Letter from Humphrey Jones, apprentice chemist in London, to his parents in Llangollen, 31 August 1854 [image 1 of 2]

Description

Humphrey Jones writes to his parents on 31 August 1854 from London. He apologises for not writing sooner but explains that there has been a lot of sickness in the area. He writes that 'fire and cholera' are the two main talking points in London at the moment. There was a fire nearby last week, near the English Baptist chapel, and the warehouses of one of London's largest druggist companies were burned yesterday. The fine weather is not helping the situation either as cholera is more likely to spread. According to Humphrey, many people are living in fear and thinking that they have contracted cholera. Others believe it is catching and are afraid when they hear of a case in their area.