The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-23 00:00:00

THE NECROPOLIS AGITATION,

The disclosures which have been made regard-
ing the mal-practices of the officials connected with
the Low-hill Cemetery, have justly roused a spirit
of deep and general indignation. This was to be
expected, seeing the nefarious system which has
been carried on. The owners of graves are to
hold a meeting in the Clarendon Rooms to-day,
and we sincerely hope that they will act in a firm
and determined spirit, and not be satisfied with
less than the condign punishment of every one
connected with the cemetery, who can be proved
to have taken act or part in not only desecrating
the ashes of the dead, but also aided, coun-
tenanced, and abetted in the system of false
pretences and forgery to which we alluded on
Saturday last. These " wholesale Resurrectionists"
as they are aptly termed by the Lancet, must re-
ceive a more severe punishment than-a paltry fine ;
that would be little, if any, satisfaction to the out
raged feelings of thousands of our townsmen and
fellow countrymen throughout the United King-
dom, the remains of whose relations and friends
have 'been treated 'like that of the brute creation,
instead of human beings, The directors of the
Necropolis are somewhat frightened at the position
in which they stand. A reference to our adver.
tising columns to day, will show that a:meetin.g is
to beheld on Wednesday, to consider the propriety
of handing over the cemetery to the Burial Board:
This, under the circumstances, is a piece of bare-
faced impudence. Before they transfer
the ownership of these grounds, they must
first disgorge the ' large sums of money
which they have illegally exacted under the
plea of furnsbing separate graves. An I
furthermore, each party who has purchased a
gra,ire and paid for it must have it restored, feeling
that he is justly entitled to receive back the'
amount thus acquired. We repeat, nothing less
than these terms should satisry the grave owners
at their meeting to day. A more disgraceful or
outrageous system of peculation it has never been
our duty to record. We append to these brief
remarks the observations of the_ Lancet, a London
medical paper, of Saturday. Under the head
Wholesale Resurrectionists" our coteniporary
writes :

That ghoul-like greed which delayed for ten years the
passing of an act against intramural interment----against
tainting the living by desecrating the dead, has assumed a
n-ew and, if possible, more repulsire aspect than was revealed

•
when the iniquities perpetrated in London churchyards
were exposed. The proceedings of a Cemetery Company
at Liverpool have been of so disgraceful a character that an
official enquiry into them has at length been instituted,
under the authority of the Burial Act. The results hitherto
disclosed illustrate the evils which might have been expected
to arise from allowing the burial of the dead to be made a
- source of pecuniary profit; at the Same time removing the
Odium, which would devolve on any individual desecrating
their remains, to the shoulders of a company, proverbially
without sense of shame, of decency, or of anything but the
payment of a high rate of interest to the shareholders.
It can hardly he wondered at, in these gold worshipping
times, that the heads of directors of cemetery companies,
like the heads of other coffin screws, turn but one way (the
way of the world) towards money ; " qaccunque model rein."
Hence desecration of the dead is outweighed by the certainty
' of a large dividend, as a salve to tender consciences; direct
infringement of the burial act becomes , a commercial
speculation to be undertaken or not according to the,
chances of success ; and it is quite a stroke of genial to
drive a hearse and six through the act of Parliament.
Tbis Seems to have been the reasoning of the Liverpool
company: Its practiCal application bas not yet been
fully disclosed. Evidence has, however, been elicited to

prove that, after complying with the provision of the

Ifrrl-tf

.~ ..

burial act which requires each corpse to be interred in a
separate grave, they have been in the habit of removing the
body (sometimes -on the next dayT, and again burying
it in •a pit with seven or eight others ; lightly covering
the whole with some eighteen inches of earth. The original
graves thus emptied are Wated- to have been used again and
again. It appears, moreover, that this has nut only been
done where the body was that of "only a pauper whom
nobody owns" but that the rights of private and purchased
graves have also been thus ft igrantly infringed ; the bodies
being removed to a place called the "bone-house," which,
on elimination, proved to be a pit wherein whole coffins
with their contents were thrust. It should be added that
these proceedings are alleged to have been carried on in the
onen day, and with a chaplain residing in the cemetery.
Under the burial act the 7,enalty which can be i! flicted in
each substantiated case is only £lO. Of course the com
piny will willingly pay this out of the profits they must
have made by those proceedings. Giloridge wrote that

" To see a man tread over gra,es
I hold it no good mark."

But the profanations above detailed evince a disregard for
" the decency of death" that makes the clown in Hamlet,
who "sings at grave making," quite a man of feeling by
comprison. We trust measures be taken to irfi ct
soma more severe punishment than a paltry fine. There
are cemeteries at the east end of London where the portions
set apart for the interment of the poor are reported to be
in as had a state arin the old burial groun-Is. We repeat
that this is the only result to be expected whilst dead bodies
are marketable commodities, out of whose interment the
largest possible margin of profit is to be made for the benefit
King Scrip.

TFit I,l7itr, SERVICE —The British and North
American royal mail steam ship Asia, Captain
Lott, took her departure for New York direct on
Saturday afternoon, having on board a. full comple-
ment of passengers, the usual mails, and a heavy
cargo of British and French manufactures. The
Asia will be followed by the screw steamship City
of Manches'er, which sails for New York on Wed-
nesday. The next incoming steamer with the.
American mails is the Niagara, which was to
sail from Boston on the 11th,. and Halifax, U.S .
on the 13th. Considering the boisterous state of
the weather, and the strong head winds which
have prevailed during the greater part of the week,
it is not likely that she Will arrive before this
afternoon. The steam ship EricSSon, which was to
sail from New York on the 14th not
likely reach the Mersey before Friday or Saturday.
She was to be followed by the Persia, Captain
Judkins, which may be expected here on Saturday
fcrenoon.

PRIORITY OF NEWS —On Saturday last we pub-
lished the President's Message in extenso. The
NORTHERN TIMES was the only paper out of
London which did so on that day. This is another
instance of the superiority and extensive character
of our arrangements for the purpose of obtaining
all late and important information. Indeed, all
who desire the latest, most authentic, and fullest
receipt of home and foreign intelligence must have
recourse to the NORTHERN TIMES, none of our local
daily cotemporaries being in a position to equal us
in these respects. So often have wo eclipsed each
and all, that we might, had we the vanity, truly
designate the NORTHERN TIMES " the best daily
paper in the empire out of London."

Me;srs. William Laird and Co. despatched the screw
steamer Dane, on Saturday last, for Pernambuco and Bahia.
This is the first vessel of their new line of steamers to
the Brazils, the future departures will be on the Ist of every
month, returning direct to Liverpool.
THE LATE ACCIDENT AT HOYLAKE —The driver of the
cart, who was so much injured by the collision men-
tioned in this journal on Sattodiy- list; died in the
Birkenhead Hospital yesterday morning'from the etf,,c-s of
the injuries he had received. An inquest will be held on
the body.

FALL OF A Hot:7m— On Saturday afternoon a portion of
a building in the course of erection in St. Anne's street fell
with a tremendous crash, and caused much alarm in the
neighbourhood. Some children who were playing on the
spot were buried in the failing materials, none of whom,
however, we understand, were sorionsly injured.
QUEEN'S HALL, BOLD STREET. —We understand that the
urique entertainment at niesent at this comfortable hall,
will ,hortly terminate, in consequence of the necessity of its
production at other places, several engagements having
been entered into. Prior to its closing we would
recommend our readers to avail themselves of an opportunity
to witness one of the most original performances ever
presented to the inhabitants of this town, and at the same
time will be pleased with the ventriloquism of Mr. Thurton,
one of the best impersonators of the ix sent time. As a
place of comfortable retort, originality of entertainment,
and really ac4oirable arrangement, its superior is not to be
found in Liverpool.

ROCIIDALE.—On Wednesday evening Mr. Miall addressed
a large meeting of the electors in the Pubic Hall, Baillie
street. George Ashworth, Esq., presided. Mr. Mall, on
rising, was received with loud applause. He criticised the
sentiments expressed by Sir, Alexander Ramsay on
Tuesday evening. He pleaded in favour of reform and
the ballot, and justified his vote in favour of Mr.
Cobden's motion on the ground that it was wrong to
begin and continue a war simply to gain admission for
Sir John Bowring into Canton. He further justified
his vote because he considered it wrong for servants
or plenipotentiaries to declare war without consulting
Parliament. He declared himself for measures, not men
—principles above party. He relied with the utmost
confidence on his return. At the close of his address he
was much applauded. Several questions were put and
answered by Mr. Miall; and the following resolution was
carried unanimously :—" That this meeting approves of
the conduct of our esteemed representative during the
five years he has represented Rochdale in Parliament,
and this meeting hereby pledges itself to return him at
the ensuing election."
EAST INDIA House.—On Wednesday, a quarterly Court
of Proprietors of the E ist India Company was he'd at the
House in Leadenhall street, Mr, R. D. Mingles, M.P., in
the absence of Colonel Sykes, presiding._ After the transac-
tion of some unimp,rtant business, Mr. Lewin moved for a
minute of the Deputy Gevernor of Bengal on the judicial
administration of India. The chairman said there' was no
such document in existence. If they were received they
should be laid before the proprietors, but they would be
presented to Parliament in the first instance. Mr. Jones
moved a resolution that various unnecessary offices should
-be abolished, by which a saving of £20,000 a year might be
effected. After some discussion the motion was negatived.
Mr. .Tones .said he wished to ask the Board of Directors,
through the chairman, whether the East India Company
would have anything to do with the Chinese expedition,
and if so what were • their atranzements with regard
to sending out the troops to China. (Cheers and laughter.)
The chairman, in reply to the question of the hon. pro-
prietor, said, I wish to say that the East India Company will
have nothing more to do with the expedition to China than
they bad to do with sending troops to the Black Sea during
the late war. (Cheers.)
The increased demand for Gold for exprtation, and
the consequent tightness in the Money Market would of
themselves, in ordinary times, render speculation dull;
but added to this, just now every one has a mania for
electioneering, and consequently the past week has been
one of unusual dulness and inactivity for Mine Shares in
general, though for one or two Stocks a good demand has
Deers kept up. During the week very little information of
interest has arrived from the agents of the Foreign Mining
C ,mpanies. Some contradictory rumours were in circu-
lation, stating that the lode of the United Mex:can
(Marie and Jose) lead altogether failed, which has brought
out a reply from the directors to the contrary. Tee
Lusitanian Mining Company have a cheering report on
the general prospects of the undertaking. The Cologne
Mining Coe:inane, have received from their enterprising
chairman (Col. Curtis, C. 8.,) a gratifying account, stating
that the lode of brown ironstone, respectincy'which the
company had been put to great exoen3e in preparatory
works, has at last been discovered. Tile Australian Mining
Company's report is, on the whole, satisfactory. The
cross cut from the whim shaft, driven only eleven fathoms,
had led to good discoveries. The last accounts from
Australia seem to confirm the estimate already made,
that our expectancy of gold from Australia will be about
£13,000,091) on the average per annum, a prospect highly
encouraging to the trading and commercial interests of the
country. The meeting of the Great *heal Vor United
Mines took place on Wednesday, E. V. Neale, Esq., in
the chair. The report was favourable. It was stated
that the last call of .444,936 had been paid up, with the
exception of Je67o. Th, February sales of tin amounted
to 66 tons for .43,507, and that of the 14th inst. to (iti tons,
amounting to £3.651. It was expected that during the
year 1857, at least 1,000 tons of block tin would be real-
ised. The accounts showed a balance of cash and bullion,
31st of January, of .4'12.626. A vote of thanks was passed
to;Mr.Crease, the manager at the mines, and the committee
of management. At th meeting of the Kinzigthal pro-
prietors, the motion for a call being made of lOs per share
was confirmed. The accounts from the !nines were
favourable. Alining Journal.

TELEGRAPHIC NEWS,

[By the British and Irish Magnetic TelegraPhl

-- FRANCE.

PARIS, SUNDAY EVENISCh

THE BUDG ET. •
The report of the Minister of State on •sco
budget for the year 1838 has appeared. It 12:°t1
an excess of twenty-five millions in the renetfille4
over expenses, and states that, in scorciagl•
with the wishes of the Emperor, the ovvito
able balance of twenty five millions debt Will
devoted to the redemption of the floating of
Thus, it is added, thanks to the forethougbto
well-digested measures of the governmatt t
eel
has been not only an equilibrium attained bell of
receipts and expenditure, but a positive excel'
revenue has been secured.

MARSEILLES.
nth 05t.'
Accounts from Constantinople of the '`-i jog
announce that the Ottoman Government ,of
published a decree relative to the colonisatieo
uncultivated lands in Turkey. Foreigners
acquire property in those lands. g
The Journal de Constantinople announcet red
the British steamer Kangaroo has been rilsusite
by Russian gun boats. Mehemet Bey, a Glrelbabi"
General, was on board the Kangaroo. The;°,lool
tants of Tabriz had revolted. The Greek J°,7 bee
Es, erance says that the French Governme,%9o
notified its intention to defray the expenses
by the French Army of Occupation.

THE GOVERNMENT EXHIBITION -

deg This exhibition, of what has been termed the d deia lest
ment Exhibition of Art," and about which a AP° old vi
been said, was opened on Saturday, at the roomesu'a6 tt, 'el3o
office piece. The Mayor, 111,. Alderman 710115,013 bi
some ether gentlemen atteride.-1, in of der to '°r • altlats
the exhibition, and a few appropriate retOrks werer; • e
Alderman Bennett and his Worship on the Ceeet';',,o, IP;
exhibition consists chiefly of decorative works °l;iost,°,
the museum at Marlborough house, a collection 14 tat'
to the Queen, and to some private individuals, sue' r'
Mayer, Messrs. Cbadburn and Lee, Alderman Bennefe fa
ne
. • bet retal
Pitts, &a. The avowed object of the exhibition gin
promote a knowledge and thirst for the arts in Prb"a
schools, it has our cordial reception, and those woo jol
not profit by it in that way, will derive much Ple,„astga
looking at the whole as a quaint and singular
collection. At the first glance in Globe of the e% see
does not appear extensive, but it more than tee'.96
old proverb of "good goods are containedrosaft"
parcels," and it takes one a great deal In" e;fe
examine the articles in detail, than a more eXterla.o.
in appearance would do. Every article one 100,k:5„b tbeatri
has a sort of magnetic influence about it, on onwaitslogri
and mind wander with equal delight. 11° 7,eelteht
numbers 413 articles of all classes and countries, pl s'"
works in metal, goldsmith's work, decoratif°oll
Damascus work, decorative arms, watcher, iceia
coins, medals, gems, pottery, Italian, (het;' tett.
Flemish stoneware, porcelain, enamelled gis.-f oot.l
ture in ivory, wood, &c. Mosaic lecquered e tax
basket works, wedgewood ware, textile fabrics, Ite4ill
of castings, decorative furniture, photographs, wattail
engravings, Russian antiquities, &c. 'We bad s
ee of lki,
notice of the articles prepared, but in consequerndothe;
extreme pressure on our space to-day, by local
matters, we ere obliged to hold it over till to-tnerrba peril
may add thst to the antiquarian, the artist, and laf eieaef
generally, this beautiful exhibition will prove bigh°76
interest. We think the managers deserve the voile
praise, for opening this treasure to the,p, thb,
gaze, at a cost within the , humblest grit'aitetir
more so as it is calculated to refine the taste, stioi°
mind to industry, and elevate all. aib:tltt
After the guests had inspected- this interesting floa 00-a
Mr. Alderman Bennett, as chairman of tha
baked
mittee far the formation of the exhibition, tha,naa-le:f
Worship, the mayor, for so promptly acceding to " •
01' bidfa
tation of the committee. When an exhibition °a- au 0
was inaagurated by a gentleman holding so big"-ffiefl:
as that of the mayor, it was always 8 I'B Oa
r good ; and he (Vlr. Bennett) felt VI asai`‘f
that the exhibition would go ou and prosper, e!., fie
too'bt
when the objects which i s promoters had "
were mere generally known throughout u'es„a
a.
The government department of science the es hr
w;.s but of recent formation, and it was not unifita'is
tion of 1857 that the necessity for a museum Orel
to travel throughout the country, occurred to :" laarottg'i
meat. Even then it was not fully understood. l'3a; aosel;
House was, in the first instance, placed at the 74-Sitr t) -
the Board of Trade (department of science aeutoge:beri
the collection of such articles as were now brought Ads no
: but it soon became too small, and a building 000
opened in the neighbourhood of Bromptoo, ec'eriptio;
a very large collection of works of this des, tif ills
while, so highly was the exhibition apprecia'eThsed be
public, that the doors had frequently to be 'et to
account of the press of people coming to i°,sb;se
articles. This satisfactorily showed that ,a`lo °lea;
no dearth of taste amongst the lower and tniu"notao"-af
hut hitherto there had been far too few °fProot,l;g6
for indulging the taste by an inspection °' ds""jei
art. Considering that the birth of the musetll:o/i7',,-4
recently as 1851, its progress had been really nose%
and in 1854 the Board of Trade Department of °l-to
Art passed this resolution :—That the Lords of ~,t
mittee of Privy Council for Trade are desirous t`rootsro
Schoola of Art should derive all possible I: sod
from the Central Museum of Ornamental AND t.O.
prepared to afford assistance in enabling thief artw'g
so. Their lordships are of opinion that' *l 015
belonging to the Ceutral Museum were circillea
. ttto`,io
the schools of art, and publicly exhibited/ thl3oloisol
given in the schools would he aided, the tae 4e4•06
'
of I, cal museums encouraged, the funds of ,
assisted, and the public taste generally improso„ Veto,
exhibition (Mr. Bennett continued) could not b3as
opened at a more reasonable time; for in' a fa*, iotere:f;
Mayor would be called upon to preside over a I:l2°S'of aoabt
isg ceremony, the laying the foundation stone,- it
library and museum (hear, hear) ; and he was su'",ei
be highly gratifying to Mr. Wm. Brown, whom Iteulatsp
to see present, and whose generous gift was °I °al° tattled
foster art and talent. A number of the articles Croy ; "AA
the exhibition had been contributed by bet MaJaeasirs
many of the specimens of procelain w re vein °b. -,01
valuable, some being worth more than £l,OOO es- is the
committee had laboured with very great plev°,loBll,l/14
undertaking, and the town council had west 5-disPlll
placed the exhibition room at their entiras
libe 1.
Many perdu] in the town had contributed ot°s'
to the collection of objects of interest. bolf
Mayer, in particular, having brought taelletehetilef
scarce carvings in ivory, and Mr. Grundy a °- °tear
beautiful engravings from celebrated masters• 10 et,l4,
gentlemen were equally worthy of mention 0 OlO4O
lea
departments, and he (Mr. Bennett) honed that tote
tion so deserving of public support would
aeolit°ol
to anticipate the best results for the large °ear tiele
which would be incurred by Mr. Brown in the 7, ere, e 0
a permanent building for the reception of such 0
(Applause) lie was glad to see the Prinow; tlew
pCroelsleegnita,taendlnbsetibtourtieodn,tbDeyr.wßouaffildems,akateldsoomtheerretro.antetlte:l
The
the opening
poNopl
r,a.tnyuionnirigttyoh
ransok whiche dthey
Mr. Bennett and the COOnliornseni•
athtetho
hopedj.llow'7o)awnhinoienmyf had given of him
„,, e%
would be fall Co overflowing. tion and
4timportantao.
tdh
be and
atrciieoensnte eawnrl
thleysi
we. tihhint
to!ceeti
The' Rehve.
training
°call
in drawing, and. few remarksTasal
bearing of the 'exhibition educationally.
could not expect all those present to share ad e: /0
strong feelings as to the value of a careful 8-oeh"
he had no doubt that he was echoi
occupy in every well considered scheme of Welioggiteof
whatappre appreciation a
wasteloouungl
yo
all:present when he said that they were all tthaeor°_augoi
if they
ahwdeoa‘ural.nd)c
eh eiTlnph
something to learn and somethin to unlee'•-',.estv tO
manyrsil t ht eh
departments Frenchref orns &in-
ert, though the government of this country ha"- tow'Se
a great deal, and he hoped it would do still more,.rt,
et,
the promotion of taste and the encouragement °f.,,'a oth
hoped the town of Liverpool would not be bel°,-aess, ee
towns in the benefits which it would derive bf„„*,4oolt;hB
studios and exhibitions. He believed that OPI,-;iisit
p e c t
were. 0 ;le Is::
would be afforded to persons who desired to ~,,,ri°;o
Exhibition for the purpose of drawing fr°nithell3sBllo
articles and he trusted that those who availed r
othe 0
of the Exhibition, both hi this way and
would be very numerous. aat
The Rev. Dr. Raffles felt quite sure that it wasaaalt„'is
for good when his Worship the Mayor and the a° of t,PO
mat tereopaett°ed
of the town took so great an interest in
kind. He could not but anticipate that such! co/aol:0
as the present, offered under such auspices. an'! P the Not
by persons of such importance and authority ta sat- d
e t fail to so,
and influence
-with the community, colds, noa too, ao
the att • ention of the great population of this
tote !et
bear largely to promote the cultivation or gor
correct feeling with regard to those importany and
,(Ar
-sting matters which
tend so much to the e- 10.4;
adornment, comfort, and h •of social
'
happiness •
plau se.at re themeirg'rahnrawpdt hgmeetat
olutbftocohwhruoamuse:hb
thought
ianaunt hfueli
exhibitionan mindsndßat
rheeiu'
tg-vhn_
abs Di;
hewn

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