Section Ii.--Progress and Fatality.

The disease in 1817 appeared on the Delta of the Ganges, and gradually extending its influence, swept over various countries with terrible severity. Having here acquired its full development, and manifesting an indomitable determination to itinerate, it starts upon its lethean errand, and soon shows a capacity and power to overcome every obstacle opposed to its progress, and to pursue its course unchecked and even unretarded by any natural or artificial barrier. It soon traversed India, and in the succeeding season spread over adjacent countries, visiting in 1818 the Indian Peninsula, the Burmese Empire, the Kingdom of Aracan, and the Peninsula of Malacca. In 1819 it reached Sumatra, Singapore, and various other islands situated along the coast on either border of this vast peninsula.

During the year 1820, pursuing steadily its progress eastward, it reached Tonquin, Southern China, Canton, the Philippine, and numerous other places and islands in that direction. In 1821 it visited Java--the place of its earlier nativity--Madura, Borneo, and many other places in the Indian Archipelago. During the years 1822, 1823 and 1824, it continued to spread over the vast and populous regions of Central and Northern China and the numerous islands upon the coast, and in 1827 prevailed in Chinese Tartary, leaving few places in all these different countries on the continent, or even on the islands bordering on the eastern coast, unscathed by its terrible ravages and depopulating influence.

During the same period, its progress westward has been uninterrupted, and attended with results no less remarkable. It has baffled all attempts to check or even retard its onward course, or mitigate its appalling effects. In July, 1821, it had reached Muscat in Arabia, and thence extended its influence to the populous cities and villages along the Persian Gulf. During the same season it appeared in Persia, and continued to ravage the principal cities and towns of that empire for four successive years. At Bassorah and Bagdad it broke out in July, 1821, and thence extended its desolating influence westward to the Red and Mediterranean Seas, carrying off vast numbers of the inhabitants of the populous cities of Mesopotamia, Syria, and Judea.

In 1822 it prevailed among the nomadic and Tartar tribes in Central Asia and in the northern Persian Provinces, and in 1823 broke out on the Georgian frontiers of Russia, at Orenburg on the River Ural, and at Astrachan on the Volga. Here its western course was apparently interrupted. There was, for a short period, an interval of complete immunity from its presence. Along the border of the Russian Provinces the disease had entirely disappeared, and seemed inclined to retrace its course and return to the home of its birth. But the fond anticipations of Europeans were disappointed; the destroyer was not to be arrested and turned back in his progress over the earth; his march was onward, his demands imperative.

Hence, in the month of June, 1830, the disease reappeared in a Persian province on the southern shore of the Caspian, and again at Astrachan, on the Volga, in July, where it prevailed with such unwonted violence that, before the close of August, more than 4,000 persons had died of it in the city, and 21,270 in the province. From its interval of repose, it would seem to have recuperated its strength and vigor for the lethean work awaiting its progress. Ascending the Volga, it reached Moscow, became prevalent there in September, and continued with great severity till February, 1831. Here it attacked, in the city, about 9,000 persons, of whom more than one-half died. Continuing its advance, it reached Riga about the middle of May, and St. Petersburg on the 26th June.

From Astrachan it also directed its course towards the northern coast of the Black Sea, and thence along the course of the rivers into the central parts of Russia. It reached Poland in January, 1831, accompanied the Russian army in its various marches and encampments during the subjugation of that country, and proved very destructive in Warsaw and many other places during April and May. It appeared at Dantzic in May, and in June at Lemburg, Cracow, and various other places and sections of country, extending through Gallicia, Hungary, and reaching Berlin and Hamburg in August and September, and Vienna about the same time.

Smyrna was visited in September, and Constantinople soon afterwards. It is reported that the pestilence was conveyed by a caravan from Mecca to Cairo in August, 1831, some thousands having died on the road; and, by the middle of September, 10,400 Mohammedans, besides Jews and Christians, had died of it in this latter city.

Passing from the western coast of the continent, on nearly the same parallels of latitude, it found its way over the Northern Sea to the British Isles, and made a lodgment, first, on the northeastern coast of England, in October, 1831, at Sunderland, situated in latitude 55° north, whence it prevailed and extended its influence over this section, evincing the same malignant and lethean character it had manifested in its progress over the continent. Its course thus far has been marked with unparalleled fatality.

It made its first appearance in Scotland, at Haddington, in December, 1831, and at Edinburgh in January. In these and various other places it prevailed for some months, and, as warm weather came on, increased in severity, and carried off a large percentage of those attacked. After spreading thus over the northern section, and rioting for months in the more populous cities and towns, it made its appearance in London on the 14th February, 1832, where it found an abundance of material for recuperating its strength and multiplying its forces, and soon after spread over various other places in the United Kingdom, inflicting the most appalling bills of mortality. In short, its progress over this country has been attended with the same destructive influence and the same lamentable consequences as on the continent. No change, modification, or softening of its disposition or character has arisen from its passage over the Northern Sea, nor from the refreshing influences of a purer atmosphere.

It appeared in Calais on the 12th, and at Paris on the 26th of March, 1832, where it continued in these and other cities and villages for some months with its accustomed severity. During the season it raged throughout the vast empire, and swept away an immense number of its inhabitants. During the succeeding years, 1833 and 1834, it traversed Spain, and proved very destructive in many of its larger cities and villages.

In the mean time, continuing its course from the British Isles westward, unchecked by the prevailing western winds and the broad expanse of the Atlantic Ocean, over which it passes a distance of nearly three thousand miles, and makes its first appearance on the American continent at Quebec, Lower Canada, on the 8th June, 1832, and reaches Montreal on the 10th of the same month. From these cities it rapidly spread in all directions, prevailing in the towns and villages on the St. Lawrence and its tributaries, and soon extended along the chain of lakes, dividing the Provinces from the United States, visiting the principal ports on either shore. It exhibited in all these places its peculiar epidemic character, and proved excessively violent and fatal wherever it appeared.

Its first irruption in New York was on the 24th June, 1832, sixteen days after its appearance at Quebec, and at Albany, midway between the two former cities, on the 3d July. From New York it extended its influence to Flatbush and Gravesend, Long Island, where it appeared on the 5th July, and on the same day and date at the city of Philadelphia. It broke out at Rochester on the 12th and at Buffalo--July.

Thus, while it was making its way westward along the great chain of lakes, towards the arteries of the Great West, it was, at the same time, steadily pursuing its uninterrupted course along the coast, visiting the main cities, and spreading from these as from common centres over the intermediate towns and villages. In its progress it reached Baltimore on the 22d August, and the City of Washington on the 28th of the same month.

Thence it continued its course to Richmond, Norfolk, Edenton, and various other cities along the Atlantic and Gulf coast.

It appeared at New Orleans in the Autumn of 1832, during the existence of a severe epidemic of yellow fever, and apparently subsided on the disappearance of the fever. Sporadic cases, however, occurred during the Winter, and in the opening of Spring it broke out with unwonted vigor and severity, and thence spread, according to its accustomed laws of itineracy, along the rivers into the interior of the States bordering upon the Mississippi and the Gulf coast, and raged throughout Louisiana and Texas with unusual violence and fatality.

In 1832, 1833, and 1834 it prevailed throughout the Mississippi Valley with great fatality, especially in the principal cities, villages and towns situated upon its navigable waters. Here, after intervals of entire immunity from its presence, it occasionally reappeared in some of the larger cities with renewed vigor and power, and swept off vast numbers of the inhabitants. In no section of the States have greater numbers, compared with the whole population, fallen victims to it than in the fertile and sparsely settled prairies of the South and West.

Thus, from the North, and at a later date from the South, extending its influence along the principal rivers into the interior, it swept over the States, prevailing in some places in the Valley of the Mississippi as late as 1836. In short, it reappeared in 1834 in many cities and places where it had before prevailed, and again spread over a considerable portion of the country with unprecedented fatality.

In 1833, the disease appeared at Havana and Matanzas, and prevailed on the island for several months with great fatality, especially among the colored people. During the same season it appeared in August at Tampico, Campeachy, Vera Cruz, and the city of Mexico, proving especially violent and destructive in these and other cities of the Republic. In Central America it is said to have attacked the army, and in a very short period to have swept away a very large proportion of its officers and men.

Thus, it appears that the epidemic or Asiatic Cholera, from its first irruption on the northern coast, spread over the greater part of the North American Continent in the space of two years, and has several times reappeared in different sections in its peculiar malignant character, spreading on each occasion over a greater or less extent of territory with the same uniform and destructive influence. Neither time, nor science, nor professional skill has thus far appeared to soften its character, or mitigate its severity.

When the disease had fully assumed its epidemic or malignant type in India, in 1817, its rate of mortality was everywhere in that vast territory excessively high.

According to the most reliable reports, the cases occurring in the earlier period of an irruption were generally fatal, few only surviving the attack; while of those occurring when the disease was on the decline, a greater proportion recovered. We read of numerous instances where one-third, one-half, two-thirds, and even nine-tenths of those seized with Cholera perished, and again of some places where one-fifth, one-fourth, and in some instances one-third of entire populations were cut off in a very short period by this disease. But without attempting to give the statistics of cholera in this part of the world, or even in Europe or America, we may present a few instances of mortality, going to show the great percentage of loss by this singular disease during its ravages from 1817 to 1837.

In Siam, it is said 20,000 persons fell victims to it in twelve days. The inhabitants are remarkable for their uncleanly habits, and crowded, ill-ventilated tenements.

In Sicily, 16,000 died of cholera in 1832, at Catania; in Palermo, 40,000. These cities are represented as being filthy in the extreme, and the personal habits of the people so uncleanly, and the houses so crowded, that it is a matter of surprise the mortality was not greater.

In Bassorah and Bagdad, situated in low, unhealthy localities, and exposed to a damp, insalubrious atmosphere, which, in the warmer season, is often essentially impregnated with miasmata and offensive exhalations from animal and vegetable decomposition, both within and without their inclosures, it is affirmed that more than one-third of their entire populations were carried off in less than one month.

In the Province of Caucasus, out of 16,000 attacked by the disease, 10,000 died. In Russia, out of 54,000 attacked in 1830, it is said more than 31,000 died.

In Hungary, it is reported that the whole number affected by the disease was about 400,000, of whom more than one-half died.

It is officially stated that the total number--the military excepted--of those affected with cholera in France, from its first appearance at Calais, March 15, 1832, to January 1st, 1833, is 230,000, and the deaths 95,000.

In England, the whole number of cases of Cholera is reported to be 49,594, and the number of deaths 14,807. In London there were 11,020 cases, of which 5,274 were fatal. In Wales there were 1,436 cases, of which 498 proved fatal. In Ireland, from its first irruption in 1832 to March, 1833, there had occurred 54,552 cases of cholera, of which 21,171 were fatal.

In Quebec, from June 9th to September 2d, 1832, there had occurred in that city alone no less than 5,783 cases of cholera, of which 2,218 were fatal. In Montreal, from June 10th to September 21st, there were 4,440 cases, and 1,904 deaths reported.

In New York, from July 4th to August 28th, in 1832, there had occurred 5,814 cases of cholera, and 2,935 deaths by the same disease. In Philadelphia, from July 4th to August 28th, 1832, there were reported 2,314 cases of cholera, of which 935 were fatal.

In many of our Southern and Western cities and villages the percentage of loss from the prevalence of cholera is considerably higher than the general average, compared with the data given above. The mortality varies materially in different localities, and, indeed, becomes very much augmented by the prevalence of those influences which particularly favor the vegetation, and are especially concerned in the production of zymotic diseases, whether in the lower or higher latitudes.