/ / ADDRESS t OF THE OF THE V CITY 0¥ KEAV-YOKK,^ TO THEIR FELLOW CIT1ZEN& THE Board of Health regard it as a duty, on the approach of the hot season, to address their fellow citizens, and invite their serious attention to the means provided by law, for the purpose of guarding against malignant and pestilential diseases. The vigilance and co-operation of every citizen, are essential 4o support and execute the recommendations c#*i$ie Board, antk-t^, carry into complete effect, the measures requisite;to insure success to their exertions. The system of these measures, which is now in full operation, may be divided into external and internal, or into such as are intended to guard against foreign and domestic causes of disease. The external precautions comprehend the regula- tions of commerce and shipping. All vessels ar- riving from any port, island or other place in Asia, Africa*, the Mediterranean, America south of Georgia, or from any West-India^ Bahama, or Bermuda Islands, and all vessels from foreign ports, carrying forty or more passengers, or on board of which any persoii shall have died at a foreign port, or on the home- ward passage, or shall have been sick on the home- ward passage, are subject to the examination of the Health Officer, at all times of the year. All vessels arriving from any port of the United States south of Cape Henry, between the thirty-first of May and the first of October, are also subject to the examination of the Health Officer, and such regulations as he may deem expedient: and all those several rules are en- forced under the penalty of two thousand dollars, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months. Whenever a vessel arrives at the place of quaran tine, from any port where yellow or other pestilential fever prevailed at the time of her sailing thence, or if during the voyage any person has died or been sick on board with such fever, the master, owner or con- signee is required forthwith, under the direction of the Health Officer, to cause such vessel to be unload- ed, cleansed, and purified; and until that be done, no permit is granted to proceed to the city of New-York. Every vessel arriving under such circumstances be- tween the thirty-first of May and the first of October, is detained at quarantine thirty days at least after arri- val, and twenty days after discharging her cargo; and being thoroughly cleansed, ventilated, and white- washed according to the specific directions of the Act. It is made the duty of the Health Officer, whenever he shall judge such vessel to be properly cleansed and safe, to report hejtj.0 the Board of Health, who are au- •yhdrized to givli^urther directions concerning her. ^ NS part of the cargoes of such vessels can be con- veyed to the city without the written permit of the Health Officer. None of the crew (except the cap- tain, under proper restrictions to be imposed by the Health Officer) nor passengers in such' vessels, are permitted to proceed to the city, until twenty days after the last death or sickness of yellow or pestilen- tial fever occurring on board, or until twenty days after such vessel shall have sailed from any port where a pestilential fever prevailed at the time of her de- parture ; and all breaches of these regulations are punished by a fine not exceeding two thousand dol- lars, or imprisonment for a term not exceeding twelve months. Provided, that all vessels which may remain at quarantine on the first of October shall be subject to the same restrictions which are directed for those vessels which arrive on or after that date. All vessels arriving from any port in the West-In- dies, in America south of St. Mary's, in Georgia, and 3 north of the Equator, or from the coast of Africa, (ex- cept the Cape of Good Hope,) between the thirty- first of May and the first of October, remain at qua- rantine not less than four days after arrival. During this term, no intercourse is permitted between such vessel and the city, unless under conditions prescribed by the Health Officer; those vessels are also cleansed and ventilated, and all clothing and bedding washed and aired; and passengers in them are ordered daily to report themselves to one of the Commissioners of Health in the city, for a limited time. Vessels of this description may likewise be longer detained at qua- rantine, if the Health Officer should consider it ne- cessary : and when permitted by him to come up, they are not allowed to approach within three hundred yards of that part of the island of New-York which lies southward of a line drawn from Bank-street on the North River, and Stuyvesant's dock on the East ( • River. The cargoes of such vessels, if sound, and proper to be discharged, may be unloaded by boats or lighters, under the Regulations of the Commission- ers of Health. After this discharging of cargo and a thorough cleansing of the vessel, under the orders of the Commissioners of Health, she may be permitted to come to a wharf, at such time and place as the Com- missioners shall judge it proper to prescribe. All per- sons offending against the provisions of this section of the Act, become liable to a fine of one thousand dol- lars, or imprisonment for six months. All vessels arriving from any port in the Mediterra- nean, in Asia, (except Canton and Calcutta) in Ame- rica south of the Equator, or from the Madeira, Canary, Cape de Verd, Bermuda or Bahama Islands, between the thirty-first of May and the first of October, remain at least two days at quarantine for the purpose of cleansing and ventilation, and for such longer time as the Health Officer may judge proper; who, when the vessel shall be permitted to proceed to the city, shall determine the particular wharf to which the vessel may be allowed to come. A special report respecting all such vessels to the Board of Health, is required from the Health Officer; and the Board give their directions, as they may judge 4 expedient in each case, as to the period of detention at quarantine. Offences in the premises are punished by fine or imprisonment. All coasting vessels, on board of which death or sickness of malignant or yellow fever has occurred, must discharge their cargoes, undergo cleansing and ventilation, and then be submitted to the ulterior dis- posal of the Board of Health. Pilots are required to hail all vessels approaching the port* to make all the enquiries which are necessary to determine whether such vessels are subject to qua- rantine, to give all notice to the commanders of such vessels which are required by the act to take care that no violations of the act be committed by any per- son on board, and in case of such violations being com- mitted, to report them as soon as may be, under the penalty of two hundred dollars. The Mayor, the Board of Health, or the Commis- sioners of the Health Office, may order to the quaran- tine ground, or other place of safety, any vessels at ) the wharves, or in the vicinity of the city, which they may deem prejudicial to the public health; and when the owner or commander of such vessel cannot be found, they may remove them at the expense of the owner, &c. The Commissioners of Health may like- wise order the removal of persons and things infected by or tainted with pestilential matter to such place as they may think proper, and any person who resists in this respect, forfeits one hundred dollars. Many articles of a suspicious kind are particularly restricted. Cotton in bales, the produce of the Unit- ed States or their territories, is prohibited to be brought into the city, south of a line commencing at Spring-street, on the North River, running through the same to the Bowery, thence down the Bowery to Grand-street, through Grand-street to Walnut-street, and through Walnut-street to the East River, between the thirty-first day of May and the first of October. All cotton suspected to be infectious, all damaged cotton, and all foreign cotton, is excluded from the city during the aforesaid period, and must be landed at the quarantine ground. 5 All hides brought into this port between the thirty- first of May and the first of October, are discharged at the quarantine ground; but if in a sound condition, may be afterwards carried to any part of the city, north of the line assigned for cotton. No communication with vessels at quarantine is al- lowed without a special permit, under a penalty not exceeding two hundred dollar*. Measures are adopt- ed to execute the law on this subject with the utmost punctuality, and offenders will be most rigorously prosecuted. All sick persons of whatever description, found onboard such vessels, are conducted to the Ma- rine Hospital, and there detained till their recovery or death. All vessels found to be filthy, or even sus- pected to be so, are washed, cleansed, ventilated, and white-washed at the quarantine ground; and in case of disobedience to the directions of the Health Offi- cer in this respect, the master, owner, or consignee, is liable to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars. All wearing apparel, bedding, &c. are washed and cleansed, or if it be thought proper, destrojed. The foregoing may be considered as a summary of the external precautions. The internal precautions comprehend those laws and regulations which respect the removal of nuisances, and the preservation of cleanliness in the city, the principal of which fol- lows : No dead animal shall be left exposed in any place, street, yard, lane, or lot, within the city, under the pe- nalty often dollars. No salted provisions shall be packed, or re-packed, at any season of the year, in that part of the city of New-York lying to the southward of a line drawn from the outlet of Lispenard's meadow, and thence following the course of the Canal, until it intersects Grand-street, and thence through Grand-street to where it intersects Walnut-street, thence down Wal- nut-street to the East River; and from the first of May to the first of October, in any year, no salted or pick- led beef or fish, in barrels or half barrels, except smoked beef and fish, shall be deposited within the above limits; and all such articles, together with hides and cotton, that may have been deposited within this (> city south of said line, prior to the first of May, and shall there remain on the first of June, shall be report- ed by the owner or owners, person or persons having charge of the same, to the Board of Health, that they may have the same examined from time to time, and re- moved, if in their opinion it be necessary, to prevent any evil which may arise therefrom: excepting such provisions as may be exposed for sale by butchers in the public markets, or shall be kept by the heads of families for the use of their respective families : and every person offending in the premises, shall be con- sidered guilty of misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined, for each offence, in a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars, or to be imprisoned for a term not exceeding six months, by any court having cognizance thereof. Boarding houses shall be kept neat and clean, and no more lodgers shall be admitted than the City In- spector, in conjunction with the persons appointed by the Board, shall think proper, under the penalty of twenty-five dollars for each person exceeding such number. The City Inspector, or his Assistant, shall likewise examine them at least once a week during the summer. Persons taken sick in boarding houses between the first of June and the first of November, must be reported to one of the Health Commissioners, or to the Board of Health, within twelve hours after they are so taken, under the penalty of one hundred dollars, or six months' imprisonment. All dirt and filth shall be brought out from houses, cellars, alleys, yards and lots, on sweeping days, be- fore ten o'clock in the morning, under the penalty of two dollars. Garbage, shells and offals, shall not be cast into the street, under the penalty of two dollars. The burn- ing of kitGhen offals is earnestly recommended, as the safest means to prevent the accumulation of offen- sive and putrefactive substances. No sexton shall inter any person who may have died of a pestilential or malignant fever, in any place to the southward of Pump and Nicholas-streets, un- der the penalty of one hundred dollars: nor shall they inter any corse within the above limits, except 7 in graves, or vaults, at least six feet deep, and with- out removing any other dead body or coffin, under the same penalty. No privy shall be emptied during the summer, ex- cept between the hours of eleven at night and three in the morning, under the penalty of five dollars; nor shall any human excrements be thrown into any street, lane, alley, dock, &c. under the penalty of ten dollars. No new'made ground shall be turned up during the summer, under the penalty of one hundred dollars. Noisome or offensive substances shall not be depo- sited in any place to the southward af Grand-street; nor shall any pit for tanners or skinnjers, or pool of stagnant water, be allowed, except in Beekman's , swamp, under the penalty of fifty dollars. Manufactories which emit offensive smells, may likewise be suspended by the Board of Health. No oysters shall be brought into or sold in the city, between the first of June and the thirtieth of Septem- -~.Jber, under the penalty of two dollars for every hun- dred. No auctioneer shall, between the first of June and the first of November, sell or expose to sale, in either of the places of sale assigned by law, salted beef or pork, dried or pickled fish, blubber, hides or cotton wool, under the penalty of twenty-five dollars for each of- fence. Undressed skins, hides, blubber, &c. shall not be kept to southward nor westward of Catherine-street and the fresh water pond, under the penalty of ten dollars for every twenty-four houri neglect. Putrid and unsound provisions shall be destroyed, by starting them into the river or otherwise, and no salted or pickled fish, except smoked, shall be kept to the southward of Grand-street, between the first of May and the first of October, under a penalty not ex- ceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisonment not ex- ceeding six months. Butchers shall bring no gut fat into market, nor the head of any sheep or lamb, unless the same be properly cleansed, nor any sheep or lamb in carcase or quar- ters, with the feet or trotters thereto, nor any hides or 3 skins (calf skins excepted) under the penalty of two dollars: They shall likewise, immediately after killing any animal, destroy the offals, or convey the same into the river, under the penalty of twenty-five dol- lars. They shall not expose to sale any stale or un- wholesome provisions, under the penalty of ten dol- lars. Nuisances of every other description must be re- moved or remedied, agreeably to the mode prescrib- ed by the City Inspector. And in addition to the penalties prescribed in the cases of nuisances by the statutes of the state, and ordinances of the city, the remedies by common law may likewise be enforced. Any physicia^ji having a patient labouring under a pestilential or infectious disease, shall forthwith re- port in writing to one of the Commissioners of the Health Office, unaVr the penalty of fifty dollars. The Board of Health being conscientiously im- pressed with the opinion, that these laws, if duly ob- served, are well calculated, under the blessings of Divine Providence, to avert malignant and pestilen- tial disease from our city, conceive it to be their du- ty to inform the public, that they are determined ri- gorously to enforce their observance. They earnest- ly request, that when any violation shall take place, information may be lodged with the Board of Health, which will meet every day (Sundays excepted) from the first day of June, at 12 o'clock, P. M. at their office in the City-Hall, till the first day of October, where persons having business with the Board may attend; or they may leave their reports and applica- tions with the Secretary, between the hours of 9 and 12 o'clock on each day (Sundays excepted) at the Secretary's Office, No. 7, City Hall. By order and in behalf of the Board of Health. CADWALLADER D. COLDEN, President. J. MORTON, Secretary. Office of the Board of Health, June 1, 1819. G. L. Birch & Co. Printers, No. 39£ Frankloit-Strttt