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many of them have the soil over the floors. In one house I found the soil
(consisting of excrement chiefly) over the yard to the depth of one foot. In
another yard a donkey is kept, in a place which had not been cleaned out for
weeks Many of the back rooms on the ground floor are used for storing ftsh
and stale vegetables. The water pipe has been cut off in No. 14, and the water
flows over the floors, which are under water, soaking into the next houses."
I think you will admit that there is need of sanitary measures when such a
state of things as this exists, and that in the very midst of a dense population.
In places similar to the above, we have found houses with from 40 to 50 inmates.
There is an evil, to which I wish to invite attention, arising from the practice of
the Water Companies, who, as soon as the landlord falls in arrear with his water
rates, cut off the supply of water to his houses, and thus his unfortunate tenants
are deprived of that element, an unrestricted supply of wliich is the first
essential of decency, comfort, and health. At the present time I know of several
places thus deprived of water. In Wait's-place, which was mentioned in my last
Keport, there are eight houses, with several families in each house, without any
water, except what they can obtain by begging from their nearest neighbours, who
live at some distance in the King's-road. The consequence is, that the houses
and courts are very dirty, the drains blocked up, and the inhabitants suffering
severely from the effluvia. One fatal case of typhus fever has occurred there
during the last month.
It is provided, by the 83rd section of the Metropolis Local Management Act,
that if any person discontinue any water supply, without the consent of the
Yestry, he shall forfeit and pay any sum not exceeding £10.
Complaints are constantly being made about the difficulty in obtaining the
removal of dust. The scavengers often refuse to do their duty unless they are
paid for so doing by the occupier of the house. This operates very injuriously
in the case of the poorer class of houses. The dust-heap frequently contains
decaying animal and vegetable matter, and, if allowed to remain for any length
of time, becomes very offensive and injurious to health. It should be clearly
understood, that the dustmen lay themselves open to a heavy penalty by thus
refusing to act; and for the future, I think, the penalty should be enforced.
It will be seen, from the subjoined table (Schedule A), that during the 5
weeks ending May 31st, the total number of deaths registered was 357. I
should explain that this includes those inhabitants of this parish who died in
the London Fever Hospital. Typhus was fatal in 20 cases, scarlet fever in 13,
and small pox in 2. Under the age of 3 years, 137 deaths occurred. Of those
who died in Hospitals 12 came from other parishes. The average number
of deaths during the corresponding period of the past 10 years, 1846-55, was
358.2, which, if raised in proportion to the increase of population, becomes 394.
So that the number of deaths during the last 5 weeks has been below the
average ; this has been the case also throughout the Metropolis.