Of the cemeteries still in use in southern Europe, the catacombs of Sicily are the most remarkable. In one of these, near Palermo, under an old Capuchin monastery, there are four subterranean corridors, in which more than 2,000 corpses are ranged in niches in the wall, many of them shrunk into the most grotesque attitudes, or hanging with pendent heads or limbs from their receptacles. As a preparation for its niche, the body is desiccated in an oven, and then dressed as if in life and put in its place in the wall. At one end of this C. there is an altar, strangely ornamented with a mosaic of human skulls and bones.
Among nations in the east cemeteries haVe been in use from the earliest times. In China the high grounds near Macao and Canton are crowded with tombs, many of them in the form of But tumuli with a low encircling wall, like the ringed barrows of west.
B ern Europe. ut the most picturesque of all cemeteries are those of the Turks. From them it was, perhaps, that the first idea of the modern C., with its ornamental planta tions, was derived. Around Constantinople the cemeteries form vast tracts of cypress woods, under whose branches stand thousands of tombstones. A grave is never reopened; a new resting-place is given to every one, and so the dead now occupy a wider territory than that which is covered by the homes of the living. The Turks believe that until the body is buried the soul is in a state of discomfort, and the funeral, therefore, takes place as soon as possible after death. No coffin is used; the body is laid in the grave, a few boards are placed around it, and then the earth is shoveled in, care being taken to leave small opening extending from the head of the corpse to the surface of the ground, an opening not unfrequently enlarged by dogs and other beasts which plunder the graves. A. tombstone of white marble is then erected, surmounted by a carved turban, in case of a man, and ornamented by a palm branch in low relief, if the grave be that of a woman.
The turban by its varying form indicates not only the rank of the sleeper below, but also the period of his death, for the fashion of the Turkish head-dress is always changing. A cypress is usually planted beside the grave, its odor being supposed to neutralize any noxious exhalations from the ground, and thus, every C. is a forest, where by day hundreds of turtle-doves are on the wing or perching on the trees, and where bats and owls swarm undisturbed at night. These cemeteries are a favorite resort for Turk ish women, some of whom are always to be seen praying beside the narrow openings that lead down into a parent's, a husband's, or a brother's grave. The cemeteries of the Armenians abound in bas-reliefs, which show the manner of the death of the person beneath, and on these singular tombstones are frequent representations of men being decapitated or hanging on a gibbet.
America followed England in the sanitary reform of burial-places, and many years ago burial within certain limits of cities was prohibited except in special cases, such as the use of private vaults in church-yards. The earliest of the great cemeteries in the United States was Mount Auburn, near Boston, covering 125 acres, lovely by nature, .and most elaborately adorned.
Laurel Hill C., in Philadelphia, was opened in 1836. It is on the Schuylkill river, about 4 m. n. of the center of the city, and is part of a region of romantic beauty, abounding in gentle declivities, picturesque lawns, rugged ascents, rocky ravines, and flowery dells. A carriage drive, along the river front, connects Fairmount park and the Wissahickon; thus bringing the ever-varying activity of the living into association with the tranquil resting-places of the dead. Since the first purchase of
ground, several larger tracts have been added to it; while, under the management of various associations, other portions of the beautiful vicinity have been, in a similar manner, consecrated and adorned. This was followed by Greenwood C., the first and one of the greatest popular burial-places for New York and Brooklyn. The company was chartered in 1838. The grounds, which comprise 450 acres, occupy the hills and valleys on the e. side of the bay of New York, about 3 m. s. of the city hall in Brook lyn. The situation is one of the finest in all the region. From the higher points of the C. the eye takes in the two cities of New York and Brooklyn, the bay, half a dozen cities in New Jersey, the far-off Palisades, the broad lower bay, the highlands near Sandy Hook, Coney island, the rich garden lands of Kings county, and a grand view of the Atlantic ocean. This C. has five entrances; nearly 20 m, of stone-bedded avenues, and 17 m. of concrete paths. Water for drinking and irrigation is supplied from the city works to nearly 40 hydrants. There a-e eight akes of varying dimensions, and four ornamental fountains. The grounds are drained by 17 m. of subterranean sewer pipes, with 1140 receiving basins. There have been 23,000 lots sold, and over 200,000 interments made, the first one on the 5th of Sept., 1840. Among the edifices and monuments of note are: the entrance buildings, the receiving tomb, the shelter house, and the following monuments and statues: to Horace Greeley, statue of a printer setting type; to John Matthews, a sarcophagus with marble effigy; of the Brown brothers, representing the loss of the steamship Arctic. and the loss of five members of the family; on Highwood hill, a tribute to Samuel B. Morse, inventor of the telegraph; the Firemen's monument, a fireman rescuing a child; monument to Ilenry Howard, ex-chief of the New York fire department; chapel monument to Mary M. bruiser, noted for charitable bequests; marble temple of A. S. Scribner, of fine Italian marble, containing a figure of Hope, under a marble canopy, supported on eight pillars, and on the sides, in bas-relief, illustrations from the life of Christ, from birth to ascension; monument to Thomas J. Head, a granite figure of Faith Clasping the Cross; statue of John Correja, a sea-captain taking an observation with the sextant (put up by himself many years before his death); the monument to Charlotte Canda, who was killed on her 17th birthday by falling from her carriage: (This is an elaborate Gothic temple, and was for many years the great attraction of the place; more people have visited this structure, probably, than any other of the points of interest.) The Soldiers' monument, in honor of those who fell in the union cause during the rebellion, with four life-size statues representing the different branches of the service; the Pilots' monument, to Thomas Freeborn, who lost his life in trying to save the ship John 3finturn, in 1846; the statuary group of James Gordon Bennett, founder of the New York Herald, of the finest Carrara marble, repre senting a life-sized female figure, kneeling on a cushion, in an attitude of prayer, com mending to the Almighty Giver her child held in suspense by an angelic figure; the colossal bronze statue of De Witt Clinton; monument to Louis Bonard, who was one of the founders of the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals. This C. is not a stock corporation, but a public trust, managed by trustees chosen by the lot Owners.