The Sun.
London, England, 1851-05-26 00:00:00

MAY 26, lB5l.

EXTRAMURAL INTERMENTS

(FRO3I A CORRESFONDENT.)
The public ar - aware, from questions recently put in
the House of Commons by Sir De Lacy Evans and Mr.
buncombe, that the Board of health hard failed as yet
in making any private agreement with the Cemetery
Companies -to obtain possession of them; that notice has
now been given to some of the Cemetery Boards, with
the sanction of the Lords of the Treasury, with a view
to having the price to be paid for their burial-grounds
settled by the arbitration of a jury, and that, meanwhile,
the Board of Health are in negotiation for the purchase of
ground. Further, the Board of Health having made no
no report at the end of last year, as required to do by
the new Interments Act, Sir George Grey has called
upon them to address a letter to him, stating the mea-
sures they have taken in 1850 to give effect to the said
Act, which letter, when he receives it, is to be laid on the
table of Parliament.
From what fell from Sir George Grey in answer to
tho questions above referred to it would appear that
the Beard of 11.-alth coracinplate buying up thesubur-
ban cern- tr,ries, not for the put pose of using them as
pl4c,,s of sepulture, but closing th.,m up altogether. It
,!,.) app. arb, from the evideuce taken by the Board of
fleilth (see Report of last ye-,r, page 73 ) that ho
whole Amount of relief ciford, d by
ine mettorlitan
c-ineteries taken together (the joint acreage of which 18
!
282 acres), is the extfrnsinn of the burial-groundstbe
metropolis by
seventeen acres. Whilst from said report,
it also masies out that the Board of Health require for the
purchase of tl-eie said maneteries, eight in number, and
ti " eper huriai-ground,," the sum of 400 0001.
Whether the; e '• other burial grounds" IN, ter to ihe up-
wards of 200 intramural Golgott,us, whose caning moutas
have received during lb.. lust 30 years 1,500,000 corpses,
the decomposition of which has evolved into our civic
atmosdhere an amount of poisonou.. gases, beyond that
absorbed by the soil, exceeding 75 million cubic feet, is
not stated; but as it is understood that the eight ceme-
wits have been created at an expenditure of about
500,0001., it is by no means likely that 4 00,0001. will
suffice to buy them up, and also to purchase " other
burial-grounds," whether lying within or without the
bounds of the new burial district.
From what has transpired of the movements of the
Board of Health, it is known that they are desirous to
expend 50,0001. for the extension of Kensal-green
Cemetery, so as to constitute one large western ceme-
tery; and they also propose applying 250,0001. to the
construction of one large eastern water-side cemetery at
Erith.
Unless report errs, the Board of Health are willing to
give a building price for the Abbey Wood property and
some other adjacent land at Erith, making in all from
400 to 500 acres. Here, then, for an interment provision
so limited that it is calculated in 17 years it will be ex-
hausted and the capital lost, there will be a preliminary
outlay for land alone, ranging from 50,0001. to 70,000/.
Further, if this site should be obtained, to clear it of
wood (as shown by Mr. Lacy, M.P., in his pam-
phlet) would require an expenditure that would suffice
to purchase the best arable land in England.
The most grave sanitary, as well as economical ob-
jections exist against any extension of Kensal-green
Cemetery, and no valid reasons can be shown why
the eight existing cemeteries should be closed, seeing
only seventeen acres of the whole have been exhausted.
Neither can any valid reasons be adduced why the sys-
tem of burial within these cemeteries should be token
out of the hands of the cemetery boards. If anything is
defective as regards sanitation, it is the duty of the
Board of Health to prescribe and enforce such sanitary
regulations to be observed within them as public health
and decvny require. This is the real use of the Board of
Health, and the exercise of any other controlling powers
is an abuse.

We have now before ns a pamphlet, to be had of Mr.
Saunders, Charing-cross, entitled a " Synopsis of the
London Necropolis and National Mausoleum at Woking,"
and from it it appears that a memorial was presented
last autumn, by the proprietors of the scheme, to the
Lords of the Treasury, offering to make the Necropolis
an adjunct to the practical working of the Metropolitan
Interments Act. This Necropolis will comprise 1,500
acres of land, a quantity sufficient to make 30 cemeteries,
each nearly as large as Kensal-green; and 136 cemeteries,
each larger than that of Victoria-park. And all this
interment provision will be supplied to the inhabitants
of the metropolis by the company, which is now being
created to realize and carry out the undertaking, with-
out asking the Lords of the Treasury for a single pound,
or the rate-payers of London for so much as a single
penny. Such being the case, and seeing that the Board
of Health will have every facility afforded to them of
realizing all their 'imitative views within the walls of
the Necropolis at Woking, whilst the public of the me-
tropolis at large will find burial there at about half the
charges under the proposed cemetery at Erith, why
should the Board of Health think of realizing their
scheme, seeing it involves an outlay, according to their
own showing, of 700,0001.? We think the Lords of the
Treasury and. the Board of Health ought to pause and
consider what they are doing before they commit them-
selves to such an unnecessary waste of the public money.
We say waste, because, though the may expend 700,0001.
or 1,000,0001. in realizing the Erith scheme, whe❑ done,
they have no pcwer under the Act to compel burial
there. And it is certain that the London citizens will
not go down the river by water to bury in a petty ceme-
tery of 400 or 500 acres, if they can bury iu a Metropo-
litan Necropolis of 1 500 acres at about halt the expense.
As Sir George Grey has promised to lay the expected
letter from the Board of Health on the table of the House
ot C'eniteons so soon as he receives it, we hope that Sir Do
Lacy Evans, Mr. Duneombe, or some other of the metro-
politan Members, will move that a copy of the mernoridl
to the Lords of the 'fro isury from Sir Richard Brown
and Mr. Spr3e, on the subject of the Necropolis et
Woking, may also be laid on the table of the House of
Columous. As the public are getting quite um asy on
the subject, we shall shortly return to this subject, and
give some extracts from the pamphlet above referred to,
which contains an exposition ot the ♦iews of the promo-
ters of the Necropolis, with a notice of the objections
raised again,t the principle of commercial trading in
litial, and reasons for a general public co-operation in
favour ot the undertaking set on toot by them.

PROGRESS OF LOWESTOFT.—In the year 1841 the
population of this town amounted to 4,832. The result of the
castings of the seven enumerators' districts, as taken on the
31st March, shows the present number to be 6,6,,B—giving
an increase of 1,826, or nearly 38 per cent., during the past
ten years. In that portion of our town denominated the
Beach, there are—inhabited houses, 218; uninhabited, 2;
building, 9. Males, 582; females, 533; total, 1,115. This
s exclusive of the New Town and Watering-place, which
have sprung up so rapidly on the south side of the harbour
withi❑ the last few years.— Norwich Mercury.
ROYAL VAUXHALL GARDENS.—To-day will wit-
ness the first appearance at these gardens for the season of
Mdme. Lejars and Pauline Cuzent, two of the best of the
female equestrians of the present day. These artistes, be it
remembered, will contribute their valuable services in addi-
tion to the present attractions of Palmyra Anato and Young
Hernandez, so that equestrianism, it may truly be said, will
have to be grateful to Mr. Wardell for his spirited gathering
of this combination of riding ability.

ASSAULT OF ARMS.-SAVILLE HOUSE, LEICESTER•
sQuaßE.—The gymnasium at the above place, under the
management of Mr. Green, nightly continues to attract
crowded and fashionable audiences. We must congratulate
the manager on the successful issue of his praiseworthy at-
tempt to re-establish the noble art of " self defence, which
of late years has fallen into a state of total abeyance. The
fencing of Messrs. Percy, Parker, Her Van Der Marst, &c.,
&c., is of a first-rate order, proving themselves to be perfect
masters of the art. Of the fistic tournament, fer which the
fallowing celebrated artists are engaged—Messrs. Alex.
Keene, Young Sambo, Harrison, J. Welch, &c., &c. comment
would be superfluous, the names above being a guarantee fur
the excellency of this part of the entertainment. Indepen-
dent of this, there are several wrestling matches, for which
men of well-known ability contend, including Messrs. Dixon
(the champion of Cumberland), Bowden (champion of Corn-
wall), &c.
ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS, REGENT'S PARR.—The
interesting and extensive collections at these gardens have
resently received a considerable accession, in addition to
the elephant and calf, the humming birds, &c. These
consist a red kangaroo, a piping crow, an Australian crow,
a yellow-bellied paroquet, a black fronted lemur, an eagle
owl, a green monkey, two passenger pigeons, one Malayan
tapir, two Savannah deer, one wino, two nightingales, and
several others. The hippopotamus still forms the chief
object of attraction, which, however, is now divided with
the elephant and calf, and Mr. Gould's magnificent collection
of humming birds. The extensive alterations and improve-
ments which have been in progress for several months, have
been brought to completion, and give to the whole an inte-
resting appearance. These consist of an enlargement
of the reptile house, an extension and general
improvement of the old and erection of new
aviaries, particularly for the large collection of eagles,
vultures, Sc.; an immense tank, in the open air, for
the hippopotamus, &c. In addition to these, to enable
the visitors more conveniently to view the carnivora at feed-
ing time, an elegant esplanade has been erected on the ter.
race, commanding the cages; this has been laid with Orsi
and Armani's patent metallic lava, in brilliant colours, and
of a beaulituhy ornamental design. Similar decorations of
the same material are placed in front of the mus
aye, in
reptile- house, the bumming-birds house, &c., chile nina' the
imitation of, and having all the pebbly surface and colour of
gravel, forms several of the walks. A great portion of the
gardens have been newly laid out with the addition of seve-
ral shrubs ar.d plants. Notwithstanding that the all-engross-
ing attractions of the Crystal Palace have materially dimi-
nished the average receipts atgaarll;et:ser exhibitions,&c.,thyoeste,
iesirtors have exceeded
during this year, the number of
tv‘
of ISSO by nearly' 20,000, and
Ith.reorathe
company appearance
aerraen enlivenedcf the
by the eoscipteliebp'natdstiubdry(pi aenyrefaol rarlmsyt ,alnW"c
eh eonif.
the band of the Ist Life Guards, the visitors are evidently on
the increase.

Ne
n that
expectedt
.Vg
a reviewfavourable, hi
o L g
eO e
o v t A
volicr
It C il i
\s I
l 24 .In the event of the weather
bei
ooyal'Highness the Duke of Cambridge
is
lwich on Monday morning, the 26th
ibills have been posted in London announcing
isto
tnalltuestphlaacveeabteNeVnoomlawdie in ch on the 29th mat.
The announcement
ignorance of the
celebration of her Majesty's birthday in this garrison having
been postponed to Saturday, the 31st instant, when the
whole of the troops will assemble on the Common and tire a
Pu de joie. The Chelsea Pensioners of the Woolwich and
Deptford divisions of the London district are to assemble at
Woolwich to the extent 01 500 strong, to go through their
exercises on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next, and it
is expected they will brigade with the other troops in the
garrison on one of these days to take up the position they
will have to occupy at the celebration of the Queen's birth-
day on the 31st lust. It was intended that the pensioners of
the Woolwich and Deptford divisions should h lve assembled
on Blackheath to go through their evolutions preparatory to
assembling for review in Hyde-park on the 3d et June, -but
the assembling en Blackheath of the 500 men of the
Wool-
wich and Deptford divisions, and the review of the wholeol
the 1,600 pensioners of the London district, under the cons-
mind of Colonel Tulloch, is dispensed with by order of the
'Cominander-in.Chief, who does not consider it advisable to
have a review in Hyde-park while the exhibition in
inthe
Crystal Palace is open. A royal salute was tired at 12
o'clock to-day from the Mortar Battery, the '24th being her
Majesty's birthday.

REPRESENTATION OF HARWICH.—The nomination
takes place to-morrow (Tuesday), and the polling on Wed-
nesday. Both Mr. Frinsep and Dlr. Crawford are Tip-
roubly prolecutihz their 11Y0244