The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-25 00:00:00

ON TUE SURREY FIDE.

1. As near as pr,:eticable to Vauxhall-bridge.
2. Ne kr to Sr. Saviour's Dock, 13ermondsey.
3. Dcp ford.
" A rEception-house near Vauxhall-bridge on the
Surrey side, and one near Blickfriars-bridge on the Mid-
d!esex side, would probably prove convenient fur a cer-
tain portion of the district also on the opposite side
resprctivtly, and be the weans of saving the expense of
additional establishments.

" Recerion-houses at Blackwall and Deptford would,
it is conceiver), be of greatbr importance than is indicated
by Vie mere atoit t cf the population of those
neightmurhoods ; for, c a considerable length
of the river transit through the Pool would be
saved if embarked from these points, it is most
likely that the inhabitaLts of nriny districts would
avail themselves of them in preference, although situated
somewhat nearer to other stations. Foi instance Lime-
house, Mile-end, and portions of Bethnal-g-een, would
probbh!y pr,ree the Blackwall receptiot -louse to the
e rer one of Shadwell; and Peckham, Cambe:well, a 4
thee extensive outlying districts in that neighbourhood,
might rather proceed to Deptford than to the less remote
ktation of BermondLev.

"For these various reasons it is difficult to estimate
the extent of eccemaieddtion which each particular
reception• house should contain; but the total and daily
number. in the following list exhibit an approximate
c,leul: tion cf whit on the average may be probably (-x-
-i), c:cd. These numbers, however, form only a guide to
the proportionate accommochtion in each receptioi-
house; the actual provision must be considerably
greater, in order to meet the contingencies of epidemic;,
the variable seasons t f sickne:s, and conveniences of time
of burials."

In fixing the ( xtent of accommodation of each rteep•
lion• house, tlo rapid increase of the outlying districts
and the stationary character of the older portions will
'have also t he considered.
ESTIMATE OF TEE AVERAGE DAILY NUMBER OF CORPSES
TO BE PROVIDED FOR AT EACH RECEPTI('N-HOUSE.
Reception-housfa on the Mid- Average
dlesex-side. daily number.
1. Between Westminster and Wa-
terloo-bridges .. ••• 16
2. B'aekfriars ••• ••• ..• 16
3. '1,.w.-r ... ... ... ... 8
4. Tham.s Tunnel • • EZ--.1 $
5. Blackwall ••• 14
On the Surrey Side.
1. Vauxh.:ll-hridge ••• ••• 12
2. St. aviour'e Dock ... ... 8
3. Deptford 14

96
".But," continue the Commissioners, " we have now
to state that these houses t f rsceptioa, which a:e recess
sary as affording convenient intermldia'e stations at
which the corpses may be received, and from.which at
regular and pre-appoictel times they tray be conveyed
to the boats, are intended to answer a farther and much
more important purpose."
This purpose is the removal cf the remains of
the dead, from that immediate and fatal contact—fatal,
morally as well as physically—which -is compulsory
among the poorer class, s of the population under the
existing system c f social arrangements as regards sepul-
ture. It appears that of the deaths which take place is
the metropolis, upwards c f are of the labouring
classes, and that of these four out of five occur in f.milies
that have only one living and sleeping-morn; that is to
say, in upwards cf. 20,000 instances the corpse must be
kept, during the interval between vie death and the in-
terment, in the same room in which the surviving m• m-
bars of the family live awl sleep; while of the t4,0)3
deaths that occur in the metropolis every year from opt-
demic diseases, by tar the greater part take place am ng
this class of the populatior, and under the circum,tAnt es
just described.

"The corm xion," adds the report," between'thn ex-
tinction of the feeling of respect for the dead and the
growth f that caliousnPss which renders the brutali-ed
wind insensible to the sacredness of life, and which thus
prepares it for the perfetration c f crimes of
violence t f the greatest enormity, has been often•
traced by those who have had the best opportunity e f
witnessing the procuss; and they concur in stating that
is is in these filthy, unwholesome, and crovtie I rooms,
where none of the observances of decency are regarded,
aid where the living, without emotion or concern, eat
and drink and sleep in the presence of the dead, not
only that degra led and profligate who constitute the
ordinary pests of society are trained, but also thst it is
out of th4se same abodes that our great crimirals gent -
rally cetne, brutal and reckless men, who every now and
then perp.4rate in cold blood, with a savage callousness,
deeds which fill the whole country with disgust and
horror." .

TiiTs.to provide against these evils that reception-
houses are proposed; and though the desire to reiain the
remains of a beloved relative as near and as long as pos
sible is as natural, and may be as strong, in the bosom
of the poor man as in th)ft of tho more educated. and
refined, there are circumstances affecting both rich and
poor strong enough to overcome tills feeling, and which
ought to overcome it. When the dwelling-house is -
smell and ill-ventilated, and :.ituited in a close end
er.,wded neighbourhood; when the inmates of such a
dwelling are numerous, and particula ly when the death
has occurred from au epidemic or contagions disease;
but above all, when the whole of a family occupy only a
single room in such a house, it is absolutely indispensa-
ble to the safety of the survivors that the corpse should
be at once removed from such a dwelling-place; and
there ate few indeed who would object to the removal of
the b_dy under such circumstances, if it could be taken
to a place fit f )r its reeeption,_and confided 'to the care of
those who would take respectful charge of it.
" Considering, then," say the Commissioners, the
large proportion if the working classesthat live in
to which
single rooms, and
they are subject, thea
highrate ofmortality
appeared to be necessary to cal-
culate upon an extensive
provision of houses of reception
fur their me." To this they add, that they are satisfied
that when the poor perceive the superior care that
would be taken ot the body than that which can be
given to it in their own abodes, and learn that they may
have free access to the corpse while it remains in the
house of reception, any prejudice which they may at
first have against its removal there would disappear."
The want of houses of reception. if,
They are right.
however, not confined to the very poor. To shopkeepers
(who of en occupy only the basement story of the house
for the purposes of business, and let off the upper room
to lodgers), lodging-house keepers, innkeepers, the
owners of small houses who let single rooms to families,
or single rooms to single persons (the latter being, per-
hair, strangers in London), the necessity for the imme-
dia e removal of the dead is often so urgent that they
are compelled to resort to some expedient, however un-
satisfactory. The usual practice under such circum-
stances is for the undertaker who conducts the funeral to
re;eive the body, and he either keeps it on his own pre;
mises, often in a shed, or on the premises of his work-
mer. Hence receiving-houses become an indiepeniable
adjunct to a large and comprehensive system of extra-
mural interment.

BURIAL OFFICERS.
In carrying into effect a general system cf extra-
mural it.t2rment for the- metropolis," observes the re-
pe•rt, " it is obvious that a staff of persons of superior
insorruation and intelligence will he required to make
et rangurnents for funerals; to superintend the removal
of the bodies; to visit the houses of the poor when death
Curs in single living and sleeping rooms; to give the
necessary instructions to the survivors for their own
sarety ; to oboist-, as far as may be practicable, the
danger to bt, apprehendei from the presence of the corpse
ut,tst it can he removed; to examine into the existence
of any local causes calculated to promote the extension
of disease, more ospecialiy if the death has &rim from

any form of epidamic, endemic, or contagious disease,
and to take without delay what measures may be neces-
sary for the removal or mitigation of such cases as far
may be possible. Of the value of the services which
might be eende:e I both to the bereaved family and to
-neighbettring families by a medical man,a public officer,
charged with the execution of such duties, and the full
appreciation of that service on the part of those f a. whom
it may to provided, the strongest conviction is enter-
tained
.by those who arc best acquainted with the
wants and feelings of the poor.
" The chief duties of such an officer, besides those
which have been already stated, would be to make him-
self acquainted with the sanitary condition of the
individual family in which the death has occurred; to
give advice and assistance with reference to the funeral
and other matters which the occasion may require; to
direct the removal of the corpse from single rooms oc-
cupied as living and sleeping rooms, by ono family or
more; to see that this removal is effected in a respectful
manner, with all due attention to the wishes and feel-
ings of the friends; to verify the cause as well as the
fact of the death, where there has been no medical at-
tendant; to ascertain the cause of death from the medi-
cal attendant, where there has been one; to grant, when
required, a certificate of the fact of death, whenever ap-
prehension is entertained cf premature interment ; to
see that due care is taken of the bodies in the houses of
reception; to make arrangements with the friends of
the deceased, and with the officers of the cemeteries, as
to the time and the mode c f the removal of the dead,
for the preservation of regularity, quiet, and order; and
to superintend and carry into effect the regulations of
the authority charged with the execution of this branch
of the public service. It is estimated that for the per-
formence of these duties, one chief officer of health,
with eleven assistants, would suffice for the whole of the
metropolis."

EXPENSE OF FUNERALS.
" We are now," says the Commissioners, " to consider
thg conaparaeive expellee at which it is possible to carry
in'o effect the proposed scheme of sepulture.
"In the Westminster, Marylebone, Finsbury, the
Tower Hamlets, and the City c f Landon districts of the
metropolis, there are upwards of 200 burial clubs, com-
posed chiefly of the labouring classes, comprising from
100 to 200 members each, and possessing aggregate
amounts; of deposits from 901. to 1,000/. each, raised in
contributions of from I id. to 21. per week. These
clubs pay as funeral expenses on the death of a member
from 51. Ps 101.
"From extensive inquiries it appears that 51. may be
taken as a low average rate of expense for the funeral of
a working-man.
"The present actual total charges to families for the
funerals of adults, as ascertained from an examination
of undertaken,' bills, compared with what may be accom-
plished en the intended plan, is as f0110,,v5:
" The cost to the geetey f.u. each funeral of an adult
is 1001, the estimated cost under Vie proposed system of
interments is 39,1. lOs., Le!ng a saving of nearly two-
thirds. First-elan tradesmen under the present system
501., under the proposed eys:em 16/. lOs , being a saving
of more than two• thirds. Second-class tradesmen under
the present system 291. 10s., under the proposed system
91. 9s , being a saving of more than two-thirds. Arti-
sans under the present system 51., under the improved
system 2!. 10s., being a saving of one-half. The total
annual savin,,,,, upon the whole of the interments of the
metropolis may be estimated in round numbers at
350,0001

COST OF CEMETERIES.
" We regard it as en essential principle cf the pro-
posed system that the expenses 31 each interment shall
be comprised in one sum, fixed upon according to a series
of pre-appointed and graduated scales. The determina-
tion and regulation of the charges under each scale will,
of course, devolve on the authority appointed to carry
this service into effect. The immediate outlay required
for carrying the scheme into effect will be:—
For the construction of one large eastern
water-side cemetery, reception-houses, 5ce....£250,000
For the extension ot the Kensal-Green Ceme-
tery to constitute one large western cemetery 50,000
For the purchase of tke whole of the existing
metropolitan cemeteries and other burial
grounds

... 400,000

£700,000

This sum, borrowed on tl:e security c f Lilo dues,
say at 5 per cent. interest, would be an an•
nual charge c f ... 35,000
Th 9 estimated establishment charges on ceme-
teries, inclusiva of the clergy, funeral rit^s,
and officers of hceth, and compent.a.'ion for
loss of fees, would be about ...

77,000

Total annual amount of expenses of cemeteries £112,000
ADVANTAGES OF THE PROPOSED PLAN.
They then proceed:—" We have, in conclusion, to
call attention to some of the uses which may be expected
to be fulfilled by the adoption of this plan of sepulture.
"1. It will put an end to intramural interment with
all its attendant evils.
"2. It will obviate any injurious effects on the public
health from the practice of extramural ii.tn.ment.
" If its principles are acted on, in any use that may
be made of existing cemeteries caro will be taken to inter-
pose between the spots where interments take place and
neighbouring houses a sufficient space for the safety of
the inhabitants; while the cite contemplated for a na-
tional cemetery is so remote from the metropolis as to
render it highly improbable that it can ever be ap-
proacked by a suburban-population.
" From the concurrent tcetimony of gravc-diggers,
sextons, and others employed in church) aeds, it appears
that decomnosit;en invariably gtee on more rapidly near
tie roots of trees than in fitly other parts of the burial
ground; tha'; the earth is alwaye much drier near the
roots of trees than chewhere; that the fibrss of the roots
are di-awn towards the site of the grace, and are. often
observed to penetrat •right through the decayed wood
of the coffin lid. It is probable, therefore, that these
roots aro actively and uncra;ingly at work absorbing the
products of decomposition as they are evolved, and thus
preventing their escape to the surface, and consequently
their pernicious •ffects.
" In this manner, by arresting these noxious mett•ms
in their course, the plant, instead of allowing them to go
forth on an errand of destruction, retains them at the
moment when they are about to be resolved into their
physical elements, within the sphere of life, to recom-
mence a new cycle of organic, healthful, and useful ex-

istence.
It is reported by Dr. Sutherland, that he found the
great utility of vegetation in shortening the period of
decay fully recognised abroad ; and that it was stated
to him at Paris, as a reason for burying only one body
in a grave, that the quantity of vegetation which could
be placed on the grave could dispose most readily of the
gaseous matters of one body and shorten the period cf
interment by eating out the nutritious matter cf the soil,
bat this was not the case where more than one body had
been buried, and that the quantity of organic matter was
found to be much larger when the ground was re opened
in such cases.
" The action of vegetation in arresting the products of
decomposition, and preventing them from reaching the
surface, by recombining them into living and healthful
vegetable structures, would afford a simple and effectual
means of putting an end to any further injury to the
public health from the existing burial-grounds, if, after
they have been finally closed, they were, wherever prac-
ticable, planted with trees, and still preserved as sacred
spots.
" By proper regulations as to the number of interments
and the depth of the graves in suitable situations and
soils, and by the aid of an abundant and healthy vegeta-
tion (which, however, it is impossible to obtain in
crowded cities), the noxious matters evolved from na-
tural decomposition in the earth may probably be so
diluted and dispersed as to remove almost entirely, if not
entirely, any injurious influence from this source.
"Since, therefore," they conclude, "it is practicable
to remove all physical objections to burial—since its
expense may be so reduced as to obviate all round of
objection to it on the score of economy—and since moral
eonsiderations also are in favour of the practice, bearing
in mind the universal feelings of the population at the
present time in all countries—it appears that, upon the
whole, this is the most eligible and natural mode of dis-
poAng of the dead. -
"3. By the regulation of the price of funerals at cer-
tain fixed scales of charges, and the payment of the
whole cost of the funeral in one sum, it will relieve
families, at the moment when they are the least capable
of ateautien to such matters, from care or trouble, and
from the possibility of extortion.
"4. By the saving of expense, which will be effected by
the whole of the interments being performed on one
system and under one direction, it will render the cost
of burial moderate to all classes, and give to the poor
the advantage of extramural interment at a reduction of
the price which they at present pay for burial in the
parochial grave) ard.
" 5. By the appointment of dicers of health, and the
establishment of houses of reception, it will diminish or
remove the physical and moral evils which result from
the long retention of the corpse in single living and
sleeping rooms, and thus, for all these reasons, it will
fulfil the primary object of the change, namely, the re-
moval of the whole of the sanitary evils which arise from
the present practice of interment.
" 6. It will greatly diminish the practice now so com-
mon of funeral processions in crowded streets. The body
will be conveyed respectfully, but silently and unobtru-
sively, to the cemetery; and within the precincts of the
cemetery only will the funeral procession be formed.
Here there will be no noise or bustle, none of the dis-
_

cordant and inappropriate sounds and sights that meet
the ear and eye in the busy city; no intrusion of the
spirit and pursuit of traffic and gain; no persons will be
present but those who are called there to take part in
the solemn scene, and most of whom will have personal
sympathy with it; while all the ol;ccts that meet the
senses and that call up associations in the minds cf the
real mourners, will be in harmony with their thoughts
and feelings, and will tend to soothe them, as far as any-
thing_ external can at such a moment exercise a sooth-
leg influence.
" 7. It will increase the solemnity and impressiveness
of burial. The peculiar observance and rites calculated
to produce this effect must of course be different in dif-
ferent persons and classes, according to different modes
and habits of thought and feeling, and different views ef
religion. But the ecclesiastical authorities will have it
in their power to adopt the means which they may deem
the best calculated for the performance of this last duty
to the dead in the manner the most appropriate to the
wishes and feelings el their resp c:ive religious commu-
nities.
" The religious authorities with whom we have con-
sulted have represented to us their sense of the import-
ance of providing means for the celebration of funeral
rites under circumstances which will naturally revive
and strengthen the impressions and feelings associa'el
with the usual Tel formance of divine service. They
therefore deem it desirable that in the consecrated part
of the eastern cemetery a church should be erected of
sufficient magnitude to obtain the effect of solemnity and
inspr9stiTillen OM Any be deriyeti 4914 513"