The Sun.
London, England, 1853-04-04 00:00:00

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LONDON, MONDAY, APRIL 4, 1853.

Now or Never. It is strong language, no
doubt of it, as applied to the abolition of Intra-
mural Interments. But matters have gone on so
long and so desperately in regard to the postpone-
ment of the Dead-man's Question, by procastina-
ion after procrastination, that we are driven to
he use of strong language. If we are not really
now to witness the destruction, partial at least, if
not total, of the horrible old system of burying
thousands upon thousands of corpses annually in
the midst of our crowded metropolis—we shall
view the hope of reform in this particular with
feelings little short of absolute desperation. The
atrocity of the thing has been exposed. The
cruelty of it has been laid bare. The folly of it
made as apparent as the folly of suicide or of any
other criminal absurdity. We have had books
upon books written on' it—portly volumes and
portable pamphlets fly leaves and octavos.
Among other books of this kind, too, we have had
blue books, and plenty of them—blue books in
abundance--petitions, answers of witnesses, and
reports of commissioners. If ever an abuse has
been thoroughly laid before the public in all its
horrible deformity and nakedness this has.
Everybody recognises it. Everybody, at any
rate, who is not interested in keeping up the old
evil arrangement--interested, we mean, pecuni-
arily. For it is one of the chief horrors
of the Question—this Dead-man's Question—
that there are certain classes in this country reap-
ing profit—profit in pounds, shillings, and pence
—from the interment of their departed fellow-crea-
tures in the very thick of the living population.
It is because of the efforts made by these classes
to put down any systematic attempt in the way of
innovation, that the advocates of improvement
have not yet succeeded. It is because of the per-
tinacity of these ghouls that we have not yet been
able to realise our hopes of establishing a regular
system of extramural cemeteries. The monstrosity
of the evil has been proclaimed again and again,
and yet--because of the resolute opposition of
these upholders of that evil—the capital is still
suffering grievously from the continuance of the
abomination.
But—Hope at last has sprung out of Despair.
Orders in Council to close the reeking graveyards
of London have been promised by Lord PALMER-
STON, and that promise has some force in it, be-
cause Lord PALMERSTON is at this moment Home

Secretary.
Under existing circumstances, therefore, we
conceive that it may not be regarded as altogether
idle to draw public attention more directly to the
matter by the repetition of a few details already
very frequently reiterated.—tending to explain the
character of the abuse of which we are yearning
to witness the abolition.
It is notorious that all the eminent medical
authorities who have ever written upon the subject,
are unanimous in the expression of one opinion
as to the effects of animal decomposition. DITTER-
GIB has elaborately described the disastrous nature
of those effects, in his Treatise on Medical Juris-
prudence. Another Frenchman, FOTTRCROY, has
recorded a variety of sickening facts bearing upon
the same argument, in the elaborate statement
upon the subject laid by him, some years ago,