The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-26 00:00:00

these printed documents, extracted from a work called
"Gathering from Grave-yards, p. 176." " Spa Fields'-
barial-ground was originally taken for a tea-garden; the
speculation failed, and a chapel was built upon it, in
which some Ministers of the Church of England
preached. The Bishop refused to consecrate, and it was
ultimately bought by Lady Huntingdon ; she inducted
one of her chaptains, and it is now much frequented.
The burying-ground is very large, but • absolutely
saturated with dead. This place offers a difficult pro-
blem for solution ; no undertaker can explain it except
by a shrug of the shoulders. I can affirm, from frequent
personal observations, that enormous numbers of dead
have been deposited here."
Mr. Watts, pawnbroker and silversmith, residing in
Exmouth street, stated that he, as the representative of
a large body of the rate-payers of Clerkenwell, many
of whom were present, came forward to beseech the in-
terference of the Court, for the suppression of practices
of a most abominable nature, which prevailed in Spa
Fields -burial-ground: The burial-ground was not quite
two acres in superficial extent; such a space was com-
monly estimitcd as being capable of affording a decent
interment to about 3,000 human bodies ; but what was
the fact—it had been a burial•ground for the last fifty
years, and the average yearly number of bodies interred
or brought into it was 1,500. There had been 36 burials
in one day, but not a bone was seen on the surface. He
oould produce evidence which would leave no doubt, hor-
rible as the thing was, that human bodies had been com-
monly burnt there. The stench proceeding from what
was called the " bone-house," in the grave-yard, was so
intolerable, that many of the residents in Exmouth-
street, which abutted on the place, had been obliged to
leave it altogether. One lady was present who had been
obliged to leave from the stench.
Mr. CONDE—But the parties who practise these abo-
inations can be indicted ; that is, if what you state be

correct.
Mr. Watts said the parochial authorities of St. James,
Clerkenwell, in which the place was, were fully aware of
the nature of the nuisance, but they had taken no mea-
sures for its suppression. The custom, as I am informed,
is to disinter the bodies after they have been three or
four days buried, chop them up, and burn them in the
bone- house.
Mr. CoMaE—I think you shoted lay the matter before

the parochial authorities.
Mr. Scargill, clerk to the Board of Guardians, who
wts present, said he doubted very much that parochial
rates could be applied in such a prosecution ; the place
was not rated, although in the parish.
Mr. ComßE—lf the Guardians thought they could not
interfere they ought to lay the whole matter before the
Poor-law Commissioners, and if they did not feel them-
selves justified in interfering they would probably com-
municate with the Home Secretary on the subject.
Inspector Penny, of the G division, came forward and
stated that a petition, signed by 150 of the inhabitants
of Clerkenwell, having been presented to the magistrate
of this Court on the subject, his Worship put the matter
into his hands. He went there, and in this " bone-house
found a large quantity of coffins " broken up, and some
of them burning. The wood was perfectly sound, and
some of it appeared to be quite fresh. Had been there
several times since, and had seen parts of coffins burn-
ing. The smell was shocking—intolerable. There
were coffins of every size there, children's and men's.
Reuben Boom, who had been grave-digger in the
burial-ground in question, but left about two years ago,
in consequence of a dispute, stated that he had been
there as grave-digger for six years ; had repeatedly
dug up dead bodies, interred but a short time, to make
room for others. Had frequently dug up twenty corpses
to make a grave of seven feet deep. The bodies that
had been interred eight feet under ground were, a few
days after, rooted up and just covered by the surface.
The stench was intolerable.
John Walters, engine-keeper of Clerkenwell parish,
said that he went to extinguish a fire in the bone-house
on two different occasions and did not obtain admission
without the greatest difficulty. The last time was on
the 2d of last month. In the bone-house he saw as
many coffin-boards as three men could carry, and a
great deal of pitch was fastened to the chimney, which
one of the men there said resulted from the burning of
pitched coffins. The smell was horrible, and seemed as
if from burnt bones or flesh. An immense crowd as-
sembled on that occasion, who were ready to tear down
the whole place.
A lady, who lived in a house abutting on the grave-
yard, stated that she was obliged to leave from the in-
tolerable smell preceeding from the bone-house. They
burnt the bones at night, and sometimes they began to
burn at eleven o'clock at night, and continued at it all
night. The smell was frightful.
Mr. Watts--Two rate-payers of Clerkenwell have
signed a declaration that last week they saw a human
body tumbled out of the coffin.
Catherine Murphy liven in a house from the rear of
which there was a view of the grave-yard. Had seen
the grave-diggers throw up parts of human bodies, and
then chop them up with their shovels. Saw one of them
seize the upper part of a corpse by the hair of the head.
On this occasion, she could not refrain from crying out,
" Oh, you villain, to treat the corpse so," upon which he
threw it into the grave again, and threw the clay on it.
The smell was horrible.
Mr. CosinE advised the parties to lay a full statement
of the matter before the Board of Guardians, who would,
he felt convinced, bring the parties under his juris-
diction.
The parties thanked the Magistrate and left the Court

LLOYD'S SHIPPING.
EAST INDIA SHIPPING.
Arrivals-Robert Small, Williams, from Bengal, in the
Downs, sailed Nov. 14, Madras, Nov. 20, Cape, Jan. 8, and
St. llelena, Jan. 18 ; Colombo, Thomson, from Bengal, in the
Downs, sailed Oct. 13,;St. Helena, Jan. 7 ; Jack, Turner, from
uok, nut.. the Downs.
sailed Nov. 21, Cape, Dec. 25, St. Helena, Jan. 6 ; Me-
dusa, Purdie, from China, in the Channel, sailed Oct. 1, St.
llelena, Jan. 6 ; Queen of England, Fishers, from Bengal, at
Liverpool, sailed Oct. 24, St. Helena, Jan. 9 ; London,
Michael, from Bengal, at Liverpool, sailed Oct. 22, St.
Helena, Jan. 9 ; Harrison Chilton, Markham, from Bengal, at
Liverpool, Sept, 30 ; Wild Irish Girl. Graham, from Bombay,
at Liverpool, sailed Oct. 20, St. Helena, Jan. 2 ; Emma,
Hartley, from Bombay, at Liverpool, sailed Oct. 10, Cape,
Dec. 24; Achilles, Trivett, from Ceylon, off Folkstone, sailed
Oct. 30, St. Helena, Dec. 31; Governor, Williamson, from
Cape of Good Hope, at Liverpool, sailed Dec. -, St. Helena,
Dec. 31 ; Earl of Liverpool, Wilson, from China, at Ports-
mouth, sailed Oct. 3, Anjer, Nov. 10, St. Helena. Jan. 8;
Emma Eugenia, Kettlewell, from Mauritius, in the Downs,
sailed Oct. 29, Cape, Dec. 22, and St. Helena, Jan. 6.
Arrivals at St. Helena-Hendrika, Jan. 8, from Batavia,
and sailed 10th to Rotterdam ; Perseverance, Bth, from Mau-
ritius, and sailed 10th to London; Sarah, 9th, Laidmans,
Surrey, and Bradshaw, 10th; Eliza Keith, lth ; Hope,
12th ; Courier, Ann Lookerby, Eldred, Lavinia, 12th ' • King-
ston, Eliza, Magnet, 12th; Ann, Haidee, Prince of Wales,
and Breopotkuen,e,lsth ;
13th;15 Samuel Spyvee, Galway, Ark, Tecumsee,
and N
Horatio, 16th ; Charlotte, Lalla, Agnes,
Margaret Johnson, Ancona, 17th; Solway, Express, 13th;
Thirteen, 18th-all from coast of Africa ; Eulalie, 9th, from
Bourbon, and sailed 10th to Bordeaux ; Pleiades, 10th, from
Mauritius, and sailed 11th to London ; Veronica, 10th, from
Batavia, and sailed 12th to Amsterdam ; Jane and Jeesie,
Campbell, 11th, from Mauritius, and sailed 14th to Cork ;
Pacquebot des Mers du Sud, 13th, from Bourbon, and sailed
13th to Bordeaux ; John Bibby, 14th, front China ; Velox,
14th, from the Cape; Thetis. 15th, from China and Cape
Token, 16th from Calcutta ; Marquis of Bute, from China
and Cape ; John Dugdale, 17th, from China ; Stanislaus,
from Batavia.
Bay, Cape of Good Hope - Tapley,
and sailed 23d to London; Har-
alla Rookh, 24th, from Algoa
1 Dec.s
24th, in
2 Table.ofirnam Rio;
China,
Bay, and sailed 28th to Ichaboe; Bolivar, 24th, from Cal-
cutta, and sailed 31st to London; Derby, 25th, from Cal-
cutta, and sailed Jan. 2 to Liverpool ; George, 25th, from
Calcutta, and sailed 27th to London ; Ludovic 26th, from
St. Malo and Ichaboe; Rosebud, from Natal Lord Stanley,
27th, from Bombay, and sailed 29th to Liverpool; United
Kingdom, 27th, from Bombay, and sailed 31st to London;
Peru, 27th, from Madras, and sailed 29th to Liverpool; Jane
Cumming, from Ichaboe; Countess of Miuto, 31st, from
London; Ellen, Rodger, from China; Hamilton, Ross, 23d,
from Liverpool ; Trinidad, 24th, from Manilla and Batavia ;
Martha, 26th, from Liverpool; Enterprise, 30tb, from Fal-
mouth ; Maia Jans, from China and sailed to London ;
Persia, from China and Cape, and sailed 6th to London ;
Mercury, Ist, from China, and sailed 6th to London; West
Indian, 2d, from Leith • Regalia, from Liverpool ; Delta,
from whaling; Emerald Isle, from London; Cynosure, from
Monte Video, and sailed 6th to Ichaboe; Tagus, 4th, from
Ichaboe; Catherine, from London; Cleopatra, from China,
and sailed 6th to London ; Tigress, from Leith ; Thomas
Snook, from London; Telaire, 7th, from Bourbon; Princess
Royal, from London ; Thames, from Ichaboe.
Departures from Table Bay.-Regent Packet, Dec.
20, to Walvisch Bay, Essequebo. 21st, to Ichaboe; John
Thomas Carr, 22d, to Saldanha Bay; Colon, 22d, to Bour-
bon ; Janet, to Mauritius ; Steadfast, to Ichaboe ; Henry
Thompson, to Whaling; Helen, to Saldanha Bay; Thomas
Jones, to Mauritius; Isabel, 25th, to Mauritius; Parkfield,
27th, to Port Philip; Artemise, to Batavia; Emma, to
London ; Pacific, 29th, to London ; Marquis of Lorne, 29th,
to Ichaboe; Skipton, to Mauritius; John Bartlett, 30th, to,
Si nga pore.
Departures from Simons Bay.-ller Majesty's steamer
Thunderbolt, Dec. 22, to Ichaboe; Hyderabad, 27th, to
Norfolk Island.
Arrivals in Algoa Bay.-Barrvs and llarriet, Dec. 18,
from Table Bay, Assame, from London.
Departures from Algoa Bay
Dare, 17th ; both to Mauritius.
Arrivals Dec. 12 ;John William,
Arrivals at Madras-Northumberland, Dec. 28 ; John
Line, 29th ; Diana, 30th ; Duke of Roxburgh, 30th ; Lady
Flora, Jan. 19 ; Duke of Argyle, 13th ; all from London.
Calcutta.
Wellesley, Dec. 24 ; London,
IL M. S. Fox, from Trincomalee ; Claudine, 14th, from
Departures from Madraa-
27th ; both to London. John Patchett, 29th, to Liverpool.
Arrivals at Kedgeree-Blorenge, O'Herspool, and Lord
Althorp, Dec. 24 ; Martin Luther, 27th ; Thomas AJan. rbuth-
;
from Liverpool ; Precursor steamer, 26th, from Soathampton ;
Hugh Walker, 27th, from Bombay ; Tudor, from London ;
Queen, 7
not, 28th ; Susan, 28th ; Matilda, 29th ; Fire
and Cape Mary Louisa 29th, from Leith ; Water Witch,
,
31st., from Colombo ; Marian, Jan. 1, from Glasgow ; Spiteful
steamer, 4th, from Madras; Ann Milne at td Lanrick, sth,
from Bombay.
Departures from Bangor--North Briton. Dec. 17 ; John
Punter, 19th; United, 21st; Reaper, 26th; Westminster,
24th; Claudine, 28th ; Maria Somes, 29th ; Lloyd's, Jan 3 ;
Bolton and Diamond, 4th ; Earl of Durham and Judith
Allan, 4th ; Royal Saxon, 5th-all to London ; Ellenbo-
rough (from Kedgeree), sth, to London.
Arrival at Bombay-llerefordshire, Jan. 4, from Cork .