216 Principles of Landscape- Gardening 



disturbance of the bodies of the dead, the healthfulness of the hving, and 

 their improvement in sentiment and in morals. On these principles we would 

 found the following rules, which should be absolute, even in cemeteries and 

 » churchyards as they are at present constituted. Some of these rules have 

 been mentioned before, but we repeat them, in order that they may be 

 strongly impressed on the mind of the reader. 



First, We would allow no grave to be dug, except in ground which never had 

 been opened before. When a grave in which an interment has taken place at 

 the usual depth of 6 ft. is opened, one of two things must happen ; either 

 the bones at the bottom of the grave must be disturbed, or, to avoid this, the 

 grave must not be dug to a sufficient depth. There may be three exceptions 

 to this case, if the superintendent of the burying-ground could be depended 

 on : first, when the previous interment has taken place to a greater depth 

 than 6 ft., which would be ascertainable if a proper register had been kept ; 

 second, where the surface of the burying-ground was to be raised by the 

 addition of a foot or two of earth all over it ; or third, when a child was to 

 be interred, 4 or 5 feet, according to the age, &c., of the child, being sufficient 

 in the latter case. Every grave whatever should have a number cut in a 

 number-stone, or on some part of the plinth of the gravestone or monument, 

 if there be one, for the purpose of registration. 



Secondly, We would allow no coffin to be placed nearer the surface of the 

 ground than 6 ft. A German author has shown by calculation the different 

 degrees of depth at which interments may take place, according to the age 

 and other circumstances of the subject. His depth for adults is 6 ft., and 

 for children under a year, 2 ft. The calculation may be useful in Germany, 

 where, in many churchyards, the children are buried in a part of the ground 

 by themselves, and their graves arranged according to the children's ages and 

 lengths ; but, in England, the safer mode is to make the rule of having the 

 grave 6 ft. in depth absolute, for it must be recollected that, in the case of 

 children above three years of age, the bones, practically speaking, are almost 

 as indestructible as those of adults. Hence we conclude that a child's 

 grave ought no more to be opened for a second interment than that of a 

 grown up person. 



Thirdly, When more interments than one are to take place in a grave of the 

 width calculated for one coffin, we would require a stratum of earth over 

 each coffin of 6 ft. in depth ; and supposing one interment made in the 

 bottom of a grave 12 ft., 20 ft., or 30 ft. deep, and 6 ft. of soil placed over 

 the coffin, then on the surface of that soil we would deposit a coffin-shaped 

 slate or flag-stone, as a preventive to the grave-digger from going deeper 

 when he was excavating for a second interment. The protecting stone ought 

 to be taken up when the second interment was made, and used after every 

 interment till the last, when it might either be taken out for use in another 

 deep grave, or, if it were a family grave, it might be left immediately over the 

 coffin for protection of the bones, on the princi|)le mentioned in p. 98. This 

 rule will not prevent the interment of ten or twelve bodies in a grave as at 

 present, but it will require such graves to be an immense deal deeper, viz. at 

 the rate of 6 ft. for every interment ; but there is no reason why graves should 

 not be dug as deep as wells. A grave 18 ft. deep, however, will take three 

 interments, which, at the low rate of 10*. each, as in the Abney Park Ce- 

 metery, will give a return of 5,445^. per acre ; and in cemeteries where 255. 

 for each interment is charged, of above 13,600/. per acre. 



Fourthly, When a common or private earth grave was once filled to within 

 6 ft. of the surface, it should on no account whatever be opened at however 

 distant a period. 



Fifthly, Brick graves which are filled with earth after each interment, we 

 would make subject to exactly the same laws as deep earth graves: that is, 

 we would have a stratum of soil 6 ft. in thickness over each coffin. We 

 would allow no interments to take place in brick graves, in which each coffin 

 was not either covered with 6 ft. of soil, or with a flag-stone hermeti- 



