The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-18 00:00:00

startled at seeing in the sexton's depository undecayed
Fds of coffins with inscriptions upon them; he broke a
piece from one of them, and produced it at the meeting
which was held in Leicester-square, to show what he
stated was correct. The impression produced on his
mind by that piece of coffin was that the body which it
contained had not undergone the natural course of decay
appointed by the Creator—that of returning from flesh
into dust—and that the undecayed coffins were taken
up from the earth for sale, and for making roads with, as
was the case in the neighbourhood of Euston-square.
It was upon those grounds that they, as reasonable men,
ought to enter into the consideration of the subject, and
if he might presume to:call upon them to sanction this
resolution, it was that they should do it upon the best
approval of their minds, and the best conviction of their
heart and understanding. The Legislature could not
postpone the subject much longer if the people joined
together in the way in which they had met together that
evening, and if they made that meeting a nucleus of
action. It was attributed to Sh4kespere, that great
spirit who so faithfully held the mirror up to nature,
with all those fine feelings which were generated by the
contemplation of human nature, that he recorded his
great and most earnest desire that uo one should disturb
his remains—

" Good friend, fur Jesus' sake, forbear
To dig the dust entombed here;
Blest be he who spares these stones,
And curst be he who moves my bones."
(Applause.) Mr. Hansard concluded by seconding the
resolution.
Mr. Roor:ris said, before the resolution was put to the
meeting, he trusted he might be permitted to claim their
attention for a few minutes. That resolution had his
deepest and fullest support. He felt that they were all
convinced of the urgent necessity of some legislative
measure that would put a stop to this evil. Having
spent almost all his leisure for many years in gathering
information relating to this important question, he
trusted the meeting would give him the opportunity of
bringing before them a few of the facts which he
had collected. This was a question that was to be
settled by facts, and by facts alone. A number of
medical men had disputed the truth of the observations
that had been made upon this atrocious system; but,
however, truth was mighty, and would at all times pre-
vail.—(Applause.) They bad in London 212 acres of
land devoted to burial-grounds, 176 acres of which be-
longed to the Church of England—that Church whose
principle it was to do unto others as it wished others to
do to them.—(oh, oh.) The Dissenting community had
only thirty-six acres of ground in this metropolis devoted
to burial places. They buried 50,000 persons in those
212 acres of ground. He found from a calculation he
had made that no less a quantity than 2,160,0001b5.
weight of human flesh were annually buried in the grave-
yards of this metropolis; and during the last forty years
they had buried 40,000,0001b5. of human flesh, the ef-
fluvia from the decomposition of which has tended to
shorten the lives of hundreds of their neigh-
bours and friends.—(Hear, hear.) It stood to reason
thiit either the graveyards of this metropolis must rise
above the surrounding streets, or that the debris of the
dead was from time to time made away with. He knew
a street not far from them—Church-street, where there
was a distinct thoroughfare over a consecrated burial
ground.-11ear, hear.) He was anxious to bring before
them the condition of certain graveyards, some of which
he had visited and examined within a very short time.
He knew if they could only sweep away the abominations
connected with this system, which the Church was charge-
able with, they would succeed; for the Dissenters as a
body were not powerful to do much mischief in this
matter.—(Laughter.) The following were a few of the
remarks which his visit to some of the graveyards had
suggested:—
" In St. Bride's, Fleet-street, there were 427 persons
buried to the acre. The burial-ground in Farringdon-
street was in some parts four, in others seven, in others
fifteen feet above the level of the ground-floor of the
adjacent houses. No vestige of grass. Several recent
graves. Has a pump at the corner; the water is very
dark. A woman, living in an adjacent house, stated it
was offensive and unfit to drink. The owner of a house
adjoining the graveyard in Farringdon-street stated
that during the summer months he was horribly annoyed
by the disgusting smell, by a crowd of noisome flies,
earwihs, and other'insects; that it was full to repletion;
that his daughter last summer was affected with typhus;
that his assistant and apprentice had laboured under the
same disease, and he had been affected therewith three
times; that there was a box kept to hold the human bones
in. The graveyard is a quarter of an acre in extent;

not a vestige of grass on the ground. There are only
four tombstones, and nearly all the rest of the ground
is flat.
"In St. Andrew's, Holborn, here were 250 pers ons
buried to the acre. In some parts the graveyard is 15 feet
above the level of the ground floor of the adjacent houses;
similar absence of grass ; on one side there were 13
recent graves ; on the other a large heap of rubbish, in-
terspersed profusely with human bones ; one open grave,
coffins on each side, no mould between ; nearest coffin to
the top distanced two feet ; there was evidently a brisk
trade done.—(Laughter.) At one side of the church-
yard stands one of the City of London charity schools.
One of the children stated that at times there is a very
offensive smell ; a woman in an adjacent house also com-
plained of smell ; she stated also that no one stopped
there long ; all were anxious to get away. There were
a numb:r of holes, where borings had been made for the
purpose of ascertaining whether there was any more
room for coffins.

Thomas's-ground, Golden•lane, is about a quarter,

or, perhaps, half an acre in extent. Three open graves;
the surface scattered over with bones, &c. The keeper
and his wire complained that they were doing •ery little
business—(Laughter)--as the place below—thu City
Bunhill—took away all the trade. The entrance to this
Golgotha was a narrow, low, and dirty alley, called
Rose passage.
" At Worship-street Chapel the sextoness told me
they bury their own congregation, and as many more
us they can ge: ; is closely surrounded by houses of the
poor.

"At St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, are buried about 396 per-
sons tot he acre. Business over when I reached it, but giving
evidence of having done brisk trade during the day ; one
part looked like newly ploughed. The backs of many
houses look into it. I believe the Bishop of London
formerly officiated here, and drew his facts from thence,
perhaps, on which to found his assertion of the
harmlessness of intramural burial.
" At St. Sepulchre's about 293 persons are buried to
the acre. The graveyard is in a similar conaition as
regards grass; is considerably elevated, in one part
about four feet; several recent graves; the rest flat. The
gravedigger would not admit me to view the ground
closely; one open grave; he stated he could not dig a
grave without boring.
" At St. Botolph's, Aldersgate-street, about 631 per-
sons to the acre are buried. The ground is excessively
crowded; one open grave; sides lined with decayed and
decaying coffins. Evidently a brisk business done;
several skulls and other human remains in sight; entire
absence of grass.—(Laughter.)
" St. Olave's, Silver street, Falcon-square, 335 square
yarfls. Threw recent graves; no grass. Two dead cats
and other rubbish thrown into it.—(Laughter.) Ground
raised several feet. _

" Cripplegate Churchyard, 346 to the acre. Sexton
rather sulkily refused to admit MC.
•' City, Buuhill, 605 to acre. Gravedigger rather
savagely refused admission to me, but on any stating a
desire to bury a friend altered his tone.—(Laughter.)
There were eight open graves, all lined with recent
coffins; no mould between; some exceedingly deep; one
at least 25 feet; at the bottoms of some recent coffins no
mould between. W hen I was discovered taking notes
the proprietor and gravediggers surrounded me, and
denounced my doings end inquired my objects, and
when I stated them warned me what I said.

"Holy Trinity, Haydon-square, is paved over, and
about the size of Meard's-court. There is a public
thoroughfare upon the gr iund, where I saw boys play-
ing at marbles. There are great numbers buried there.
Mr. Paterson informed me that they had shortly before
dug a grave just outside his door, and the skulls and
other bones were kicking about his passage."
Now he would call on the members of that meeting to
lend their assistance to put a stop to those atrocious
doings. Lord Morpeth once told certain gentlemen who
took an interest in putting an end to this system, and
who waited on his Lordship. that he was perfectly
aware of those evils, but they must go back and educate
the people, for he and those with whom he acted could
do nothing in the House of Commons unless they had
the pressure from without.—(Loud cheers.) He (Mr.
Rogers) and his friends around him on the platform
were striving by that meeting, and by a hundred means,
to educate the people as far as they were able.
He could assure them further that the longer the agita-
tion continued the more it would interfere with his pro-
fessional pursuits. He wished, for his own sake, that it
was brought to a conclusion; he wished that also for
their sake; but having taken up the subject from an ac-
cidental circumstance, he had since followed it up from
conviction, and for his own part he should continue to do
se, and he had no doubt that his friends and coadjutors
would do the same until they succeeded in crushing out
that great abilse.—(Cheers.) With every thank' for his
kind reception, he would take his leave of them hy sup-
porting the resolution:
Mr. GEo. F. CARDEN, a gentleman in the body of the
meeting, after expounding the benefits t
from the establishment of cemeteries in
the sbuebudrebrsiveodf
London, gave his cordial support to the resolution.
was
The CHAIRMAN then put it to the meeting a
carried unanimously.
A person in front of the platform here suggested that
something should be done about a more economical
mode of carrying bodies to cemeteries for interment.
Mr. Ross rose to propose the next resolution:—
" That this meeting believes that the many injurious
consequences unavoidably resulting from the present
system of interring the dead, can only be removed by
a legislative enactment, originated with, or supported
by her Majesty's Government. That in the year 1842,
a Committee of the House of Commons reported to
Parliament, That after a long and patient investiga-
tion, they could not arrive at any other conclusion than
that the nuisance of interments in large towns, and the
injury arising to the health of the community from the
practice, were fully proved. That the evils of inter-
ment in towns and populous places had grown to such
a height, that no time ought to be lost by the ,Legis-
lature in applying a remedy. That this eustOm had
desecrated the repose of the dead, and injured the health
and feelings of the living, could not be denied. That
it had also exhibited the singular instance of the most
wealthy, moral, and civilized community in the ;world,
tolerating a practice and au abuse which had been cor-
rected for years by nearly all other civilized nations in
every part of the globe: That these views of the Par-
liamentary Committee of 1842 were affirmed by_ ti majo-
rity of the House itself in the year 1845. That universal
mischiefs require universal remedies, and, therefore, a
General Act, for the establishmeni, of cemeteries in
suitable 19calities, should be passed, as a mono of

wise legislative economy, and of simple justice to the
nation."
In reference to the remark which had just been made•
he might be allowed to state that it was intended that
the Government should take up the subject, and if they
did so, he had no doubt they would be careful that every
detail connected with it was fully considered. It was.
most important that some arrangement should be made
to carry dead bodies to burial-grounds at the smallest
possible expense.—(Hear, hear.) He had often asked
himself the question why it was that this subject, which
had been so long under discussion, was not settled yet--
why it was that his friend Mr. Walker, who had conse-
crated some of the best years of his life to obtaining
facts, to amassing them, to diffusing them among the
public, and to awakening public attention and public indig-
nation with respect to these most atrocious practices; why
it was that he who had laboured so strenuously, and
alone and single•handed in the advocacy of that cause,
had not been rewarded with great success, and not
achieved a triumph long ago.—(Hear, hear.) lie had
inquired the reason, and he bad been Vid that those
who had opposed them were the clergy and their sa-
teilites—(Hear)—that the clerical interest in the House
of Commons, and the bench of Bishops in the House of
Lords, were their opponents; but if they fought hard,
and awakened the public sympathy, and bound together
the masses who were most deeply interested in the
matter, they would be able to force the Government to
adopt some measures to meet the present exigencies
and to redeem the Christianity of the country from
the sacrilegious practices which now prevailed.—(Hear.)
He stated that 2,158 persons died anenally in the parish
of Whitechapel, and to accommodate that number of
bodies fifteen acres of burial-ground would be required;
whereas there were only three and a half acres, and sup-
posing no more;buried than it could conveniently hold, as
many as 1,580 bodies would have to be left to rot in the
streets. The present practice was, however, actually
worse than that. To be sure, they did not bury in the
streets, but they buried in their houses, and that in the
most hallowed of houses,—the houses of God.—(Hear,
hear.) Even the temples of God were made hordes of abo-
mination, they were profaned by being made the sources
of private gain, although it was the duty of the clergy
to preserve them from sacrilege of any kind.—(Cries
of " Hear, hear.") Mr. Ross then alluded to St.
Bride's burial-ground, Fleet-street, and said, that
after a number of bodies had been interred
upon one occasion, three persons,were commissioned by
the vestry to open the ground. Two of them had done
their part of the work, and the third one was left to finish
the lower portion, and whilst being so engaged, the
ground lost its cohesion, in consequence of the putrescent
matter having filtered through it, and gave way, and
the person was actually buried alive. some of the
coffins rested upon his breast, others over his legs,
and many hours passed before they could ex-
tricate him from his position, and when they
did he was quite dead. They had often talked
of burying the dead among the living; but here was
an instance of burying the living among the dead.—
(Hear, hear.) It was said that intramural burials were
not attended with those evils which were attributed to
them. The Bishop of London, who, perhaps, might be
looked up to as an authority, had stated that the alleged
evils had been very much exaggerated—(Cheers)--but
Dr. Russell, whose experience was derived from the
same locality and the same churchyard to which Dr.
Blomfield formerly belonged, stated just the reverse;
he said the existing system was infamous, shocking, and
horrible, and that it behoved the Government to take
speedy measures to abolish it altogether. (Hear,
hear.) Here ore doctor was combatting another;
it was said two of a trade could not agree, and he
thought they might congratulate themselves that such
was the case in the present instance. Medical men
had also stated that there was a great deal of exaggera-
tion connected with this subject. If there were exag-
geration it would be a virtue, because they could not
exaggerate anything too much which was calculated
to promote the public health.—(Hear, hear.) But they
said they derived no infection from a dissecting-room—.
that many young men came to London and attended tho
dissecting-room, and that ne injury happened to them;
and they brought forward that as an illustration of
the innocuousness of the gases emitted from a
dead body. He altogether denied that statement;
the emanations from a dead body were deadly poison,
and by means of medical agency they could make them
produce almost any disease, and if they took a full
charge they could almost kill any man upon the spot.
If they took a less charge, perhaps, they might produce
typhus and other diseases of less importance. Those
lacts.were so incontestable that no medical man dared to
deny them, and yet they pretended to deny them. To
show the truth of what he stated, he said that a friend
of his youth came to London to attend the dissecting-
room ; he worked hard in the confined atmosphere,
polluted as it was with exhalations from dead bodies, but
was soon -taken ill and went home, and died before
big relatives and friends could be apprised of his danger.
—(Hear, hear.) There was another topic which had
'not been alluded to at the meeting—it was that of keep-
ing dead bodies in the habitations of tho living prior
to interment. Perhaps it was not generally known that
it was a common practice among the poor of the metro-
polis to retain bodies in their apartments as long some-
times as a week or ten days; the consequence was that
the survivors were frequently attacked with the same, if
not a worse disease, and carried perhaps to the same
tomb. In some instances it had happened that the very
insects had crawled out from the coffin on to the table
where the persons in the room were taking their food.
They had at home acts of that kind committed every day
in this metropolis. If those men were savage what were
the people of this city? It was recently stated in the
papers that in Ireland, at the present time, the poor suf-
fering people, perishing of hunger, kept their dyad re-
latives in their,housps—an accommodation which would
not have been awarded to them it living. But the people
committed the very eame act in this metropolis. What
then could they say, if the poor Irishman, w ho had an ex-
cuse for what he did, who was pursued by hunger, and
did that to preserve his own life? It was merely the
imperfection of our social arrangements; and when the
Government took up this question it was one which must
be settled with all the other great questions which it
embraced. He should not longer occupy their time, but
would merely read the resolution which had been put into
his hand to propose.

Mr. GEORGE. seconded the resolution. He would not
detain them beyond a single moment at that late hour.
He came prepared to make a speech, but his speech
would keep—(Laughter)—and he had no doubt at some
future period be would have the pleasure of delivering it
to a very enlightened audience. He would only say,
that the evils of the present system could not be exag-
gerated.—(Hear.)
The resolution was put from the chair, and carried by
acclamation.

Mr. PHILLIPS then moved the following resolution:—
"That, in accordance with the foregoing resolutions,
the following petition bo signed by the Chairman, on
behalf of the meeting; and that he be respectfully re-
quested to take charge of its presentation to the House
of Commons, and that the metropolitan Members be also
requested to support the prayer thereof.
" To the Honourable the Commons of the United
Kingdom of Great Briatln tad Ireland in Parlia-
ment assembled,
" Sheweth—That your petifitiiieis have, during many
years, had just cause for complaint, arising.not only from
the number, but the overcharged state of the metropolitan
and other burial places.
That your petitioners have a firm conviction that
the numerous and incalculable evils inseparable from a
state of things at once destructi►e to health, degrading
to religion, and insulting to humanity, will never be
remedied unless your Honourable House interposes its
authority.

" Tliat your petitioners desire to express their un-
feigned satisfaction that this national grievance was the
subject of inquiry by a Committee of your Honourable
House in the year 1842, whe reported that, "after a long
and patient-investigation, your Committee cannot arrive
at any other cinclusion than that the nuisance of inter-
ments in large towns, and the injury arising to the
health of the community from the practice, are fully
proved." That, from the evidence adduced before the
Committee, and many subsequent exposures of the
terrible consequences resulting and necessarily arising
from the present system of interment, your petitioners
venture to express their earnest desire, that the burial
of the dead in the midst of the living may be instantly
and for ever prohibited, by the closing of all burial-
places in cities and towns, and by the adoption of such
measures as may secure the public from the injurious
and debasing practices at present existing. And your
petitioners will ever pray.'
"That, for the purpose of carrying out the objects of
the petition, and of obtaining furl and legislative sup-
port, a fund be immediately raised by subscriptions 84
donations, which will be received by the honorary secre-
tary, Mr. Charles James Thicke, 17, New Bridge-street;
by any member of the committee; and by the following
bankers :—Messrs. Coats Strand; Messrs. and Co.,
Masterman, Peters, Mildred and Co.,
Messrs. Spooner, Attwood, and 0., Gracechurch-street;
Nicholas-lane;reelanet!
Q
and the Commercial Bank, Lothbuzy.
Mr. GOSWELL seconded the motion, which was put
and carried unanimously.
The CHAIRMAN, after signing the petition, said he
should take care that it should be presented to the House
of Commons, accompanied by a proper representation
of the number and spirit of the meeting.
Mr. LUKE JAMES HANSARD then moved a vote of
thanks to the Chairman, which that gentleman briefly
acknowledged, and the meeting separated.

THE
-----
ROCKINGHAM '•• OR, IHE YOUNGER BROTHER...—.
This new work of fiction, which has lately attracted so
much attention, is now ascertained to have been written
by a distinguished nobleman, who lately retired from a
very high diplomatic appointment.—Morning Post.
The messenger of the Princess's Theatre, Mr.
WI-Jean, has announced his annual benefit, which is fixed
for Thursday next, the 24th inst. The entire strength
of the company will be brought into action on that ucca-
sion. Thei eis no doubt of his being well supported by
his frienus, as we can bear testimony of his obliging dis-
position._ _ _ _

- Love labour ; if you do not want it for food, you
may for physic.—Eliza Cook's Journal.

PEDESTRIANISM.—J. BRIEN AND C. HILET.—•
This match, to walk three miles fair toe and heel, on a
fair turnpike road, for 2001., was to have been brought
to a conclusion on Tuesday, at Horn's Cross. Kent, but
owing to the friends of Hiley demurring to the ground,
which is as steep a mile in ascent and descent as can bo
found for many miles round the metropolis, Brien
walked over the ground by himself to claim the stakes.
and thus the matter stands at present. It must be re-
marked that the friends of Hiley had not seen the
ground till the day before the match.
APPROACHING MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFS.--WE
are enabled to announce that a matrimonial alliance is
arranged, and will shortly be celebrated, between Sir
James Carnegie, Bart., and the Lady Catherine Noel,
daughter of the Earl and Countess of Gainsborough.—
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