Miscellany: Professor Wright's Letters From England

Lojídon, Juljr, 1844. Deur Lenvitt. - I do not know what my be ihe sol id contonts.of an average sized human body, butBupposing it w be pnly thrce cubio ieot, antïimetic wil! icach us thnt the 40.0UQ people whu die in Londonin a ycar, would pile anacreot hmd 3 feet high. Now cuppose Ulereare 50 ocres of grave-yard ín the metropolis -and 1 bbould guess thera wcre not more - in 50 ycar all jhis ground will have risen 3 feet above.tlic general surface You will see, ihen, ihat the factJ am goi.ng. tosíate, is not ineredible. . Many of the grave-yards I liavesoen are elevsted three or four ícet above the general surface by the human dust ihat has been doposited in theni. They ar_e. in íact. horrible nuisances. ; The foltering pu-trefaction o.izea out under the Valls, and they eend up exhalations which poison the ir; and yet the addaion to the evil goes on daily. Notwithstanding ihat fino rural esme tenes have beca provided, üke Mt. A.ulurii,andíoceties arefurmed ío leasen the expenso of.such extra motnia! sepulture, thousanïle after thousands are srill deposited in the crowded vau!t6and gravea attncbed to the city churches. AVhen a new grave is required, the eexton eets stronfi-nerved inen 'to work in a spot where, the coílins have had., not time cjiough to deeny. but the most tiinc. They donk dig far beforé they come upon a cofün. - With a probé or eourtd, üke those which cue'.ornhouee oIicers uso to test cerfáín goodá, they' penétrate ihe coffin to ascertniri 4iether decay is so far advanced as to mako it safe to proceed. It' the putrefaction is in a too early and active itti'gh they desiet, íiil the elight hole, and dig elsewhere, put if tho body has proceeded considerably on its way to dioorganízation and dust, they bíeak right througti and the oíd teñan: have to give place to a new eut. Though mournfully laid'tliere to eleöp uil the resurrection, they are without tears or conipunction thrown out and carried oí!' in carts, lieaven only knowe where. Ii' there is lead about the cofiuis, ít becomes ihe prey of the eexton, who e.xchangcs it for 6Üver. A deep grave is dug and a great many oíd coffiná are cut through and thrown out, eo. far as thüy coiih; in -the way. This belng done, a.ncw aune of tenant8 commep.ces. A funeral .irain, with habiliínente and fortnalitics of wo., euch as we.aeldom soe in our country - tall waving black plumes, and black palls over the hearse ad tho horse tliat ,drav6 it, and undertakere with black cwpe flauir,ting a yard iu lcngth from tht-ir hats - depodu a corïin with is ctrpsö at the bpttom of ihe deop :rave. A few shovels of earth are throvva upun it, and ihe íiervice beiiig read. the traia retires Tbe.eexton.by no means filis the grave, lionrds are put over, a foot or two írom the eurínce, and the earth is thrown úi '.'luch Jiud -beenon the top before, Icaving a large hollow beneath Thenexi í'tmcrql depo8;o another cofñn upon he top of tbe fonuer,. oad ao oü tili the grave iu Culi. -A commi'teeof the Iíouse of Commonahave nvestigated diis eubject. and brought to light ptrangp and horrible fsets. One wítness. a practica) grave-digger, etory which í advise those "nervous" not to Indeed, I suppose they liave turned to another column síresdy. and will none ofthem read this letter, tbottgh as a faithful observer, 1 i'ccl it m-y duty to write it. - Phis man had been set 10 diga döep grave and md cut down through cofim after coírin, tul he ivas far below the 6urface, indeed seven or eight eet. tic had come upon a coffín which was ■fitlior fiub.nantisl and wae cxamtning it, when juddenly the headiees corpse of a womun fel! up)n him, its chmmy arms throwrng themselves ibout his neck, and the blow knecked him down ■vi'h his face upon the coffin. This wonian was resse'd in her shroüd. and had not been long lead. T,he explanntion 'was thát a formar sex011. a hard charnctcr-vho had híniself been bured but a few.weéks before, hnd disinterred thrs vpman. stolen her coffiiirand'hér head sbl'd hom. and covered 1 he tnmlc i 11 its siuoud at 1 eBgbt ïcpiii. The ncw giavc-digger Riiöwing iothing of this, hid dug his grave fio ne:ir usu ni(]i:iinino it. and it roluv! uut upon him. What fi'.ct suc!i ibotninnrioiiti must have upin thehealth and moral culini;s of the nietropoiej ia ovidfnt cnough.LCXXDON EATIIÍNG. Dear Leavitl, - Loiidon necds to wash itsolf. The s:noket!ifit s ever gorng iip fröm ifs myriuds of chimnóys, and cspeciaíly bè(èhïfïg forth iVom the furnaces of couutiess nmnuTaetu'r.ing establiihmeniB. hangrlíke a clond over the cuy, and i's ibrever sifling down liitle fenthery carbonaccons partióles, by ihe good housewives caüed "blacks," into tilí open windowe. and upon EVU fair and unfair laces - :i gort oi" -biack show. The ablutionsoí iiobiüiy, geutilily anJ respectability, are frequent. Thëiargaand wel] ccns'.nicicd hoúscs are abuiuluntly fnted and furfiíshed wiili barhintr tubs, sliowcr baths, fooi baths, e;vers, resiirvoirs of water, &e. As tö the niilüons who have" not Úfese conveiúenuos, ard not.tlie time or care to mako frequent applications of the piiri'fying dement, they are caliud, for disíinction's sake, the "great uiivvashed." Yet sonic of them do wash as you shall see. The niornings are fino in London. The fires and the pcople have 'góno to sleep at the commoncement of the short hours, and by 5 A. JVJ.. au huur after sunrise, the smoke having cloared awny and the sleep of all London being at uboui i's prüfoundcst poiut, f you "vill wallv abroad you shnll have all the mighty raagnificcni streets pretty much to yourself. Suppoqe at th'is hour of a Sunday morning we v6Ít Hyde. Park. ItisJjuta mile from. Regent streel, and the way to t lies ihrough the iinest arcliitucture of (hops and man sions of the West end. Regent street, whieh at 4 o'clock P. M. yesterday was crowded so as to ocalmost impassable with coaches of the nobility. pouring out their daiuty dau)es into the splend.id shops whúre jewelry and plate, casbmere shawls and honiton laces, Sevrc's porcelain and costly rertu are diplayed through windowa of platcglass, a single pane of whlch is often aa largeas a New England barn door, is npiv all shut and deserted. Look up and down over its Lroad flnggings and sniobth, clean wooden iavément, and not a living being do you sce, except, jerhaps, amanriding on a she ass tcthered to "burothers, and whoso purposeis to takO the annials to liis cuslomers to be inilked. It is pleasint to hcar the sharp echoiugs oí your foo.t-falls, md to thiiik borw nmch wiser and happier youaic ihau the ihoupands ot bioektteads that an now enonng off their nocturnal wir;e. But Lon ( don is not wliolly aslcep. There is a buzzin; ' in thonarrow lan and pas3ages. - Pariios- o ; or more - Jikeourselves, are walking toward ihe sorpentine river in Hydc Park. IÍ I have no , fcaid il before, I will say it no, thkt Hyde Pari is an ornamental eommon, about one mile wid . and neurly two.mües long, enelosed by an iroi , fwicc and pianted with nobld treea. A part of it p more sacre'd than the rest, -and ïmo which yot ) must not enter if you bave a bundle or are no [ wel! dressed. is b&htiiftf] wiïh flowers and hrub, bery'. and sf the end of it stand ohi Kensing. ion palaco, a strange la-bynnth of brick and mor uir, dwelt in now only by ihe hanger on ofroy , a;ty. But .to oar purpoae. Partly in the gar. ien and partly in the park i an arrificml river lak pond ór pooL It is supplied by rheiiü3 o iron pipes with pure v.-dter, which ar one em spouts up throuha innrble foumain. Iris abóu' u inüein ler.gth, and is spanned at iu egresa frorr the gardens rato thu park wjth a beautifu) stont brjde of half a dozen arches, -the width, I shoulo ihiük, bmnff abAut 20 rods. From the briJgt it sweeps gr.-icefully' dov.-n a vMcy ín tf;e park lor at least half a mile, surfounded .,-ith elms, sorne of which are threo ièct in diameier or more. tht smooth green sward sloping down ja ij6 briuk ol, one sido, and a mee ravei roud leming it on the oilicr. ïfi sll this part Lelow the bridge thepublic are 8l!oy,ed to bathe til! 8 o'clock A. M., exwn tliat by lcttered boards they are requested to bathe on the oppoaite eide to the road, ond ar kindly wrtrned of aome dangerous olace, where cokl Bpriugs pu'iing in are sup;osed to jire the cnunp. But üie w.hole of it we r.aw iind burrouncied by men and boyu of' the unwaahed, divceting theniseivea an'd píúnging in. Such n íCfüiL-! A a near as I can eeuiriCite by coautin and.caleuktingr, hcre are three thousanii poopli upoo the shores at once. Ono-third of ihcn ar in the furkt'i rud.'sh state, cupcring upon th shore or soine few ewimining - ii the water; the restare dressing or undreBing,a!K their drapery is not alvvays the choicest. O:i wondere that iñ a coüniry where cloihtng ia ,nc xceedinIy cïie;:p, strong, mm ihouk sveiir auoh dilanidited gannent .asjmany of theru do. Were it not lor ihe crovvd, it is realiy a delightful place an"d fit fur iiaiads to bathe in.- Though ín the hcart of ihociiy, the chinuiey top. can only be eecn at a distance throügh (hé trees like velvet, and 'the brink ie cieanl) andniccly gravellud. At the preseut time, how ever, owing.peihaps to the trriblo drought. th water eUhu the cd;jcs u covered vvith, a inanth rnuch grecner than the grass. And even whei you have pot out into the iniddle, as you ewin along you see those sooty fcathers from tlie chim neys resting "every where upon thesurface, unleti it is A good deal. rufilc.l wi'.h the wiud. Art hae here tri.od bard and done woudera, but it cuüiiiji make and keep iti order one oí nature's crystal lakee in a great city. Stil], turhid aa the watet is, and appióaching to etagnnncy, it has a purifying efibct upon symc subject, ibr. I-saw' some men plunje i n as black as Kiiuopian3 and cor;)d out like lilies - they were 'coal-heavcs " Tlio people are constantly coming and going, and by 8 o'clock J haye.no doubt 10,000 had come and one away refreshed. They sberh to be altogether laljorihg 'people: some were old and bent wirh ioil; some were forme for sculptors ut study with dülighi.. AU, behaved, so. far as t eaw, with the greateet decorum . One would tkink there would be a cliancc, if not for jjïckiug popkets, for cartyinyofi' trouKur.8, gocketaand alt. But tiiè ïhïnfj ie oever done. Cloihes. are laid down and left with the utmost eafety. One .of our sanguine non-resistance-brethren would derive an argument from this periect honesty of so great a rabblc lor nu gorcrnvimt. Bnt I tuke it tht roues underifiand they would be pretty sure of a ,diickng,to say noihiugof the omnipresent poüce. Wliere al! are alüie exposed, -tiiere must be,a pieti.y streng public opinión in favor, oí" lioncáiy. - .The Humane Society has. a recoi ving house tor drowned persons on the shorj of tijis water, and keeps foiir or five boots .constan tiy flviag dur-ing baHnng uötirs, tó piek up hiiy that gèt into 3ifljcu!ty. .Such ti tiiin g ís a grci: blccsinrij ii wo-.'aI tbe a magnfiiccntaccomirwjilatinii ior Biwftirt; bui it i.s 8 mere drop in t)ie bucket for.Loüdon. Every cily should have wcil rcgulateJ b.ithiug hpua e.-; e nou gli to accomnoste; the v.-holc popuLtion of !)oth sexes with a daily batli - the poor irmiis ;:nd ihe rest at the co6t. "Them'b my 6eütiuicnts. "