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was limewhited and cleansed, and the cesspool emptied. It is in this densely crowded
and poor locality that a sewer is so urgently required. Grey Eagle-street, which is
very imperfectly sewered, still retains its pre-eminence for unhealthiness. The same
may be said of Pelham-street, Spicer-street, and some others. On the other band, I
am much gratified in being able to state, that Little Love-court, where, during the year
1857, no less than 14 fever cases, and one death from zymotic disease occurred, only
two fever cases were attended during the year 1858, and not a single death has been
recorded. This favorable result may be fairly attributed to the improvements effected,
viz: the paving of the court, the cleansing of the houses, and the increased water
supply. Other localities, where fever prevailed, have also been improved in their
sanitary condition, with similarly happy results.
The ignorance and uncontrolled selfishness, of the past and preceding gene*
rations, in erecting houses unfit for the healthy enjoyment of life, have entailed upon us,
in the present day, a large expense in alleviating the sickness, and consequent poverty,
of the inhabitants of these unhealthy localities. The demolition of these plague spots,—
the result of so many years of misrule, cannot be accomplished without the expenditure
of considerable sums of money ; yet, in the course of time, the public will learn, that
sickness, with its concomitant evils, viz :—the loss of wages, the calls upon clubs and
friendly societies, the increased amount of charitable contributions, a heavier poorrate,
&c., entails more expense upon the community than would be required to carry
out sanitary improvements in widening streets, converting the culs-de-sac into thoroughfares,
and in erecting more commodious houses for the poor.
The over-crowding of the houses occupied by the poor, is a subject now engaging
the attention of the public ; but what is meant by over-crowding is not defined
in any Act of Parliament. It is held, however, by some magistrates, that any house
occupied by more than one family, and not being a common lodging-house under the
supervision of the police, is over-crowded within the meaning of the Act, if the cubic
space available for each inmate fall short of four hundred cubic feet. Two children,
under 12 years, are allowed to count as one person. A room, therefore, 15ft. long by
10ft wide, by 8ft. high, cannot lawfully be occupied by more than three persons.
Cheap, and at the same time, healthy and commodious dwellings for the poor,
is the great desideratum of the present time. The poor spend a large amount of their
earnings in house-rent, which, if rents were cheaper, might be spent in procuring an
increase of food. Unfortunately for the poor, the expense of their lodgings, in some
instances, becomes increased, in consequence of landlords employing agents, who again
employ sub-agents to collect the rents. This plan may, perhaps, be unavoidable, but
it is very disadvantageous to the honest and industrious poor.
Various schemes have been proposed to mitigate the evils of over-crowding,
»nd lessening the house-rent of small houses occupied by the poor, but nothing, on a
scale commensurate with its importance, has been adopted. Model lodging-houses
have been built in some places with good results, facilities have been afforded by the
legislature to parishes to erect lodging-houses for the labouring classes ; and the latest