The Sun.
London, England, 1847-11-16 00:00:00

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cholera, which had baffled the science of the most
eminent medical men, and which had already made
its appearance in the eastern parts of Europe, should
appear amongst them; how would those persons
satisfy their consciences who had opposed the intro-
duction of all measures of sanitary reform? He
wished to repeat to the meeting the resolutions
which the committee of which he was the chairman
came to, in order that they might be promulgated
pgartitocula requisitesinha
as widely as possible. They said that there were
bfievleon
biwtehdichi3loauoeght
Ilallewraeys
hut!
r every
OF
man beings took shelter - the first
THE SANITARY CONDITION OF air, the next good d . 7 V‘ ,:S pare
rennage, the third the total
THE COUNTRY. absence of all putrid vegetable or animal matter, the
Last night a grand demonstration in favour of a fourth the supply of pure water, and tlie fifth the' re-
sound and comprehensive Sanitary Bill took place at moval of all stagnant pools and cesspools from within
the Crovin and Anchor Tavern, under. the auspices a quarter of a mile of a dwelling. -
.Ehose were the
of the following associations:—Health of Towns, five requisites, and I.e left any unprejudiced person
National Philanthropic, Health of London, City and to say to what degree, or whether to any degree at
Liberty of Westminster, and the Working Men's all, they were enjoiyed by the lower classes of the
Associations. The Crown . and Anchor Tavern has metropolis.—(Cheers.) Assuredly they were not to
been the theatre of many popular demonstrations be met with • yet surely by every man of feeling, by
There is scarcely a principle for which the people every man Who took an interest in his country and in
have fought which has not at one time or another the welfare of her poor, they must be regarded as
been enunciated in this hall. Successful as many of sacred things. They were most sacred, and certainly _
those demonstrations have been, we much mistake the demanded the attention of the wealthy of the commu-
character of last night's meeting if the object for nity.—(Cheers.) It was the bounden duty of the
which so many people appear heart and hand to have Legislature to inquire into this matter. He believed -
combined will not speedily be achieved. that Alinisters entirely coincided in that view, and
The meeting was largely attended, .and was pre- that it was their desire to introduce an efficient and
sided over by Mr. B. B. Cabbell, M.P. comprehensive Bill for the purpose of promoting the
Letters of apology were read by ,Mr.,Davis, the health of this great town, and of every great town in
secretary, from Baron Rothschild, M.P., Mr. T. England. He was sure the meeting also would caiu-
S. Duneombe, M.P., Sir B. Hall, M.P., Sir W. tide with him on that point.—(Cheers.) He was
Clay, M.P., Lord Dudley Stuart M.P., and Mr. satisfied nothing could be done in this country unless '
Wakley, M.P. Baron Rothschild, in his letter, public opinion took it up. He called on all present,
said, " The promoters of this movement may be as- then, to
,set their shoulders to the wheel to assist
sured of my cordial concurrence with. their desire the benevolent intentions of that committee, that
for prompt introduction of a code of efficient regu-- they" might be enabled to realise the sentiment of
lations, and of my disposition, under ordinary 'cm- the poet—
chmstances, to place my humble co-operation at their
"
disposal. But I find that necessary attention to the May we when nature calls to rest,
preliminaries of the question in which. I am per-
And blushing skies the morn foretell
sonally interested, will now engross m Say, 'ln this cause we've done our best,,'y time to an . .
extent quiteincompatible withattendance at any meet-
And bid the waking world farewell."
ing on or near the day fixed for your demonstratiOn, The Hon. Gentleman resumed his seat amidst loud
and must therefore stand excused for declining." Mr. and universal plaudits.
Duncombe pleaded illness. Sir B. Hall merely The resolution was seconded, and was about to be
stated, totidem verbis, his inability to attend; so also put to the meeting, when
did Sir W. Clay, Lord Dudley Stuart, and Mr. - Mr: Gtonae, one of the overseers of the -parish of
Wakley, alleging as their grounds absence from town St. Anne's, Soho, presented himself. The speaker
and prior engagements. was a member of an association for preventing burials -
There were present on the platform, Mr. W. A. in towns, and he seemed to think that some indignity
Mackinnon, M.P., Mr. C. Lushington, M.P., Dr. had been cast upon that association, which prevented
Ellerman, Dr. Gowrley, Dr. Gavin, Dr. Guy, Rev. its members taking a part in the present meeting.
Mr. Lusignan, Sir C. Aldis, Dr. lis, Mr. Joseph He expressed himself as a warm advocate of sanitary
Rogers, Mr. J. P. Murrough, Mr. S. P. Besly, Mr. reform, but he looked upon the prevention of inter-
J. Randolph, and many of the most influential mem- ment in crowded cities as the prime object first to be
bers of the associations enumerated in the opening accomplished. With reference to the monstrous
paragraph. abuses perpetrated in some of the metropolitan grave-
The CHAIRMAN, in opening the business of the yards, he stated that the churchyard in his own
meeting, observed that it was not necessary for him parish had been established about 150 years, that it
to enter fully into the subject which was to engage was only seven-eights of an acre in extent, and that
their attention that evening, since the gentlemen 95,000 persons had in that time been buried in it.
who were to speak to the resolutions would clearly From the 4th of February, in one year, to the 22d
and distinctly place the whole question before them. March in the same year, there were buried in one
He thought, however, he should scarcely perform his grave, 18 feet deep, seventeen grown persons andduty if he abstained from stating the particular object eight children.—(Cries of " Shame.") Mr. George
which they had in view in calling that meeting. It concluded by expressing a hope that Government,
must be known to all of them that sanitary reform having regard to these matters, would grant some
MIS emphatically the leading topic of the day; and boon to the poor, for if they hid their eyes from it,
that to accomplish that mush desired end various they might depend upon it that, in the words of Scrip-
associations had been in existence now for some five tare, they should have many curses.—(Cheers.)
or six years. It had been considered, as the Govern- Mr. ROGERS (the:Chairman of the Anti-Interment
ment had taken the question up with the intention, in Towns Association) followed on the same side, and
he believed, of honestly and fairly carrying it seemed hurt at not having been requested to partici-
out, that those associations should meet, and that pate in the meeting. He said the Health of Towns
they should come to one distinct resolution, by which Association had characterised his (Mr. Rogers') object
their powers might be concentrated ; and all the in- as only of secondary importance. He contended,
Ifluence, public and private, which they possessed, however, that it was of the first magnitude, and that
might be given to the Government to aid them in the Health of Towns Association was afraid to grapple
carrying their object into effect.—(Cheers.) The with it on aceouut of the three bishops and seventy-
resolutions of the evening had been framed with that seven clergymen that were members of that associae
view, because they felt convinced that without a uni- tion, and who derived emolument from the burials.
fortuity of action and a unity of purpose they never Mr. T. BEGGS explained. The meeting was under..
would t
obtain
ch thebe ir end —(Cheers.)
whi There was
thou one stood to be an aggregate meeting of all the associae
subjec to whi wished to allude, ch,gh tions in the metropolis for thepromotion of sanita it did not stand out the most prominent, yet he hesi-
fated Mr. Rogers was labouring under an egre-
ry
ref p
tated not to say formed a most important feature in
gious error when he stated that the Health of Towns
the present movement—he alluded to the custom of Association said anything about the interment in
burials in towns—(Hear, hear)—and upon this sub- towns being a secondary object. What he (Mr.
ject be could not refrain from calling their attention Beggs), as the representative of the Health of Towns
to a letter addressed to the Lord Mayor, which aPs Association, said was, "We regard the burial in towns
peared in the newspaper police reports of that morn-
as one branch of a very great question, and we wish
ing. The writer of that letter stated that there was it to have the same prominence as the other branches.
at the present moment a burial ground in actual ope- We think it better to have one resolution, stating all
ration in the neighbourhood of Golden-lane, where the evils that we have to complain of, than to have
they dug graves eighteen or twenty feet deep, leaving separate resolutions. Some gentlemen th. k
may - in
them merely covered over with planks until they were the burial in towns the most • important branch. I
quite full •; that those graves remained in that state think the water subject the most important. So if
until they were filled with coffins to within two the burial in towns has a separate resolution the water
or three feet of the top, and that then they
subject should have a separate resolution also."
were only covered over with loose ground •
Ilese gentlemen then said they would have nothing
to the depth of two or three feet, whereas it to do with the meeting ; they bore no share
was known that fourteen feet of hard ground was in the expense or in the anxiety of getting
required to prevent the effluvium arising from de. it up, yet, when the meeting took place, they
caved animal matter penetrating to the surface.— came amongst them and attempted to throw in the
(Cries of "Shame.") He thought, then, it was pre- brand of discord.— (Cheers.) There was no question
eminently necessary for the Government to interfere, of the evil of laying the dead in large towns, and no
and to put a stop to such a state of things, so de- doubt it ought to form an important feature in an
structive to human life, and so antagonistic to every measure for sanitary improvement? for the health, hap-
good and decent feeling.—(Cheers.) He was con- piness, and morality of the country depended upon it
vinced it was only necessary for the public to a great extent. If they looked to the resolution
voice t i be raised to induce the :Government to itself, however, they would see that the subject was
do that which was right in this respect. and it was to specially introduced, and that peculiar pre-eminence'
elicit the feeling of the public upon the subject, and was given to it by printing that portion of the resolu-
to urge the matter upon the attention of the Govern- tion in -larger letters than the other part. That was
merit, that that meeting had been convened, the case, and he really did not see what the gentlemen
Mr. MACKINNON, M.P., proposed the first resolu- bad to complain of.—(Loud cheers.) After alluding
tion, which was as follows :—" That the drainage and to the bad supply of water in London, to the mono-
sewage of the metropolis are very insufficient, the polies enjoyed by the water companies, and to the
cleansing of the streets exceedingly imperfect, the high charge which, in consequence, the public had to
supply of water lamentably deficient in quantity, and pay for water, he contended that a case had been
bad in quality. That the practice of burying the dead made out for the necessity of legislative interference.
in the midst of the living produces great demoralize- If Government existed for any intelligible purpose, it
tion, and grossl violates the sanctity of the grave. was to throw a protection, not only over the pro-
That these, among other evils, entail enormous and perty, but over the health and happiness of the com-
unnecessary expenses upon the people, and lead to a munity at large, to legislate for the whole and not for
go
reat
lifedeterioration of health
Gentlemanfew; he was of the population was groaning under oppression it
not aware what objection there could be to the was the duty of the Government to interfere.—
adoption of that resolution.—(Hear.) The more (Cheers.) He confessed the question was surrounded
ore satisfied
they considereda the subject the m
take lace
with difficulties. There were about 130 paving
they must be that some improvement must p ace boards in the metropolis, and there were something
in the health of towns. Having had the honour of like 300 Acts of Parliament to regulate the paving,
being twice chain!. of a committee of the House of and cleansing, and sewage of the different parishes of
Commons upon the subject, and having been the first London. What objection could there be to ask the
in the House of Commons who mooted the question, Legislature to give them one simple, comprehensive
he did feel a conscientious and lively interest in the Act to govern the whole of that portion of our domestic
result of their undertaking.—(Cheers.) It was not polity ?—(Hear, hear.) What they had to do now
1 his intention to trouble them with any lengthened re- was to second the Government.—(A voice, " When
1 marks, but he could not help saying a few words as it's honest.") He maintained that the Government
chairman of the committee by whom the idea was had manifested a desire to do something. He stated
' first originated in the House of Commons, that it was fearlessly that in the matter of sanitary reform the'
necessary to attend to the health of the community.— Government had shown themselves in advance of
(Cheers.) Their chairman, in the course of the ob- the people, and under such circumstances he would
servations which lie had addressed to them, said it defend them.—(Cheers.) The speaker concluded by
was desirable that her Majesty's Government should earnestly calling upon the meeting energetically to
take this matter in hand. He (Mr. Mackinnon)must support the Government in carrying out this great
do the present Government and Lord Morpeth the measure of social reform.
justice to say that they had in the most able and ac- The resolution was then put and carried unani-
tive manner endeavoured to introduce a Sanitary Bill mously.
into the House of Commons.—(Hear, hear.) But
Mr. C. LUSHINGTON, M.P., proposed the next re-
Lord Morpeth had been prevented carrying out his solution :—That this meeting deplores the apathy
good intentions by faction, and by various circum-h generally evinced by the public relative to the evils
stances over which he had no control.— (Hear,
Noble abs
to in the preceding resolution as well as the of the
He thought it his duty to state so. much
toabsence of a uniform law which would enable the
the
Lord, and as it was generally his lot
opposethat Government to exercise an efficient control over local
measures of the present Ministry, he thought
administrative bodies ; and that this meeting pledges
praise from him might be taken to be impartial. The
made
itself to support the Government in any efforts
fact was, and it; was a great misfortune that in our
to pass a sound and comprehensive sanitary mea-
House of Commons almost every interest was repre-
sure." The Honourable Gentleman commenced by
seated but one--they found the monied interest re-
that t. here
re-
in
expressing his disappointment and regret
presented, the commercial interest represented,
should have been any difference of °Pith" f;r" al ' s li e
the trading interest represented; they found,
gard to the mode of proceeding,
because, la rather to
short, every interest admirably protected
had been able to gather, it related, after
differaence of opi-
in the House, with numbers of supporters
a matter of precedence than todan
any
He re-
and defenders; but one single interest was
nion which in reality
existed.—(Cheers.)
acquaintance with
never defended, and that was the public
gretted that his limitedhs!)
le been made for sanitary
interest.—(Cheers.) He must still say, however, thait
the arrangements
prevented him entering at large into
her Majesty's Ministers appeared most anxious
towns'and
improvement preevhand,
however, perused with care and
most zealous in the cause of the health of
opponents the subject. H
numerous reports which had been issued
reform.—(Hear, hear.) By many of the
.all I
1 attention
teit,
and he must say that they exhibited
of this measure it had been imagined that this was
the with regard
ble tale of neglect, suffering, and dang
a delusion—that the excitement with regard to
was of
lamentable
they could not ,
-er—
interment in towns was not genuine, and that it Nv of neglect. which sufficiently atone for,
interest in the dip of suffering on the part of the poor which it was their
created by persons who had an
He had bounden duty most earnestly to strive their
ferent cemeteries in the neighbourhood.
to remedy and
and be had of danger which it was their common inter '
himself well investigated that subject,.
est to meet
s a gross, a and to endeavour to counteract.--'Ap la
come to the decided conclusion that it was a
,_ a
He
eers)—
nuisance—(un did not see how they could bett P u".)
crying, and an abominable .
a civilized coon-
with Wel the er meet the clanger
nuisance which ought not to exist in
exist in any other hdw idr, ey were threatened by the approach of
try, and a nuisance which did not t at
Was it not disgrace- rea ul 'scourge, cholera, than by adopting the
civilized coun'zy in the globe.
ful that in the 19th century measures which had
Great Britain, the most . been suggested to them that
i which led the van in night, and he- did not see how they could more effec-
civilized in th© world, the nltioi .
• tually render principle,
in commerce, in the Government that support of which
morality, in honour, in
they stood in
last ration with regard need than b • adopting the resolution
deeds of arms, should be the. •
which,
without 3 -
health of its metropolis—that there should be 'l'
further preface, lie now proposed to
to the
• id to the health of the people, particu- them.— (Cheers.)
less attention pa
larly of the lower classes, in Britain, than in any •
Dr• GAVIN seconded the resolution. The Learned
other country of Europe ?—(Cheers.) To show the 1 Gentleman entered into numerous details, but con-
effect which t.n attention to sanitary reform had upon i fined himself snore particularly to the subject of house
the length of our lives, let him call their attention 1 and street cleansing. The houses of the poor, he said,
for one mom ent to what had taken place with I were generally built on dam soil ; they had no place
regard to our own men-of-war. Sixty years ao
to deposit their filth and garbage, which was eonse-
when Commodore Anson sailed his ship, the Cents- quently thrown into the streets,
drainage
and the
state
non, round the world, he lost in a voyage of being neglected, those streets were in a constant.
other dines sea,
years and a hab' no less than 75 per cent. of his crew of putrescence, producing fever and
things w ere
owing to the fil th, and diet, and bad provisions, which desolated the population. These
that
for mod.
and
calculated
bad managemet it on board his ship. Within the last capable of removal, and he ca
sewage and drainage,
ten years another vessel had been the same length of per head a thorough system of. _
, ter might be procured. rile
time going round Cape Horn and the Pacific Ocean, and a gocd supply of ‘s•a ,
by calling upon the
and that vessel, now that sanitary had be
measuresen ;Learned Gentleman concluded
ort the Government.
adopted, lost only 2i per cent. of its crew instead of people to supp
carried with acclamation, enid a
' The resolution was
75.—(ilear, hear.) If that were the result on board; .
1 nks having • been passed to the Chaim an,
a ship where there were not more than 600 men,: vote
of
shanks
separated.
the meeting
what amelioration might th not expect in that ,
' Petitions to the two Houses of Legislatures had
metropolis if tb ey adopted a health of Towns Bill a—
' been prepared for the occasion, and when we left:they
(Cheers.) Thse importance of such a measure couldthe
had already obtained many signatures.
not be over-rated, and if that dreadful scourge,

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