We wish to-day to invite the attention of our readers to a somewhat unsavoury but none the less important matter, The sanitary condition of the Settlement in which we live is extremely unsatisfactory, and this is due very largely to the oxceedingly bad condition of the drains, Other causes lave been at work, no doubt. The filthy habits of the Obi-nese contribute groatly to the general result. 'The efflaviam from neatly every unprotected wall in the Sottlement bears witness to their lack' of sanitary and decent instincts, The suffocating stenches of the narrow alleyways io which they herd are a sufficient proof that whether such odours uro grateful or not to the Chi. nese senses they are at least not suficiently repulsive to impel the Chines ton cleanlier mode of life. In their own houses they appear to have no iden whatever of keeping the air fresh and pure, and will actually sleep and oat in rooms tainted with the presence of m person dying of some frightfully infections complaint. Dr. Jamieson has even warned us that the native apartments in one foreign houses may, if not constantly and thoroughly looked after, be wade the shelter of dangerous diseases and even of dead bodies. Evéti when so great a scandal as this is not ventured upon, it is necessary for a householder to exorcise the strictest supervision over the holes and corners of the servants' compound in order td prevent the acoamulation of pestilential matter, All these things are the resalt of our having permitted the invasion of the Settlement by Chinese, and may be regarded as a severe though not unjust retribution for a serious mistake. But the Chinese are not entirely to blanie, not is it exclusively the streets fea an offensive smell. -It must be obvious apart for their residence which
to any one who walks about the Sottlé- mont that the drains are in a very bad condition, The streets running down at right angles to the Band' aré''all more or less offer The worst, we believe, is the Kiukiang Road; but' it is scarcely possible to go' anywhere without getting a whiff of bad air from one quarter or another, even the Band being by no means' free from unwholesome odours, The'reason we believe is not far to seek. The drama in Shanghai were constructed pritia rily and solely to take off the surface water, and for this parpose they are perfectly well adapted, Bat for some time past they have been expected to do the work of sewers; and here they conspicnoasly fail, Many of them allow the sewage to leak out into'the earth around, which thus beoomes'im: pregnated with disease-conveying mint= ter, aiid none of them, as far de our
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.