The Sun.
London, England, 1841-10-28 00:00:00

PAIGE 5d

. . , .
the investigation pursued under authority and judicious
arrangement.
It may, I fear, with truth be said, from the bUrial-
places of one vicinity—know all the rest. If so, let
those who at present supinely look on and disregard the
dangers threatening their poorer neighbours from these
vast sources of disease,-remember that pestifererous ex-
halations arising frona the numerous infecting centres of
the metropolis are no respecters of persons ; by the ever-
shifting gales of the moment they may be visited, even
in their chosen localities, their power of resistance ex-
perimented upon, and a severe penalty incurred—the
punishment of their omitting or neglecting to avoid evils
self-inflicted, and therefore removable.
It is demonstrable that the centres of infection are
found principally in .crowded neighbourhoods, and a
vitiated atmosphere : here they are propagated and
nourished by the action and reaction, the cause and effect,
constantly in operation ;—for, in many of these very dis-
tricts, the so-called burying places, the receptacles for the
dead, are situated ; their insatiable appetite, yet un-
glutted, is constantly devouring fresh 'victims, and these
again are ejected, after a slight sojourn, to make room for
the succeeding occupants, who retain their situation only
by the interest or caprice of a hireling grave. digger.
Upon a matter so intimately connected with the pros-
perity and happiness of a State, the attention of the
Government cannot be too anxiously directed. Who
Will venture to affirm that the health of a community is
not of the first importance to the stability and prosperity
of society ? Without health, riches, honours, and dis-
tinctions are comparatively worthless to their possessors.
Who can doubt but that a healthy people are the most valu-
able defenders of the soil ; the most formidable in war,
and the most useful in time of peace ? Throughout all
ages rulets have unfortunately.manifeated but little re-
gard to the interests or the amelioration of the condition
of tin4actr.,,lncixiurmrt4;itte2l4-4;etkiltonrnfoll11111110*
ment, until, by some dreadful calamity, they .have beeii
driven to measures of improvement.
The vast numbers of burying places within tilt bills of
mortality are so many centres or foci of infects'on—
generatina constantly the dreadful effluvia of hunaln.
putrefaction—acting according to the circumstances os
locality, nature of soil, depth from the surface, tempera-
ture, currents of air—its moisture or dryness, and the
power of resistance in those subjected to its influence--
(and who is not ?)—as a slow or an energetic poison.
The reflection will obtrude itself on every thinking
person. How long is this state of things to continue ?
Who is not deeply interested in this question ? Fami-
lies, home, kindred, relations, friends, the thousand
syrweathies that have grown with our growth and
strengthened with our strength—are so intimately con-
nected with our subject, that the more deeply we reflect,
the more settled is our conviction of the necessity for the
interference of the Legislature upon a point so intimately
involving the beat interests of society. I have freely
and earnestly spoken of the tremendous risk incurred by
the mutilations of the resistless dead, portions of whose
bodies, in various stages of decomposition, are thus
made the instruments of punishment to the living. Yet
no attention is paid to remonstrance, urged from con-
viction ; no heed given to warnings, however disinte-
rested and however urgent.
I would not unnecessarily alarm the public mind ;
but the opinions I have advanced are not hypothe-
tical ; they are founded upon the experience and prac-
tices of past ages, confirmed by the experience and
practice of the present day ; and, yet this momentous
subject has hitherto been passed over in total silence, as
though insignificant or indifferent, by English writers of
eminence. I have, therefore, not hesitated, feeling the
paramount importance of the question, to throw my mite
into the public treasury, hoping to see, at least, as the
result of my labours, the enforcement-of efficient " Sana-
tory Regulations" throughout every department of the
kingdom, and the entire removal of the dead from the im-
mediate proximity 61 the living.
I may be allowed to state, that I am entirely uncon-
nected with any speculation, public or private, having
reference to the establishment of Cemeteries. Com-
mending, as I do, the efforts of private individuals, who
have originated a reform which should long since have
commenced n
convinced of
the
ehe Executive,
necessity Ifo am,
m legislative nevertheless,
interfe-
rence frilly
to destroy the present dangerous system of inhu-
elation, that I hesitate not to express my opinion, that
the Government of the country will ultimately be lriven
to the adoption of means for enforcing the prohibition of
the interment of the dead in the midst of the
N.B. The whole of the burial grounds in the metropo-
lis, and which have been in use many hundred years, is
only eighty acres. There are now upwards of four hun-
dred acres; and an Act of Parliament has passed for an-
other of fifty acres, and one of twenty-five acres, situated.
at moderate distances from London; therefore ample pro-
vision is made for many years. The fees for opening the
ground, and for tablets, are much more reasonable than
the average of churches and churchyards.

MEETING FOR THE PRESENTA-
TION OF PLATE TO JAMES [TARDIER, ESQ.
A public meeting of the friends of James Harmer,
Esq., late one of the Aldermen of the City of London,
was held yesterday in the large room of the London
Coffee House, Ludgate-hill, for the purpose of raising a
subscription to present to that gentleman a piece of plate,
on his • retirement from the Magistracy of the City of
London.
- On the motion of Mr. GALLOWAY, seconded by Mr.
RICHARD TAYLOR, Sir James Duke, Alderman and M.P.,
took the Chair at half-past two o'clock.
The CHAIRMAN said, it was not necessary for him to
offer many observations connected with the subject which
had called them together. He regretted that the friends
of Mr. Harmer had not found some person better quali-
fied than himself to fill the Chair. He had great satis-
faction however, in accepting the office, and doing what
he could to afford the friends of that gentleman in the
Ward an opportunity of expressing their high sense of
the manner in which Mr. Harmer discharged his public
duties as a Magistrate, and their cordial feelings of re-
gard towards him as a private individual. He believed
he might say that the idea of a public subscription ori-
ginated with a few of the personal friends of Mr. Har-
mer in the Ward of Farringdon Without, and that idea
having been very generally and cordially responded to—
fur at the present moment a considerable sum was sub-
scribed for the purpose of presenting him with a piece of
plate—the gentlemen of the Ward found, from the nu-
merous applications made to them, that many persons un-
connected with it were desirous of contributing to that
mark of respect to Mr. Harmer. With that view it was
considered desirable that a public meeting should be
had, and he would now read to them the advertisement
convening the meeting. (The Chairman here read the
advertisement.) No person regretted more than himself
the retirement of Mr. Harmer from the Aldermanship of
the City of London, and although lie felt highly flattered
at having been selected as his successor for the Ward of
Farringdon Without, yet he had no hesitation in saying
that it was not possible to meet in the City of London a
gentleman who was better qualified to discharge the du-
ties of his office.--(Cheers.) He had had the pleasure of
knowing Mr. Harmer for some time as a member of the
same Company (the Spectacle Makers), and during the
time he was a member of that Court, lie had received
from him marks of great kindness, and therefore he was
happy to have an opportunity not only of expressing his
personal sense of the kindness he had experienced from
Mr. Harmer, but also of testifying his sense of the man-
ner in which he had discharged his duty as a Magistrate. ;
He would now call upon the Secretary to read the list of
subscriptions that had been already received.
Mr. S3IITH, the Honorary Secretary, then said,--Sir
James and Gentlemen, Before reading the list of sub-
scribers, it gives me great pleasure in being able to state
that the respectable and highly influential gentlemen
who have kindly assisted in forming the lists and receiv-
ing the amount of subscriptions, have been very much
gratified by the readiness and spontaneous liberality
with which subscribers have come forward to pay a
mark of respect to Mr. Harmer. It has convinced them
that a man whose benevolence and kindness, and whose
public and private worth were appreciated by all evil°
knew himewonld sooner or later receive that considera-
tion to which he is so eminently entitled.—(llear, hear.)
But we are far from assuming that we have fulfilled the
duties of this important undertaking, nor are we am-
bitious of any other result from this imperfect attempt ;
but the framers of a plan—the opening of a way for
the liberality and exertions of the numerous friends of
A who may thus very easily assist us to per-
formlr. an
thoroughlylei, •
and successfully the object we have in
view. The Secretary then read the list of subscriptions,
which included 21/. from the Chairman, Sir J. Duke, and
a long list of subscriptions of 10/. and 51. from gentle-
men of all shades of political opinions, amounting in the
whole to about 4201. The reading of the list was re-
ceived with much cheering.
Mr. RICHARD TAYLOR felt much pleasure in moving
the first resolution, and thereby joining in an act of
public justice to a faithful public servant.—(Loud
cheers.) He had for many years witnessed the private
worth and great public services of Mr. Harmer, and he
joined with the greatest satisfaction with his neighbours
and fellow-citizens in bearing his testimony to the inde-
pendent and useful manner in which that gentleman had
discharged his public duties. His retirement from the
magistracy would be to him, as it- would be to all who
knew him, a subject of the greatest regret.—(Cheers.)
Mr. Harmer had great capacity for business, and great
diligence; and he added to these one of the kindest
hearts and the most generous dispositions he had ever
known.—(Cheers.) All these qualities enabled him to
be one of the most useful and valuable public servants he
had ever known. In these feelings he was borne out by the
sentiments expressed towards Mr. Harmer at the first
wardmote held after his retirement, and which was themo
more
valuable as emanating from those amongst his
fellow-
citizens who had known bins longest and best.
expres-
sion He would also appeal to the unanimous
sion of their opinions from the sixteen Common
of esteem,
Council-
men
,of the Ward, and these expressionstica_
ions,
was
coining from gentlemen of varionsiiepio
ini
many of them strongly opposedl
to*
which .Mr. Harmer
the best proof of the estimation
subject of politics,
politics, was
was held. When he referred to the Kmost uujust and he begged to observe that
iterwthat he had :ever been
un-
true to ascribe to Mr. HariHn
He had been alv4s most
a violent ultra politician.rcs those who clifferekkorn him
candid and liberal towards
moderate supportinMis own
in opinion, and most
(gear, time th
• hear ) At the same ere was no
more consistent and unflinching. politician than Mr.'
Harmer, h althoue
fe his kindly disposition led him• to act
in the most candid manoer towards those who sliffered