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came deposited possibly—an objection which with some might have weight;
but this could hardly apply to the subtle poison which baffies the most
delicate analysis, when propelled, moreover, by the "magnificent engine"
spoken of on its ascent of 76 feet. It has, however, since been discovered
that Stamford Hill is supplied by a reservoir actually 20 feet higher than the
town itself, so that with the full charge of the poison equally as at St. John's
District, it is powerless here to kill more than 4 in 10,000 persons.
But I will not take extreme cases, but come down from the hill to the plain,
and have it tested on a perfect equality. In Bower Street, Ratcliff, consisting
of 30 houses, there have been 8 deaths; in Havering Street, on the same
level, the same number of houses, built in precisely the same style, and
inhabited by the same class of persons, there has been no death. In William
Street, about 30 houses near at hand, there have been 12 deaths; in Bath
Street, exactly the same in structure and tho character of the people, only one
child has died. And of many other like cases may it be affirmed in Ratcliff.
In Limehouse the same anomalies are found. In Northey Street, and round
about, many deaths took place. Within 100 yards is the establishment for
pauper children of the district. Into this institution was brought one child,
before tho Hospital at Wapping was started, suffering from Choleraic
Diarrhoea, and within 14 hours died. There was another long-ailing consumptive
child, an inmate, Suffered—a common thing in such cases—from
Diarrhœa a, who drank no water, only wine, and died. It was registered
"Diarrhoea." In other respects the health was never better. It is a fact
beyond dispute that out of 400 children in the establishment who had free
access, and were drinking water all day long, that there was not even one
case of common Diarrhœa.
In corroboration of the water hypothesis, some stress has been laid on
the good result of an interview for the 1st August between the Engineer and
the Authorities at Somerset House, for that immediately afterwards the
Cholera began to decline.
Of course. There was no mystery about this. It was all in the natural
order of things. It wanted no desperate efforts of the hydraulic engineer to
stop the Cholera ; this was already set in action by another Hand, on
another and a very different scale — by the operations of nature. Now, I
have had some years' experience in sanitary matters, and watching the