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within hearing. There should be no sound of tools, giving “dreadful note of preparation," to disturb the silence of the place.

P. 153. "Entrance Lodge to the Tower Hamlets Cemetery," &c. In fig. 29. a, the substitution of folding doors for one swing door would be a great improvement; as it is now, you must shut yourself into the vestibule 6, before you can see the door leading to c.

P. 162. “The Grave-Box," &c. Why should not the grave-boxes be constructed, like contractor's waggons, to tilt up; and, like them, be placed on wheels?

P. 217. " Sixthly,... and therefore we would render it expensive," &c. Upon reflection, I think you will allow that we ought not to do that indirectly, which public opinion will not support us in doing directly. If a practice be admitted to be wrong, then prohibit it altogether. To check it by taxing it is tyranny: it is admitting passion, and not reason, into legislation; and it is also false, on the same principles as the old sumptuary laws are admitted to be wrong. Let acts of parliament stop outside the grave: all on this side of it, in this act of parliament nation, is governed by statute. No sooner, in these days, does a kind and benevolent spirit detect a hardship or a wrong, than it flies to parliament for a remedy; forgetting that, if we are to deal with effects, we must have millions of laws; but, if we deal with causes, very few will suffice, and those few will soon be superfluous.

"Interments in catacombs or vaults." With respect to interments in vaults or catacombs, as they will probably be continued, it is worth while considering whether there should not be provided some outlet for the gas, by a drain running at the back, and communicating with a chimney in which a current of warm air would aid the draught, or with a chamber in which it might be absorbed or decomposed. In fig. 116., a a are catacombs; b b, channels com

C

a

Fig. 116. Diagram showing how the Mephitic Gas may be collected and carried off from Catacombs. municating with a drain c; d, a chimney or chamber, in which there may be a fire for rarefying the air and creating a draught.

Seventhly. . . . We would allow individual taste," &c. There should be a veto somewhere, to exclude inscriptions improper, inaccurate, or ludicrous. "Monuments." It appears not to come within the scope of your work to give designs for monuments; and, perhaps, it would render it more costly than you purpose; but, if this work should, as I feel sure it ought and must, attract great attention, you might follow it up by a dissertation on the style of monuments, with examples. Such a manual would be a great boon to many a wounded spirit, that has now no other means of satisfying its desire to per petuate some beloved object, than by consulting some rude village or town marble-mason, whose business-like ideas and technical expressions are in sad contrast with the thoughts of his employer.

P. 221. "Order Book." If this work is to be a manual, at least for direc tors of cemeteries, if not for the managers, it might be useful, in the Appendix, to give the best forms of these books. Most of the books so used are susceptible of great improvement. If the present modes were thus made public, you might, through the Gardener's Magazine, from time to time, receive and record various suggestions for their improvement.

"Register Book." I have expressed an opinion that the books in use might

be improved; and, as an instance, I offer the following arrangement as much superior to the one you have given, because grouping together facts that are of the same kind or time. I have not considered whether it contains all that is desirable; I merely take it as it is, and rearrange it thus. No. of interment; name, description, and residence of the deceased; age; disease (this will, however, be of no value unless it be certified by a medical man); date and hour of burial; officiating clergyman; sexton; undertaker: all these relate to the past. The following refer to the future: No. of grave; in what part of cemetery; monumental distinction, purchaser, and date; amount for interment; sum paid for keeping in order the grave, &c., and time during which, &c.

P. 222. "Ledger." I think there ought to be a corresponding ledger, showing what duties are to be performed towards each grave, in double form. First, classed numerically. No. 1. Stone to be kept in order for ten years; date at which the liability commences and ceases. No. 5. Flowers to be planted, &c. &c.

Again, in another form.

Gravestones to be kept in order: Nos. 7. 12., &c., &c. Flowers to be planted: Nos. 5. 9. 13., &c. &c. Or, perhaps, the same end might be obtained by having a map with a distinctive colour for each kind of duty, so that the attendants and managers might see at a glance that the whole was correctly performed.

"Map Book." The scales adopted should be uniform, and should be some multiple of the scale used in the township plan or government survey.

"Rules and regulations," &c. If you propose to make your work a manual, then add a code of these rules, compiled from the best existing codes, with additions. Perhaps these details might accompany the collection of monuments which I before suggested.

P. 298. "Temporary cemeteries," &c. The best purpose to apply what you have designated temporary cemeteries to, would be to plant them and keep them in timber, and so insure that the ground need not be disturbed, at any rate not to a depth that would interfere with the interments.

P. 299. "Shillibeer's hearse" was introduced here [Leeds] a few weeks since, and struck me as a great boon to those who wish to reduce the cost of funerals, and yet fear to do what may be considered not respectful towards the deceased. I cannot say whether it has been much used or not, but I have no doubt of its soon being employed when it is fully known.

"Mr. Jukes's truck-hearse" would, I suppose, answer within the cemetery, as I have already suggested. I should think it is susceptible of very great improvement. The retarding ought to be effected by some mode more consistent with the solemnity required.

P. 300. "Funeral processions," &c. I wish you had enlarged more on the subject of funeral processions and attendants. It would be improper to treat the subject with levity; but it may be safely asserted that the whole of the arrangements are suitable only to a barbarous age. The dresses and decorations are even childish, and many of the accompaniments any thing but appropriate. The heavy and ponderous ornaments are intended to convey an idea at once of solemnity and magnificence; but how badly are they supported by the appearance of the jaded and foundered horses, and the uncouthness of the drivers! This is a part of the subject that I hope you will take up, and illustrate it by drawings contrasting the present modes with others more consistent with good taste. It is in vain, at present and at once, to advise the middle classes to retrench in these expenses; but it may be possible to persuade them to adopt more rational modes of proceeding.

P. 35ł. "The soil of the Cambridge Cemetery," &c. I think borings should have been taken, to the depth of 10 or 12 feet at the least, and the result stated, as well as the direction of the dip, if any, of the strata.

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P. 358. line 5. Steps to the chapel," &c. I should object to a flight of steps, even at the risk of injuring the appearance of the building, as unsuitable to the purpose and inconvenient to those who carry the body; if it must be

elevated, let the ground rise gently: but, if you will have steps, let them be not less than 7 ft. broad, that the bearers may have room to stand at each

rise.

P. 401. line 15. "No evil results," &c. That is, of course, no appreciable evil; but I incline to think that the gas will still escape, and, though in small quantities, be injurious: now, could not some substance be found, that might be placed round the coffin, which, having a greater affinity for some of the elements of the gas than the other elements have, would decompose it, and render it innocuous ?. The next consideration is, at what expense could this be done? I need not say this is a very different matter from putting lime into the coffin (p. 297.); the object here is not to decompose, but, when the products of decomposition are formed, to render them harmless. As to expense, I believe that is, in all cases, only a question of time. I mean that, if we can once accomplish an object at any cost, we shall ultimately, by some means or other, do it economically. Expense depends on modes, not on principles, in these matters.

P. 401. "Graves as deep as wells," except that the cost would soon be such as to defeat the object. This object might be attained where there had been quarries excavated, by filling the ground up gradually; but this would also be an expensive process.

P. 405. line 14. from bottom. "Mnemata, or the tombs." Is it not the Greek word vnpara? and, if so, it means recollections, remembrances, memories; and forms a beautiful instance of their euphemismi, as applied to the

tomb.

P. 480. "The practice of admitting cattle into churchyards" has arisen out of an abuse of the law. When a church was founded, as almost all our churches were, by the great l..ndowners of the time for the use of their tenants, a churchyard was added for interment. By legal construction, the incumbent is considered as a corporation sole, and the freehold vested in him to preserve it for the uses of the church; but he has gradually come to look upon it as if it were as much his, for any purposes, as any other freehold, subject only to the limit of the right of interments. Hence his claim (which is good in law but not in justice, nor consonant to the feelings of these times,) to stock it as well as any part of the glebe. It ought not to require an enactment to remove this encroachment: the bishops or archdeacons have only to discourage it; and the public has only to direct attention quietly and generally, but not offensively and personally, to it, and it will be prohibited. It is quite clear that this practice must be discontinued, before any useful attempt can be made to beautify our churchyards.

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P. 481. line 32. The enlargement of churchyards" should be provided for by forming them at first, or on their first alteration, so as to admit of additions at the least cost It would seem to be the best way, to provide for the addition on one side, and that the narrowest, so as to destroy the shortest possible length of fence. To enable this to be done, building within certain limits of a churchyard should be prohibited, and a power given to certain persons to take land for the purpose.-T. W. Crimbles House, March 24.

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ART. III. Bicton Gardens, their Culture and Management, in a Series of Letters to the Conductor. By JAMES BARNES, Gardener to the Right Honourable Lady Rolle.

(Continued from p. 497.)

LETTER XX. The Crane or Goose-necked Hoes: Objections to them answered. Musa Cavendishii, M. Dácca, and M. sapiéntum.

THE objection you think likely to be made against the crane or goose-necked hoes, that the workman is obliged to stoop, and take one in each hand, is the very same the West-country mạn makes to the spade used in every other part of the kingdom I have seen. It is no trouble to a workman with a good eyehandled spade to work double with them; and with much better effect, too, than he could with one long-handled, ugly-shaped spade. I am glad you noticed them in Devonshire, and the manner of using them. The work done with these hoes is evidently far superior to that executed with any thing in the shape of a long-handled two- or one-handed hoe, amongst small crops requiring to be hoed and thinned out with the greatest regularity; and for this reason, that the workman has both his eyes and his strength close to his work, and his hands to make short quick strokes; and, when tired of using both hands at once, he can change about, hoe right and left, resting one hand alternately on his knee, by which means one side is getting rest, whilst the other side is working. Every man, when young, should learn to use, not only the spade and the hoe right and left, backwards and forwards, but also every other tool that he employs. He would not only find great ease from such a practice, but would not be so liable to have different complaints and diseases settle on him, besides getting more work done in a superior manner. Is it natural for us to throw our whole strength on one side more than another, to impose more on one eye, or on one limb, than another? I am aware that great prejudice has existed against using the above hoes in gardens. I believe they are not well calculated for fat or gouty people; but I often fancy it would be good for their health, if they could only be persuaded to make use of them of a morning for three hours before breakfast. I have used them many times sixteen hours a day in a London market-garden, and with interest too. I am often sorry to see men, in this enlightened country, make use of tools in a very awkward back-handed way, for the want of being shown how to use them better; and many masters, from want of practice themselves, do not know how to show their men the proper way to take hold of a tool, nor at which end of the job to begin.

Agreeably to your wish, I take the present opportunity of informing you respecting the fruit of the Musa Cavendishi,

which you tasted when here. I gathered the eleven last of the fruit on December 2.; making in all 427 ripe and perfect fruit gathered off the same plant. I am pleased to say one of the Mùsa Dácca is showing fruit, very fine; it was only a small sucker planted out last March. The M. sapiéntum, planted on the same day, has its leaves at this time doubled against the top of the house; and the trunk, which, when I measured it for you, was 14 ft. 6 in. high, and the base of the stem 3 ft. 3 in. in circumference, is now more than 16 ft. high, and the trunk 3 ft. 7 in. in circumference at the base, although I have kept them cold and short of water now for some time.

Bicton Gardens, Dec. 12. 1842.

LETTER XXI. System of Kitchen-Gardening continued. Culture of the Cabbage, Broccoli, Pea, Bean, Onion, Carrot, Parsnep, and Spinach.

THE most useful of all vegetables is the Cabbage, both for man and beast; and every person who has a little bit of garden ground attempts to grow and cultivate it, or some of the numerous family of Brássica. It is to be seen in every garden, whether large or small, during some part of the season; and almost every town and village has its own peculiar sort: but some of them are not worth cultivating, although they will tell you they will do for the cows and pigs; yet cows and pigs like a good cabbage as well as we do, and it is no more expensive to cultivate a good one than a bad one. Cabbages will grow on any good ground; but, like every thing else, are fond of good manure, and of ground well prepared and sweetened. I believe I have grown every new sort I have ever heard of; and up to this time I find none to excel the Matchless, the Nonpareil, and East Ham Cabbage, for quickness, beauty, and good flavour, growing close to the ground, and having no waste loose leaves to encumber them. The true Nonpareil will come in the quickest by fifteen or twenty days. The East Ham is the largest. The Matchless is the smallest, and of a very fine dark green colour for cooking as coleworts and greens, and is either the same, or very much like what I used to see grown in the first-rate market-gardens about London for years. three above-named cabbages, true to name and sort, will give satisfaction to every grower, if a good preparation be made for them. They are quite distinct, and I think I should easily know them from each other wherever I might see them growing.

The

They cultivate the worst sorts of cabbages in Devonshire I ever saw. Í recollect well, on first entering Bicton kitchen-gardens, I saw a large piece of something planted out cabbage-fashion. I asked the foreman what it was, and he told me it was the spring

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