The Sun. — London, England, 1849-05-18 00:00:00

England— (Hear, heir)—and he wanted to know, if the maximum rate shall fail, what party would be called upon to contribute?—(H, ar.) The Hoc. Member for Kerry (Mr. Herbert) bed sta;ed that the union rate was very unpopular is Eligland, but he (Mr. V. Smith) differed i n opinion on that zulket, and should have no objec tion to see the union rate introduced :into Ireland. His object new was to wain the pecrele of England of the measures con!emplatcd in due present Bid. The Right lion. Member tl-en allutiied to what had e .been propesed a few nights ago Ina the Honourable atarnber for Limerick county (Mr. IV,.onsell), as to giv ing increased powers to the hoards of guardians in Ire -1 on the ruhiect of emigration, and, in conciusion, 8 31 d he hoped some provision would be introduced into the present Bill on the subject.—(Heft:.) Lerd J. RUSSELL said his Right 1-.Lonourable Friend (Hr. Vernon Smith) had asked him a question relative to the maximum rate, and he was therefore desirous of addressing the Holm on two or three points. His Right Honourable Friend had at,ked him, as it ''''s proposed to impose a alexia...um rate in Ire land, us there had been no sach rate imposed to England hew the poor w.:re to be pro le.d for in the event of that rate being ex haustcd ? They were aware that the condition c f . a number of unions was such, although the amount of the rate was far from bein g excessive, that c anney was required from this country to supply - want. That being the case, he did not see much value, in an abstract declaration that tt.se property of the "lan was liable for the support of the poor. If thoa t!atne to irT quire relative to the expenditure of the 50,000/. In Ireland they would find tint 8,245/. bad been given to the Biillina Unnion, and it appeared that the amount raised in Ballina on the second rate was 3s. lid. in the Pound, and that the date of that mte was on September 21 , 1813, while he found that in some unions eleven or twelve shillings in the pound had beieu called for, yet in there unions which had required relief rates of three three shillings and sixpence, and four shil lings only had been made. If, then, such was the cas e , it was a proof they had no security against being c alled upon by means of an abstract; declaration, such -as had be:oa alluded to. It might be asked why rates of a larger a moun t had not bean called for, but tno collectors said there bed been great diffi etilty in collecting the rates that had been levied. What he inferred then from these things was this—that with a small amount of rate they might have great amount of distress.—(Hear, hear.) It seemed to him, therefire, that there was no way of providing for the destitute poor in Ireland, but by placing some limit be yond which those who cultivated the land in that coun try shou!d not be called on to pay lor others.—(Hear, hear.) The view which he took of the proposed maxi mum rate was this, that by allotting a certain portion nimn property for the relief of the poor, they provided for the poor with greater certainty, and secured at the same time the cultivation of the land in Ireland.— (tlear, hear.) Still there might bo an amount of dis tress greater than that which would be provided for, and bis Right Hon. Friend (Mr. V. Smith) had asked Whether to meet such distress there could be a general rate in aid, or whether the relief would be contributed out of the Consolidated Fund. His (Lord John Russell's) opinion was that the rate in aid ; should not be continued in Ireland, and he would not there fore propose a further continuance of the Bill for that purpose.—([Tear, hear.) As to having recourse to the Consolidated Fund, he thought it would be much better to leave those who required relief to the resources of the same kind they had before the measure of the Poor-law was passed, than to make such a charge upon the Consolidated Fund.—(Hear, laiar.) If they retained the maximum rate, he had no doubt that the amount that Would be raised would be used with due economy. He, therefore, thought, upon the whole, the passing of the Bill with a maximum rate would not give any reason for a rate in aid, or for coming upon the Consolidated Fund, and he considered that the measure, taken altogether, Would prove to be advantageous, and would bo for the benefit of all classes of the community.—(Hear, hear.) Right Hon. Friend (Mr. V. Smith) had also alluded to the necessity of intro toeing some provision relative to emigration. The lion. Member for the county of Lime rick (Mr. Monsell) had paid attention to that subject, and as he should be desirous in Committee to have a Clause introduced, ho should be glad to have the as sistance of the Honourable Gentleman, as his wish Would be to make it effective. The Noble Lord then referred to another subject which had been intro duced, namely, as to the arse of taxation. Government, be said, had been asked whether it was intended to in troduce a small area, without any explanation having been given as to what a large area or what a small area was. In all those questions there were two sides, and it was, be confessed, a very important subject. He would take for instance an electoral division of 8,000 acres. Suppose it was proposed to cut it in four, and make divi sions of 2,000 each, it requires more care and calculation than merely to use a pencil and compasses. A gentleman of ability and experience (Captain Larkin) was at pre sent engaged in making enquiries on this difficult subject, and he would, no doubt, soon be able to furnish important information, and would be able to point out What was essential to he done, and what new unions would be absolutely necessary. He (Lord J. Russell) was ready to admit, that if the unions had been better regulated at the time of the passing of the Poor Law, it would have been better for the working of that measure. —(Hear, hear) He could only, in conclusion, further state, that whatever appeared to be necessary for the efficiency of the present measure should be introduced into the Bill in Committee.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. HORSIIAN adopted the opinion which had been expressed, that the Government had brought for ward the measure with the very best intentions; and he agreed also that in considering the present mea snre they should be influenced by one feeling only— 'lamely, a feeling of making the measure the best they possibly could for relieving the distresses of the country. --(Hear, hear.) It was confessed that, after all that had been done, the condition of Ireland was worse than ever. lie felt assured, and was, therefore, bound to say, that the general distress of Ireland required that this measure should not be passed, particularly when not only the people, but the priest and the proprietor, were subject to the evil influence of misery and distress in that country, which that measure would not relieve, but would rather increase. He also considered that there was a requisition for the combination of good measures, to counteract the combination of the evils of that country; and, as that measure showed that the poor-laws were broken down, it was the duty of the Government to re vive that measure of the poor-laws as much as possible. The combination to which he alluded for the benefit of Ireland was the facility for the disposing of incumbered estates, a limited liability for poor•rates, and an encou- Neement for small proprietors; and as this Bill was a so litary one, he did not think that it would effect any good for that country. He would ask could it be ex pected that any one could venture, under this measure, to Purchase property in Ireland, when the maximum rate according to the Bill might be made much more should the G overnment think fit, for the Government is now-a ,,a3's the only means o f carr yi ng any measure. He be lieved that a limited liability for poor-rates would be the best means of securing and encouraging the industry of the p eop l e, and hoped therefore that the area of tax ation would b e j u di c iously reduced. He would next ask what_ was the use of imposing on the rate-payers a new .! 4 :, when th e o ld one wa s not paid, and from 4 t lt not being paid he thought that measure ° t'allY useless. He considered that the first task of the Douse should be either to remit or obtain the hot b e e ff ectsd. Then let the House look to the con di t i on ocrime. In 1844 there were only 400 persons trans- Ported, wh ereas i n 1848 no l ess th an 1,300 were . I ,s , insported, an d t h e num b er o f conv i c ti ons i n I re l an d i n 47 was 170 perso ns , an d i n 1848 the number was 2,800. s T herefore he consid ere d h e was b oun d, no t on ly from ltnes e circumstances, but from the evils that this measure "was likely to entail on Ireland, to oppose it. He knew 110 better system that could be adopted for the payment ,goor-rates than th e l essen i ng o f e l ectoral divisions. s in consequence of the great extent of those electoral (divisions, many poor persons were known to have perished through famine on the roadside before they eould reach the workhouse. In the next place, ho would call the attention of the House' to the evidence given be fore the Committee of the House, and in that evidence it was clear that in consequence of the great extent of (electoral area, that most of the mischief and evil pre vailed, and as such was not th e ease i n England, he thought that a great injustice was done to Ireland, for England, considering its valuation and population, was much less in electoraliarea than Ireland. He consierded that a Committee should be appointed for a just and fair 'division. He knew from all that he had heard and ex perienced that crime prevailed most in the largo unions, and that, in addition to other circumstances, induced biroto oppose the measure, particularly when he had the opinions of Captain Hamilton and other men of distin gaiehed h uman ity, who well understood the state of v t el and- With regard to the mu l t i p lic a tion o f work 4"uses. he believed it was the strongest argument in 4 kvour of a limited area. In a paucity of them there 'could be no economy, and it had already occasioned a great but useless expenditure. The evils of that system L. 9 not terminat e with the waste of money, nor even 7 eteth the waste of h uman lif e; but it had given rise to a i lug of disco n t en t an d di ssa ti s f ac tion. The founda s s i gn of all system s o f i mprovemen t i n I re l a nd sbuuld, in em ployment n, have especial r e f erence to a sufficiency of forem the of the poor, together with a rigid enforcement workhouse test. Those main points being ob served, they would have laid the groundwork for useful schemes in all Proprietary directions —the substitution of a solvent encou ragement of —theac npdromotion of emigration—the encou ipg of a new chairaeutstrious population, and the impart ing contained all the e r to the advances of capital. elementslre ill.assorteca nd ofw twith national these advantages prosperity, bill they wer e b re thene it w merit if it did cot ould be a merited reproach to Perim believed that iraissist early in their development. change, and thate and n Was now undergoing He induce the Englisgerotism and common a great thies for her, in order :element to cherish new would national crisis. Histo o r' assist her throughewth"Pa" greater events than thei" could not recor l d s great itself, and the eorrespon Jeconstruction of so j a c n t y laws. And all this was nowing alteration of e th Y e witnessed the dissolution of solelcurring; for they now setting free of old elements /on organisation, and the new combinations would sprign combined, from whence drew hope from the confidence peer'hgeTa( hear.) He charging its duty, and from his cony'''. Parliament dis elevation of the Irish character; and tileeti°n of the moral to the day when the two nations, u • looked forward name, should be united, too, in'heartunit hitherto only in ( Cheers.) That the and characte this lrish people were improvement susceptible of fur he by proper means ho n he saw that it only required ever doubted ; to remove the Irishman from his native soil to aud render him a useful member ofthe q...et, industrious, said that the brightest commuuity. Some one ha be set in gems of Irish aes of English history were to zany e product, and Jrsland bad wove " num AnglAu ' d wow waeut Ong leaf of the chaplet being given to herself." He hoped that a bqter iiiy would beam upon her, and that, fully cc knowhalg;ng her claims upon their sympathies, she would be le.;islated for in a spirit of true sincerity and wisitau.—(l - .Lar, hear) Mr. NAPIER said he felt it unnecessary at that moment to address the House at any great length on this subject; but he wi,:s d , eply impressed with its im portance—the more so becanse it excited a consid,Table degree of a , tention before the commencement of the ses sion. He thought also that it was only justice to the Government that this question should be fully debated, in order that they might be the better prepared, when in Committee, to arrive at a conclu,ien conformable torach other's views. In his own opinion this was an unjust measure, and he objected to it mainly on the ground of extending the area for all purposes of taxation to the union at large, contrary to the spirit of tie law of 1838. The electoral divisiens were tax«l in the first in stance, and when the rate amounted to the maximum in the division, it was to be thrown upon the union at large. The consequence was that a man, however indus trious and frugal he might be, would be compelled to sink or swim according a; the fortunes of his ncighbJur fi uctuatcd, though he himself had no check upon his ex penditure or conduct. There were two things which ought, to b kept carefully distinct—the law and the ad mini-.tration of the law. In his opinion the latter was the more important, but under such a law as that now prop•)scd there could le no distinction between the in dustrious and the idl. , the extravagant and the econo mical. In idustrAtion of this point, he might quote the accounts of the Dublin union, where a great expense was gone to for wire. porter ; whisky, sugar, and lemons, in all which items deb's had been contracted beyond the power of control of the industrious and thriving popula tion of Ulster and Leinster. He would put it to them therefore, whether it was just to subject to a general taxation, under such circumstances, a laborious and de serving tenantry, and the proprietary discharging their duties? The complaint against the injustice of taxing a meritorious class of men bearing up against difficulties of all kinds, would not be regarded as a captious or unfounded one. A very important case, which frequently - arose, seemed to omitted, viz., where the tenants deserted the land, and the Ind bcelme unoccupied. The House was aware that the landlord would not enter, because if there were arrears of poor-rates he would immediately become re sponsible for the amount. That case might be provided tor. In the case of jointures and rent carges an un just liability was impos2d by the Bill, which a little con sideration, it might be supposed, would not have per nthted. ➢lr. CLEMENTS regretted that no ion. Member connected with Ireland had opposed the second reading of this Bill. Ho was opposed to that feature of it which imposed a union rating of 2e. in the pound. When they went into Committee he would endeavour to reduce the charges upn unions, and place them upon electoral Mr. MAURICE O'CONNELL reminded Hon. Mem bers that the peopla of Irelsud were dying while they were differing about the mode of feeding them. It was a❑ admitted fact that the old poor-law in Ireland was a tai:ure, and the proposed law was an improvement upon it. That was his reason for supporting the present pro pocition. He had opposed the introduction of a poor law in Ireland, and he believed that ultimately it would be the ruin of the country. Sir IL W. BARRON was opposed to the 2s. rate in aid ; to be found in the second clause of the Bill. He admitted there were some amendments in the Bill, and on that ground he should support it, although he should object to some of the clauses in the Committee. Until they limited the area of taxation, they could never ex pect to establish a good poor-law in Ireland. Mr. MONS[LL said he would call the attention of the House to some points in the Bill. He regretted that no change was made in the principle of chargeability. He thought limiting the law of chargeability and the area of taxati , n wc,uld tf , rid very materially to prevent evictions. He suggested that the county cess and the poor rate should be collected at the same time and by the same collector. He also suggested that half the county cess should be deducted by the tenant from his rent. Mr. SHAP.MAN CRAWFORD said the best means to adopt would be to rdduce the area of taxation, and throw the resvntibilitv upon the individual landlords. Sir D. NORREYS objected to a limitation of the area of taxation, as tending to on increase of evictions. Mr. STAFFORD said ho was in favour of a limita- tion of the area of taxation. In fact, the evictions arose out of the fear of the area being limited, as then the landlords would have to bear the entire support of the paupers; while under the large area they only bore one third of the expense, and consequently a limitation of the area would check evictions. While he did not op pose the second reading of the Bill, and while he did not object to a certain maximum rate, yet he confessed, if it were not extended to unions it would be a failure. Let the boards of guardians have the power of making new unions, if they pleased, but Jet them at the same time be at liherty to raise money in any way they thought pro per. He would earnestly request the Noble Lord to say whether any more changes were to be made during the present session, for it was highly desirable that 211 such should be discu3sed together. The Bill was then read a second time. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said he would state on Monday what day hs proposed going into Committee on the Bill. ACCOUNTS OF TURNPIKE TRUSTS (SCOT LAN I)) BILL. This Bill was read a third time and passed. POLICE OF TOWNS (SCOTLAND) BILL. This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed on the 31st inst. ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE BILL. The ArfORNEY-GENERAL nominated the fol lowing Hon. Members to form a Select Committee on the Bill:—Mr. Attorney-General, Sir Frederick The siger, Mr. Forster, Mr. Henley, Mr. Bouverie, Mr. Drummond, and Sir W. Molesworth. W. SMITH O'BRIEN. Lord JOHN .RUSSELL—I have to state to the House that I propose to-morrow, instead of the motion of n hich I have already given notice in regard to William Smith O'Brien, that I shall move that the re cord be read, and shall then move two resolutions; after which I shall move that a new writ for Limerick be issued in place of William Smith O'Brien. The House then adjourned at Half-past Eleven. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S.-YESTERDAY. The run yesterday was all in favour of the recent ar rival at Danebury—Chatterer—and so strong was it that in less than a coupe of hours 7to 1 was taken freely. The outlay was heavy. The Flying Dutchman remains precisely as on Wednesday, viz.—at 2 to 1; 9 to 4, or even less, would have been taken. His companion, El thiron, as the odds will show, was not out of favour. Nunnykirk was backed for several hundreds at 4 to 1, but Tadmor did not maintain the position he occupied on Wednesday. Scarcely any business was done ex cept on the four leading favourites. Very little was done on the Oaks; but Glauca and Sister to Arkwright may be selected as having been most conspicuously in favour. The latest prices were:— THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 18, 1849, DERBY. 2 to 1 agst Lord Fglinton's The Flying Dutchman 4 to 1 agst Mr. A. Nichol's Nunnykirk—taken 5 to 1 east Colonel Peel's Tadmor—take 6 to 1 7 to 1 agst Mr. Watts's Chatterer—taken 15 to 1 agst Sir C. Monck's Vanguard 18 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Elthiron—taken 22 to 1 agst Sir J. Hawley's Vatican—take 22 to 1 22 to 1 agst Mr. Bowes's The Knout—taken 30 to 1 agst Lord Clifden's Honeycomb—taken 30 to 1 agst Mr. Pedley's Old Dan Tucker 50 to 1 agst Mr. Farrance's The Old Fox—take 1,000 to 15 66 to 1 agst Mr. Godwin's Hotspur. By the death of Mr. Cloves, several bets, taken by him in his own name, but on account of other parties, Le come void. OAKS. 5 to 2 agst John Day's lot 11 to 2 agt.t Mr. Payne's Glauca-6 to 1 taken freely 7 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Clarissa—taken 15 to 2 agst Lord Chesterfield's Sister to Arkwright —take 8 to 1 8 to 1 agst Mr. Wreford's Woodlark—taken 10 to 1 agst Mr. Whitworth's Lady Jersey—offered 10 to 1 agst Mr. F. Clarke's Lady Tryphena—taken 16 to 1 agst Mr. Wreford's West Country Lass 18 to 1 sgst Count Bathyany's Eva. ALARMING FIRE BEAR TUE STRAND THEATRE. Last night, between ten and eleven o'clock, a fire of an alarming character, and which at one period was feared had been attended with fatal t cousequences, broke out on the premises belonging r. Sheard, a tailor and draper, carrying on business o next door but two to the Strand , Theatre. The flames o commenced from some un known cause in the front shop , and before their existence became known that . portion ), the premises was in a blaze. Timely information having o been forwarded to the engine•statipoanraishw,ithLaololdLossible expedition the en gines of the Brigade, and West of England attended, and there being an abdance, of water, the machines were set to work, an the fire was eventually extinguished, but not until the lower part was burned out, and the upper portion severely injured. was at first believed that a woman had perished in n the t flames, but at one o'clock this morning it w as ascerta i ne d that such was not the case. The people in the theatre at the time of the alarm being given made a precipitate retreat from the building, but, fortunately, as far as could be learned, no one was injured. HOSPITAL FOR CONSUMPTION, BROMPTON.—Yes terday evening a very full meeting of the board of management was held at the above institution; Captain Lyon in the chair. The usual routine business having been disposed of, some reference was made relative to the new chapel, after which it was stated officially by the secretary that, in addition to the amount announced at the recent anniversary festival, over which Benjamin Diraeli, Etq., M.P., presided, his Grace the Duke of Norfolk had contributed 501, the Due of Buccleugh, 311. los., Thomas Lowndes, Del , 501, and Philip Rose, Esq., 50/. Thanks having been voted to the gallant chairman, the meeting was adjourned. ROYAL SURREY THEATRE.—Sergeant Talfourd's classical play of lon, which the learned author describes as the phantasm of a tragedy, " not a thing of substanc e raortaliscd into the living rock of huwanity, ' and Morton's admirable comedy of the H one y moo n, were produced last night for the benefit of Mr. Anderson, whose engage ment,. at this theatre, in conjunction with that accom plished actress, Mrs. Warner, draws near completion. Theinteresting character of the entertainments, and Mr. Anderson's h excellence in the higher walks of the drama, attracted a numerous, though not a crowded audience, and Mr. And erson ' s a d m i ra bl e d e li ne ati on o f l on , gave universal satisfaction. Po deaf to the quarrelsome ' and dumb to the in- Cook's Journal. NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR. THE ABOLITION OF BURIALS IN TOWNS. A public meeting was hid on Wednesday evening at the Royal National 13chnols, Cowper-street, City road, for the purpos: of petitioning Parliament for the imme diate closing of all burial places in cities and towns. Gorge Thorapson, ER!., M.P., was unanimously , elected to take the chair. _ _ _ Th.: meeting was very numerously attended, and among those present on the plitform we observed Mr. George Alirel Walkee, Mr. Luke James Hansard, Mr. Joseph George Ross, Mr. Joseph Rogers, Mr. Charles Gilpin, Mr. Eiiku Burrit, and Mr. J. C. Atkinson, and a number of ladies. The CHAIRMAN observed that this was emphatically an age of reforms. Look in whatever direction you might, you saw men eager and earnest in bshalf of measures of improvement and eocid advancement. It was well to see the intelligence and energy of the nation so employed. It was a proof of activity of thought, of the existence of a large amount of philanthropy, and of a general desire to lessen the inevitable evils which humanity in its best condition was called to bear. Lie (the Chairman) .syrepathised with most of these reform movements, and if not prepared to vote for the accom plishment of all the projects afloat, he at least rejoiced to see the minds of men so much alive, and their powers so generally quickened into active exertion.—(Cheers.) Notting was worse than a state of indifference and inertion. He could cordially wish good speed to all societies aiming to elevate, to instruct, and to enfranchise the people.—(Loud cheers.) The meeting of that evening was called, not to pro mote financial, or representative, or ecclesiastical, or educational reform, but to help a great and vital branch of sanitary improvement—to promote the cause of public health, and with it, the cause of public decency, and order, and morality—(Cries of " Hear, hear") —also to recognise, to honour, and to protect from outrage, the holiest and sacredest feelings belonging to us as human beings. Ho (the Chairman) was not in favour of combination and organization on every subject, for he thought there was much for every man to do in his individual capacity, which, if he per formed it, would tend to better the condition of society around him; but he was in favour of public agitation and of organized action on the question under discussion, because the evil was a great one—a national one, con nected with the cherished institutions of the country— likely to be' defended by those who thought they had a vested interest in the abuse, and because the remedy could only be applied by the Government with the aid of the Legislature, and that Government and that Legislature would require on this, as on all great questions, a wholesome and powerful presiuro from without to induce them to do their duty.—(Cheers.) What was the object sought to be attained by this and similar meetings? A law to prevent and to prohibit the burial of the dead within the immediate pre cincts of the dwellings of the living.—(Bear, hear.) A law to provide, that in future the sepulchres and tombs of our friends shall be at such a distance from the abodes of those they leave behind, as that the process of decomposition, inevitable after death, shall not be the parent of diseases that may be fatal to those who survive. —([fear, hear.) But do we assume too much when we say that the existing prac tice is attended with danger and positive injury to the living ? Unhappily, we do not. No man requires to be told, that large accumulations of putrescent animal matter are in the highest degree pernicious when in the midst of the living.—(hear, hear.) No man can deny that the scythe of that indiscriminate destroyer, Death, sweeps down 50,000 of our metropolitan popu lation annually. No man can deny that these lifeless bodies are, with comparatively few exceptions, buried within the immediate neighbourhood of our places of abode. No man can deny that in consequence of the amount of mortality, and this mode of burial, Irene two millions and a half to three millions of pounds weight of dead and decaying animal matter are annually deposited in our graveyards. The measurement of those graveyards, and a comparison of their capacity with the number of deaths and funerals, has demon strated beyond the power of successful cavil or dispute, that not only are our consecrated places of sepulture overcrowded—that not only are bodies interred within a few feet and often with in a few inches of the surface— that not only is there a re-opening of graves, and a mo lestation of their tenants before dust has returned to dust, and ashes to ashes; but that thole is a systematic work of sacrilegious and brutal destruction carried on, and that the bodies anxiously tended while sick, tearfully laid cut when dead, reverently shrouded, and then buried with the most solemn and holy of Christian rites, are torn from their ceffitis and hewn to pieces by the spade of the gravedigger, that room may be made for others, to be in their turn subjected to similar outrages.—(Hear, hear.) Were our grave yards innocuous —did they, in stead of steaming forth pestiferous and pestilentialexha htten—breathe Sabean odours—such atrocious burgla ries,cwtt hoe e s g r r:i a gte t eis h sip e leu r ca e r tu d o dut e Ir x iet i e he c (is r ,) let a yia t m i cr o eao n bi s iolget o .i o f thebnal.es sd w (i cn h ag o i 0- 1 oc o rf v os e f.h) d a e l c l en who c y where more than gold is rifl e d, oug h t to ca ll d own o erl f a r all d ealßthutitshepuptrien peril by the system. The best earthly possession is a bodyan health and vigour. Give me health, and I may be poor, but still serene, cheerful, happy, Give me health, and I may have to toil, and more, to grapple with difficulties, and to bear perplexities and trials; but the toil shall prove a blessing in disguise to my body, and the elastic soul beneath its burden shall wax stronger and stronger by the very necessity of bearing up against the obstacles that oppose me.—(Cheers.) But, rob me of my health—make me the victim of slow disease, or functional derangement, and the spirit at once sympa thises with the body—the treasure of an immortal mind is in this state of bring in an earthen vessel—the lamp burns in a frail pitcher—this cerebral matter is the ma terial organ of the soul—this body (with its various members) is the servant, the instrument, and more, the companion, inseparable, of the immaterial and deathless mind.—(Hear, hear.) We are fearfully and wonderfully made ; and so close is the connexion between, so intimate and mutual the depen dence of mind and matter, that you cannot derange the one without an injury to the other. IF, then, you would have pure, vigorous, active, healthy minds, study the structure and functions of the body; darken not the windows of the soul, pollute it not its temple, do not pull it down by the grossness of the body, do not enfeeble it in its operations, or taint it in its currents, by the neglect, the abuse, or the desecration of the physical system.—(Cheers.) But what has this to do with grave yards? This. There is nothing more essential to the health than the purity of the atmospheric air. With hold it, and we die; pollute it, and a " thousand ills that flesh is heir to" happen. The past and present mode of burying the dead might have been the invention of some malign being to render baneful this essential ele ment of healthful existence. Cathedrals, parish churches, churchyards, and burial-grounds of all kinds, consecrated and unconsecrated, are la boratories of disease ; earth and walls are satu rated with putrefaction, and the air in them and around them is charged with sublimated particles, which entering the lungs of the busy and unsuspecting popula tion of our city, are poisoning them by inches, if they do not in many instances prove speedily fatal.—(Hear, hear.) He continued—l will venture to read a brief extract or two from a valuable communication from the pen of W. Simpson, surgeon, to the Journal of Public Health for April, 1849. The facts are taken from the writings of Mr. G. A. Walker—from the publications of that gentleman, who has done so much to enlighten the world on this subject. He says— " Let any one look with unprejudiced eyes at the actual state of the metropolitan graveyards and bury ing places; let him examine the vaults crowded with dead, over which, separated by a thin covering, he must sit during divine service, and ask himself whether such things ought to exit. Tho numbers annually buried in the Portugal-street burial-ground are ten times as many as they ought to be, and the necessity of obtaining room gives rise to the most revolting in decencies. Of some of them Mr. Walker was himself an eye-witness. He saw heaps of coffin. wood perfectly fresh, with cloth covering—bones on the surface pre pared for removal, and experienced the effects of the effluvia which are constantly thrown off from the surface. The new Bunhill-fields burying-ground, Dover-road, Borough, contains about two-thirds of an acre of ground, and receives every year about 1,560 bodies— average, 2,323 to an acre. It has been calculated.by Mr. Chadwick that no ground can neutralize more than 110 bodies annually to the acre. According to Mr. Walker's calculation, 136 are the utmost—thus twenty times as many bodies are buried every year in this ground as ought to be. And thus the violation of the tomb must be inevitable—must be a work of daily necessity.''—(hear.) He quotes one instance of the atrocities committed under this hideous system, which I cannot omit to refer to, though it exhibits human nature under a most revolting and humiliating aspect. " The Spa-fields ourying-ground,` London, contains 42,640 feet, and might inter decently about 1,361 bodies. Within a period of fifty years about 80,000 bodies have been deposited there. The number of burials average 1,500 per annum, in place of 1,361 in perpetuo. The gravediggers in this ground have committed the most fearful atrocities on the bodies of the dead. The long hair of women has been cut off and sold to hair-dressers; teeth have been taken from every corpse worth ravag ing, and the clothes of the dead torn off by these mid night miscreants. The practice of burning coffins and portions of their contents in the Spa-fields burying ground, has been carried on upwards of a quarter of a century—a fire has been constantly burning day and night. It has not been possible for a long time to obtain a grave without muti lation and disturbance of previous corpses. The coffins of ' still born' children have been broken up and used ler the purpose of lighting the fires in the bone-house, because they are made of deal."—(Hear, hear.) Let me now refer to a case fully proving the danger of opening graves, and filling the surrounding atmosphere with the subtle poison which exhales from decayed bodies. " The circumstances connected with the outbreak of fever in Alinchinhampton sustain to the fullest extent these opinions. Minchinhampton is a small town in Gloucestershire, containing about eight hundred inhabi tants. It is pleasantly and healthily situated on a declivity, w.ll drained, free from most causes of disease, and re markably exempt from fever heretofore. Dr. Daniel Smith had not met with a single case of typhus during four teen years' practice in it. The church and churchyard are very old—the latter has served as a burial-ground for the last 500 years, and is small in extent. In 1843, the church was rebuilt, and it became necessary to lower the surface of the churchyard a few feet. The earth so rem oved was, in a fatal devoted to purposes of agr iculture. thousand our cart loads were thus emp!oyed. The seeds Abou o to ne h ofdisease, thus widely sown, f . r broke out in this previously produced fthe rector, andthe healthy locality. .o t --fever in habitants of the street a a` he the churchyard, were she greateet kufferen. Who the firet tOkelied , 671" rector lost his wife, his daughter, and the gardener who had used the poisoned earth for manure. The patron's gardener, who had dressed his flower beds with human manure, was also attacked; in short, wherever the earth was taken to, the fever fol lowed.—(Bear, hear.) The children of the Sunday schools caught fever, went home and died, bat they did nut communicate the disease to their relatives and at tendants—those only suffered who had been exposed to the cause of its development. Seventeen deaths are re corded as having taken place from this cause alone; and Dr. Smith states that nearly 200 cases of scarlet-fever and measles, with anomalous and peculiar eruptions, • followed, all in his opinion from the same cause. "Ia ancient E evpt, the plague was unknown so long as the sepultural rites of civilized heathens were continued, but the barbarous practice of interment was introduced, and the land of mummies became what it now is—one vast charnel-house.—(Hear, hear.) " During the decomposition of the human body, after death, ce:tain principles denominated morbid poisons are thrown off. The stege in which these are eliminated is called putrefaction. Besides sulphuretted hydrogen and carbonic acid gas, there are other peculiar animal principles, hitherto not reduced to palpable existence, which do their deadly work. The manner in which these morbid poisons act on the living frame has been well explained by Baron Liebig. According to this illus trious chemist, the effects of morbid poisons are ana logous to fermentation—that is, a similar process to that which takes place when yeast is placed in contact with sugar or glutinous matter." A protest against the burial of the; dead in . churches and in graveyards in populous towns, is no new thing. In an admirable volume from the pen of Air. Walker, now present, entitled " Gatherings from Graveyards," I find a most i n t erest i ng d ocument, in the s h a p e o f an or dinance of the A rc hbi s h op o f T ou l ouse on the interment of the d ea d i n churches. This was at a very early perio d. On the sid e o f t hi s excellent cause, wh i cn i s ono of the highest public importance, we have our respect for the rites of our religion, our regard for the feelings of the bereaved. the importance of health to the dwellers in towns, the diminishing of local burthens, the diminution of general pauperism, and the checking of g ross immorality. — e p (Cheers.) Against it we havrejudice and custom, and the love of burial fees, and the Dean and Chapter o f Westminster---(Laughter)— an d t h e m i n i s ters, sextons, and gravediggers of othe r rel i gious edifices ; but these may and will be overcome when the intelligence and re ligious feeling and domestic affections, and the anxiety fur the advancement of sanitary measures throughout the kingdom are enlisted in the cause. Let us then boldly face the impediments whieh exist in our way, and we shall finally reach the goal of our desires—the entire removal of this flagrant and m os t p ern icious abuse. —(Loud cheers.) Too much credit cannot be awarded to the gentleman who has devoted tho most precious p a lea e s a u r, re hn o a r r . p ) rofi l t t , r t n o st th h i e s h encouragement and support portion of his life, whether foL ( willu ma not humane l a o n o t k l b i n e nvenflicno fornt w t h o r e k to which he is entitled, and which his cause so impera• tively demands. Let him, and all others who are simi larly engaged, gather hope and confidence from the contemplation of past victories in enterprises for the good of their fellow-creatures.—(Cheers.) Let every reformer here, whatever be his object—if it be a good one—listen to the words of a simple but sweet poet, whose muse is consecrated to the cause of the people—l refer to Eliza Cock—(Cheers):— _ _ " If ye see afar off that worth winning, Set out on the journey with trust; And ne'er heed if your path at beginning, Should be among brambles and dust. " Though it be but by footsteps ye do it, And hardships may hinder the way, Keep a heart, and be sure you'll get thro' it, For where there's a will there's a way.' " —(Loud cheers.) Mr. G. A. WALKER rose to propose the first resolu. tion. He said, if a man from a far country, a stranger to our manners and customs, an Egyptian, fur example, could take Lie stand on the top of St. Paul's in this city, he would be surprised at the view that presented itself. If he were told that within the immediate circuit Of his view there lived some two millions of people— that the living swarm beneath him would be gathered to their fathers, would require graves with in about thirty-five years, he would probably inquire how end where those two millions of people would be buried. And what would be the humiliating answer? Why, that the inhabitant s of this the most ma g nificen t duringcit yi n the centuries, universe, a people rich and powerful, had, untaught by experience and unine strutted by misfortune, committed the sad and lament able error of burying the dead in the very midst of the habitations of the living. In the 19th century of the Christian era, temples dedicated to the worship of the Most High were, by the sanction of law, and by the per mission of our forms of religion, converted into pest houses for the living. The rich, interred at the price of gold, are allowed to corrupt the atmosphere of our chapels. The poor and the middle c l a sses are stacked in g raves, in dee p p its, one churches and c • t upon the other, and side b y side, as was the case in very neighbourhood — in the Golden . lane Cemetery , to his own knowledge, the uppermost coffin frequently not being more than a few inches below the surface.— (Hear, hear.) There were divisions in death as well as distinctions in life— " Here lie I, beside the door, Here lie I, because I'm poor; Further in the more they pay; Here lie I as well as they.' --(Laughter.) Now for himself, speaking as an indivi dual, he would have no objection at all to those divisions in eraveyards—they had their rich man's ground, their poor man's ground, and their pauper's ground,but then it resolved itself into a:most important sanitary question. It had frequently been his lotto endeavour to demonstrate — more especially in writing, and latterly by speaking — that the dead man required so much material, so much earth in which he should decompose. According to a calculation which he had long since made, an adult body would require thirty-two superficial feet for its burial ; that was the body would pass off, it would be resolved into its original elements, into gaseous matters and animal compounds, which must enter into the lungs and corrupt the blood, and produce va rious forms of disease. Now, let any man show him, as times went, a better investment than this ; a man took a plot of ground, or rented a house, and there might perchance be a cellar underneath, and be forthwith com menced burying the dead. He (Mr. Walker) was not at all desirous of pressing hardly upon any individual or upon any locality, but there was a place which he had in his memory, Enon Chapel, in Clement's-lane, Strand. —(Hear, hear.) Now he would adduce that as an in stance, demos strafing the truth of what he had asserted to the meeting. I n t h at p l ace , me rely fifty nine feet in length, b y twenty-nine feet in width, many thousands of bodies were interred—that was, they were put away somehow or other—(lcer, hear)—which was another name for the same thing. In that place, measuring, as he had said, fifty-nine feet by twenty-nine, many thousa n d s o f b o di es were b ur i e d, an d the sum derived during si x years by the proprietor of the place for burials in that cellar—for cellar it was — (Hear, hear)—merely the usual joists supporting a floor, covered by boards. and not even a lath and plaster do fence—(Hear, hear)—in that place—that manufactory of malaria—there were deposited many thousands of bodies, and the sum received by the proprietor amounted to 9511. ss. during six years for burials in that cellar. — (Hear, hear.) Now, those facts were taken by himself ( Mr. Wlker) fro the book of theproprietor of thelace, the figur a es written m , he believ e d, in the hand of the man himself, and therefore there could be no mistake about rather them. He proposed, h owever , that night dea lin g with the dangers than with th e i m moralities of the s y stem. He did not know whether it was with them as it w a s with himself; but in his case he had looked at that mat ter so frequently in its various aspects, it had come so often upon him, that he felt it was like the thrice told tale, Vexing the dull ear of drowse man." —(Applause.) He could tell them 0 - f enormities that should call a blush on the cheek of Englishmen and English women. He had long and f r equently won d ere d how long the public would permit suc h a stat e o f t hi ngs to tho interment prac tised most elab ora t e go on. It was now some 14 years since he commence d his inquiries. From 1839 up till now th e question had, however, progressed; and by the m eet i ng that night, and by other meetings, he thought they might judg e that at length public attention had been roused to it s enormit (Applause.) There were learned men who would )g'ive historiestheecperhaps,, ottne thee tho ds moat and modesminute, in the earlier ages — men who would writ e t h em m very good books on that subject, yet those men, p er h aps knowing better, as he feared too many of them did, yet hesitated to deal with a question which must eventually be dealt with, and the sooner it was dealt with the better.—(Applause) It would seem that men could only be brought to the recognition of great truths and of simple facts through the paths of suffer ing and of sorrow ; and yet what had a series of such experiences taught us ? Why, that they had made scarcely a move in the prevention of so fruitful a source of disease, of immorality, and of death. It was true that during the last session of Parliament a few measures had passed the Legislature; but what had they done in this? He must say, even at the eleventh hour, that they had done nothing on this, the greatest question of all.—(Applause.) Yet they had paid most scrupu lous, the most deferential attention to every other known cause of disease. The City Sanitary Act talked not of the width, not of the superficial surface of the graves and graveyards of this metropolis, notoriously over crowded as they were ; but talked of depth only, of five feet from the surface. How was it that they did not talk of the width as well? If, as ho had told them, a dead body must require thirty. two feet to give it sanitary burial, how was it that the City authorities, knowing, as they must know—for they had had sent among them books, not by ones or twos, but by tens, and fifties,. and hun dreds, at the expense of the individual then addressing them—displayed so: much indifference ?—(Loud ap • pleuse.) He said, therefore, that they had a right to expect b e tt er thi ngs . The City auth or iti es , in their corporate capacity, should be the leaders of the nation in this matter.—(ElLar, hear.) If all that he (Mr. Walker) had stated was true, it was time, not that they should regulate the depth of the graves, but that they should shut up the graveyards altoge ther.—(Loud applause.) There is a period in the history of nations when the common succession of events in the material world paases unnoticed,—when Governments and Legislators cease to regard with due concern sub jects of essential importance to the welfare of tho mass of the community,—when ordinary occurrences lose their interest, and nothing has power over attention but WO the most startling and astounding, and when matters of vital import, of the most profound interest, are disre garded or treated with negligence and indifference. Such a crisis may arrive with regard to public health in this country. Whilst the cries of enslaved negroes, the de mands of distant colonies for succour and assistance, are listened to and relieved by the noble but scmetimes misdirected efforts of British philan thropy, the infinitely greater claims, the by far more urgent call of thousands of our fellow-countrymen whose physical energies are impaired by the slow and in4lious operation of causes, the effects of which they can neither avoid nor control, are unfortunately passed over with indifference, or heard without commiseration. The experience of the wisest men, of all ages, has gone tar to prove that the mental and inor4l qualities of a people materially depend on their physical organization —that causes, injuriously affecting the latter, must surely and inevitably blunt the susceptibilities and im pair the energies of the former—and since the physical being can be modified and altered by varying the exter nal influences acting on our population, the importance, nay, imperative necessity, of due sanitary regulations for the conservation of the public health must be a p.trarnount and primary consideration in the projection of any scheme of social improvernent.—(llear, hear.) He was reading yesterday an article in the Times newspaper which struck him very forcibly, and, with the permission of the meeting, he would call its at tention to it. The article had reference to the rsturns made by the Registrar- General of the Marriages, Births, and Deaths of the nation : " The cholera," said the writer, " as we have said, lid not produce effects enough to overbalance the results of sanitary improvements combined with a toler ably healthy season. There died of this disease in London, during the last quarter of the past year, 516 persons of all ages, being full 500 above the average from that complaint. On the other hand, the deaths from typhus, though 700 in number, were 223 less than in the winter previous; but these figures in themselves are enough to show how far more serious than our occasional epi demics are those maladies which are always with us, un seen and almost unnoticed. The disorder registered as bronchitis' must either have enormously increased of late years, or it must be made to comprehend a variety of diseases formerly known by more vulgar names, fur its doings within the limits of the metropolis in the single winter of 1348 alone are represented by the item of 1,271, being second only to consumption. In fact, consumption, bronchitis, and pneumonia together, are the causes of one-fourth of all the deaths in the kingdom." Now, what did those facts prove? In his opinion they were the basis on which would be built a series of most invaluable facts. They showed too clearly that con sumption, bronchitis, or affections of the bronchial tubes, and pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs, were the causes of one-fourth of all the deaths in the kingdom. —(llear, hear.) Well, that was not at all extraordinary to him ; it might appear very strange—exceedingly strange to them ; but if they knew what he knew--and really they might be just as much acquainted with the matter as himself—if they knew that they must take air into their lungs 28,000 times in every twenty-four hours—that the heart bating, say seventy five times a minute, each tune propelling about two ounces of blood— that this blood supplied the air-tubes, the lungs, the blood vessels, and absorbents — if they knew those things, could they at all wonder that consumption attacked so many people of this country ?—(Hear.) He thought not ; the wonder to him was that deaths from consumption were not more numerous.—(Hear, hear.) lie would also read a most important statement in re ference to this qaestion from the writings of a w;11- known and most talented physician, Sydenham, who practised in London during the time of the great plague of London in 1665. Talking of the pestilential fever and plague of the years 1665 and 1666, he said:— " Hever, however, of the true malignant character, is anything but an every• day disease; and from those other forms of fever which are called malignant, only on the strength of the severity of their symptoms, it differs both in kind and character. Its true affinities are with plague, nor more nor less; and from the true plague it is distinguished only by its difference in degree." Then he went on to say—speaking of the constitution and peculiar condition of the atmosphere to which he (Mr. Walker) would earnestly request their close atten tion, he continued:— " Over and above, however, this constitution of the atmosphere and these general influences, there must be an additional determination in the form of a susception of the miasma. This means the admission of the mor bid principle from some pestiferous body, either imme diately and by close contact, or mediately from the transmission of a fumes. When these conditions coin cide with the disposition of the atmosphere which we de.Lcribed, a small spark gives origin to a fearful confla gration. Death presses upon death; and partly from the exhalations of those who have sickened, and partly from the corpses of those who have died, disease and contagion are propagated through the whole atmosphere of the affected area. And now both the existence of the fomites and the presence of the stricken have ceased to be the conditions of its propagation. The simple atmos phere drawn in as we breathe is in itself and of itself sufficient to destroy; and it destroys even those who have been removed with all care from the affected, pro vided only that their bodies be impregnated with the humours adapted to the receipt of the influence." With the permission of the meeting he would give an other line or two, and then conclude as quickly as pos sible. They would perceive from the remarks of the celebrated Sydenham, the author whom he had just quoted, that to bring about a constitution of the atmosphere favourable to propagation of that disease, they must have peculiar conditions of weather. Now he would read an extract from a very old work, which perhaps many would hear for the first time. It referred to the time of the plague, when a hundred thousand people died in the then comparatively thin population of London. 12,000 persons fperished in one week in the month of September, upwards of 4,000 souls being sent prematurely to their last account during one night alone. The writer said— " During the time of the plague there was such a general calm and serenity as if the wind and rain also had banished the realm, for for many weeks together I could net observe the least breath of wind, not enough to stir a weathercock or a fane; if any, it was southerly; the fires with great difficulty were made to burn, I sup pose through the great scarcity of nitre in the air. There fell abundance of mildews, and the very birds would pant for breath, especially crows, kites, &c.; and I observed them to fall more heavily than at other times." He (Mr. Walker) considered that a most important matter. They had no business to talk of Providential visitations, though he bowed to the decrees of the Almighty as reverently as any man, when they knew that the remedy was in their own hands. Nei ther had the clergy, who permitted or sanctioned, or attempted to continue this practice, any right to repeat as they did Sunday after Sunday, to that God whose very providence they were abusing, the prayer "From plague, pestilence, and famine, good Lord de liver us."—(Cheers.) He knew there were many good men among them, but he trusted they would soon find out that he was right and that they were wrong. lie thought the time was not far distant when they might calculate upon such assistance in the House of Commons as would enable them to carry the measure which they sought to obtain.—(Cheers.) One word more—he would warn men to be careful how , they cor rupted the earth, for so surel y as the surface of the earth was corrupted, so surely would the atmosphere be corrupted they breathed, and so surely as that atmosphere was corrupted every organ and all the tissues of their body must be an nu and thenw 1 v e a l r e i s u o u ra s e t i k s s i n u d e . s Th muste quality or another ; and the resolution which he was about to propose was to e pt d hl iee d w l v i w t e h ir, t,h b t h l b o ul o ob d o rda o ion f i some b h s pasprutl supplied e pray that the House of Commons, would, as soon as possible, give the working and labouring population, the sinews of the nation—that it would give them at least, if it gave them nothing more, exemption from those pestilential causes of disease.—(Cheers.) Mr. Walker concluded by proposing the following resolution: "It having been repeatedly demonstrated that the practice of burying the dead in the midst of the living produces the most deplorable consequences to the health of the community, by poisoning the air we breathe and the water we drink, this meeting deeply regrets that a question, involving the disposal of some 600,000 bodies, the annual mortality of the United Kingdom, should not have taken precedence of all others in the sanitary mea sures passed in the last session of Parliament. That more especially at the present time, when cholera is among us, the constant disturbance of dead bodies, in every stage of decomposition, and the exposure of human re mains in consequence of the incessa nt upturning of the soil, for the purpose of making graves in places long since filled to repletion , oug ht to be instantly abolished. That this meeting also protests most strongly, on the ground of the utter worthlessness o the protection th er eby afforded to the public health f , and for other cogent reasons, against t he practice of depositing bodies in vaults, or other rece ptacles,. under cochurches and or th er cha - fore it records its unqualified condemnation of clause pels, whether in lea den or pitched' ffins; e 112 of the City sanitary measure, which, in the year 1848, legalised this most objectionable and destructive custom." The CIIAMMAN apologised for the absence of Mr. Mackinnon, and Mr. Wyld, M.P., from the meet ing. Both Honourable Gentlemen were detained by particular engagements, but their attachment to the cause none could question fora moment. They had assured him that if at all practicable they would attend some time in the course of the evening before the proceedings terminated. Mr. LURE JAMES HANSARD, in seconding the resolu tion, said he thought Mr. Walker had clearly proved that intramural burials were not only merely a nuisance, but a great injury to the health, well-being, and morality of the people of this metropolis. He was entitled to great credit for persevering in keeping that great sub• ject constantly before the attention of the public, and he hoped he would continue to do so until be succeeded at last in forcing it upon the attention of the Legislature and the Government.—(Hear, hear.) The Chairman had also said sufficient to satisfy any ordinary mind of the evil effects of the present system, and if he had been a general of some great army, going about from country to country and slaughtering his fellow-creatures, he could not have applied his pow der, his ammunition, and his shot wit h greater effect than he had done that evening his oratorical weapons and missiles upon behalf of a peaceful agitation.— (Cheers.) They had to consider how far tho subject had reference to the feelings of the living, and how far tgh graveyards a h r e d s had f ftoolltnhlevesdacmrerd. Walker r s i o n f h t is he vis d i e t London, he could not pretend to anything like his zeal and perseverance in the cause, but he could confirm the testimony which a s d io the A he had given. In the New Bunhill fields burial. ground he saw as many as twelve or fift“en graves open • they were all walled up with coffins; some were three or four feet deep, for infants, others about eight or ten feet, and most of them were within g pi the burfaCe.—(Etc§r, hear.) go w 45 Also startled at iseeing in the sexton's depository undecayed lids of coffin a Kith inscriptions upon them; he broke a piece front :one of them, and produced it at the meeting which was held in Lrieester. squ Ire, to show what he stated was correct. The impression produced on his mind by tha t piece of coffin was that the body which it contained fx.i.d not undergone the natural course of decay appointed by the Creator—that of returning from flesh into dust—sod that the undecayed c , flins were taken up from the earth for sale, and for making roads with, as was the .tase in the neighbourhood of Euston-square. It was upon those grounds that they, as reasonable men, ought to , enter into the consideration of the subject, and if he might :presume to:call upon them to sanction this resolution, it was that they should do it upon the best approval of' their minds, and the best conviction of their heart and -understanding. The Legislature could not postpone tho subject much longer if the people joined together in she way in which they had met together that evening, sad if they made that meeting a nucleus of action. It was attributed to ShAkespere, that great spirit who ;so faithfully held the mirror up to nature, with all thus a fine feelings which were generated by the contemplatia a of human nature, that he recorded his great and :nc at earnest desire that no one should disturb his remains— " d friend, for Jesus' sake, forbear To (lig the dust entombed here; t be he who spares these stones, curst be he who moves my bones." (Applauso.) Mr. 'laniard concluded by seconding the resolution. Mr. Roc as said, before the resolution was put to the meeting., f trusted he might be permitted to claim their attention far a few minutes. That resolution bad his deepest and fullest supp et. He felt that they were all convinced of the urgent necessity of some legislative measure that,: would put a stop to thi s ev il. Having spent almost all his leisure for many years in gathering inf rmation, relating to this important question, be trusted the meeting would give him the opportunity of bringing 'oe:ilore them a few of the facts which he had collected.. This was a question that was to be settled by facts, and by facts alone. A number of medical in ere. had (Refuted the truth of the observations that had ieoen made upon this atrocious system; but, however, t ru th was mighty, and would at all times pre vail.—(Applause.) They had in London 212 acres of land devo';ed to burial-grounds, 176 acres of which be longed to dee Church of England—that Church whose principle it; - was to do unto others as it wished others to do to then i.- —(oh, oh.) The Dissenting community had only thirty-six acres of ground in this metropolis devoted to burial - pLeces. They buried 50,000 persons in those 212 acres of ground. He found from a calculation he had made that no less a quantity than 2,160,0001b5. weight of } In man flesh were annually buried in the grave yards of tl its metropolis; and during the last forty years they had buried 40,000,00011)e. of human flesh, the ef fluvia front. the decomposition of which has tended to shorten the lives of hundreds of their neigh hours and friends.—(Hear, hear.) It stood to reason that either the graveyards of this metropolis must rise above the surrounding streets, or that the debris of the dead was f roue time to time made away with. He knew a street not far from them—Church-street, where there was a distin ct thoroughfare over a consecrated burial ground.—lie ar, hear.) Ho was anxious to bring before them the con dition of certain graveyards, some of which ho had visited and examined within a very short time. He knew it' :they could only sweep away the abominations connected with this system, which the Church was charge able smith, they would succeed; for the Dissenters as a body were , not powerful to do much mischief in this matter.—(l,r,ughter.) The following were a few of the remarks which his visit to some of the graveyards had suggested:— " In St. Bride's, Fleet-street, there were 427 persons buried to the acre. The burial ground in Farringdon street was in some parts four, in others seven, in others fifteen feet at rove the level of the ground-floor of the adjacent houses. No vestige of grass. Several recent graves. Hus a pump at the corner; the water is very dark. A w oaten, living in an adjacent house, stated it was offensive and unfit to drink. The owner of a house adjoining the graveyard in Farringdon-street stated that during the summer months he was horribly annoyed by the disputing smell, by a crowd of noisome flies, earwigs, and .other insects; that it was full to repletion; that his day ghter last summ , r was affected with typhus; that his assistant and apprentice had laboured under the same disease, and he had been affected therewith three times; that there was a box kept to hold the human bones in. The graveyard is a quarter of an acre in extent; not a vestige of grass on the ground. There are only four tombseenes, and nearly all the rest of the ground is flat. "In St. Andrew's, Holborn, here were 250 persons buried to the acre. In some p irts the graveyard is 15 feet above the level of the ground floor of the adjacent houses; similar absence of grass ; on one side there were 13 recent graires ; on the other a large heap of rubbish, in terspersed profusely with human bones ; one open grave, coffins on each side, no mould between ; nearest coffin to the top disttanced two feet ; there was evidently a brisk trade done..--(Laughter.) At one side of the church yard stands one of the City of London charity schools. One of the children stated that at times there is a very offensive smell ; a woman in an adjacent house also com plained of Itmell ; she stated also that no one stopped there long ; all were anxious to get away. There were a number of holes, where borings had been made for the purpose of sarertaining whether there was any more room for cof " Thomas"a-ground, Golden-lane, is about a quarter, or, perhaps, ttalt . an acre is extent. Three open graves; the surface ses ttered over with bones, &c. The keeper and his wife complained that they were doing very little business—(L rtughter)—sts the place below—the City Bunhill—took: away all the trade. The entrance to this Golgotha was. a narrow, low, and dirty alley, called Rose passage.. " At Worribip-street Chapel the sextoness told me they bury th sir own congregation, and as many more as they can gait ; is closely surrounded by houses of the poor. "At St. Botolpies,Bishopsgate, are buried about 396 per sons to theacr Business over when I reached it, but giving evidence of having done brisk trade during the day ; one part looked lilte newly ploughed. The backs of many houses look into it. I believe the Bishop of London formerly affiliated here, and drew his facts from thence, perhaps, on which to found his assertion of the harmlessness of intramural burial. " At St. Sepulchre's about 293 persons are buried to the acre. The graveyard is in a similar condition as regards grass; is considerably elevated, in one part about four feet; several recent graves; the rest flat. The gravedigger would not admit me to view the ground closely; one open grave; he stated he could not dig a grave without boring. " At St. Dotelph's, Aldersgate-street, about 631 per sons to the acre are buried. The ground is excessi ve ly crowded; one open grave; sides lined with decayed and decaying coffins. Evidently a brisk business done; several skulls and other human remains in sight; entire absence of grass.—(Laughter.) " St. Olave's, Silver. street, Falcon-square, 335 square yards. Three recent graves; no grass. Two dead cats and other raabii h thrown into it.—(Laughter.) Ground raised several feet. " Cripplegato Churchyard, 346 to the acre. Sexton rather sulkily refused to admit me. " City, Dunhill, 605 to acre. Gravedigger r a th er savagely refused admission to me, but on my stating a desire to bury a. friend altered his tone.—(Laughter.) There were eight open graves, all lined with recent coffins; no mould between; some exceedingly deep; one at least 25 feet; at the bottoms of some recent coffins no mould between. When I was discovered taking notes the proprietor and gravediggers surrounded me, and denounced my doings and inquired my objects, and when I stated them warned me what I said. ___ _ ......_. " Holy Trinity,*, ilaydon-square, is paved over, and about the sizo of Lleard's•court. There is a public thoroughfare upon the ground, where I saw boys play ing at marbles. There are great numbers buried there. Mr. Paterson informed me that they bad shortly before dug a grave just outside his door, and the skulls and other bones were kicking about his passage." Nov be would call on the members ef that meeting to lend their assistance to put a stop to those atrocious doings. Lord Morpeth once told certain gentlemen who took an interest in putting an end to this system, and who waited on his Lordship, that he was perfectly aware of those evils, but they must go back and educate the people, for he and those with whom he acted could do nothing in the House of Commons unless they had the pressure from without.--=(Loud cheers.) He (Mr. Rogers) and his friends around him on the platform were striving by that meeting, and by a hundred means, to educate the people as far as they were able. He could assure them further that the longer the agita tion continued the more it would interfere with his pro fessional pursuits. He wished, for his own sake, that it was brought to a conclusion; he wished that also for their sake; but having taken up the subject from an ac cidental circumstance, he had since followed it up from conviction, and fur his own part he should continue to do so, and he had no doubt that his friends and coadjutors would do the same until they succeeded in crushing out that great abuse.—(Cheers.) With every thanks for his kind reception, he would take his leave of them by sup porting the resolution. Mr. GEO. F. CARDEN, a gentleman in theto be derived body of the meeting, after expounding the benefits from the establishment of cemeter ies in the suburbs of London, gave his cordial support to the resolution. The CHAIRMAN then put u to the meeting and it was carried unanimously. economical mode person in front of the p latform here suggested that l something should be done a b ou t a more mode of carrying bodies to cemeteries for interment. Mr. Ross rose to propose the next resolution:— " That this meeting b e li e ves that the many injurious c onsequences unavoidably theod, can only be removed by resulting from the present system of interri n g a legislative e nactment, originated with, or supported by her Majesty's Government. t _ That in the year 1842, a Committee o f the Heise of Commons reported to Parliament, ' That after a long and patient investiga tion, they could not arrive at any other conclusion than that the nuisance of interments in large towns, anti the injury arising to the health of the community from the practice, were fully proved. That the evils of inter ment in towns and populous places had grown to such a height, that no time ought to be lost by the Legis lature in applying a remedy. That this custom had desecrated the repose of the dead, and injured the health and feelings of the living, could not be denied. That it had also exhibited the singular instance of the most wealthy, moral, and civilized community in the world, tolerating a practice and an abuse which had been cor rected for years by nearly all other civilized nations in every part of the globe.' That these views of the Par liamentary Committee of 1842 were affirmed by a majo rity of the Housaitselt in the 3 eer ,1845. That universal mischief's require universal remedies, and, therefore, a 1 General Act, for the establishment of cemeteries in suitable localities, slaeald be passed, (44 14 Memo 0 l wise legislative economy, and of simple justice to the nation." • In reference to the remark which had just been made he might be allowed to state that it was intended that the Government should take up the subject, and if they did so, he had no doubt they would be careful that every detail connected with it was f u ll y considered. It was mostimportant that some arrangement should be made to carry dead bodies to burial-grounds at the smallest possible expense.—(hear, hear.) lie had often asked himself the question why it was that this subject, which had b?en so long under discussion, was not settled vet— why it was that his friend Mr. Walker, who had Conse crated some of the best y ears o f hi s l i fe to obtaining facts, to amassing them, to diffusing th em among the public, and to awakening public attention and public indig nation with respect to these most atrocious practices; why it was that he who had laboured so strenuously, and alone and single-handed in the advocacy of that cause, had not been rewarded with great success, and not achieved a triumph long ago.—( Hear, hoar.) He had inquired the reason, and he had been tcld that those who had opposed them were the clergy and their sa tsilites— (tiear)—that the clerical interest in the House of Commons, and the bench of Bishops in the House of Lords, were their opponents; but if they fought hard, and awakened the public sympathy, and bound together the masses who were most deeply interested in the matter, they would be able to force the Government to adopt some measure s to mee t th e p resent exigencies and to redeem the Christianity of the country from the sacrilegious practices which now prevailed.—(Hear.) He stated that 2,156 persons died annually in the parish of Whitechapel, and to accommodate that number of bodies fifteen acres of burial-ground would be required; whereas there were only three and a half acres, and sup posing no more;buried than it could conveniently hold, as many as 1,:' , 80 bodies would have to be left to rot in the streets. The present practice was, however, actually worse than that. To be sure, they did not bury in the streets, but they buried in their houses, and that in the most hallowed of houses,—the houses of God.—(Hear, hear.) Even the temples of God were made hordes of abo mination, they were profaned by being made the sources of private gain, although it was the duty of the clergy to preserve them from sacrilege of any kind.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") Mr. Ross then alluded to St. Bride's burial-gr o und, Fleet- s treet, and said, that after a number of bodies had been interred upon one occasion, three persons were commissioned by the vestry to open the ground. Two of them had done their part of the work, and the third one was left to finish the lower portion, and whilst being so engaged, the ground lost its cohesion, in consequence of the putrescent matter having filtered through it, and gave way, and the person was actually buried alive. Some of the coffins rested upon his breast, °theta over his legs, and many hours passed before they could ex tricate him from his position, and when they did he was quite dead. They had often talked of burying the dead among the living; but here was an instance of burying the living among the dead.— (llcer, hear.) It was said that intramural burials were not attended with those evils which were attributed to them. The Bishop of London, who, perhaps, might be looked up to as an authority, had stated that the alleged evils had been very much exaggerated—(Cheers) —bat Dr. Russell, whose experience was derived from the same locality and the same churchyard to which Dr. Blomfield formerly belonged, stated just the reverse; he said the existing system was infamous, shocking, and horrible, and that it behoved the Government to take speedy measures to abolish it altogether. (Hear, hear.) Here ore doctor was combatting another; it was said two of a trade could not agree, and he thought they might congratulate themselves that such was the case in the present instance. Medical men had also stated that there was a great deal of exaggera tion connected with this subject. If there were exag geration it would be a virtue, because they could not aeaggerate anything too much which was calculated to promote the public health.—(Hear, hear.) But they said they derived no infection from a dissecting-room— that many young men came to London and attended the dissecting-room, and that ne injury happened to them; and they brought forward that as an illustration of the innocuousness of the gases emitted from a dead body. He altogether denied that statement; the emanations from a dead body were deadly poison, and by means of medical agency they could make them produce almost any disease, and if they took a full charge they could almost kill any man upon the spot. If they took a less charge, perhaps, they might produce typhus and other diseases o f l ess i mportance. Those facts,were so incontestable that no medical man dared to deny them, and yet they pretended to deny them. To show the truth of what be stated, he said that a friend of his youth came to London to attend the dissecting.. room ; he worked hard in the confined atmosphere, polluted as it was with exhalations from dead bodies, but was Loon taken ill and went home, and died before his relatives and friends could be apprised of his danger. —(Hear, hear.) There was another topic which had not been alluded to at the meeiing—it was that of keep ing dead bodies in the habitations of the living prior to interment. Perhaps it was not generally known that it was a common practice among the poor of the metro.. polis to retain bodies in their apartments as long some times as a week or ten days; the consequence was that the survivors were frequently attacked with the same, if not a worse disease, and carried perhaps to the same tomb. In acme instances it had happened that the very insects had crawled out from the coffin on to the table where the persons in the room were taking their food. They had at home acts of that kind committed every day in this metropolis. If those men were savage what were the people of this city? It was recently stated in the papers that in Ireland, at the present time, the poor suf fering people, perishing of hunger, kept their dead re latives in their;houses—an accommodation which would not have been awarded to them if living. But the people committed the very same act in this metropolis. What then could they say, if the poor Irishman, who had an ex cuse for what he did, who was pursued by hunger, and did that to preserve his own life? It was merely the imperfection of our social arrangements; and when the Government took up this question it was one which must be settled with all the other great questions which it embraced. He should not longer occupy their time, but would merely read the resolution which had been put into his hand to propose. Mr. GEORGE . seconded the resolution. He would not detain them beyond a single moment at that late hour. He came prepared to make a speech, but his speech would keep—(Laughter)—and he had no doubt at some future period be would have the pleasure of delivering it to a very enlightened audience. He would only say, that the evils of the present system could not be exag gerated.—(Hear.) The resolution was put from the chair, and carried by acclamation. Mr. PurLLIPs then moved the following resolution:— " That, in accordance with the foregoing resolutions, the following petition be signed by the Chairman, on behalf of the meeting; and that he be respectfully re quested to take charge of its presentation to the House of Commons, and that the metropolitan Members be also requested to support th e p ra y er t h ereo f . " ' To' the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parlia ment assembled, " Sheweth—That your petitioners have, during many years, had just cause for complaint, arising not only front the number, but the overcharged state of the metropolitan and other burial places. That your - petitioners have a firm conviction that the numerous and incalculable evils inseparable from a state of things at once destructive to health, degrading to religion, and insulting to humanity, will never be remedied unless your Honourable House interposes its authority. " That your petitioners desire to express their un feigned satisfaction that this national grievance was the subject of inquiry by a Committee of your Honourable House in the year 1842, who reported that, " after a long and patient investigation, your Committee cannot arrive at any other conclusion than that the nuisance of inter ments in large towns, and the injury arising to the health of the community from the practice, are fully proved." That, from the evidence add uce d before the Committee, and many subsequent exposures of the terrible consequences resulting and necessarily arising from the present system of interment, your petitioners venture to express their earnest desire, that the burial of the dead in the midst of the living may be instantly and for ever prohibited, by the closing of all burial places in cities and towns, and by the adoption of such measures as may secure the public from the injurious and debasing practices at present existing. And your petitioners will ever pray. " That, for the purpose of carrying out the objects of the petition, and of obtaining full and legislative sup port, a fund be immediately raised by subscriptions and donations, which will be received by the honorary secre tary, Mr. Charles James Thicke, 17, New Bridge-street; by any member of the committee; and by the following bankers:—Messrs. Coutta and Co., Strand; Messrs. Masterman, Peters, Mildred and Co., 35, Nicholas lane! a M n e d s s t r h s e . C S e p m o o na n e e r r n , i A a t ß w a o n o h d : L a and t h C b u o. r , y G . I r. unanimously: ecce h erch-st t Goswn-eniten secondedeeosij.. the mo tion, which was put and The carried C HAIRMAN , after signing the petition, said he should take care that it should be presented to the House of Commons, accompanied by a proper representation of the number and spirit of the meeting. Mr. LUKE JAMES lIANSARD then moved a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which that gentleman briefly acknowledged, and the meeting separated. ROCKINGIIAM; OR, THE Y OUNGER B ROTHER. —. This new work of fiction, which has lately attracted so much attention, is now ascertained to have been written by a distinguished nobleman, who lately retired from a very high diplomatic appointment.—Morning Post. The messenger of the Princess's Theatre, Mr. INl‘Lean, has announced his annual benefit, which is fixed for Thursday next, the 24th inst. The entire strength of the company will be brought into action on that occa sion. There id no doubt of his being well supported by his frienus, as we can bear testimony of his obliging dis position. Love labour ; if you do not want it for food, yon may for physic .—Eliza Cook's Journal. PEDESTRIANISM.—J. BRIEN AND C. lIILEY. This match, to walk three miles fair toe and heel, on a fair turnpike road, for 2001., was to have been brought to a cmclu*ion on Tuesday, at Horn's Cross, Kent, but owing to the friends of Tilley demurring to the ground, which is as steep a mile in ascent and descent as can be found for mnny miles round the metropolis, Brien walked over the ground by himself to claim the stakes, and thus the matter stands at present. It must be re marked that the friends of Hiley had not seen the ground till the day before the match. APPROACHING MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.—We are enabled to announce that a matrimonial alliance is arranged, and will shortly be celebrated, between Sir James Carnegie, Bart., and the Lady Catherin e N oe l, daughter of the gad and Countess of Gainsborough.—: Pest,