alb
sence of sixteen months. In 1889 was
published his second great work, An
account of the principal lazarettos of
Europe, with various papers relating
to the plague, together with further
observations on some foreign prisons
and hospitals, and additional remarks
on the present state OF those in Great
Britain and Ireland Otto, in the pre-
face to which he announced his in
tention to pursue his inquiries in the
same direction, observing: Should
it please God to cut off my life in the
prosecution of this design, let not my
conduct be imputed to rashness or en-
thusiasm, but TO q serious conviction
that am pursuing the path of duty.
In the summer of 1889 he started on
his last continental tour, meaning to
pass through Russia to the East, but
was cut off by camp fever which he
contracted from patient in KhersOn,
or the Black sea. He expended nearly
the whole of his large fortune in vari-
Gus benefactions.