Review of TCn-iercg, I/6J06. 



Topics of the Month. 



4^5 



cemetery at New York, where the proportion of the 

 buried alive was sixteen out of 1200 burials." 



'■ How did they find out ?" 



" It was an experimental cemetery. Every coffin 

 was fitted with an apparatus which could signal 

 those above-ground if the buried person made the 

 slightest movement. As the result sixteen out of 

 1200 signalled for deliverance. That seems con- 

 clusive." 



" Hum ! A pnmd facie case for inquiry rather 

 thati a demonstration. But I don't believe it holds 

 good in this country. We do not bury so soon after 

 death as in warmer regions. But what do you 

 propose to do? Cremation is a safe remedy; or 

 would you cut off the head, after Miss Cobbe's 

 example?" 



■' No, we do not propose to commit murder in 

 order to avoid the risk of premature interment. 

 What we propose is, first, to postpone burial until 

 such time as the possibility of a mistake is reduced 

 to a minimum." 



"How long is that?" 



" From three to four days. As it is difficult to 

 keep the dead in the narrow and overcrowded 

 homes of the living, we propose to establish mor- 

 tuaries, or resting-places for the dead on their way 

 to the tomb. The inanimate bodies would be placed 

 in these mortuaries bef<Te burial. They would be- 

 under the const.mt vigilant supervision of compe- . 

 tent attendants, and immediate assistance would 

 be rendered on the first symptom of returning anima- 

 tion." 



'■ As most of our dead are not buried before three 



days have elapsed, \our reform would not make 

 much change here." 



•' No, not so much as. in other countries. But 

 even here it is needed. Then, if you will allow me 

 to complete mv statement, we propose that even.' 

 coffin should be fitted with the ingenious contriv- 

 ance of Karnicki, by which any movement on 

 the part of the buried person is instantaneously 

 signalled, and at the same time a fresh supply of 

 air is introduced into the coffin. ' 



■' You really have such an apparatus ?" 



■■ We real'.v have such an apparatu.s, and would 

 like to see it fitted to every coffin. It is quite 

 cheap, it onlv costs 12s., and can easily be 

 fitted. Nor is there any danger that it will allow 

 noxious gases to escape. Professor Richet is much 

 interested in this contrivance, but it is of course 

 useless unless due provision is made for watching 

 the new-made graves." 



•■' Not at all," I replied. ' Your contrivance works 

 with a little flag, which is hoisted at the grave head. 

 It would be far simpler if all the dead were provided 

 with a telephonic attachment so that any movement 

 in the coffin, however slight, would ring up the 

 sexton. What a gruesome extension of the tele- 

 phonic system !" 



Miss Lind shook her head. She was in grim 

 earnest, as became the cause which she has at heart. 

 She left me the literature of the movement to pre- 

 vent the burying of the quick among the dead, from 

 which I learned that the Society for Preventing 

 Premature Burial has its offices at 12 London-street, 

 K.C., where its secretary will be glad to hear from 

 anv well-wishers and subscribers. 



LXXXIII.— AUSTRALIAN IMMIGRATION. 



SIR JOHN 



Sir John Forrest, the Treasurer of the Common- 

 wealth of Australia, is now in England. I called 

 upon him to inquire about his present mission, and 

 found him the same hearty, straightforward man at 

 the Hotel Cecil as in the Federal Parliament in 

 Melbourne, just as cheerily optimistic as ever. When 

 I arrived he was amused at the description of him- 

 self in a newspaper cutting as " The Controller ut 

 the Commonwealth of West Australia. " 



Sir John unreservedly informed me that the prin- 

 cipal work he intended to devote himself to was the 

 consolidating of the public debt of Australia and 

 the establishing of one uniform Commonwealth 

 stock in place of it. Such consolidation is obviously 

 the proper thing. Then- is little doubt that Com- 

 monwealth bonds would be steadier and would com- 

 mand a better price than State bonds. When the 

 d -bts are consolidated into one stock thev will 

 probably be a more attractive investment. In the 

 event of further loans being required, the Common- 



FORREST. 



wealth could obtain better terms than the States 

 have heretofore. 



Sir John declined to express any opinion upon 

 Chinese labour in So..th .Africa, as he fiad not seen 

 the country, and was not fully acquainted with the 

 conditions and circuinstances. He could say, how- 

 ever, that it was a inatter of great regret to the 

 people of .Australia that such a policy had been 

 found necessary, as they had all looked forward to 

 South Africa as anoth<'r .Australia, another home 

 for our countrymen in the Southern Hemisphere. 



Sir John thought that a Commission to inquire 

 into the whole question would be welcomed in Aus- 

 tralia. One of the chief factors, it seemed to him, 

 was the extent and suitability of the land for agri- 

 cultural and pastoral occupation on a large scale, 

 and whether a large farming population could be 

 established in the country where British people 

 could make permanent homes. As the climatic 

 conditions are some\vhat similar to Australia, he 



