HH62/1/INVERN/23

Transcription

[page] 22

purpose of having the graveyard closed. The decision to close was
advertised for three months by public notices, to give parties
interested an opportunity of lodging objections. Every step in
the procedure was taken, up to selecting ground for a new
graveyard by the sanitary authority. Beyond this I am not
aware any further steps were ever taken. You will excuse
me if I quote a few sentences from my report of 26th January
1889, but the present state of the burial ground must be
much worse than it was then, on account of the exception-
ally heavy mortality of 1891, and consequently of a larger
number of interments. 'The general aspect of the grave-
yard shows that it is actually teeming with bodies - the graves
not only being packed closely together over the whole area, but
the surface of the graveyard being greatly elevated over the level
of the outside ground. This elevation is progressive, and appears
to be caused, first, by interments taking place so frequently in
unripe graves that one coffin is placed above another without a
sufficient interval elapsing between interments to allow of decay;
and second, by the fact that not a single burial at present takes
place without sods being cut and carried from the ground outside
the grave-yard to cover the mound, to which Mr Brydone, factor
for South Harris, informed me he was frequently an eye-witness.
On the date of my inspection, twelve graves were gauged in the
presence of Mr Brydone, the Sanitary Inspector, and myself, and
the graves were so chosen in different parts of the grave-yard as
to give a fair idea of how burials are generally conducted there.
" 'I subjoin the following table, which was embodied in my
report:-

[table inserted]

" 'The superficiality of the graves as shown by the foregoing table,
as well as the manner in which coffins are so closely packed
together, are contrary to all civilised and modern ideas of decency.
It is not only offensive, but absolutely and without doubt injurious
to and dangerous to Public Health.' As I mentioned above,


[drawing/picture inserted]
IN NORTH UIST.

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IN SKYE.