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Leader (1850-1860), 31st December 1853, Edition 1 of 2, Page 1255, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      The most important news from Germany is the death of General Radowitz , at Berlin , at noon on Christmas-day . His death was tranquil . General Radowifz , many years the favourite adviser or the present King of Prussia , and some time his recognised adviser , was bom Feb . 6 , 1797 . ' His family ¦ was orig inally Hungarian .., His mother was a Protestant , and liis Father a Catholic . He entered the army in . the se ' r-, vice of Westphalia , then the kingdom of Joseph Bonaparte , and at the battle of Leipsic commanded a battery of artillery , and was severely wounded . On the dissolution of the "VVestphalian kingdom , he entered the service of the Elector of Hesse-Cassel , and falling into disgrace with that prince throug h a palace intrigue , he retired to Prussia , and became the confidential intimate of the Prussian Eoyal Family , and

      rose to high rank in the Prussian army . In 1828 he became major , and in 1830 chief of the artillery general staff . In 1821 he had first become acquainted with the present Kin ^ , then Crown Prince , to wliom his tendency to religions mysticism rendered him peculiarly congenial . In 1836 he was named Minister Plenipotentiary of Prussia to the Germanic Diet . In 1840 , on the prospect of a war with France , he was recalled to Berlin .-nd sent to Vienna to stir up the Austrian Government to the defence of Germany . The war never came , but General Radowitz enacted a series of valuable reforms in the Federal army . In . . 1847 , he was actively elaborating a new scheme ¦ of German federation under Prussian headship . In April ,

      1848 , he retired from tlie Prussian service , and was ., elected to the National Assembly by a town in Westphalia . He spoke often and effectually in the Assembly . In _ 1849 when Prussia was almost at war with Austria , Radowitz was , for a short time , Prime Minister of Prussia ; but the King gave way , and dismissed his favourite servant , who , it may be remembered , paid a visit shortly after to our Court . Since then he has lived apart from public life , engage d in writing works on Chnreh and State , and to- the last devoted to the idea of German unity , to be brought about by the voluntary union of governments and peoples . General Radowitz was iwdoubtedly a man of rare capacity and of enthusiastic aspirations " ; and his death will be felt by Prussia as a national loss .

      Untitled Article

      The ecclesiastical war still rages in Baden . The Jesuits iave been ordered to . quit Friburg within a week , and the clergy have been cautioned against using seditious language in the pulpit .

      Untitled Article

      MR . P . O . WARD ON THE PREVENTTIBLLITY OF EPIDEMIC CATTLE DISEASE . Wa have been favoured with an extract from a private letter , written lately from Hasselt , in Belgium , by Mr . F . O . Ward ; whose observations we gladly publish , as tending to throw new and valuable light on the obscure and much vexed question respecting the cause of epidemic pleuro-pneumonia in cattle , and respecting- the efficacy of the new method of inoculation , now generally relied on in Belgium and Holland , as a preservative against its ravages . This

      question is one of the deepest interest to the British public , seeing that this terrible malady sweeps away many thousands of cattle which "would else be available for the supply of our marketswhile those which escape reach our shores , not only enhanced in price , but probably also deteriorated in quality , by the epidemic influence . Mr . Ward writes as follows : — * . **" First , however , you will want to know why I am here . I was asked to accompany two members of a Government Gommision , to aid in investigating a terrible epidemic malady ( called pleuro-pneumonia ) , which decimates the cattle at Hasselt , and elsewhere in Belgium and Holland , the especial object of the commission being to appreciate the

      alleged preservative virtue of a method of inoculation pro-, posed and practised by Dr . Willems ( of Hasselt ) , who squeezes the virus out of-the lungs of the animals which die , and introduces it with a lancet into the tails of the living . The tail swells , pustules form and discharge , the animal suffers a general fever , recovers , and is thenceforth ( so the inventor alleges ) proof against the epidemic . Many thousands of beasts have been thus inoculated , and a vehement controversy rages as to the Vcilue of the discovery . I went round the stables at Hasselt , and visited Dr . Willems , the inventor , himself . Without deciding whether or ' not the inoculation defends the cattle from the affection , I satvfcfenough to convince me that in this , as in other cases , preservative and curative methods may be wholly superseded by the application of our sanitary rule of prevention . . ¦

      '¦" The first thing 1-saw on entering one of the infected establishments ( I should have mentioned that they are all distilleries , where the cattle are kept 'to utilise the residuum of the stills ) , was a man filling a water-cart with a dirty , yellowlooking liquid , which he pumped up seemingly from some under-ground reservoir , and which emitted a violent stench . This I learnt was the ' pvrin , ' i . e ., the stable excrement , especially the more fluM , which is collected in large tanks , and sold as manure to the farmers . On entering the stables

      I found them low , dark , ill-ventilated ; the litter befouled with dung ; and the odour of cow-breat !) , mingled with all fho other perfumes , quite overpowering . 1 inquired ii \ what part of the stables the disease had first broken out , and was shown a corner which , on further questioning , proved to be just above the great urine tank , which extends ( underneath the poor animals' stalls ) ten or twelve yards'in" length , and five or sis yards in width' and depth ! with untrapped holes to receive the stable washings , and ( of course ) to emit the gaseous effluvium .

      " The second stable was shown me in triumph to contradict my view . ' Hero , ' they said , ' tlie malady has never appeared , yet this shed is darker , and lias fewer doors and windows than tlie other . ' ' Where is tlie urine tank ? ' I asked . ' Outside / ' was the reply . —[ The writer here gives a sketch of the two cattlo sheds , showing the position of the urine tanks , and the greater prevalence of the disease in their neighbourhood . ] v " On further inquiry , I made out that the malady rages chiefly in winter , when tlie stables are crowded with cattle , when tlie doors and windows are leapt shut to maintain tho heat , and when tho urine ( for which there is then less sale ) accumulates in tlie tanks beneath . To add to all thesu causes

      of disease , ithe aliment in some of tlie establishments is slightly alcoholic , so that the beasts arc in a constant state of ucnii-intoxication . They give themas much as they can cram ( to each a hectolitre , = about 22 gallons , per diem ) , and allow them no exercise , iu o ; der to shorten as much a . s possible the fattening time ( which costs from GO centimes to 1 frauc per beast per day ) . This lust fault they pusli so far us ( in . some instances ) to bo annoyed if you make a beast , which may happen to bo lying down , get up , lest the movement should exercise tho animal , and j > ro tanlo retard the entjruissement , ! " I lmvo oilVrcd to plan a model-stable ; and , on comlit'on of my rules being observed , to forfeit a . guinea per beast for every boast attacked in that stable . One of

      the richest distillers in Jlasselk is coining to coiner with mo on this subject at Brussels , and I hopo to introducea . reform in which wo English arc also greatly interested , seeing that wo receive thesu animals in oxchango for our razors and calicoes , and have to eat their Jlesh . To what extent such flij . sh is harmful in not yet certainly known , but instinct anticipates science in preference of meat untainted by disease . One point of great importance I nnulc out . Hint tho inoculated beasts , whether or not they ' aro preserved from tho epidemic plourc-pneuinoniii , arc n it always prc-Hervod from dreadful abscesses , which in suvcral cases have formed within them under the diaphragm , near tho liver ; and which sometimes yield ( an M . Matin , n veterinary surgeon of lla . s . Holl , a . ssuml me ) a pail and a half of purulent mutter , the stench of which is frightful ! " » *

      Untitled Article

      WILLIAM CHAMBERS ON THE UNITED ( STATES . Mk . William CiiAMiuiiKS , of Edinburgh , has recently been on n visit to tho United States , lie has concluded his tour of investigation . As tho following farewell letter to tho New York Tribune h alike honourable to him and to the people and institutions of the country wliich forma ita subject , our readers will bo glad to posaeas it :-

      —" Sir , —I beg , through the medium of your columns , to say'a few words of farewell before departing for England , which I do to-morrow in the steamship Europa . " I have been able , during the last three months , to realise the longTcherished wish ot visiting America . Necessarily brief as has been ' my sojourn , and recalled home sooner thau I anticipated , my excursion through the British American provinces and the United States , has imparted indelible impressions on my mind . Greatly satisfied with all that has fallen under my observation , and deeply grateful for many personal attentions , I cannot depart from your shores , withdut tendering my sincere thanks to all for the unmerited kindness that has been extended toward me , as well as for the opportunities frankly and hospitably afforded for my researches into the social and other circumstances of the

      country . -sp >" Ileave the United States with much regret . I carry with me the conviction that a great and splendid future is before them . Contrary -to the opinion of most travellers from England , I see here a young but rapidly growing nation offering an example to the oldest communities in Europe . It is far from my wish to flatter ; but what do I not feel vast delight in seeing ? I am overcome with the stupendous proportions and capacity of the country—its far-stretching fields for human subsistence and happiness ; of the American people , so little understood , and often misrepresented , I candidly own that their remarkable love of order , their energy and perseverance , their love of independence , the self-respect of even the humblest classes among them , their __ striking sobriety , their admirable educational systems , their many

      excellent libraries and universal fondness for reading , then * press free from fiscal exactions , their flourishing religious institutions untampered by civil polity , their economically and spiritedly got up railways , now pushed half way to the Pacific , the neatness of their dwellings , their wonderfuland to an Englishman , alarming—progress in the mechanical arts , the marvellous growth of their . cities , and I will add their civility to strangers—I say all this gives me unqualified pleasure ; and when I contrast their cities , free of pauperism and vice in its most loathsome forms , with what meets the eye in London , -Edinburgh , Glasgow , and other large cities in Britain , I feel that travellers from the old country have really little reason to speak disdainfully of America , or to exaggerate faults which at most are only partial and of no sort of account .

      " Such being my impressions , ifc will be my duty to represent , in my own poor way at home , things as they deserve to be spoken of . Nor shall I fail to speak of the advantages to be derived by an emigration of the labouring classes generally to this country—fleeing , as they will do , from a perishing and unimprovable condition to a state of comfort and boundless prospects of well-doing . 14 Trusting that you will impute these unstudied thoughts to a sentiment of grateful emotion , I am your obedient servant , " William Chambers . " Astor-house , New York , Dec . 13 , 1853 . "

      Untitled Article

      THE HEALTH OF THE COUNTRY . We have before us a report just issued by the General Board of Health on the cholera : —¦ " Though since the last announcement there has been a general subsidence of cholera , as was the case at this period of the year in 1848 , yet there has been no day in which cases of the disease have- not occurred in different parts of tho country , but in England it has rarely assumed an epidemic character . Its progress appears to have been particularly checked , during tlie recent cold and frosty weather , in those districts which are in a marshy condition , and the surface and malarious evaporation of which is usually in proportion to the elevation of the temperature .

      " On the other hand , in Scotland the disease has been all along steadily persistent , and in several places has _ assumed an epidemic character . Scarcely is the severe visitation of Dundee terminated , when another signilicant warning , a decided outbreak , has taken place at Glasgow . There were recorded , from tho 17 th to the 25 th inst ., 17 deaths from this disease . On tho 26 th there occurred suddenly SG attacks in tho city parish alone , and 10 deaths in the barony parish . Tim was followed the next day , tho 27 th , by 28 attacks and 9 deaths in the city parish , and 13 attacks and 5 deaths in the b . irony parish . Dr . Gavin , tho medical inspector , is on tho spot , and , with the co-operation of the local authorities , is activel y engaged in organising preventive measures . During the epidemic of 1818 and liM ' J Glasgow other citin

      suttered moro severely than almost any large y Great Britain . It is remarkable that in Scotland tho disease has proceeded unchecked by tho cold of winter . In 1848 the pestilence was at its height in Glasgow on tho first day of tho year of 181 !) , while tho ground was covered with snow and a severe frost prevailed ; and at the same timo it raged with great violence at Coutbridgo and several other towns . . " Since tho commencement of tho epidemic tlicrc have occurred in Dundee ! 31 f > deaths ; in Lift" and Benvie 20 deaths- iu Leith i ) ; iu Kilbuniie , 15 deaths and 100 attacks of diarrhea ; in Dairy , 14 attacks of cholera and 9 deaths ; inAibroath , 20 deaths ; in Ileith , 7 ; and in Kilwiuning , (!() ciises of chotoraio disoauo , 13 cases of developed cholera , and 10 deaths . "

      Attention is drawn to the state of Kcdruth , Cornwall , where a severe outbreak has occurred ; and still continues . Since the end of September there have been 41 deaths in a population of 11 , OOD . The town is in a filthy state . At Liverpool , we learn that no fewer than 100 deaths have occurred since tho beginning of October . Hero also the disease malcea its appearance in tho filthiest localities . It is Btrango that in tho rich town of Liverpool there should bescarcely any of tho most uecesaury conveniences of civilised lifo . Merthyr Tydvil ia also in a like disgraceful condition . In the week that ended on Saturday , 1399 deaths

      Untitled Article

      ¦ ¦ ' . '¦ . . ' ¦ ' _ ¦ v December 31 , 1853 . ] " THE LEADER . 1255

      Untitled Article

      In order to meet tho imincnau charges imposed on the municipality of Paris by the prico of Hour and tho forced cheapness of broad , n Caisse dc Service da la llotdunyerie haa been onta . blbjb . cil by tho Government , to act as an intermediary between tho bakera and the city . Thin fund is to pay every fortnight to tho bakers of Paris tho dilferonco betwuou tho prico of 80 c . tho present rato of tho loaf of two kilognuiunea , nnd tho price established by tho market lists . At it later period , when abundance shall have returned , tho Caisse will bo reimbursed for its ndvuncc . i , by levying on tho public , by tho intermediary of tho bnkora , it slight dillbrerice between tho selling prico mid tliti cost price , flow this precious imperial atop gap will answer remains to bo Keen . It roadd like ruin .

      Untitled Article

      A letter from Vienna , of tho 21 st , says : — " A Russian councillor , M . Duez , has arrived hero with presents from the Emperor Nicholas for tho Emperor Francis Joseph . Amongst them is a magnificent camp tent and tho necessary furniture . " An Imperial deciee , dated Saturday last , enacts that tho Universal Exhibition of Agriculture , Manufactures , and tho Fine Arts , which ia to commence ut Paris on tho 1 st of May , 1855 , sliall bo undor tho direction and tmrvcillanco of n commission , which ehall bo presided ov « r by tho Prince Napoleon ; and a second decree appoints Lord Cowluy a tnenibor of tho commission , as M . Drouyu do l'Huyn was of tho commission of the National Exhibition ia Hyde-park .

      Untitled Article

      Tho Duke and Duchess of Montpensicr arrived at Madrid on the 20 th inst . Tho Government had decreed the Budget for 1854 , subject to the revision of the Cortes at fitting season . From Rome we leam that tho Congregation of tho Index had condemned , among other-works , Eugene Polletan'a Profession de Foi du XIX . Siticle .

      Untitled Article

      The Portuguese Cortes assembled at Lisbon on the 19 th inst . to record tho King Regent ' s reiteration of his oath . Tlie young King was also present . Tho King Regent in his speech promised strict fidelity to the constitution on his own part , and on behalf of his son , the King . Tho British sqnadron was in the Tagus under Admiral Cony , but expected to leave on a cruise . Tho Duke of [ Vellimjton , steam line-of-battle-ship , was crowded with visitors daily .

      Untitled Article

      A series of duels has taken place at Madrid . First , M . ¦ Soule , son of the American Ambassador , challenged the Due d'Alba ( brother-in-law of the Empress of the French ) , ifor an observation overheard at a ball on the subject ot Madame Soule ' s dress ^ secondly , M . Soule' the elder challenged the Marquis de Turgot , the interlocutor of the Due d'Alba ; and a third duel is reported to have taken place between the French and American Consuls at Santander . The Due d'Alba disarmed M . Soulo the younger and spared his life . M . Soule" the elder wounded tho Marquis de Turgot hi the knee . Tho ball has since been extracted , and tlie French Ambassador is recovering . These encounters have caused great sensation in Madrid and Paris . Lord Howden was one of the seconds of the Marquis do Turgot .

      Untitled Article

      A Russian courier is stated to have arrived at Stockholm on the 11 th inst ., commanding Sweden to close her ports to English and French vessels and subjects . The Swedes are to a man against Russia ; the Royal Family doubtful . Sweden and Denmark aro both taking measures of defence .

      Untitled Article

      The Ministerial candidate , M . Boncompagni , has been elected President of the Chamber of Deputies in Piedmont , by a majority of 74 out of 107 votes .

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Dec. 31, 1853, page 1255, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2019/page/7/