The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-07 00:00:00

DISGRACEFUL STATE OF BISHOPSGATE

ORAVNYARu.

Yesterday morning a vestry me-ting was held in
the church of St. Ritalph, Bish•mgat. street, ter the
purpose of telt ng int . contaderation the effect produc.d by
the crowded graveyard and church vaults upon the health of
the %unman...as g ioG Bunn, and also too propriety of at once
clvirg both pl.ces against future interments. Toe saeetit.g
was held in the body of the church, and excited more .n-
-terest thee soy oliteh ha been held dun'sg the last twenty
years in the perish. So great, indeed, :e the nth's, or cum.
pinned of, rust
ally adjured by it. Th. Rev. Dr. libstatti. presided, and
was euovorted the Lad Mayor and Le churchwardens.
Mr. HOPHOOD proceeded to address the meeting. tie
had lakes occasion to send circular, to the inhabitants of the
district with 'enrich:it to this suuject, &eradiating varied,
reports which tad gone abroad, but by no meson bone...ling
the real danger watch arms tram the previa.. of ink rmeut
is the churchyard and vaults of W. Bisuloles. His burg
residence cl t t the thereby and had gives him great oppor-
tunities of observiag the prmtims which tanned; but with- I
out midair an angry lee ling, by eel .ting whet be had seen
of the &staid a of the dead, he would oaly advert to
those tirceanstanms in general, which convinced him that
the existence es the cburchy.rd and vaults as burial
p:aees had not only a pr.iudi.ial but a dangerous •sfect
upon the heel h*, thoro who rend. d near darn. Taste
was so set in exatehce treasuring that five feet of earth
ehould be over any cutin id en open churchyard ; but he
mill ewe trim his owl expernnee that in misty cues
state was jut earth @numb to bide the conic and cover it
ifolll view. The shed at the end of the ground was in a
meet "isms:eV s ate; and, in tact, the whole plant was in
such a cunditim t at to sus it any la. ger ea • burial.gruund
eou.d be so increase aV. ray serious dancer. In eight mud. b.
ao tew.r Owe 136 burial. h.d taken place io their
around. He referred to the eight months which had
elepsd of the present year, and he I. and the re-
turn of huriele as fellows :—January. 17; February, 17:
March, 16; April, 12; May, 20; June, 9; July, 11;
August, 35. Tue last number would chow that the prevail-
ing tpiutetic had rot petard over tie spa, and it .Iso showed
the aemeetty for prauyt ateasart• Isueg taken. He would
sot refer to t.tht r grave.) any. in and near ik, C ty, la which
tam.y tvidire were interned weekly se they burs. d id a year
a St. B It was s waigh for t• ea t • attempt to
ra-
drew an evil which the; had too lung penalty d, aad to ea-
deavour to follow the example of the great European cries,
in many of which intramural interment hid been prohibit...
many years ago. Mr. d coaches ed by moving that a
select cumuli t- • he appuinted to inquire ciao this subject,
sod rep et upon .ha sups nereetaty to be tuk...n.
Mr. 8 OVEN seconded tie motion.

Mr. PARNELL
,;:tiTohaatd
inithr.
_ .
whole of the southern
Pr°lllPurilk.dtionuufau am
the ctilirmtheynet;
us ...rattly be tinged against any future I uvals:.
Mr. GREEN serr.t.dgd this amendment.

Mr. 'FAGG aid not consider that either The motion rr the
amendment went fns enough in d, sling with an evil which
serina.ly threatened the health of all who resided within its
Would it not be better to determine the mutter
at ones by a p,rem;•tnry proceeding) He would propose as
a groom' am. ndiment that the .olluvriog substitution should
he anopted
°That It is highly dangerous to the living to bury the deed
in the at at of the pepulailon, and th it all interments in
the churchyard of the parish or in the vaults under the
church be henceiorthdisci.ntinutd."

The LORD MAYOR said he owed them an apology for
apps-rine thin to interfere in to al mitten; but he felt 1.
his dery not only as Lnicl Mayor, but ss member for the
City of Lledon, to endeavour to saurian their opinions on
Ink matter generally, more especially as he was tun about
to proceed to the B mud of Health to make a representatiso
on the subject. He had eready called the attention of the
parochial authorities to his views on the :eater, by a cir-
cular letter to the aurchward.na. He believed the genera
health of the City was is such a state as to require the ut-
most exertions which every local hJarl or authority could
vies. (Het r.; He telt it was tut respectful, therefore, to
them, having r.ceived numerous memorials on the subject
representing the state of the churchyard and vaults, to be
present to learn from themselves the &wind extent of the
evil. It would give him the greatest pleammo to represent
this one to the Board of Health, in ord. r to obtain, it pos-
sible, some alleviation for them: sad, in tact, he was about
to proved the re at once, which must plead his excuse for not
long. r rentaieing with them. (Chrerc)
After a lengthened discussion of some importance, which
want of space compels us to exclude, the following resolution,
moved by Mr. TAoo and seconded by Mr. HOPOOOD, was
agreed to :
That in the opinion of this vestry the public health is
alarmingly endaneered by the continued practice of interring
the dud ire the parochial baryieg-itround and in the vault.coder the church ; and net alt interments in the churchyard
of this parish and in the vaults under the church, be hence-
forth eiseualinued; and that a committee bs appointed to
carry out the same, with full powers to take every measure
ne, emery to i s enforcement."
The meeting then sem:awl.