, 1874-06-06

binding all over the Island. With regard to
the fees for opening graves in the Cemeteries,
the first enactment on this head is from the
year 1906, whereby the Royal West India
Government laid a duty upon all interments
in the common Church Yard in favour of the
Lutheran Church in Christiansted it is doubt
full, however, whether the term Christian
sted refers to the Church Yard or the
Lutheran Church in Christiansted. In what
manner that enactment was extended to
Frederiksted, he could not say, but that does
not matter, as it was introduced again in the
year 1835in Regulations given blythe West India
Government, which on the 22nd September
1910 were sanctioned by His Majesty aud which
are therefore now the Law. They are called
Regulation for the Common Church Yards, or
public Church Yards in Christiaustcd and Ere
deriksted. This regulation, which is then valid
law, says the payment for graves in the public
Church Yards in St. Croix in favour of the Danish
Lutheran Church Of the place is regulated
as follows:....If the matter had rested here,
there would have been little room for doubts, in
fact there would have been none; for it was clear
ly and precisely defined in these enactmonts that
the Danish Church Of the place has a right 10
certain fees, or certain rights aud privileges.
But after an application had been made in 1917
to Government by the Episcopllcan parson and
Church. ardens in Frederiksted for a change
so that they might be allowed to give their own
graves and to pay their own Sexton, and this
application had been answered in the negative,
new applications were made in 1852, and the
Government at that time appointed a Commits
sion, when it was said by Government, that it
WAS not considered consistent with the nature
of the circumstances, that fees should be paid
- H. nop;,b GL,rob &c - oo1l1 l. .-o-.l 49,
the English and Catholic Church Yards be-
longed to those Congregations as their separate
property. This expression has created the
whole opposition and called forth the feelings of
injustice, the result of the investigation being
that the two Cemeteries are really the proper
ty of those two Congregations, Notwithstanding
which the fees continued as before, He, the
President, could not, however, consider this the
point on which the question really hinges.
He would not enter on a juridical examination
OF the question. But itappears to him that the
term Common Church Yardsin the Regulations
is to be taken ia the restrictive sense, as mean
ing common in opposition to private, although
not common to all inhabitants Ia this sense
the word had been understood and practically
carried out in all the many years until a new
meaning was started in 1852. He would only
ask, if this new Interpretation be right, how the
word common grave yard could have been used
in the plural number as was done in all the diff
ferent regulations, especially in those sanction
ed by HIS Majesty in 184) for, understood
otherwise, there existed only one cemetery viz
the one in Christiansted to which it was appli-
cable. Another question, apart from what Is
at present legal, is whether this state of things
should undergo a change, after the altered state
of things since those laws were established, and
it eau not be overlooked that the complaints
that have been made with Justice to OBJ
tain a change, remained unattended to. In
1867 another move was made in the matter,
which was then brought before the Colonial
Council and referred to the Government, a Com
mittee was appointed who handed in their Re-
port, after some elaboration, but as every bodyis
aware, it was not carried into effect. The reason
why nothing hitherto has been done, although
Government admits that there is reason to effect a
change, lies in tho circumstance of the two ques-
tons already mentioned having very long ago
been connected with a third one, viz the regu-
lation of a new Church Yard in Frederiksted.
It has been difficult to find a suitable place, in
fact there is but one place where it could be
established, namely on a plot of land to the
East of the Town, but which belongs to the
Estate La Grange. From 1860 a correspon-
dence has been going on concerning an inter
change of this plot of land for a Church Yard
in lieu of a portion of the Lagoon. Several in
vestigations and preparations were however re-
quisite, and the negotiations went on till 1870,