| LATER WORKS OF THE IMPROVEMENT COMMISSIONERS |
| In 1862, very great distress was experienced in the district,
owing to the "Cotton Famine," brought about by the American Civil War. Hundreds of
families, formerly in fairly comfortable circumstances, felt keenly the pinch of
poverty, and the pangs of hunger. A relief fund was commenced and upwards of £3,000
was expended in assisting necessitous cases.
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| Provision was made for swimmers and bathers by the erection of
public baths in St. Mary's Place, in 1864. The Commissioners also undertook the
purchase and laying out of the Public Cemetery, which was consecrated and opened
in September, 1869. The grounds cover 33½ acres, twenty of which have been allotted
as grave spaces, and the remainder tastefully laid out in shrubberies and flower beds.
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