Leper Station in British Guiana.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 282, 18 July 1888, Page 6

Leper Station in British Guiana.

Me Arnold, of Hans the Boatman fame, who ha« arrived with his company in the South has had more varied experiences than fall to the lot of the average actor. On a recent occasion at Adelaide he pleasantly chatted to an interviewer concerning ' men and things ' he had met on his travels. Among other things he narrated the following :— There is a leper station in British Guiana situated on an island, Cowe Isl&wd, and I paid a visit to it with the captain. The unfortunate creatures, seventy in number, were in various stages of the fell disease, .some being without hands and otheis without aunt, foot, or noses. The dead portions of the flesh were of n pinkywhite colour. The lepers complained of cold, and always kept fires burning, although, the weather was exceedingly hot. The docto had just been on a journey to the island for the purpose of amputating the limbs which had become tainted with leprosy since his last visit. One poor fellow was in a wooden bunk wiihin his little mud hut, and his leg, which had been amputated, was lying on a bit of oilcloth. The raw stump was plainly observable, bub ho said he did nob suffer, and was as well as God would permit him to be. I was told that a few shillings would be a great boon to the&e wretched creatures, and I oil'ored him a piece of silver. To my surprise and horror, he held out an arm from which the hand had been amputated, and I placed the coin on his wrist. No ; I was not atraid of catch" ing the disease, as it is not contagious. There they were in different stages. Some who were not very far advanced in the disease were partially naked, and I observed that their black bodies were spotted in innumerable places with the pink signs of leprosy. They were all hugging their fires, although it was a beautiful tropical day. Lovely plumage birds were Hying overhead, gaudy insects were buzzing hero and there enjoying their brief existence, and there was indeed a great contrasfo between Tthe rest of nature and man as he existedj at Cowe Island in a state of unutterable woe and degradation. The sexes are kept apart, the island on which tho females live being situated lower down the river.

Says a Hongkong paper: "The Aus tralian people will not, "we think, rise in the estimation of the world by their conduct with regard to the Chinese. Their objection to John Chinaman is purely selfish." An Irishman having quarrelled with another, left him with the following vicious remark : " Well, I hope yo'll nivir be whero I wish you !" " The consumption of Chinese tea in England dropped 30,000 pounds last year. In-dian-grown tea is taking its place. A woman nevor reaches middle life ; sho is always young till she gets old enough to boast of her age. Hebrews hold £30,000,000 in real estate in New York city, Ginger-pop — A leajj-year proposal from a red-headed girl.