Leaves from a Madeira Garden 



died. A fifteenth, a doubtful case, recovered. 

 The energetic governor of the day — it was 

 during Franco's rule in Portugal, of which 

 more hereafter — personally superintended the 

 isolation of the sick, and the threatened 

 epidemic was stayed. 



During the riots the Lazaretto had been 

 somewhat damaged, and subsequently the 

 hated building was completely looted and 

 gutted, and rendered quite unfit for use. The 

 Government took no steps to put it in order, 

 probably being unwilling to incur the unpopu- 

 larity and the expense of doing so. The 

 punishment that followed was swift and 

 bitter. 



Early in the following winter a mariner was 

 landed from a steamer suffering from what 

 proved to be small-pox. Whether as a result 

 of his case or not, within a few weeks the 

 disease became prevalent in the poor quarters 

 of the town, chiefly among the families of the 

 boatmen. For twenty years or more there had 

 been no serious outbreak here, and the greater 

 part of the population, especially the youthful 

 part, was unvaccinated. The Lazaretto having 

 been wrecked, and being moreover in very bad 



90 



