"EARTH TO EARTH."

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 441, 12 November 1875, Page 3

"EARTH TO EARTH."

. SHOCKING STATE OP A CHURCHYARD. At a vestry meeting at East and West Looe, Cornwall, on Aug. 7th, the chairman, the Rev H. Mayo, vicar of Talland, described the state of the churchyard at Talland, which is the burial place for West Looe. Over 8,000 bodies had been interred, he said, in a little more than half an acre of ground. The usual depth of graves was about 4Jft deep, deeper graves being out of the question, owing to the friable nature of the soil, which was being continually turned over. There are no spaces between the graves, and whenever a person had to be buried, the remains of others had of necessity to be disturbed. The sexton had a curious mode of determining whether or not he would be safe in opening any particular spot. He drove a long iron bar down to the requisite depth, and if he met with no substantial obstacle, the grave was dug. Only last week, the chairman said, he saw a woman beside a newly opened grave in bitter distress, because the remains of one dear to her had been ruthlessly dug up and exposed. The repeated burials had raised the soil to such an extent that the church appeared to be in a pit, and the polluted atmosphere rendered the sacred edifice unfit for public service. There was constantly oozing from the graves in the higher part of the yard a horrible slime, which came on the floor of the belfry. He was obliged to keep disinfectants for the safety of the ringers. Fresh primroses, which were gathered and placed in the church for decoration on Easter Saturday, were almost black by the following evening, and a scientific friend had told him it was owing to the presence of sulphuretted hydrogen in the atmosphere, in such quantities as would endanger human life. On Ash Wednesday so foetid was the air in the church that the congregation was obliged to withdraw. Under these circumstances it is not surprising that Dr Holland, the Government inspector, is of opinion that something must be done to provide a cemetery for the united townships. The ratepayers, however, are determined to put off the evil day of spending money as long as possible, and a motion in favour of taking steps for the formation of a Burial Board was defeated. Dr. Holland will now "report to the Home Secretary.