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8
found to be small, overcrowded, and in very bad repair. I felt it my
duty to advise the Committee to apply for a magistrate's order to close
the court as unfit for human habitation. I show in a tabular form below
the result of our inspection:—
Inspection of Princes-court, Virginia-row, March 17, 1877.
No. of
House.
No. of
Occupants.
No. of cubic
feet to each
person, two
children under
eight counting
as one.
REMARKS.
1
3
192
Defective closet.
2
2
588
W.C. foul; traps defective.
3
8
190
4
6
250
W.C. foul.
6
8
179
No space between flooring and earth on
ground floor.
6
3
474
Dirty and dilapidated.
7
4
356
Ditto
8
4
356
Ditto
9
Empty.
10
6
196
Dirty and dilapidated.
11
6
196
One child in hospital with small pox.
12
8
135
Dirty and dilapidated.
13
Occupier ill.
14
6
179
Two children ill with small pox; basement
flooring same as No. 5.
15
5
215
Dirty and dilapidated.
16
5
215
Two children dead from variola and one
still suffering.
17
7
155
18
5
215
Two children dead from variola.
19
6
179
Premises dirty; traps defective; W.C. foul.
20
6
270
Ditto ditto.
21
3
580
Walls damp; traps defective.
The following week, the owner of the court appeared before the committee,
and asked that, instead of closing the whole court at once, he
might be allowed to empty three houses at a time, put these in thorough
repair, and so go through the court. As the applicant had only a short
lease of the premises, this plan was sanctioned, and was accordingly
carried out, no fresh case having been since reported amongst the
inhabitants of this court. The disease, however, continued to prevail
in the district, but though the condition of things is nothing like as bad
as in 1871, it is really most humiliating that we should have Small Pox