Virginia Argus

November 2.

Communicated from a respectable source at Kaskaskias, bearing date Sept. 28th.

The past summer has proved extremely unhealthy on the Mississippi river, the Illinois and Louisiana Territories. The disease was bilious fever, originating (as supposed) from an uncommon overflowing of that river in the spring, succeeded by a very hot summer. The atmosphere appears to have been poisoned to a great distance on each side of the river, as the settlers were equally affected far and near it. Not a family escaped through all the settled parts of those territories. Louisiana did not share a better fate than Illinois, nor were St. Louis and St. Genevieve less afflicted than Kaskaskia and Kahokia. The distemper ascended the hills and spread over the wide and extended prairies, where its ravages were as great as in the bottoms.—At present (Sept. 28th) the disease appears to be checked by the favorable turn of weather and copious rains which have lately fallen.—The surviving inhabitants are generally getting out, and appear like a nation of ghosts,—The gloom is inconceivable.

The number of deaths has not been great in proportion to the cases of sickness. It is observed, that it proved most fatal to northern constitutions. For the information of their distant friends—the names of some of the deceased follow:

Elijah Backus, Esq. formerly of Connecticut, last of Ohio, receiver of public monies in the Land-Office, Kaskaskia.
Doctor Aaron Elliot, formerly of do. settled at St. Genevieve, died at St. Louis.
Wife of do. she was sister of Moses Austin, Esq.
Judge Penniman, lately returned from Connecticut, with a newly married wife, daughter of Dr. Osboro, of Middletown.
Mr. Tinker, returned with do. Both these gentlemen settled at St. Genevieve.
Capt. Lovering, formerly of Maryland, last of Marietta, Ohio, settled at Kaskaskia.
Mrs. Rector, late of Kentucky and mother of a numerous family of children of whom General Wm. Rector. is one, settled at Kaskaskia.
Child of Nathan Pope, Esq. Secretary of Illinois Territory.
Wife of Mr. Morse, late of the state of N. York, settled at Kaskaskia.
Harbison, Esq. a respectable Attorney, settled at Cape Girardeau.
The same disease is understood to have prevailed down the river quite to N. Orleans.
Knox, Esq a respectable young Attorney. late of Pennsylvania, settled for a time at Kaskaskia, and recently removed to New Orleans, had fallen a victim.

Western Spy.