Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1858-05-14

of the Horse and Foot Artillery men,
all uniform, you see, sir. Egad if they
could rise just now, what a pretty little
army they would form-of all ranks
some thousands of 'em, and well officer
ed, too, they would be; and here a man
to lead them. This is the tomb of Ma
jor General Considine, one of the most
distinguished men in the British army.
He was the oficerthat the Duke of We'll
lington fixed upon to bring the fifty-third
Foot into good order, when they ran riot
in Gibralter, some years ago. This IS !
the tomb of General Considine, rotting
and going rapidly to decay, though it was
only built in the year eighteen hundred
and forty-fve. A great deal of money
is squandered in the cburchyards in In
dia. Tombs are erected, and at great
expense frequently. After they are
once put up it is very seldom that they
iare visited or needed. Tens of thou
sands of pounds have been thrown away
on the vast piles of brick and mortar and
stone that you now see within this en-
closure and with the exception of a.
few, all are crumbling away. A Hindoo
"a sweeper-said to me the other day,
in this graveyard, Why don't you En-
glish burn your dead, as we do, instead
Of leaving their graves here, to tell Us
how much you can neglect them, and
how little you care for them? What is
the use of whitening a few sepulchres
amidst this mass of brick ruin 7 l had
no answer to give the fellow, sir. In
deed, the same thought had often occur
red to me, while at work in this wilder
ness. Do you not think, sir, that the
government, through its own executive
officers, ought to expend a few hundred
pounds every year on these yards, in or
der to avert such a scandal and disgrace?
I do not speak interestedly. l have as
much already on my hands as I can per-
form, if not more but do often think
there is really some reason in the re-
marks of that sweeper. All these graves
that you see here so blackened and left
to 60 to ruin, are the graves of men who
have served their country and died IN Its
service. Very little money would keep
the yard from this grass and these rank
weeds, and very little money would make
all these tombs fit to be seen for Meth
er labor nor whitewash is expensive in
this part of the world. One would hard
ly suppose, on looking about him just
now, that the sons and daughters Of some
of the best families in England are
buried here, and that in very short
time no one will be able to distinguish
the spot where each is lying so detaced
and so much alike will all the ruins be-
come. What, sir, l repeat, is the use Of
throwing away money in building tombs
if they are not kept in repair? Instead
of laying out fifty or hundred pounds on
thing like this, why not lay out only
fifty pounds on a single headstone, and
put the rest at interest TO keep it up? ?"
Cor a small slab with an iron railing
} around it p
, "Ah, sir; but then you would require
: an European to remain here, and coup
: lie of native watchmen to see that the rail
= ing8 were not carried off by the villagers
2 AS it is, they never allow an iron railing
! to remain longer than week, or SO Ions
as that. They watch for an opportunity
: Jump over this low wall, and tear then
b down or wrench them off and away witt
? them"
" But, surely, there is some one here t
watch the yard ?"
n " Yes, two sweepers-men OF the low
est cast of Hindoos. And, when it ha
o been found cut that grave has bee
# plundered of its railings, or that the littl
J. marble tablet which some have, has bee
Y taken away, they deny all knowledge c
e the matter, and are simply discharged
l and two others of the same cast are pt
o into their places
e. Why, bless my SOUL" exclaimed th
y old man, STOPPING down and picking u
!" something, if the old gentleman hasn
], shed his skin again! This is the skin
], a very large snake, a cobra capella, thi
.e I have known for the last thirteen year
.e He must be precious old from his siz
the slowness of his movements, and Il
Of bad cough he has had for the last four
IS five years. Last winter he was very ba
sr indeed, and / thought he was going
= die. He was then living in the ruins
i. old General Webster's vault, and eoug
IN ing continually, just like man with Il
1s asthma. However, 1 strewed lot
of fine ashes and some bits of wood in Il
ut ruin, to keep him warm by night, al