The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-16 00:00:00

of evidence have been given, showing the great 'flint*/ t 0
health by allowing a large number of bodies to be interred
in too close proximity. This evidence was the principal
cause of the act being passed, and yet, in spite of this well
known fact, most of the old evils are being repeated. The
cemetery companies know well the extreme value of ever/
foot of land they possess, for years and years to come,
and therefore appear determined to screw out its 01°.
to the utmost farthing; they, therefore, now so use it,
that they fill it up inch by inch with dead bodies is
the same locality, instead of diffusing them over the
greatest portion of the area. A large number of houses ara
springing up in the neighbourhood of these cemeteries,
the inhabitants of which will, to their cost, rue the cos'
sequence, if steps are not taken to put a stop to the Pt
sent system. It is true that there is a Government
Burial Board under the control of the Home Glace; but
the inspectors of the board are not called upon to 11"-
i
except on the complaint of an individual or individuals;
This should, however, be altered, and the system
inspection be made continuous, and not dependent on gni
parties taking the trouble of individual informers. rni•,
the act is disregarded in the provinces as in London,*
case now under investigation at Liverpool sufficie
exemplifies. It appears that in the Liverpool NeornP°ll
Cemetery rumours for some time had been afloat that ow
graceful scenes were continually being perpetrated. IV
attention of the health officer was at length directed to the
subject, and such facts came to his knowledge that he as'
=minted with the Home Secretary who ordered an encloll
to be opened by one of the burial board inspectors, as
from the report of the first day's proceedings it is clear
that the manner in which the remains of the dead hsf.
;
been treated is disgraceful to ail parties concerned. It
appears that the proprietors, in the extreme of tbs,
cemetery, having an eye to that clause of the Burials As'
which directs that everybody shalt be interred in 11,
separate grave, have advisedly evaded it in the followb:
manner :—A proper and decent grave was prepared, !,13
which the:body was pnt,!a. little :earth thrown in, and
mourners were in the habit of leaving, in the anticipatl7,a
that the grave -would! be properly filled up. No son;
however, were the balks of the parties turned, than 1111. d,
...
were placed over the grave with a little loose (
sprinkled over them. The next morning, or when requ:;:
the body was removed to another grave, when seven °r
eight were placed together, and covered with se°_,
eighteen inches of earth. The grave, thus dead;
of its contents, being ready for another reception, WOl/
tfterwar,7s be treated in a similar manner. But this ishlti
all. It was given in evidence that even graves which%
been purchased in perpetuity had been treated in a slely-f
manner; and when mourners went to visit what till
thought was the last resting place of the remains of tIll;e4
relatives, they were shedding their tears over the bociles io
some five or six perfect strangers, the previous reosam,
having been taken up and placed in what was teeheicsl
called the " bone 'house," but in reality a deep P 3
where the remains of broken coffins—sometimes evA,
entire, with the bodies in them—were indiscrimiesfriff
thrown in. Now, let us ask, is not this as bad as an,
of the cases recorded in the blue books of evideeea,';
previously referred to? The penalty which, under tit
Burials Act, can be inflicted, is £lO in each case; *Ado
is to be hoped that every penny that can be imposed Wit
in this instance be exacted. But, from the evidence'
would seem that this horrible practice has been gols4°o
for some time, even in broad daylight, with a chaPwe„
residing within the grounds, which have always been_mgeP
to the public. Is it too much, then, to suppose, Jeag7i__An
from the above, and from what takes place in our Lol's
cemeteries—that desecration of the dead is the rule, sub, •
decency the exception. Surely the Government or
new Parliament will take the subject into its earlialf
consideration, and place the whole of the cemeteries
proper supervision, so that a repetion of the Let, 'ca-
-1 shall not be possible.—Observer.