“Mayor’s Office, City of Savannah, Ga., Sept. 18, 1856.
“Wm. W. Sanger, Resident Physician,
“Blackwell’s Island, New York City:
“Dear Sir,—In this city there are fifteen houses of prostitution, three assignation-houses, ninety-three white, and one hundred and five colored prostitutes. In the winter season the number is greatly increased by supplies from New York City.
“I can not answer what number of private prostitutes or kept mistresses there are here.
“Our present population is about twenty-six thousand.
“Very truly yours,
“Edward C. Anderson, Mayor.”
These replies may be condensed as follows:
| Cities. | Reported by | Houses. | Prostitutes. | Population. | |||||
| Houses of Prostitution. | Houses of Assignation. | Public Prostitutes. | Private Prostitutes. | Kept Mistresses. | Total of abandoned Women. | ||||
| Buffalo | Mayor | Stevens | 87 | 37 | 272 | 81 | 31 | 384 | 75,000 |
| Louisville | " | Barber | 79 | 39 | 214 | 93 | 60 | 367 | 70,000 |
| Newark | " | Poinier | ... | ... | ... | 50 | ... | 50 | 55,000 |
| New Haven | " | Galpin | 10 | 6 | 93 | 30 | ... | 123 | 32,000 |
| Norfolk | " | Ferguson | 40 | ... | 150 | 50 | 8 | 208 | 18,000 |
| Philadelphia | " | Vaux | 130 | 50 | 475 | ... | 105 | 580 | 600,000 |
| Pittsburgh | " | Bingham | 19 | 9 | 77 | 37 | 16 | 130 | 75,750 |
| Savannah | " | Anderson | 15 | 3 | 198 | ... | ... | 198 | 26,000 |
It has already been stated, on the authority of the state census of 1855, that the adult male population of New York City form nearly one third of the total inhabitants, and the same rule may be applied to these cities to ascertain the comparative number of prostitutes and their customers. The proportions stand as follows: