Page 4 Advertisements Column 4

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 274, 16 October 1884, Page 4

*. WHERE THE TEURIBLE CHOLERA SCO ULi AGE HAS ITS BIRTHPLACE. Hunlwav, m the Punjab, at the foot of the Himnliiya Mountains, is , the great nursery of cholera. It has annually been developed therfi during the great Hindoo festivals. Of those festivals Hurdwar is cursed with two nnd they draw together a great concourse of people from every portion of the Indian Empire. At «ome of these festivals as many as 3,000,000 devotes have assembled, . but of late years the numbers have fallen off, Hurdwar having lost its sacred prestige from the fact that some of the holy waters of the Ganges have been profanely diverted into a canal constructed' by the English authorities. Ihese immense numbers of human beings gather upon a bare sandy plain on tho basks of the Ganges, massed like herds of swine, without means of sanitary protection. \ The earth and air as well as the y?ater, are pollutted, and the odor from the camps is perceptible for mauy )niles. Day and night the devotees; pour through the grea,t -thoroughfares of the country to and from the festival m parties of. fromf ten to 500, fallowing so closely as' to make an- almost continuous procession. Ninety-five out of every hun/lied are on foot, but occasionally softie great nabob/sweepa past with an enormous retio-o<»r -ovnajau vvuu lns r caravan ol elephants, camels, horsemen, and . swordsmen passes m all the grandeur and confusion of Indian loyalty. They ride over the poor wretches who lino the roads, trample them down, and hurl imprecations upon them for blocking the way. , Some march hundreds and some march thousands of miles t) engage m the festivals and to batlie m the sacred river. Many die oi the way, aud all arrive lame and gaunt from hunger and fatigue, with their feeb bound up m rags and their scanty clothing -covered with blood and dusfc. They rush into the rivei as soon as they arrive and drink. the water as fast as they can scoop it up m liieir hands. They are fed from the Temj-le kitchen, where as many as 90,000 cooks are at work, and the food is distributed among them m a rude way. When fresh it is not unwholesome, but Loo much of.it produces indigestion and great sufferings. Tho half starved pilgrims eat it like gluttons, rush into the water again. to liathe and drink, and the result is derangement of the digestive orgaus. When they have eaten their fill, whatever food is left is preserved. It is sacred and cannot be thrown away. Under the hot sun ibsoon becomes poisonous to the pilgrims who eat it. In these hotbeds of disease," under conditions, that would breed a plague anywhere, .these pilgrims live. The heat is almost unendurable.. The living, the sick and the dying are huddled together, with only just as much space as they can cover lying down. As fast as they die ih.ey are J buried in'the sand. But on the return journey the misery of the pilgrims reaches its height. They are sick and lame, bub i stagger along until the weak fall, by the roadside and die. Their bodies j lie thickly along the journey un- i covered. Some drag their weary limbs until they reach a. village where they drop and lie m masses, blocking up the streets, \intil they get strong enough to move forward, or die of starvation and disease. . , ? It is impossible to calculate the number that perish; The Bishop of Calcutta estimates it at about one to five, and those who do not die on. the journey carry, the germs of tho disease homo with them scattering pestilence along their path. Thus the cholera is started on its periodical march round the world. No great Asiatic pestilence has ever scourged the East and allowed the cities of Arabia to escape. The pilgrims to Mecca and commercial caravans to Damascus carry death m their train under any quarantine that can be devised, but the attempts to establish quarantine are weak, ineffectual, and spasmodic. —New York TERRACE END AND PALMERSTON. ...... ; rr<HE undersigned ■ begs to notify to JL the public of Palmerston his intention of running a coach between the Square and Tei race End. , . Fare, 6d each way. Parcels Delivered at Low Rates. Private individuals can arrange With the proprietor to travel by tlie coach at reduced rates by the week. , D.CLiFfORD; Princess Hotel, Terrace End. TO STAND THIS SEASON IN THE POXTON, PALMERSTON, FEILDING, HALCOMBE, SANDON, AND BULLS DISTRICTS. THE PURE CLYDESDALE ENTIRE Sir Robert Bruce BRED by the owner at Waimotu, Otugo, is out of Daisy by Sir ¥m. Wallace, was foaled Decemh«r ; 2, 1877, and is now rising- 7 years ohf. Is a veiy rich bay, 16-§ bauds high, on short firm legs, has immense bone of good quality, and plonty of hair, is remarkably active, and has a five temper. He has obtained the champion 'prize m Wanganui three years m .succession. For Pedigree see cards. Terms : d£4 10s. Further particulars on application to the groom m charge. JOHN MILLAR. Owner: W. Cbaig.