The Express.
London, England, 1847-09-14 00:00:00

DESECRATION OFTHEDEAD.-OFFICIAL

INQUIRY.
In conseqaence of the reports recently circulated
concerning the alleged desecration of the dead, in the vaults!
of Slim Chapel, Fetter-lane, by the removal of the bodies
in carts, and the coffins being distributed fur firewood,
Alderman Sir Jame, Duke, accompanied by Charles Pear-
lon, E.g., M.P., City solicitor, the parish authorities, with
Mr. Cemfort,the foreman, and other members of the inquest,
attended yesterday to inspect those vaults, with the view of
ulterior proceedings. Long before the hour of inquiry Fet-
ter-lane and the pasaages leading to Slim Chapel were
crowded with the friends and relatives of the deceased
buried in the vaults. Upon entering the chapel Sir James
Duke said, that as alderman of the ward, he attended with
the inquest jury to inquire into desecrations alleged to have
been and to be perpetrated upon the dead buried under the
chapel.
I.Frisken admitted that before the Westering got pos-
!erasion of the chapel, the most dreadful atrocities had been
committed in the vault, but since they held the chapel no
burials had taken place. The removals of human remains
that had subeemliently taken place were made through mo-
basso( decency, and from respect for the dead whose scattered
sad exposed bones were covered with earth.—Mr. Comfort,
who said that he had witnessed at least 300 burials in the
vaults, asked whether it was true that the coffins had been
distributed amongst the neighbours for fire-wood?—Mr.
triallen said that the trustees did no such thing.—Mr.
Fowler: But are not the trustees aware tint the grave-
digger chopped up the coffins in the epee passage and gave
tabu wood t the people to burn it i—Mr. Fritken: Well, I

believe that the old man gave away oodles. But he did se
without the consent of the trustees.—Mr. Fowler: When
we and that coffins have been so cut up and disposed of in
the public day,what platelike) have we that the bodies which
inhabited those coffins have been treated with more respect, or
that they have not been also cut up and carted away ?
The Rev. Mr. Cowan complained that an attempt bed been
made by Mr. Church to transfer the serious charges pre-
ferred what Blies chapel to the graveyard of St. Dunstan
in the West, which in common justice ought to be retracted,
as the latter graveyard was free from imputation.—Mr.
Colke wished to be informed whether several feet of the
earth dose to St. Drusetan's graveyard had been removed,
and for what purpose ?—Mr. Peahen replied that the earth
had boon removed to the depth of several feet, to cover the
bone. that were scattered about. He admitted that formerly
disgraceful sgenes had taken place is Elim chapel vaulm,
but denied that they had been re-enacted during the last
few years. There had been, at one time, heaped together,
in one corner, at least three waggon loads of the ends, tops,
and bottoms of coffina—Mr. Comfort: The people iq the
neighbourhood who burned the coffin wood informed him
that the smell from the wood greatly injured their health.
He asked Mr. Walker, whether coffins saturated with human
material, and employed as tire wood, would not be injurious
to health ?—Mr. Walker: Unquestionably. Too many cases
proved the fact.
The inquest jury afterwards proceeded to examine the vaults,
which presented • most revolting spectacle. A large pit
had been recently excavated, to the depth of several feet,
whence a vast number of human remains had been removed,
and on the right hand side was en accumulation, to the
height of several feet, of human bodies and broken coffins,
while opposite was piled together heaps of old broken coffins.
The j ury and several other gentlemen having expressed their
disapprobation of the date of the vaults, Sir James Duke, who
had meet minutely examined every portion of the vaults, said
that the present proprietors were not to blame for the con-
fused meaner in which the dead were heaped together. On
the contrary, they were doing all in their power to remedy
the evil, and the alterations which they were making were
necessarily Imposed upon them, and were done with every
possible respect for the dead. Still, be called upon them to
lees no time in completing their work, end thereby securing
to the dead respect, and to the Haug security from disease.
Dr. Farquhar assured the worthy alderman and the in-
quest that since he had visited the vaults during the previous
week many of the abominations which he had then wit-
nessed were removed. For instance, he saw in one coffin
three bodies, one that of a female, whose net cap was quite
fresh. lie wished to know what became of those bodies ?
Sir J. Duke : The trustees do rot deny that such abuses had
existed, but in which they had no share: and those abuses
they were new endeavouring to reform.—Mr. J. C. Atkin-
son, surgeon, Westminster, end Mr. Rose, surgeon and suc-
cessor to the late Dr. Lynch, gave it as their opinion
that the present condition of him Chapel vaults was deci-
dedly opposed to the deeency with which the dead ought to
be treated, and exceedingly injurious to health.—Mr. Fowler
said that on Sundays he bad seen as many as nine per‘Ona
removed from the chapel in fainting fits, induced by the pes-
tilentialexhalations fern the vaults. . _ _

Mr. Pearson, in answer to questions from Sir James
Duke and others, said that on two previous occasions similar
complaints had been made against Eliot Chapel, once four-
teen and again seven years ago. But he was confident that
the present would be the last. The scene they bad wit-
nessed proved that burials should only be permitted in con-
secrated ground.—Sir James Duke having again pledged
the trustees to lose no time in properly securing the vaults
against further sacrilegious intrusion, the inquiry concluded,
and the angry crowd assembled in the chapel were by the
entreaties of Meurs. Comfort and Walker induced to depart
peaceably.

CROSBY HALL.—MR. RICHARD BlRNlE.—Yesier.
day evening the first of a series of lectures on the dramas of
Shakspeare was delivered at Crosby-hall, by Mr. Richard I
Birnie, son of the late Sir R. Bimie, whose cue, as lately
stated by himself in a letter to a morning paper, has excited
some public attention. The play which Mr. limit, under-
took to illustrate was " Timon of Athens." After the ela-
borate criticisms which the dramas of the immortal poet
have given birth to it would be difficult to strike new lighte,
and, indeed, Mr. Birnie did not attempt this. Ile regarded
the play as a satiric poem, and the object of the poet to dis-
tinguish between true benevolence and the indiscriminate
prodigality exhibited in the character of Tinum. it was not
Shakspeare's design to portray the world's ingratitude, for
men were not ungrateful : gratitude was spontaneous and in-
stinctive in the heart of man. But, though Timnn lavished
with a liberal hand, he gave to the undeserving as well as
to the deserving. Ile knew not what true friendship was :
he had no domestic ties, and his speech to the parasites who
were revelling at his table sho eed that he was devoid of
delicate sensibility. It was not surprising that degrading
insanity should be the result of such reckless waste and in-
discriminating judgment. Mr. Birnie's delivery of the
various passages of the play which ke read in confirmation
of his observations was distinct and impressive. He was de-
servedly well received by (considering the state of the
weather) a numerous audience ; and we trust he wiil succeed
in hie object.
SHAKSPEARE'S 1101:SE.—The sale takes place on
Thursday next, at the Auction Mart. The London and
Stratford committees will bid together for the house, though
it is not their intention to give an exorbitant sum, or to
allow Mr. Robins to imagine that they are even inclined to
bid to the extent of the subscriptions received. Lord Mor-
path, the president, thus recommends the subscription in a
recent speech at the Sheffield Atheneum " I cannot men-
tion Shakspeare without just reminding you that an under-
taking has been lately set on foot to rescue Shakspeare's
house for the English nation. A subscription has been esta-
blished for this purpose. Ido not mean to say that any in-
ordinate sum ought ever to be given to rescue Shakspeare's
house from the jobbers in the market; but I believe three
who have undertaken it will conduct the purchase prudently,
so as to secure the place from being an object of mer-
chandise. Our American friends have threatened to remove
it bodily to their own country. I think they have a common
right to *here in the fame of Shalispeare, seeing that he lived
before they had the misfortune to separate from us; but I do
not wish that they should possess his house as goods and
ohattele. I say, that the gentlemen who have under-
taken the subscription will manage the purchase prudently ;
and then, I think, any surplus of the sum which the English
public may raise, in order to mark its sense of the claims of
Sbakspeare to a nation's admiration, might be very properly
expended on some purpose congenial to the object for which
it was subscribed—possibly to provide good shelter and com-
fort fur some poor veterans of the drama, whether authors or
actors, who have dune credit to that portion of our literature
in which Shakspeare holds the undisputed first place ; and
who also resemble Shakspeare in this particular, that they
have not received from their contemporaries that full share
of credit and admiration which posterity has in reserve for
them. In pursuit
.of such an object as this, permit me to
say that I do not tee why the members of the Sheffield
Mechanics' Institution, and of every Mechanics' Institution
in the country, should not now resolve to give some little
token—sixpence or a shilling per head—to mark their tense
of the greatest genius which ever adorned English literature.
APPLICATION OF THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH TO
LOCOMOTIVES .—A line of electric telegraph is in active pre-
par pre-
parationon along the railway from Vienna to Prague. As soon
as it is completed, every locomotive engine is to be furnished
with a small electric apparatus, by aid of which and by that
of a wire, which can, at pleasure, be put into communication
with that of the railway, the train can announce to every
station, far or near, the events it may have learnt on
the road.

INQUEST, YESTERDAY.—THE ACCIDENT ON THE
, LONDON AND NORTH WESTERN RAILWAY.—By Mr. Os-
' baldiston, coroner for Hertfordshire, at a private house, ad-
Rent to the Bushey,etatiou, to Inquire Into the death of
ichard Lamborn, aged 22, who was killed on Saturday.—
Henry Webb was first called. He said he was in the em-
ploy of Mr. Harris, who has the contract for laying down the
electric telegraph on the line of the London and North
Western Railway. The deceased was in the same employ,
and, on Saturday last, they were engaged in carrying along
the wires from post to poet, about half a mile on the Landon
side of the Bushey-station. Shortly after 11 o'clock, the
deceased crossed from the down line on to the up line, hav-
ing a ladder on his shoulder, for the purpose of placing
against one of the telegraph poets, to arrange the wires. At
the time he so creased, witness observed the up train, which
leaves Birmingham at 45 minutes after 7, approaching. He
heard the whistle sounded. and called to the deceased to get
out of the way, but whether he heard or not he could not
tell, as he continued to walk leisurely on the up line with
his back to the approaching train, which immediately came
upon him, and threw him and the ladder 40 or 50 yards in ad-
vance of it. The train passed over the body without touching
the deceased, and on witness's arrival at the spot where the
body lay he found the ladder smashed to pieces a short die-
, tance from it, and the deceased bleeding profusely from the
nose, earn, and mouth. As soon as the train was stopped,
medical gentleman, who was a passenger, looked at deceased
land pronounced him dead. Was positive the whistle was
sounded several times before the arrival of the train at the
spot where deceased was. Did not think that the engine-
driver was to blame in the matter.—A brother of the last
witness corroborated the foregoing testimony, and added that
the deceased had been cautioned only on the previous day as
to the impropriety of welking on the line in front of an
approaching train.—Mr. Macconnell, chief of the locomotive
department, stated that he was on the engine at the time of
the occurrence. They passed Bushey station at the rate of
about 40 miles an hour, and on coming round the curve
there he called the attention of the engine-driver to a man
on the up line. The driver immediately blew the whistle
severed time., but as it did not induce the deceased to get out
of the way ho ordered the steam to be shut off and the
engine reversed, but there was not time to stop materially
the impetus of the train before it reached the deceased. One
of the buffers of the engine caught him at the back, and
hurled him several feet in advance. It was impossible for
the eagine-driver to have avoided the accident —The jury
ultimately unanimously returned a verdict of " Accidental
Death."--Atceoen DEATH EKON IMPROPER
—Before Mr. W. Baker, coroner, at the London Hospital,
concerning the death of It. Dean, aged 41, who died from
injuries he had received by being run over by a cart, al•
leged to have been occasioned by the improper driving of C.
Luckings.—J. Heyr, a sailmaker, stated that the deceased
was form rly a soldier in the East India Company's artil-
lery, and only arrived in England a few days since. On
Thursday evening witness, deceased, and a man named At-
kinson, were standing in the Commercial-road, when a
light cart, driven by Christopher Luckinga, came towards
London. Witneu called out to the min, and he drove the '
horse on the off side of the road. Witness endeavoured
to pull the deceased out of the way of the cart,
and in doing so the near wheel struck the de-
ceased and forced him to the ground. Lucking, paid no
attention to the occurrence, and still kept driving on, and
witness stopped the horse. Deceased was removed to the
hospital, where he expired shortly afterwards. Witness
said that great blame was attached to Luckings, from his

having passed them on the off aide when there was suffi-
cient room on the near Bide.—Another witness Basted that
when the deceased fell to the ground Luekings Mill kept on,
and whin informed of t►e unfortunate occurrence he said
he had called out te them to move aside, and he was not
aware of what bad bappened.—The Coroner thought the
occurrence purely accidental, and advised the jury to return
a verdict to that effect. The jury returned a verdict of
" Accidental death."—The Coroner cautioned Lucking* to
be more careful in future.

EDUCATION LN INFANT SCHOOLS.
The following letter has been addressed by Dr.
Kay Shuttleworth to the Secretary of the Home and Colo-
nial Infant School Society, Gray's-inn-road
Committee of Council on Education, Council-oeloe,
Whitehall, Aug. 14.
81r,—Since the receipt of the report of her Majesty's Inspector on
the schools of the Hoene and Colonial Infant and Juvenile School So-
ciety. the Committee of Council Pee had under their consideration
the coarse which It may be expectant to pursue as to the exudation
of candidata foe mediates who beer beentrained at that Institution.
You are, of course, aware that my lords have no authority as to the
distribute of the parliamentary grant, except that which Is defined
In the minute. presented to parliament. In determining the coarse
to be pursued, their lordships' discretion extends only to an Inter-
pretan of those minute. no they are to be applied to any particular
care. No training school can enjoy any -benefit, es a result of
these examinations of candidates, plea It he placed permanently
undo uppection. Certificates granted to obtains who, at the period
of the examination, have been one year resident In the atablishment,
will ideate followed by grata in aid of the fund. of the Institution.
Their lordships' Intention may therefore be Inferred to have been,
that one rear shoed be the esiniesee. period of training In any normal
school. 'The minutes of the Committee of Council have not made
rcparate provision the the claims of infant bebop's. Their lordships'
intention was to include infant schools under the general regulations
of girls' schools, and the training school, fur the mistresses of infant
schools under dinner rules to those of schools for the education of
schoolmietresees of girls' schools. Their lordships were of opinion,
that whatever peculiarities of method or of organimation were aces-
eery In infant whoa, the education of an infant's lichee-
mistrees ought not to bo inferior to that of a girls' school-
mistress. Their lordehips are papered to examine in training
reboots all who have reorient one year's education ix these establish-
ments, but none who have been trainel for a shorta period. But
errangementa will be made In the several Inpectors' district. to
enable any rehoolniistress, whether of infant.' or girls' whale, to
preacet themselves for eumination before one or more of her Majes-
ty's inpreters no candidata fur eolith:ides, even though they have
not been trained during one year in any normal school. The trus-
tees or managers of the schools In which such ahoolmasters or
ochooknistreeses of infant schools are settled must make application
on their behalf, and must place the school adder inspection. With
these preliminary explanations, 1 am now to inform you what is the
standard of instruction, and what are the subjects of exami-
nation which candidates for certificates as masters or mis-
trams of inlaid schools must prove that they have acquired.
The general principle of this arrangement in, that the
matte cc mistress of an infant school should be as well educated as
the mistress of a girls' school. On this ground the same standard of
instruction will be required in both oozes. According to the minutes
of the Committee of Council, mietrases of girls' school, are te train
gialt woe are paid teachers so as to pea an examination in—The
Holy Scriptures (in those schools In which religious knowledge is exa-
mined) ; in lenglialt grammar and composition; in general gee,.
graphy in the histnrial geography of Great Britain; in the Otithoes
of English history; in arithmetic (written and mental); in the com-
position of the notes of a lam, Ina account of the organisation of
the school and the methods of instruction used, and of an cee.ay on
some subject connected with the art of teaching; in their skill in the
management of a class under Instruction, and in their ability to give
a gallery lemon; probably also In viral music and drawing. Such
being the subjects in which instruction will hove to be given
to pupil teachers in girls' whale during their apprentice-
ship, no mistress ought to obtain their lordships' third or
lowed meditate who Is sat prepared to show an accurate
knowledge or skill in these departments. Their lerdebips are alga of
opinion that the. • subjects, at least, shoull enter into the examina-
tion of the master or mistress of an info .t school The scale of aug-
mentation for mestere or miatresees of infant tiebacks (who obtained
certificates) would be the same as that of the mistresses of pas'
schools. The augmentation for the third or lowest certificates woad,
therefore, vary from 101. per annum to 131. te. Sd., on the fulfilment
of the conditions contained in the minute.. Their lordships wid,
therefore, be really to examine, in the training school of the Home
and Colonial Infant and Juvenile School S iciety, all candidata who
have been educated aloha one year In that institution. My lord.
will also be prepared to cause candidata who have been trained for
ihorter periods to be examined in the inspector' diaries, if applica-
tion be Mlle on their behalf from the managers of their eehook —I
have the honour to be, he., J. I'. Kee StiVrrLtivueru.—Mr. John
S. Be} eolith, Hon. See.