The Sun.
London, England, 1847-09-16 00:00:00

In Wickliffe Chapel, Stepney, the average per

acre is ... ••• ". -... 1210
Enon Chapel, Woolwich 1080
Parker-row, Dockhead ... ••• ... 1613
Moorfields ••• ••• •• . 1210
Cannon-street-road •.•• • ••.. 1109
The case of Enon Chapel, Clement's-lane, had been
long before the public, but he would just remind the
meeting of the receipts arising from the burials in a
cellar measuring 59 feet by 29 feet. The first funeral
took place on the 6th of October, 1822. The receipts
in the course of the year amounted to ...£144 15 6
In the year 1823 ... 165 9 6
1824 ... ... ••• 171 2 0
1825 ... ... •.• 140 7 6
1826 ... ... ••• 173 3 6
1827 ... ... ••• 156 7 0

Making a total of ... £951 5 0
(Cries of " shame.") These figures were taken from
the Rev. Gentleman's own book.

An individual inquired when the burials were dis-
continued there ?

Mr. WALKER believed they were discontinued in
the year 1838, and took some portion of the credit to
himself for having closed that burial-place. Mr.
Walker then expatiated at some length on the injuries
resulting from a contaminated atmosphere, illustrat-
ing his argument by a reference to an occurrence
which took place at Minchinhampton in the year
1843, which is thus described :—" The church and
churchyard of Minchinhampton are very old. The
latter has served as a burial-ground for the last 500
years, and is consequently densely crowded with dead
bodies. In the autumn of 1843 the church was re-
built, and it became necessary, or was thought expe-
dient, to lower the surface of the grave-yard within a
foot or two of the remains of those buried. Many
bodies were disturbed during this process and re-
interred. The earth so removed, of a dark colour—
saturated, in fact, with the products of human
putrefaction—was, in a fatal hour, devoted to the
purposes of agriculture. About 1,000 cart-loads
were thus employed—some on a new piece of
burial-ground to make the grass grow quickly,
some as manure on the neighbouring fields, some
in the rector's garden, some in the patron's
garden. The seeds of disease were thus widely sown,
and the result any man of common sense might have
predicted The diffusion of a morbid poison was
soon followed by an outbreak of fever in this pre-
viously healthy locality. The family of the rector
and the inhabitants of the street adjoining the church-
yard were the first attacked, and the greatest suf-
ferers. The rector lost his wife, his daughter, and
his gardener. The patron's gardener also, who had
been employed in the unseemly occupation of dres-
sing flower-beds with human manure, was attacked.
In short, wherever the earth had been taken fever
followed. The children who attended the Sunday-
school caught fever as they passed the up-turned
surface of the grave-yard, went home, and died ; but
they did not communicate the disease to those near
them, nor did it arise in any who were not exposed
to the cause of its development." In that case, 17
deaths occurred from fever, and there were nearly
200 cases of scarlet fever and measles..—(Hear, bear.)
So long as such upturnings of the earth took place,
so long would disease and death walk hand-in-hand
amongst the population. He trusted speedily to
witness the abolition of a system which tended to
bring the ministers of religion into contempt, which
lowered the standard of morality, and was a foul blot
on our boasted civilization.—(Applause.) He begged
to move—" That the burial of the dead in the midst
of the living has, in many instances, led to the sys-
tematic violation of the feelings of our common
humanity ; and that this custom has originated and
maintained practices which have brought dishonour
and disgrace on the national character, degraded re-
ligion, corrupted public morals, and inflicted incal-
culableinjury on the public health."

Mr. C-unit.LEsAlY seconded the resolution,
which was supported by Mr. HEALY, who said that
of all the parishes in London there was none managed
in a more unchristianlike manner with regard to in-
terments than that in which they were now assem-
bled. Very recently, in consequence of the alteration
of some sewer, a body had been disinterred, which
was as fresh as if it bad only been buried a fortnight
before.—(Hear, hear.) If ministers of religion
wished well to the service to which they were dedi-
cated they ought to attend such meetings as the pre-
sent, and he regretted that none of the distinguished
ministers in London had thought proper to attend ;
but they had more than once been enlightened by the
laity, who were determined to do their duty on this
subject.—(Applause.) There were 400 grave-yards
in the metropolis-400 places conspiring against the
health of the metropolis—and this, too, under the
name of religion. It was thus that religion became
desecrated, and he had no hesitation in saying that if
the people succeeded in their present object, as suc-
ceed they must, they would do more for religion in
this country than anything which had been done for
the last ten yearn.
Mr. CARDEN, amidst much confusion, cries of
" Question," " Chair," &c., also supported the reso-
lution, which was put and carried unanimously.
Sir CHARLES ALDIS (after many interruptions from
Mr. Carden, who persisted in again addressing the
meeting) moved the next resolution :—" That the
evils resulting from intramural interments have in-
creased to an alarming extent, and that a rigid and
immediate supervision of burial-places is imperatively
demanded, and that the petition now read be adopted,
and that the Chairman of this meeting, B. B. Cab-
bell, Esq., be respectfully requested to present it to
the House of Commons, and to support the prayer
thereof:'
Mr. J. 11, STEVENS, in seconding the resolution,
expressed a hope that cemeteries as well as grave-
yards would be subjected to a strict supervision, be-
cause under the present system, being private com-
panies, they wonld have the power, in the event of
the abolition of the old grave-yards, of immediately
doubling their fees, to the great injury and detriment
of the public.—(Hear, hear) No less than 450 acres

It is gratifying to have again to report the satis-
factory state of this trade, and the continuance of the
steady demand previously noticed. It is the usual
practice to withhold orders that are not strictly
limited to time over the close of the quarter
when they arrive near its termination ; and on
the present occasion a stronger motive than
usual for such a course exists in the anticipated
relaxation of the Bank action, calculated upon in
well-informed circles as near at hand. A slight
anxiety also may be felt by some with regard to the
next quarterly settlements, lest, from the pressure
of long-continued high discounts, parties may not
be prepared so promptly as hitherto to meet their
payments ; the business done in the iron trade
has, however, for some time been of that
cautious description, and the transactions so
bona fide for immediate consumption or consign-
ment, that any such feeling is altogether groundless,
and the various works are kept fully employed.
;onsiderable railway contracts are yet unfinished, and
before they are out of hand many mere must be given
out. In the Welsh market it appears that for
such articles prices have an upward tendency, as
also for bars. Hoops and sheet and merchant
iron are in good request here, while the foundry
trade is more than usually brisk. We have heard
that some large foreign orders are in the market for
castings; the superiority both in quality and make
of this country is now so universally acknowledged,
that, together with the vast consumption the con-
struction of Indian railroads must produce, full em-
ployment may be calculated upon in this branch of
the trade long after the pressing demands of our own
country have been supplied. The price of pig-iron
has hitherto been well maintained ; very few pigs
remain upon the makers' hands—a considerably less
quantity, it is thought, than at the same period of
last quarter.—Aris's Birmingham Gazette.