THE PLAGUE IN RUSSIA.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 58, 18 March 1879, Page 2

THE PLAGUE IN RUSSIA.

The origin ot the plague in Bus* sia is thus given :—A Cossack returning from the war to Wethanka brought his lady a shawl, which she wore for two days, and sickened, with all plague symptoms and died. On the following lour days other members of her iamily died. The disease spread rapidly through the local authorities not paying attention to it till half the inhabitants were dead, and the remainder were unable to bury the victims. Then when the epidemic assumed enormous dimensions urgent measures were taken to prevent its spreading. Strict quarantines were established, first in the towns and villages, and shut* ting off the streets where the plague reigned from the rest of the place, secondly by surrounding the villages with troops,, so that no one was allowed to pass in or out The panic in Russia is almost incredible, every class and station in life have petitions for the entire oessation of all intercourse, even postal communication} ' between the rest of Russia and Volga. Letters sent from Astrakhan and Zautzen are not received by the persons to whom they are addressed. Some people even refuse to take paper money fearing the germ of infection might be communicated through it. It is almost impossible to describe the terror that has taken possession of the people. The Kussian Sanitary Commission proposed to shut off the Volga line from all intercourse with Western Russia, and permit communication only under quarantine regulations. itussian railway oars are not admitted into German territory. The export of grain from Poland will suffer severely from this restriction. The Roumanian Government is discussing the expediency of prohibiting the transit of Russian provisions, sent to viotual the Balkan army. Two regiments of Cossacks and one of infantry are marching ta reinforce the military cordon, which is a thousand miles long, around the. districts infected with the pUgue.