Sir W. Harcourt is blamed for saying that cremation ought
not to be sanctioned, except under the authority of an Act of Parliament. But it is a matter of some moment, in a time when poisoning is so frequent, thatr the means of investigating the cause of death should not be hastily disposed of, without a full consideration of the dangers involved. We have had not a few cases lately in which poisoning has not even been suspected till some weeks had elapsed after the burial of the poisoned. person, and where every trace of adequate evidence would have been removed by the cremation of the victims' bodies. Whether cremation at present be illegal or not, we are quite satisfied that, if it is to be permitted at all, there should be some barrier in the shape of requiring special investigation of the cause of death, interposed in the way of those who might like to adopt this method of destroying the most damning evidence against them.
Previous page
