224 ProceedliKjs of iJie Ji<>y((l 8<>cieiy of Victoria. 



of the coiitraiy. A movement in favour of desiccation has 

 occnned in America, hut your Committee has no leason or 

 wisli to think that it has any chance of success. 



The use of quicklime has been successfully tried in several 

 instances, where large numbers killed in battle had to be 

 rapidly disposed of, and in some other cases. It does not, 

 however, appear to be adapted tor general use, particularly 

 where lime is not readily and cheaply procurable. 



Another method has been suggested of disposing of the 

 dead, by simply immersing them in a bath or tank of fused 

 alkali, in w4iich they entirely disappear without leaving any 

 discoverable residue. The cost and feasibility ol this method 

 would depend upon the abundance and accessibility of the 

 material, but it seems questionable whether it would ever 

 commend itself to public sentiment. There appears, however, 

 to be no hygienic objection to it. 



The expedient, which seems to be in a fair way to super- 

 sede burial, is Cremation— an old one revived, and practised 

 widely to-day. Cremation is general in Japan, and in India, 

 where the Government has successfully introduced improved 

 incinerators to expedite and perfect the primitive process in 

 use by the Hindoos. Cremation is the simplest, cheapest, 

 and most hygienic of all ; it can be easily eflected wherever 

 there are combustibles, and it appears particularly adapted 

 for use in cities, being lapid, economical, final and complete. 

 The residue is small, innocuous, and easily pieserved in urns, 

 the cost of which is trifling. Cremation is becoming 

 popular in Italy, where it is rapidly extending. Large 

 numbers are now cremated in Paris, and at Gotha. In 

 England, its progress has been even more rapid than any- 

 where else, except Rome. At Milan, 679 cremations have 

 been eflected in 14 years, but only 227 in the first 7 years. 

 At Lodi, 38 in 13 years. At Rome, where the practice has 

 grown more lapidly than at any other place in Italy, there 

 have been 297 cremations in 7 years. At 21 towns in Italy 

 there were in all 1468 cremations in the 14 years ending 

 with 1890. At Woking, in Suarey, the first cremation took 

 place in 1885, and the numbers since cremated there yearly, 

 are, 8, 10, 18, 28, 40, 54, and 99 in 1891—253 in all; the 

 increase being more uniformly progressive than even at 

 Rome, which began with 15, and ended with 90 in 7 years, 

 and had fewer in 188G and 1887 than in 1885. The Duke 

 of Bedford, Lord Bramwell, and Mr. Wm. Eassie, were all 



