CHRONICLE. 



429 



jiued to rage, though with somewhat 

 abated Tioleiice. The following ex- 

 trart t'roin a respe(5table medical cha- 

 racter on the rock, gives a circum- 

 stantial detail of its ravages : it is 

 dated Gibraltar, 8th of October, 

 1804. 



" I had the pleasure, on the 21st 

 ult. of relating to you the favour- 

 able opinion of our medical com- 

 mittee on the nature of the fever 

 that had broke out in our garrison ; 

 since that period it has had much 

 reason to alter its opinion : a great 

 and alarming mortality has taken 

 place, owing, in the lirst place, to 

 sickness aiul filth, increased by 

 want of sullicient medical attend- 

 ance, nourishment and nurses. The 

 numbers that have fallen to its vio- 

 lence within this fortnight are sur- 

 prising : our reduced population 

 does not now consist of (inhabitants 

 and civilians) more than 3,000 souls. 

 On Monday last 114 were buried, 

 and all the week avaraged nearly 90 

 per day ! The number yesterday 

 was reduced to 57, and this day I 

 am hopeful it will not exceed 40, so 

 that we mend apace, and e.\pe(5t the 

 first heavy rains (hourly looked for) 

 will relieve us from its ravages alto- 

 gether. This mortality, from the 

 causes before recited, you will easily 

 .conceive to have taken place prin- 

 cipally among the poor. Of Bri- 

 tish merchants, very few have fallen, 

 and those only in situations extreme- 

 ly prejudicial to health. The Jews 

 have however died in numbers ; 

 and where the fever has broken out 

 in a dirty ill-aired house, it has ge- 

 nerally proved fatal to all its inha- 

 bitants. Many people have deserted 

 the garrison from fear, and the death 

 of many is ascribed to the same 

 cause, particularly among the wo- 

 men and Jews. Araoug the British, 



a committee of five has been chosen 

 to assist the government in apply- 

 ing the most likely measures to- 

 wards the promotion of the public 

 health : relieving the distressed, bu- 

 rying the dead, &c. and it is vested 

 with the fullest poAvers. The mem- 

 bers are, Messrs. Ross, Smith, 

 Swectland, Allardyce, and myself." 



2nd. A lire broke out in the ex- 

 tensive v.ater corn-mills of Mr. 

 Pickering, at Frodsham-bridge, 

 Cheshire, which entirely consumed 

 the same. The damage done is very 

 considerable ; many thousand mea- 

 sures of corn having been destroyed. 

 Among the principal sull'erers are 

 Messrs. Chadwitko, Brcreton and 

 Leadbeater ; the former of whom had 

 upwards of 3,000 measures of coru 

 upon the premises. These mills 

 are the property of Sir Peter War- 

 burton, bart. 



5th. By intelligence received 

 this day from the West Indies, wc 

 learn that a tremendous hurricane had 

 lately taken place in the windward 

 islands: it blew from the 4th to the 

 6th of September, inclusive, without 

 intermission. At St. Kitts its fury 

 was most severi'ly felt. It spread 

 likewise to Antigua, St. Bartholo- 

 mew, St. Thomas's and Dominica; 

 The losses at the different islands 

 among the shipping are thus parti- 

 cularized: — St. Kitts 120; Anti- 

 gua 29; St. Bartholomew 50; Do- 

 minica 1 ; St. Thomas's 44 ; — to- 

 tal, 274 ships, many of which are 

 Americans. Every vessel in the 

 roads of St. Pierre and Martinique 

 were driven on shore, and, with the 

 exception of five, were totally lost. 

 At Jamaica it was experienced on 

 the 29th of August, when the Pique 

 frigate was completely dismasted, 

 and two American vessels entirely 

 lost. 



The 



