decayed bodies; and preserve its health by preventing the noxious effluvia which arises from decomposing bodies polluting the atmosphere. Your petitioner humbly represents to this Honourable House, that the parish of St. Andrew, Holborn, having refused to bury the corpse of Mrs. Gilbert in a wrought iron coffin, application was made to the Judge of the Consistory Court, who ordered its burial; but has subsequently appointed a fee of 107. extra on the interment of each metal coffin in that parish. Your petitioner humbly presumes to think, that this fee, which will operate so as nearly to destroy his invention, is not proved necessary by the evidence of the Chemists, on whose opinion it is professedly grounded the only affidavit at all referring to the comparative duration of wood and iron when interred, mentions the probability of iron coffins lasting three times as long as wood. And, although this affidavit is expressed in doubtful language, and is in direct opposition to the opinions of eminent practical Chemists, yet the Judge has imposed an additional fee of more than eight times the amount of the common fee, or, as the supposed prolonged occupation of the ground, is the avowed object of its imposition (the minister's duties not being at all increased) the Judge has, in fact, estimated the duration of iron coffins as being thirty times greater than those made of wood. Your petitioner is aware, that an idea exists of iron coffins soon filling all the church-yards in London: But he cannot help expressing surprise at such an erroneous opinion being ever entertained; as, in addition to the well known destructibility of thin plate iron when buried, should half the persons who die in London in thirty years, supposing its population a million, be buried in iron, which, attachment to old habits, and the limited means of the manufacturer must prevent, still the ground occupied with their coffins annually, would only amount to two square roods and six square poles, if the coffins are buried to the depth of fourteen feet; as 140 six-feet coffins only occupy a cube 14 feet square. For, as one six-foot coffin occupies only a square yard, 16,666 coffins buried 10 deep will only occupy 1,666 square yards and 3-5ths, which is two square roods and 5 square poles. Your petitioner presumes to think, that iron coffins are not only deserving of patronage, as offering security for the dead, but as furnishing employment for the living, and as preserving our timber for naval and domestic purposes. One hundred coffins -weighing five tons, require 115 ton of ironstone, limestone, and coal, which cost only 67. 108. in the mine, but would cost the manufacturer manufacturer about 2007., as they would furnish 1,290 days' labour at 3s. per day; while the manufacture of 100 wood coffins would not occupy 100 days. Your petitioner having observed how greatly the public are inconvenienced by walking funerals, and how much the feelings of the mourners were wounded by their being made a public spectacle on so distressing an occasion, and their health injured by the unfavourableness of the weather, invented a joint-hearse and coach to convey the corpse and eight mourners to the place of interment, at such a moderate expense, as would enable the lower classes to use this conveyance, for which your petitioner obtained his Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, in April 1818. Having built this vehicle, your petitioner applied to the Commissioners of Hackney Coaches for a licence, which was refused, on the plea that they were diminishing the number of Hackney Coaches and Chariots. Hearing, some months after this application, that the number of hackney coaches and chariots was sufficiently reduced, and that new licences were granting, the application was renewed but your petitioner was informed, that although the Commissioners had intended to have licenced him, yet, in consequence of the proprietors of mourning coaches petitioning against him, they should not grant a licence. The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury were appealed to; but they declined interfering. The proprietors of mourning coaches, finding that they had succeeded in preventing my obtaining a licence, entered into a combination not to let me hire any of the mourning coaches customarily used, nor could your petitioner hire any in his own name until he had indicted them for a conspiracy. Your petitioner humbly submits to this Honourable House, that this denial of a licence was a great personal injury, as he had incurred considerable expences in building the joint-hearse and coach, buying horses, taking out a post-horse licence, &c. &c., and by preventing his performing a contract made with the parish of St. Martin's in the Fields, to carry their dead for interment to Camden Town. That this suppression of his invention is an injury to the lower classes, who absolutely need an improved mode of conveying bodies for interment, especially where burialplaces are distant from the habitations of the deceased, and in children's funerals; among all classes the danger of infection being so great as to occasion the prohibition of children's coffins being carried in hackney coaches. And that the revenue must be injured by preventing the adoption of these carriages, it being assumed, that their utility would bring them into general use with those. VOL. II. m those, whose limited means prevent the employment of hearse and mourning coaches. Your petitioner humbly represents to this Honourable House, that at the time he built the joint-hearse and coach, the possibility of the Commissioners of Hackney Coaches refusing to licence a vehicle which they acknowledge is legal, was not anticipated. The impossibility of obtaining redress from the Commissioners of Hackney Coaches or the Lords of the Treasury, compels your petitioner to look to this Honourable House as the only court that can afford him relief. Your petitioner extremely regrets being necessitated to trouble this Honourable House, but he finds that he cannot appeal to the Consistory Court against its decision, or bring his case in any other way before that court; and having embarked his property in his Invention, at the time when the choice of materials for making coffins rested with the purchaser, and the Judge of the Consistory Court having confirmed that right. Your petitioner earnestly entreats this Honourable House to grant him such relief, as its wisdom may dictate, and, as in duty bound, he will ever pray. EDWARD LILLIE Bridgman, Furnishing Undertaker, Goswell Street Road, London. June 19th, 1821. INDEX. A. Page Abduction-of a Ward of very tender Age by her Guardian, Case thereon, of Harford v. Morris, A. D. 1776. 423 et seq. Distinctions, Differences Adultery-Inference from Cohabitation from general Conduct - 192 84 ib. 4 9, 17, 228 - 23, 25 from the Style and Subject of Corre- not restrained to specific Time or Place time of Discovery Advocates-Opinions certifying Foreign Law- Sir Ilay Campbell David Cathcart, Esq. John Clerk, Esq. Robert Craigie, Esq. The Honourable H. Erskine 3 279 Of Sicily. Of Scotland. Adam Gillies, Esq. Robert Hamilton, Esq. 129, 139 46, 63 Age-Defendant coming of Age in Foreign Country, if depending on the Laws of the 206 not given where the Wife has a separate and sufficient Allegation of Faculties, Rules of Valuation, &c. Answers-open to the Court, though not read by the ad- verse Party Appendix-Evidence in Dalrymple v. Dalrymple 199 Papers relating to the Subject of Iron Coffins-167 et seq. by Substitution t'd with fraudulent Intent, fatal by Change of Letters varying the Substance of Name of natural Mother, how considered as used, not fatal Baptismal Names, properly one and the same BigaVaines, may be used fraudulently ib. 254 ib. ib. 215, ib. 255 213, et seq. -253, 259 262 143 ib. 416 Bigamy-on Second Marriage, the former having been a L'E foreign marriage Burial- Rights of in man) 2n333, et seq. 334 es as to exclusive Occupation of the Ground, uh- > Christian Burials 11332 11-osi qoved Modern Ordinance in Tuscany Objection to Iron Coffins was imperishable Physiological Observations thereon - Oh 343 345 359. App. 167 Parishes or populous Towns, how affected thereby - 336 et 1 seq. |