The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-26 00:00:00

ARRHSEA

LONDON.

West Districts ...
North Districts ...
Central Districts ...
East Districts ...
South Districts ...

Total

There is no truth in the rumour at present current
that cholera has manifested itself at Ryde, in the Isle of
Wight.

INTRAMURAL BURIALS.
FRIGHTFUL STATE OF LAMBETH AND
ST. GILES'S CHURCHYARDS.

Last evening the usual weekly meeting of the Me-
tropolitan Society for the Abolition of Burials in
Towns was held in the society's board-room, Bridge-
street, Blackfriars—G. A. Walker, Esq., in the
chair.

Mr. Thicke read the memorial to the Home Se-
cretary, prepared by the sub-committee, for the
immediate abolition of burials in cities and towns,
hich was adopted, and signed by Mr. Walker, the
president, on behalf of the society.
Mr. Thicke read a letter from Mr. T. B. Lyeth,
Plymouth, complaining of the horrid condition of
the graveyards there, and praying the interposition
of the society to have them closed. The writer
stated that the graveyards were so overgorged that
half-rotten bodies were upturned to make room for
fresh ones, which comprised not only general sub-
jects, but those who died of malignant cholera. In
one small churchyard 1,000 bodies had been buried
in a year. Lately an under grave-digger, while pur
suing his vocation, was seized with cholera, and died
in a tew hours. Mr. Thicke read another communi-
cation from Bristol, which stated that in one of its
crowded churchyards a body of police were brought in
to preserve the peace when a disturbance was antici-
pated. That one of them, while near a newly-opened
grave, caught cholera and died in a few hours, and
that the inspector and several other officers were
seized with nausea, vomitings, &c.
Upon the motion of Mr. lIAMBER, the letters were
referred to a special committee.

The Rev. Mr. CRAIG said that he understood that
St. John's churchyard, Clerken well, had been closed.
The CHAIRMAN, in reply to a question from a
member, said that Dunhill-fields had been opened
during the plague, in 1665, and that since then it had
realised one million pounds.
The Rev. Mr. CRAIG said that a grave-digger in-
formed him that he could at any time bury in a cer-
tain grave in the graveyard where be had already
interred twenty bodies.
The CHAIRMAN said it was quite a systematic and
rule-of. three affair—dig a hole, put them in, and take
them out.

Mr. THICKE said that he had just received a letter

from Mr. J. R. Chidley, 4, Guildhall-chambers,
l3asinghall-street, which, with the permission of the
meeting, he would read. The writer stated that as
he crossed Islington Churchyard one morning lately
he came close to a newly opened grave, the stench
from which was so dreadful that he was quite over-
powered and got very ill. The grave was near tLe
dispensary. Since then he avoided the churchyard,
%%Inch was a mass of hunrin remains.

Mr. 0,1) )RN sought an interview with the so-
ciety to expose the frightful state of Lambeth and
St. Giles's churchyards. He was accordingly ad-
mitted, and said that when cholera broke out 100
were buried in Lambeth churchyard the first week,
160 the second, and 200 the following week. The
poor were buried at night. Some idea might be
formed of the work done there from the fact that
sometimes the gravediggers' fees were 2/ 1173. a
week. Bodies were brought to it from all quarters
for 10 miles round. Those living near it were ill,
and complained of nausea and vomiting ; the stench
it emitted after rain was dreadful ; it was crammed
with bodies, so much so that the medical officer and
tie shopkeepers near it declared it to be a dangerous
nuisance, and that it ought to be closed. At night
the paupers were buried six, eight, and nine at a time.
The general feeling in Lambeth was that it poisoned
the air. In the churchyard of St. Giles-in-the Fields
he saw three men excavating a pit 12 feet deep, 8
long, and about 5 feet wide. The sides of the pit
presented an embrasure of skulls and bones protrud-
ing in all directions. At the bottom of the pit was a
quantity of off nsive water, as black as ink. That
hole Has near the schoolrooms. The whole ground
was a compound of human remains, equally offensive
to the sight and the smell.

The CHAIRMAN had no doubt that the malignant
miasma emitted from the Lambeth churchyard, and
wafted across the river to Millbank, was one of the
causes of the dreadful mortality that prevailed there.
The Rev. Mr. CRAIG wished to correct the false
impression that was getting popular, that the society's
efforts were directed against the burial-grounds of
Dissenters, and not against consecrated ground. Such
an idea was completely erroneous.—(Hear.)
The CHAIRMAN, to prove how fearfully his predic-
tions concerning the danger of the dead being buried
amidst the living were verified, said that he became a
kind of Old Mortality amongst the tombs, and visited
the graveyards in Cork and Waterford. So frightful
was their condition, that he cautioned those in power
against them, and assured those who had the power to
correct the evil, that if they did not do so, those
" consecrated cesspools" would prove so many hotbeds
of disease. They neglected his warning, and his
predictions were fully and fearfully fulfilled. In like
manner he told the authorities in Hull that their
graveyards, unless closed, would be a frightful
cholera factory. Alas! the desolation of that place
was an awful evidence of the truth of what he had

months before the outbreak of cholera predicted.
Dr. Johnson, Dr. Evans, Mr. Tennant, Mr. Feltoe,
and other gentlemen, having urged the necessity of
the society not to relax in the efforts making to close
every churchyard and burialplace near the habitations
of the living, it was moved and seconded that the
secretary be authorised to write to the London and
provincial press, thanking them for their past services
in the cause of humanity, and begging as a favour
that they would forward to the society all papers
containing articles or letters upon the subject of intra-
mural burials.
Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the
meeting adjourned.

GOLDSMITHS' BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION.--Last
evening a special general meeting of the members of this
above institution took place at the Freemasons' Tavern,
for the purpose, among other business, of electing six
additional annuitants. J. W. Thomas, Esq., the presi-
dent, occupied the chair. The report showed that the
iestittuieni was established in 1833 tor the purpose of
relieving the distress el poor, agi d, or infirm persons of
good character, whether tradesmen, workmen, clerks,
she pmen, or other persons connect' d with any brandies
of toe goldsmiths' and jewellery business; and also to
re:ieve their widows. The amount of pension allowed to
males is 151. per annum, and to feu:isles tee, whetin r
subscribers or non-subscribers; but as an encourage-
ment to become subscribers half of the gross amount
contributed will be annually added to the annuities of
subscribers. The receipts ot the past yeas, including a
previous balance of 2511. Bs., amounted to 9601. Is. 6d.;
and atter the purchase of stock and defraying the ne-
cessary expenses there remained in the treasurer's hands
2441. 6s. 10.1., in addition to the funded capital of 3,900/.
The produce of the last festival was about 2501., and the
president, J. W. Thomas, Esq., had recently given e
donation of 1001. After disposing of the routine
business, from a list of 10 candidates, four male and two
female annuitants were elected in addition to the 37 now
on the funds. The chairman, in a feeling address, con-
gratulated the successful, and expressed sympathy fur
the unsuccessful, concluding by presenting the latter
with a donation of 10s. each. After the usual courtesies
to the chair the meting broke up.
•