1867.] Manchester: its Sanitary and Social State. 207 



instances are to be found in which a court contains only one house. 

 Such a court in Chorlton-upon-Medlock has lately been described 

 by the writer, in the following terms : — 



"It is a back-to-back cottage, having no window or door at the 

 back, but a side window overlooking the Medlock. It stands in a 

 court ten feet square. The house itself forms one side of the court, 

 opposite to it is a slaughter-house, on the right is the back of the 

 next house, with the narrow entrance from the street, and on the 

 left is a dead wall, under which is placed a privy and ash-pit. 

 Behind the wall flows, or rather stagnates, the Medlock. The 

 flagged floor of the court, which is nearly a foot below the level of 

 the street, is broken and uneven, and shows signs of imperfect 

 drainage. The house consists of three rooms, each ten feet square, 

 and nine in height, and is very dirty." 



That in such a cabin, placed in such a well, with such surround- 

 ings, ashpit, slaughterhouse, and an open sewer like the Medlock, 

 fever made its appearance, can surprise no one. The whole of the 

 family, consisting of nine persons, had it in succession. 



In reference to the homes of the people, some painfully 

 interesting information has lately been published by the Manchester 

 Statistical Society. It is contained in the report of a sub-com- 

 mittee appointed in 1865, to inquire into the social condition of 

 two districts, not by any means the worst in Manchester. 



A portion of the information given as to one of these districts, 

 may thus be summarized. First, as to the density of the population. 

 The area of the district being 57,000 square yards, and the popu- 

 lation 3,316, there were about 177,403 to the square mile. The 

 number of inhabited houses was 607, 68 of which had cellars 

 let out as separate tenements. The number of families was 789, 

 occupying 1,805 rooms, an average of 2*29 rooms to each family. 

 But 151 of these families, consisting each of five, six, and even seven 

 persons, were found to be living each only in one room. The 

 houses are described as being very dirty. Of the 607 houses 398 

 are back-to-back tenements, having therefore no ventilation. Many 

 of the privies are said to be very much exposed, and the stench 

 from them to be a great nuisance. In one case twelve families 

 have to make use of one privy, " and that is closed every evening at 

 ten o'clock by the person ivho keeps the key" Dogs are kept in 

 great numbers. Ponies and donkeys were found in the very houses. 

 One man had two small horses in his kitchen ; another a pony and 

 a pig in his scullery, and rabbits and dogs in other parts of the 

 house. In one of the courts there were five donkeys kept. The 

 state of the houses as to uncleanliness may be imagined. 

 " Indeed," says the report, " very many of the habitations in this 

 district are in such a condition, partly from the filthiness of the 

 inhabitants, and partly from the smell of privies, drains, and 



