The Sun.
London, England, 1860-01-13 00:00:00

.1 4\TER

,k?

_ •

The launch of the Espoir gun vessel is to 'take
place on Saturday, at 5 o'clock, at Pembroke Dock-
yard. She is to meant five guns—viz., one pivot
68• pounder, of 95 cwt., and 10 feet in length, and
four 24-pounder howitzers. The fol/owing are her
chief dimensions :—Length between perpendiculars,
145 feet; length of keel for tonnage, 127 feet lain.;
extreme breadth, 25 feet 4 inches ; breadth for ton-
nage, 25 feet; breadth moulded, 24 feet 6 inches ;
depth of hold, 13 feet; tonnage, 425 tons. The
Espoir will be launched from No. 6 slip, and is
deemed to be a splendid model.
The iron paddlewheel steamer Dover, recent ly paid
(From Dr. Lellaby's Quarterly Report.) off at Woolwich from service in the river Gambia,
Several years have elapsed since the practice of was yesterday undocked on completion of repairs,
sepulture within the City was abolished ; but as and was taken into the fitting basin to receive new
complaints have been made of bad smells in some boilers.
of the churches, it has been considered prudent to The steam storeship Supply, Master-commander
make inquiries into the sanitary condition of all the Wm. H. Balliston, yesterday went down to Wool-
burial vaults and graveyards of the City parishes. wich from Deptford, to complete her cargo of naval
The desire for this investigation was communicated stores for the Mediterranean, and commenced coaling.
to me by Mr. Grainger, the government inspector, The steam storeship RhadarnantlAus, Master-coin-
about 18 months ago, and from that time to the islander Sturdee, yesterday returned to Woolwich
present we have been engaged at intervals on the from Portsmouth, and, having sustaine s matter. All the City churches had been carefully damage to her `rudder, from the effects ofsome I helight gale
examined, and whenever it has been presticah'e, we on her vovage down to Portsmouth, she was jester-
have made a personal inspection of the public vaults. day
clocked, on her arrival at Woolwich, for exa-
The general results of our inquiries may be ex- urination and repairs.
pressed in a few words—that every available space The paddle-wheel steamer Monkey, Second Alas-
beneath the floorings of the churches has been used ter-commander Syndereombe, left Woolwich yester-
for ages as a depository of the dead, and it passes day in charge of two barges laden with boilers and
steam gear for the Tartar end Severn, at Chatham
belief how large a quantity of putrifying matter
has :in this way been disposed of ; even now the and Sheerness, and, together with the Bustler, will
convey the Royal Artillery. to-morrow alongside
vaults are in some cases gorged with corruption,
and all along the aisles and porches of the sacred the Himalaya.
edifices are graves filled with human remains. In According to the amended code of regulations
most instances, the only partition between the liv- recently issued by the Board of Admiralty relative
ing and the dead is a thin slab of stone and a few to tbe examination of lads desirous of being ad-
inches of earth. These offer but a very imperfect mitted as apprentices in her Majesty's dockyards,
barrier to the esc ipe of noxious effluvia ; and slowly, and who formerly obtained the certific stes, after
therefore, but incessantly, the gaseous products of examination, from the respective schoolmasters at-
decomposition are effused into the atmosphere of the tached to the various dockyards, the examination
church.- But at night services or during the winter was yesterday performed at Woolwich, for the first
seasons; when the-air is rarified by the'warmth of time; by the Civil Service Commissioners appointed
the fires or burning gas, the rank vapours are drawn to proceed on circuit, when a number of youths be-
out in uncontrolled profusion. It is impossible to tween the ages of 14 and 15 years, satisfactorily
say what mischief has been done by this, and how passed the prescribed examinations, and were ad-
many while worshipping within the sanctuary have mitted to the factory.
breathed the atmosphere of eorruption and have • The reception-of first and second class lads for 10
sickened unto death. years' continuous service in' her Majesty's Navy,
As far as the investigations have gone we have continues at Woolwich without abatement since the
found about 250 vaults in the City churches, half issue of the Royal proclamation. The weekly en-
of which are public; and although it is not possible rolment averages about 60. Thursday being the
to obtain accurate information of the number of
day appointed for the medical attestation, 80 well-
coffins within:them, there is 'reason for -believing conditioned, stout, healthy, and intelligent lads, .
that the number is not far short of 11,000,-besides principally between 19 and 20 years of age, of the
which there are hundreds of bodies in the graves of first class, and standing -sft. 61in. in height, were
the aisles and. porches. In most eases. the vaults are yesterday entered on the books of the receiving ship
entered from the general area of the church; the Fisgaed atWoolwiCh. About 250 applicants were
openings being covered by wooden flaps or by stone admitted to the offices, the majority of whom were
flags. The coffins are generally of Jead,. with.an -rejected by the Medical. Examination Board.
outer covering of wood, arid they are often piled up The Rodney, 90, which has been undergoing the
in tiers to the very drown of the vault. When the process of conversion from an old line-of-battle
wood decays the weight of the upper mass crushes sailing ship to a screw steamer, having been length- '
the lead and lets out a filthy liquid of a most dis- tined and had the necessary alterations effected, has
gusting odour. But besides this process of destruc- been taken out of the fourth dock at Chatham, and
tion the lead itself is attacked by the foul gases, is now moored opposite the dockyard, where she
and pierced with numerous holes, as if it were will receive her masts and the remainder of her
worm-eaten. It then swells up into a spongy mass machinery, after which she will take her place with
of porous carbonate, which offers but a light re- the first division of the steam reserve at Chatham.
sistance to the passage of the putrid vapours, and The screw corvette Charybdis, 21, having been in-
thus, little by little, the animal part of the body spected at Chatham by Capt. E. P. Halsted, in
command of the steam reserve, has been removed
escapes and finds its destination- It is a huge
fallacy to suppose that a coffin of lead preserves a down to Folly-point to await further orders.
corpse indefinitively. The law. of nature is that The screw gun vessel Wanderer, 4, Commander
_ M. A. Peehell, which is ordered to Chatham to be
organic matter shall not be idle—it must ever circu
•
late and be in motion.' This no earthly power can paid off, is to be dismantled at that port, and
attached to the third division of the steam reserve
stay. We may strive to keep the che:ished dead
by binding them in cerements, by closing them in in ordinary.
wood and stone and lead, and building them into The Juno timber ship, Mr. Bentz master, lies
vaults and pyramids; but all is freitlesS, for " dust arrived at Chatham from Memel, with a heavy
unto dust" is the fiat, and the law is inflexible, cargo of oak and fir timber for that dockyard, and
How vain, therefore, and how mischievous, is the has commenced unloading.
effort to preserve the dead amongst the living. In The Ariadne, 26, screw frigate, Capt. Vansittart,
most of the vaults we have visited the coffins have got under weigh yesterday at Spithead, and pro-
been in every stage of rottenness, and the atmo- ceeded to the trial ground iu Stokes Bay, in charge
sphere sickening in the extreme, so much so that of Capt. G. T. Gordon, commanding steam reserve
on many occasions we have been obliged to discon- at Portsmouth, to test her speed at the measured
tinue the inspection for a time, The air charged mile, under the supervision of Mr. G. Murdoch, In-
with these effluvia must escape, and it either dif- Spector of Machinery Afloat, and Mr. Miller, Assist-
fuses into the atmosphere of the church or passes ant Chief Engineer. Six runs were made at the mea -
by the ventilating openings into the public way. mired mile, and gave a speed in knots of nearly
The inspectors inform me that there are no less than 121, the maximum being, with the tide, 14.694.
120 of these openings in the City, many of which The draught of water was—forward, 20ft. 3in. ;
aft, 22ft. 9in. ; pressure of steam, 201 b.; vacuutr,
aro but a few feet from the windows of inhabited
houses. 25 ; revolutions of engines, mean, 69 ; wind, E by
It is hardly necessary so say that this condition S., force 2. The common propeller was used with
of things requires a remedy, and although we have the corners cut parallel ; diameter 20ft., pitch 25ft.
not had the opportunity of dealing with it as we The engines, which worked exceedingly well
wished,.yet we have applied such measures as will, throughout the trial, are of 800-horse power (nomi-
we hope, reduce the mischief to the smallest com- nal) by Maudslay, Field, and Sons, and are of 3ft.
pass. Id every case, when it has been practicable, Bin. stroke only, instead of being 4ft. as in the
the vaults have been opened for ventilation, and Diadem. The speed of the ship may be considered
then fumigated with chlorine; after which the to have been very fairly developed even when
coffins have been arranged in decent order, and brought into comparison with our fastest frigate, the
covered with about two feet of dry earth, over Mersey, the latter vessel having realised during her
which there has been placed a layer of vegetable most successful trial a speed of slightly over 131:
charcoal to the depth of three or four inches, and as knots, exceeding the Ariadne by a trifle over half
the efficacy of this is dependent on the free access of a knot ;* the Ariadne being one-fifth less power and
atmospheric air,ventilating pipes have been carried only one-twelfth less tonnage than the Mersey.
from the vaults to the top of the churches. All The Perseverance, Commander E. R. Power,
other openings have then been permanently closed, sailed yesterday from Porthmouth for the Channel
so that the noxious gases, if any should escape, Islands.
shall be diverted from the church and public way A private letter received from her Majesty's screw
into the upper atmosphere. -Where these arrange- despatch vessel Surprise, Commander Lord E. H.
ments have been adopted the sanitary condition of Cecil, by the mail steamer Athenian, which arrived
the vaults has been improved, and it is hoped that in the Mersey on Tuesday, states that at the time
the congregation may now meet in the sacred edi- of the departure of the mail from Sierra Leone the
flees of the City without annoyance or danger from Surprise was on the beach, inside Lighthouse Point,
the sickening elements of decay. If, however, in having been hauled up to examine defects, &c. A
course of time it is found necessary to apply a more board of surveying officers from her Majesty's ship
effectual remedy it must be done as now by the in- Centaur, having examined the Surprise, and re
terference of Government, for of the many churches ported both false and main stern-posts started from
which have required improvement 26 have received the keel; that they were both very much decayed
an order in council. Alone I have no power to act and worm-eaten, and that the tenon of the
in this matter, and therefore lam bound to speak in former was eaten nearly through. Temporary repairs
terms of high commendation of the valuable services were being effected by placing iron knees as sup-
ports, &c , but as the vessel required general re-
which have been rendered by Mr. Grainger.
The graveyards of the City have likewise received pairs to her hull it was recommended by the sur-
attention. There are 88 of them in all belonging veying officers that she should be docked as soon as
to the several parishes, and they cover a superficial possible for that purpose. Several fine young men
area of about 47,572 square yards. In most cases have been entered by her from the merchant ves-
the level of the soil is much above the surface of sels in the port, a great number having lately
the neighbouring ground. The height varies from volunteered for the Royal navy. No sickness
a few inches to many feet, and the average eleva-
existed on board the Surprise at the time the letter
tion is about 18 inches
gra- was despatched, a circumstance the writer attri-
dual accumulation of inches, is due totheuman remains ; and some
butes to the care and attention of the commander
notion may be formed of the extent of it by cons'_ and surgeon.
-.
sidering that a surface of 47,572 square yards The Dee,paddle, master commander Pullen sailed
with 18 inches of soil upon it represents a mass of
yesterday from Portsmouth for Woolwich, convey-
rathering round 21 naval cadets to her Majesty's ship
more than 856,000 cubic feet. All this is
matter rank with tne remnants of graves, and it Himalaya for passage to the Mediterranean.
contains nearly 36,000 tons of human remains. The Lucifer paddle has proceeded in charge of
Years and years must go by before this can pass Second Master-attendant Stokes, with a mooring
through its appointed changes and be once more lump in tow for Portland to remove the moorings
the constituents of the living body, or the harmless recently laid down there for the use of the Channel
elements of a mineral compound. Till then, it will fleet to fresh positions.
be hazardous in the extreme to disturb the ground The workmen employed on the Royal Frederick,
to any depth. I urge this upon your consideration, 91, screw, at Portsmouth, commneced working upon
because it has been proposed on more than one oc- her until 9 p.m. yesterday, to complete her by the
casion to utilise the burial grounds of the city, and approaching time for launching. The Prince of
to make them the subject of building speculations. Wales, screw three-decker, is appointed to be
In point of fact, the same influences which have launched on the 25th inst., but much yet remains
operated in bringing the graveyards of this metro_ to be dune before that event can take place.
polis into their present condition, and: in using the The following appointments were made yesterday
sanctuary for a charnel house, may again act Avith- at the Admiralty :—Commander G. T. S. Winthrop
out concern for the living or respect for the dead,in to the Argus, Coastguard tender, vice Grandy, pro-
turning to a profitable account the unused burial moted ; Lieut. G. D. Bushe to the Trafalgar;
places of the city. But it is my duty to warn you Garland W. D. Harrison, assistant-surgeon, con-
that this cannot be done with impunity. Public firmed in the Ariadne; Edward T. Read, second-
safety requires that the soil of these places shall re_ class assistant-engineer in the Hogue, for service
main long untouched. ' It is indeed no light matter in the Jackdaw.
to expose so rank a mass of festering rottenness to The two entire batteries of Royal Artillery in
the action of the air. The time was when such a command of Brevet Lieut.-Col. Barry and Captain
thing has caused a pestilence, and who would rashly Milward, some time under orders for China, having
risk it now P
been thoroughly drilled in the use of the Armstrong
That which gives importance to the subject at
stre uns, with which they
•
g are now armed, will leave
the present time is a proposition seriously enter- Woolwich, according to ordersissued yesterday,
on
hoard the
tamed by the clergy to amalgamate the city bene- and embark 1
p to-morrow
s (Saturday)
flees. If this is done there is every prospect of the ste
Capt. John Seccombe,
at
destruction of many of the city churches, and thsteamur ti et
few li'
stores to-daY, and having embarked
e ar
-slli The Him al Himalaya,a3ya will complete her ship-
the
groun&on which they stand, as well as that of
me nt oo
s to-morrow, she will be swung at Green-
the adjoining graveyards, will soon be used for
hert troops
foil? the adjustment of compasses, so as to sail
building sites. It is no part of my business to discuss hi
for her
this matter,further than it relates to thepublichealth;destination on the following day, the 15th,
but iu that respect lam bound to tell you that the as previously announced.
proposition is fraught with the greatest danger ;
for if it should lead to the occupation of the ground,
as I have said, it would not only be dangerous to
the community, to lay bare the putrid remains of
the dead, but it would be most dangerous to those
who might dwell in the houses built upon soil
charged with so much corruption.
But, besides this, the graveyards are nearly
the
only open places in the city; and bad as they are,
in one respect, they are as good in another. They
let in the light and air, to purify the stagnanto lose
at-
mospere of the streets, and we cannot afford to
they
have as the great aids to ventilation.. Already
with the care which
have begun to look cheerful,
if
this is
this is encou-
raged,has been bestowed upon them, and
of vegetation promoted, they
and the growth
may yet be the green spots and the pleasant places
in this great wilderness of industry. Thus, and thus
only, shall we fulfil the sanitary requirements of the
case.

PRICE 4D. STAMPED, SD.

CIIUR6II VA UL Ts AND BURIAL

GROUNDS OF TILE CfTI

A return of the wine shipments from Oporto
during the past year shows the total to bave been 19,647
pipes, of which 14,530 were to Great Britain, 1,909 to
Brazil, 719 to the Hanse'l owns, and 424 to the United
States. The principal shippers were Sandeman and Co.,
2,106 pipes; Cockburn, Smith, and Co., 1 282 ; Martinez,
Gassiot, and Co., 1,210; and Oflley and Cramp, 1,183. All
others were under 1,000 pipes.
[ApvmrrisEmENT.] Medicine always aggravates chronic diseases
such as indigestion (dyspopsia), flatu-
lency, habitual constipation, nervous, bilious and liver
complaints, &c., but Du 'Barry's delicious Revalenta
Arabica Food invariably cures them in a very short time.
We extract two out of many thousand expressions of grati-
tude from invalids. Cure 36,418—Rev. Dr. Minster of
cramps, spasms, and daily vomitings. Cure 26,418—Dr.
Harvey of diarrhoea and debility. Cure 39,621—Dr. Wurt-
zer of consumption. Cure 32,880—William Hunt, Esq.,
Barrister, of paralysis. Cure 46,270—Mr. James Roberts,
timber merchant, of Frimley, of thirty years diseased lungs,
spitting of blood, liver derangement, partial deafness. Cure
No. 47,121—Miss Elizabeth Jacobs, of Nazing I, 'carat e-
Waltham Cross, Herts, a cure of extreme nervous,
ness, indigestion, gatherings, low spirits, and nervous
fancies. Cure No. 48,314—Miss Elizabeth Yeo-
, man, Gateacre, near Liverpool, a cure of tycars
irritability.
In and all the horrors of nervous
In tins, at ls. 6d. ; 11b., 3s. ; 21b., ss. 9d. ; 51b., Us., 121 b.,
265. The 101 b. and 121 b. tins carriage free, on rec4t of post-
office order. Du Barry and Co., 77, Regent-street, Lndon•
Fortnum, Mason, and Co., 182, Piccadilly; Abbis, 60,
Gracechurch-street ; 4, Cheapside; 63, and 150, Oxford-
street; 330 and 461, Strand ; 49 and 60, Bishopsgat.e.
' street ; 85, Tottenham-court-road. Also at Dublin.
Bewley and Draper ; at Edinburgh, Raimes and Co.'
at Liverpool, Nixon and Thew; at Manchester, :'harp and
Scott; at York, Raimes. !Blanchard, and Co. ; at Scutt.
ampton, Randall and Son.

[ADvEnTisrgENr.] —Holloway' s Pills; and Ointment.—
Inaigestion.—Diseascs of the Skin.—lndigestion, in the
variable temperatures of winter, is apt to produce cutaneous
complaints, with fever, restless, tainted breath, and great
depression of spirits. The cause and the consequences of
these disorders can be speedily and radically removed by
the use of Holloway's medicaments. The Pills should be
taken in doses sufficient to act on the system without dis-
tressing it, while:the Ointment should be freely applied to
the parts of the skin affected, and also rubbed over the
stomach and liver. The Ointment not only cleanses the
skin,i but acts beneficially on all subjacent organs, whe-
ther superficial or deep. Holloway's Pills purify the blood,
and regulate the liver and kidneys.

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