176] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813! 



the 5th of September in the per- 

 sons of two porters, who were 

 taken ill and died within a few 

 hours of each other. New cases 

 soon occurring, it was declared 

 contagious by proclamation, and 

 proper means were adopted to pre- 

 vent the infection from spreading. 

 All strangers were removed from 

 the garrison, and many of the re- 

 sident families quitted it. A laza- 

 retto was formed on the neutral 

 ground, quarantines were estab- 

 lished in the houses where it had 

 appeared, and the town was di- 

 vided into districts under proper 

 inspectors. The contagion was not 

 confined to the town's-people, but 



reached the military, and several 

 officers fell victims to it. The mor- 

 tality of the disease was consider- 

 able in proportion to the number 

 affected, but happily its ravages 

 were not of long duration. On 

 December 23, the port was open- 

 ed, and the communication by land 

 was restored, and clean bills of 

 health were issued. At the time 

 of the prevalence of this epidemic, 

 the fever at Cadiz which has been 

 already mentioned, and which was 

 apparently of the same nature, was 

 in a progressive state, and caused 

 all vessels arriving from that port 

 to be placed under quarantine^ 



CHAPTER 



