f ' J ,,',, I,,!,, ..ii ..i i -.i-.i -r - vrr " "ir1 -' " 1 .T"""'--:' "--' "' - ---i .!... .. -.n-.
ri- " ; Axnn ifjLjijLf a xuw rfii " '. '
;,;.:,;;, !:f5yswr -iasssbtz; office, majikut smjvr, urfusn the jpust uiuu.
mm I
Lo
V:;;; ii. B;:MAssfeR, editor and riioriiiETOR. :
it.
'Mi.:
a "iraniHa ilctospnptotcJ to oUttcs;: attcrnvc, JHoraUta, ovcfau mm Somcstfc fltos,-Sccnceani the" arts, gflrtculturf, iay tst glmuscmcntst Sc
t! Wi-JTvn-- li
NEW SEMES VOL. 3, NO
RUXnilllY.' NORTHUMBERLAND! X'OUNTy., PA.. SATURDAY, DECEMBER , 1 830.
OI.H SERIES VOL. If. NO. is.
TliKMS OF TK AJIKHI-CAV .'
TIIR AMERICAN in jinlilirhnl every ftiturdny ot TWO
pOMiAKP k:kitihi to tV1' Wrlt in nilviiuce,
it'inAr riiffvaiMiiiiMl uiitLI all .r.rearni:?F ure paid. I
An crimnmiifrntiiiiin fir Mt.-rt Mi lium..e rel iliug to the
fli.'!l t insure attention, must ke l'ifT 1'AfDY
-11. Ml I' TO CLUBS.'- I.!' I
1.1 .l.i . .ii ,. I, ..,,,.,! I I ac"
V 1. "' - !-
tuLh. 4..'Mlt...i I .; I.. lib - V . ' I '
1 rto
- )(.. I 2.;
"OHO
' '300
SELECT POETRY.
Wltf'
luo"
aoo"
On. Am ai of Ifl '""""i ? ii
Kn:i'nenlMirii.iii, -
O llll-ll.ll,
CtiM. xtrntni n.
fell Ti'-'l 1 1 1,1" J
IIMSIIM-M " ' . .... ,, '
1000
MMir' otlietK, iKlvrtiiiii liy 1J1;
VTi.vrci I nl,ertii-iiicnti, per nfrr-cinitt. !
1AI.TO ll,XEY,' AT L.A'W.
! 11 I n;:n ,ii,-KiaUIl'!r, PA.
Bui".. n ;.3 to in the " or
I-'KP'I
I- , " r;r "
P. A. A. ' ii-T' 1
L,.., A. Hiiolr,
Vhilatt.
S. tfll KEFELLEn,
Attonwy a law.
T"t?XE$ winiw inOTplv,"""1 " l" l,,,B
ettir- of JMrayHtiH. rtl)umcrluIl1l,
Ci)iiiCmuUii4Mo"Vour-: . . i-
JlefCT to:
iSAlmiKt wiJrJ, 'Xiotrtli- C.
Moclimrr, Pflttisjlle
Ore S, t30 lv-'
1 HiiThon, Ai
1 1.' Hull, M-
1 1:
Will iwomjrtly ntten! lo !lrrti!w al 1 l,u""
lA ' twi rntrufVd'lo hU rrtre.
Jini irt,
J. H. ZHIKEllSIAISr, .
''jrsTXct: ox ts?k
Oflie iiVrT ftc.. umsro.litcV tijh'
ruliUol'cltftol Hour.
ITT Mn- r flwlx-iltej f .pn,t1ir
f Uy a6. to.
"April 20, 1958.- '
KtW TOUR I'llilfKl-riHA
" ' 55atterx Ahuum-I;!!.
("'OXTlNrB tomnVe ani! nrlla fio r)
--'.tiutaWellJt l'r Uf tnotn-y tlja jy otiicr
liUslt.-iit in t!w t'-"' "'a, -lrJ
xtnet ol' Hit $3 'XI- ! Uo.v'slotb nl
ril7l Cl!. I'mhrMlM, C'arjvl Calaly
rntn Bnil H;,t at ?"lly lo !'
it ' , ii u-a-- "
u h JOKX' C E'A SI 5 ' & Co. '.
,;JltPOTr.RS OF
Tatdjes,! Jewelry, Plated "STwe,
i A'i l-'AXC V .tS,
T,I It CAwBttf bitirec 3d If itJt Sfrtr.ts.
"rii,AaEtirKi A.
ALWAYS lorcj) oti tand an cxo'lKfit swt
tncut of tlw o'.iuvc vi!i W, wUiili thyr will
dl on lemr m low M ftny i" l'
Juue, 15,1S5 i" .... t I
., . ' T!ron.hvn,
.'v'i'..''.; ; SUiBXJIiY, PA. .. . .
T TASwitmU- rt?i-ivp!, bmiiidk Ml-r rt'n-V,
ing puMicalioni 3"h a
Conpcft 'ttoW. r:oilletr wjmnilo. '' '
it from the t, Iwiiii Ret llfo. . i
The Gotlin TelegprapL .1 .-.
AVheti flrpt'the t.is.'htuinp'i stilus traced ,,
I " Its chitraetcrs nf womli-r, '" '
We eiooil atnuzpd as folk converwl
A ihiuotnil niilos bbiiihIo-; ,
i Biit'what lira lighliilnt: ft"' (mL'ph 1 ' '
. ,. .from Buffalo- lo iNatfrt-z, j-.- 1 ir i ,: -Comiarel
lo news fruiu K niftlom Cume,
i( B-tiildeigruuiul drppatulei5,1 ; , ,,5 j,
ThPiroblln tpt'2rnph;s tt Vvriik ! 1 '' ' '
I I .'A Imllow kind ol rapping
A lh ghosl of pnbiienns .! '
', Wero emplv Imirelsiipping, ; . , ,
' ts heard in Old Connecticut .. ..
Pei Imp for hei di-morits, . j ... (,
fit showiny: by her lioi-nsu law,'
Antipathy to.pirits. '
.' Hut no that t-aimot be ibe'caune; " '
, For in (inr .wviiterii citin' i
The operators iloun bi-.Uiw
Are bothering the i-omttiiltee5 ;
And tn.-belief, howevrr buhl, (
' To superstition truckles',
As uIiiims thirir stiniiir impressions make,
With telegrapliio knuckles.
Some sricoriiii editors! nt first,
PeenieJ these rtveajiiiys, tables, ;
Uut when lliej- went lo llouhesler,
Thu speetres turned the tables. ..
Some metoajros from Heaven were sent
And some fro ill regions warmer,
And lutelv Mtndry knoeki weie heard '
From Knox,' thu greui reloiiner. j
The nposlolju hierarchy
, H.iye nitdtt,tittw rnvijalions. t
And (Criminals hare' Vol mixed Op '""
. I11 'sn'iiiJly 'conversation. I' ' t'-f.'''
.. ,Aui nilry,. siiuiertjilowi) beioiv,-. , . '
As questioners anil (epiiers, . . !: . ,
Have proveil iliomsulve satin Joule) to be
Thu most coustiiiimute iiars. :
Whore will it stop, Heaven only knows
The lines are last e.tendinu',
And messages both E.ist and West
The spirit world is sending.
. 'Twas once said, '.Mead men tell 110 tales,"
But now a murdered man. sir. 1 -,
If asked who knocked hitn on the head,-'
Knocks back the name i 1 answer.
m.I V BUT: .
Duma .'
Sue ,
7?fynclol'
t.'ocklou'
Maswcll
Jcrrolil
.lo
' Vis.'
do
Jo
Tml !), .
Halliluirtiiti,
SUrryalt,'
"''
Miirsli,
Aiiwworth," '
''Attlielow price offr.mi 45 toSOd jr volume.
Sunbury, 2S, 1 8 j0. t ,
j ac ou IEEE's
Southwest Comer of Fifth and Mar bet Slretls,
Pmt.VnEI.rHIA,
"V7H0 alwsyt kc)) on linrul a 1arc stork of
every varietv of clothing made up of good
materiaU, anJ in the Utf t au.l Uet styles, lie
woulJalso inform the public, that he pays fotisi
dcralile attention in fiitting up Military Clothing,
in (rood style and on reasonable urins.
June 15, J850.- iy
:. .MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.
CHAS.'DU2XE2IG,
No. 207 Chesnut Street, rout Arcad(,
IMPORTER and Manufacturer of all kWi of
Musical Inatiruwenu, Fancy Article andToy.
Hi. price are ..ower than those of any other . ore
i nf.:i..:i.i.i.:.. All Lin,!, of Muural lnstru-
menu ieuirel n the ocbtvyorkinanBhip, anJ al.o
Uken in trade. , , I
l'biladolnUia; May 5?, 1850. ly
;l,T o T" Frtu or Waths.o 4c Hau-0
1 tfo. 21 South Second Sfreeff
i'.-i.;,. . .. i .. Philadelphia, ' '
OEBPECTFl'I-LY hifonnnhi old friends slid
'ISfiustomera, a." will a. the public generally,
that he ha oned an entire new stocK of elegaut
nvker4,. ,1 ,i mt..!
Spring & Summer Dress Goods,
llisaOTBrtweWt cunuHUof the latent and most dc
rukle .tyle. of EogWu (jnnan, French -St Auie
ricanitiood.. - ISutha. Ueluine.', Tuaue. llr
gea, bilk., Law a a, M ualina, Shawls, H dUlIi, Ulov,
ndry aritj of lreand Fancy Upotl,-;,.
Pbilad. March 16, lS&O-ly ,
1 ,A 1. 1 t 1
Ott.lVmU..x: ,, , THOa.J.B.8TH.
"8ETIf & BROTHER. 1 1
WHOLESALE GROCERS I
II Ll l! J .4.11'- ".j-lAWD '. '; . .. -ii
Cowwiftfflon iHerctuiuta,
fc,-.WO-8..PBATTITMWP
(Near Bowj.y' Whari',)
RALT1M0RE,.
Will y particular attention to th aale ofGRAIM
ancf all outer prouuci. -"-
Pallimor, J-anuary 26, 1850 ljf
S-NAKI:S AXtt SMAKE ( ttAItMl.n.
recent number of Rentley's Miscellany
Dittni'is art account of the m-thorl of Snake
Charini practiced in the fiast, wliich re
find c i.iterestin that we give our readers
th wb stance ol it. . .. ... :i
THE S NAKE CHARMERS IX LONDON. '
At the? ri'esi'nf time there are at the Lon
don Zuo'cg.'cal Gardens two Arabs,' viio
are eminently skilled in what is termed
"Snake Chaming."- In this country, hap
pily or ourstd'es, we have but little practi
cal acquaintance wim venomous serpents,
and there is no.' scope for the development
for native skill m the art referred to; Ibe
vial therefore,, cd these strangers is inter
esting, a aflbrdui? an opportunity of be
holding feats ul ich have hitherto been
koowu to. us .only' by descriptions. We
propose, therefore, t o give some account of
their proceed! nis.
Visitors tr the Z(y.!o?ical Garden will
remark on the rinht hitnd side, after Ihey
laave passed, tlirott-rh tl.'e tunnel, and as
cended the slope bevono'. a neat wooden
buildinn; in'the Swiss stj'le. This Is the
reptile house,, and while our readers are
bending their steps towards ve will de-
cribe thv performaiHw of (lie tVrjtent' Char.
tners. 1 . , . ' ' ". ','"',. ,' V '
The namis of these are Juhar- Abou-Hat
iah. and Mohammed-A bou-Morw an. Ibe
former is an old man... much distinguished
in his nativu country for his skill. . When
the French ' had' occupied Ejypt, he col
lected serpents for the naturalists, and w.is
sent lor to Cairo to perlorm oelore ienf.ra;
uonanarte. He rlescnbed lo us the Gen
eral, as a middle sized man, very pale with
handsome features, and a most Veen eye.
Napoleon watched Ins proceedings with
frreat interestj made many, inquiries, and
dismissed him with a handsome 'buckr
sheesh.' Jubaf 'is usually dressed in a
coarse, loose borrioose of loose brown serge,
with a red cap on his head. 'The frtft, or
crali of serpent charming, desce.nos ,tn cer
tain families from generation to jieneration :
and Mohammed, small active lad, is the
old man's son-tnIaw, althouzh not number-
in" sixteen years. He is quite an Adonis
as to dress, wearing a smart, richly embroid
ered, dark rreen lacket, carried hussar
fashion over his fizht shoulder : a white
loose vest, full while trowsers, tied at the
knee, scarlet stockings and a lez or red cap,
with a blue tassel ot extra proportion on
his head ? in His riiht ear is a rin, so large
that it might pass for a curtain rinsr. ;
WHAT THE SNAKES ARE MADE TO DO
1 Proriiu-lv as the clock strikes four, one of
. . - .
the keepers places on the plallorm a woou-
en box Containtnj the serpents, and the lad
Mohammed proceeds to tuck ,tna ample
sleeves as far up as possible, to. leave the
arms bare. - Ik" then tae oft nis ctotn
jacket, and opening the' box draws out a
large Uohra di tapello, of a dark copper
color which be holds at arm's length by
the tail, and after allowing it to writhe
about in the air, for some time, h places
the serpent on the floor, still holritn tt as
described. ,. By this time the cobra has
raised his head indignant at the cruel treat
ment he is rect-i'ving Mohammed then
pinchea and teases hun in every way ; at
each, pinch the cobra strikes at him, but
with great activity the blow u avoided. r
Having thus leased the snake for some
time. Mohammed rises and placing hi foot
upon the tail, Irritates him 'with a stick.
The cobra writhes and strikes sometimes at
the stick, sometimes ai nis lormetuors jegs,
and again at his hands, all which is avoided
with the utmost noncnaience. Alter the
lanse 'o'f about ten ; 'minutes, Mohammed
coils the cobra on the floor and leaves him
while he goes to the box and draws out an
. other far fiercer cobra. While Mohammed
holds th"is bv the tail he also buflets him on
the head with his open hand, and the ser
pent, quite furious, frequently seizes him
by the forearm." The. lad merely wipV-s
the spot, and pro eeds to lie the serpent
like a necklace around his neck. Then the
tail is tied into a knot around the reptile's
head, and again head and tail Into a double
knot. ......... , !.. 1 t t 1 . .
. After amusing himself in this, way for
some, time, the serpent is lold tq lie quiet,
and stretched on his back, the neck and
chin'fiping gently stroked. Whether any
sort of. mesmeric influence is produced we
know" riot, but the snake remains on his
back,' perfectly still, ns if dead. During
this time the first cobra has remained coil
ed up, with head erect, appareptly watch
ing the proceedings of the Arab. After a
pause, the, lad takes tip the. second cobra,
and carrying it to the first, pinches and ir
ritates. both to. make them fight : the her
OT snake seizes the other bv the throat,
and coiling around him they roll struggling
across the stage. Mohammed then leaves
these serpents In charge of Juhar, and
draws a third snake out of the box. This
he ties in a variety of apparently impossi
ble knots, and then holding him at a little
distance from his face, allows the' snake to
strike at it, just dodging each time suffi
ciently far to avoid Ihe blow, i he ser
pent is then placed in his bosom next the
skin, and left there, and it is not so easy
after a time, to draw it out of its warm
resting place. The tail is pulled, but no ;
the serpent is around the lads body and
will not come. After several unsuccessful
efforts, Mohammed rubbed the tail briskly
between his two hands, a process which is
plainly1 visible, is the reverse of agreeable.
At last i Mohammed pulls him hand-over
hand as the sailors say and just as the
head (lies out, the cobra makes a parting
snap at his tormentor's face, for which he
receives a smart cuff on the head; and is
then, with the others, replaced in the box.
. . HOW, IT I? DONE.
Dr. John Davy, in his work on Ceylon,
denies that (he fangs are extracted from the
serpents which are exhibited, and says that
the only charm employed is that of courage
and confidence the natives avoiding the
stroke of ; the serpents with' wonderful
agility, adding that they will play their
tricks with any hooded snake, but with no
other puisonous serpent. In order that we
might get at the truth, we sought it from
the fountain head, and our questions were
most freely answered by Jubar-Abou-Hai-
juii, Mohammed acting us interpreter.
(. How are . serpents caught 111 the
.first instance - ,,
I take this adze, (holding up a sort
of geological hammer mounted on a long
handle,) and as soon as I have found a hole
containing a cohm 1 knock away the earth
till he comes out. or can be trot at : 1 then
take a stick in my right hand, ond seizing
the snake by the tail in the left, hold it at
arm's length. He keeps trying to bite, but
I push his head away with the stick. Af
ter doing this for some time, I throw him
straight on the ground still holding him by
the tail; 1 allow him to raise his head and
try to bite for some time, in order that he
may learn how to attack, still keeping him
o(T with the stick. When this has been
done long enough, J slide the stick up lo
his head and fix it firmly on the ground
the serpent is .distinctly :seHii, while (Is
great strength confines them with period
safely,.. Each cage,, is moreover, provided
with a pan of water. . ;
Except ,wlien roused by hunger, the' sen.
pent are generally in a state ot torpor du
ring the dav, but as nijbt draws on, Ihey in
-common with other denizens of the forest,
are roused into activity., -In their native
state, the boas (hen lie in wait, coiled round
the branches of treesj .ready .to spring on
the antelopes atid other pre'y 'as they pass
through the leafy glades; ntld the smaller
serpents glide from branch to branch in
quest of birds on which to f'd. As we
have had the opportunity of seeing the reptile-house-
by night, we will,. describe the
strange scene. ,
"' About ten o'clock one evening during
fh last spring,' in company with two natu
ralists of eminence, we entered thnt apart
ment. A small .lantern was out only light,
and a faint illumination of this imparted a
ghastly character to the scehe before us.
The clear plate g!s,ss which faces the cage
was invisible, and it was difficult to believe
thi.t the mongers were in confinement and
sp- ctators secure. Those persons who have
only seen the boas and pythons, the rattle
snakes and cobras, lazily hanging in fes
toons from the forks of the dens, or slug
gishly coiled up, can have no conception of
the appearance and actions of the same
creatures at night. The huge boas and py
thons were chasing each other in every di
rection whisking about the dens with the
rapidity of lightning, sometime? in huge
Coils round the branches, anon entwining
each other1 in massive folds, then soparaling,
they -worth! Wish over arid 'under the bran
ches, hissing and lashing their tails in hide
ous sport. " Ever and ttnon, thirsty with
their exertions, they would approach the
pans containing water and drink eagerly,
lapping it with their forked tongues. As
our eyes became accustomed to the dark
ness, we perceived objects better, and on
Ihe uppermost branch of n tree in the den
of the biggest serpents, we perceived a
pigeon roosting, apparently indifferent
alike to the turmoil which was going on
around, in the vicinity of the monster
whose meal it was soon to form. In the
dens of one of the smaller serpents was a
little mouse, whose panting sides, and fast
beating heart showed that it, at least, dis
liked its company. Misery is said to make
us acquainted with strange bedfellows, but
evil must be the star of that mouse or pi
geon whose lot it is to be the comrade and
prey of a serpent.
THE STINtJ AND THE RITE.
The expression "sting," as used repeat
edly by Sliakspeare, as applied to snakes, is
altogether incorrect : the tongue has noth
ing to do with the infliction of it jury. Ser
pents bie, and .tjie ..difference between the
harmless and the venomous serpents is sim
ply this; the mouths of the harmless snakes
and the whole tribe of boas are provided
with sharp teeth, hut no fangs; their bite
therefore is innocuous; the poisonous ser
pents, on the other hand, have two poison
fangs attached to the upper jaw, which lie
flat upon the roof of the mouth when not
in use, and are cancealed by a fold in the
skin. In such fang is a tube which opens
near the point of the tooth by a fissure;
when the creature is irritated the fangs are
at once erected. The poison bar is placed
his prey than usual, and in consequence of
(he difficulty presented by the awkward po
sition cflhe rabbit, the dilation and secre
tion of lubricating mucus were excessive.
The serpent first got the fore-legs into his
mouth ; he then coiled himself round the
rabbit, and appeared to draw out the dead
body through the folds ; he then began t6
dila e his jaws, and folding the rabbit firmly
in a coil, as a point of resistance, appeared
to exercise nt intervals the whole ot his an
terior muscles in protruding his stretched
jaws and lubrirating mouth and' throat, at
first against and soon after gradually upon
and over his prey. When the prey was
completely engulfed, the serpent lay for
a few moments with his dislocated jaws
still dropping with the mucus, which had
lubricated the parts, and at this time he
looked quite sufficiently disgusting. He
then stretched out his nck, and at the same
moment the muscles seemed to push the
prey further downward. After a few ef
forts to replace the parts, the jaws appeared
much the same as they did previous to the
monstrous repast."
. To Jenny LiiitL Huah! Huah!
ur FARtC BKNJAMI.SE.
1 heard yon sing, oh Northern bird, , ,
The Smith's nrtiriic rlca in.
And fancied thai the Heaven of sound
Fell in melodious rain
t listened till the raptured sense
To wild iimazement trrew,
Wnnderiua if iimhtineale indeed
Could sing its nweet u joui .
But when yon sans your native song, e
I heard Ihe Hushing rills,
And loll the bracing wind that blow
Among your Swedish hills :
1 sate 110 more in Tripler Hall,
Hut up among Ihe rocks,
And saw the heaidsmen ns they cried,
Responsive, to llw;ir flocks.
And "huah ! huah !" to my ear
By distance made mine sweet,
Came echoed back until the sounds
Wero fjurjjling at my feet,
And I so said, 11 happy land
The land of Swede must be,
When every (isle that wafts her clouds
Is full of'melody.
Your sinking ceased, oh Northern bird !
Yet still the IK-arilsiiiuM's call
Went floating round the frescoed forms
Thai bend o'er Tripler Hall,
Muthiiiijiht, how wonder jjioms to hear.
' Italia' strains of Art !
Lint Nature's simple music speaks
. A language lo thu heart!
AVu- York, Nop. 6ti, 1850.
and taking the adze, and forcing open his beneath the muscles which act on the lower
mouth, 1 break oil .the langs with it, care- j jaw, so mat wnen tne tanrs are strut h imo
fully removing every portion, and espe-! the victim the poison is ejected with much
cial'ly squeezing out" all the poison" and j force to the very bottom of the wound,
blood, which I wipe away as long as it But how do boa-constrictors swallow
continues to flow ; when this is done the j goats and antelopes, and other large ani
6iiake is harmless and ready. for use. .... I mals, whole? The process is very simple;
n n tlw, nrHinarv ine-ir!-!-. or' nnlv ! 'be lower jaw i? not united to the upper,
the hereditary snake charmers catch the I bt 't j hng to a long stalk-shaped b me,
. 1 ra 1 on which it is moveable: and the bone is
A. We are the only persons who dare 1 only attached to the skull by ligaments, sus-
i rtrK tlw.m nnd vh.m the ino-o-lnrs 'want I ceptible of pxtraoidinarv extension. 1
..,.;. th- rnn in ' n fnr tSmnT with'thiii i process by which these serpents take and
adze (pointing to' the hammer) I have swallow tlieir prey has been so grapnica.,y
...rt,l on,l t.-iL-nn nut the fanos of many i described in the second volume ol the M
O J 1 I t I I... -1.1.. ni..Hni:.i
l.. .wj! 1 . . : ,:.'! 1 logical journal, uv 11011 ver v nun- nuiui ,1. ii
(t. Do you use an v other Bnakes besides ;antl sraceiui writer, v. j. j;rouerip, .q.,
the cobras lor your exhibition 1- . i -. t"at we snail transcribe 11, oe.ng
n U 1 C .w. ,v ...... 4 n.1nH ,1 ..nnn.iUnlmnu in
- il I . 1 M, r at, 1.. amv iumii irr-uiitMii uLinai iiviiiuusiiaiiwuo n
A. Io; because the cobra' is the only , J A ,.,r0 .
ORMTIIOLOOICAL.
Although birds in general do tint sufTer
colds in their heads, yet the, smaller varie
ties are liable to hawk, and the domestic
fowl to spit. '
Birds have no expresses, nor are there any
engaged in thu transportation business, ex
cent buzzards and crows, who are ull iu ihe
carrion line.
Every crow that is a raven should be inv
mediately shut up in the lunatic assylum.
Judges who own u rookery) have frequent
opportunities to hear caws.
Tho throat of birds are very small ; hawks
nevertheless, often take quite large swallows.
Althouzh birds do not preach, the largest
species prey continually.
The rooster is tho chorister and practises
ihe chromatic t-eale every morning.
Hens and chickens should never be allow
ed to amuse themselves, as It always results
in fowl play.
Although no man in the present day would
think of sending a gooso in reply to a note.
yet among thu old Romans the bird was an
uuser.
REMARKABLE CASE OF SLHSISll 1U WITH
.... . . . OL'T FOOD. . ,
The singular h sto.y of CicHy de Ridge
way, found in records of Towrr of Londoi
occurred in the reign of Edward III. She was
condemned for tho murder of ber liuband.
She remained forty days without food or drink,
The king granted a pardon h. r abstinence
was consideied miraculous. 1
The Cambridgeshire farmer's wife was
buried under tho snow for ten or twelve days,
during which time she swallowed nothing ex
cept a little snow which covered her. .
In medical essays for 1720, the case of a
young tjirl is recorded, who, in consequence
of the sudden death of an indulgent fnther,
fell into a stale of tetanus, could not swallow
food or drink for thirty-four days, and subse
quently for a period of fifty-four days yet
she had not lost much flesh.
llildamns, Mailer, and other physiologists,
have collected a great number of similar cases,
though Ihe abstinence was often of longer
duration, some of them extended to sixteen
years. But their case was so loosely written
and attested, that we cannot place much reli
ance on them.
The different volumes of the Philosophical
Transactions contain numerous cases of the
same character, apparently drawn up with
scniphulous accuracy, and supported by the
best kind of evidence. We there read of
four men who were suddenly buried by an ex
cavation of earth under which they were em
ployed. Tho enrth covered thum in a man
ner wliich left them free to move about for
some little distance. They had free access to
a spring of water, and were not extricated for
twenty-one days, during which time they
tasted nothing but water. They all lived.
The same journal records the case of a
young man wflo drank very freely of cold
water when in a violent perspiration, and was
thereby thrown into an inflammatory fever
from which he with difficulty recovered.
But the fever left him with a dislike for food
of all kinds. At the time the account of this
case was drawn up by his physician, it is sta
ted that he had not tasted anything but water
for eighteen years. Several persons who saw
the young man, suspected imposition. To
test tho correctness of their suspicions, it was
agreed that he should be confined closely for
twenty days, having access only to water.-
At the expiration of the time no change was
manifested in his appearance which it issaid,
was uniformly good.
In most of Iheue cases it appears that water
was used ; but Hildrnus mentions a case where
boih solids and liquids were abstained from
for 1(J years.
But one of the most singular, and at the
confess much ignorance on the subject. We
know that certain animals will, live a long
time without food. We
have been found
know that toads
imnncted. anil nlirp. in
sol.d blocks of crystnlized marble, that must
have been a century or more in forming, and
were Ihey could have had nothing more in the
shape of nourishment than a little moisture. ,
In most of the cases that we have alluded
to, where persons have lived a long time with
out food, they partook of water. It is possi
ble that from disease or some other cause,
the system may be changed so that it can
live without any of that food which seems
absolutely necessaiy to sustain it when in
healih. Besides, water contains two of the
four chief elementary substances which con
stitute all animal bodies. Oxygen, nitrogen,
hydrogen, and carbon are the follr elemental
ry or simple substances which constitute nine
tenths of our bodies, and one"-carbon is a
solid body. Water is composed of oxygen
and hydrodgen. The atmosphere is com'po
sed of oxygen and nitrogen.
So, it will beseen that a person Who freely
breathes a pure atmosphere, and drinks freely
water, takes into his system at least three
tlie chief elementary ingredients which com'
pose hi body. True, the weight and solid
contents of the body are chiefly derived from
carbon, and pure air and pure water contain
none of it as we can ascertain, Though the
air we breathe, and the water We drink, of
Ifn contain myiiads of animalcules which
may furnish at least some caibou to the sys
tem. -
How far, then, our systems may be iiuppli'
ed from these two sources, With a sufficiency
of carbon for sustaining life, may be cdnjeo'
lured if not positively known. How far. also.
that the vital principle in our bodies may be
suspended, so that we require no food to sus;
tain life, must bn left wiitmnt ,.
knowledge on the subject. Air and water
may certainly contain a sufficient nourish
ment to sustain animal life for a long petiod 1
especially in Constitutions singularly affected'
by disease.
same time the besytiithenticaled cases on re
cord, is that of Jane M l.eod, published in Ihe
Philosophical Transactions by Dr. Mackenzie.
She was 33 years old at the time the case
was recorded, and had had epilepsy and teta
nic affections for the 18 preceding years.
The power of speech and swallowing was lost)
and w ith it all desire to eat or drink. She
was confined to her bed, slept much, passed
nothing from her system, except some blood
from her nostrils, which seemed to come from
the lungs She had occasional periodsof relax
ation, when the muscles employed in swallow
ing would be disposed to act, On a few of
these occasions, and after seveial intervening
months of abstinence, she would bu prevailed
upon to swallow a few crumbs of bread, soak
ed in water, in the hollow of her hand. With
these few exceptions, and even those casesi
most of what she swallowed was immediately
ejected. - She lived many years without food
or drink. She lay motionless most of the
time, thought she lost none of her freshness
Although lame pigeons have nothing of or coontinunce she" had a regfilar but feeble
one that will fight well. Th cobra is al
ways ready to give battle, but the other
rabbit was introduced into the cage of a
... r ... ..1'1 . 1. .
: .' , . ... , ,. . constrictor. 01 sreai size ne amine
snakes are s uggish, on y bite, and can't be , , h ,. , , .
,i. a,r , j 1 , ,,,le ,1,.,- nn.i mni inn i-o a mnment.-
taught for .our exhibitions.. - ; , ,
Q. What do the Arabs do if they tiap- , e ... ....... , '
. ... 1 I . IUI Ul If M Ul "lilirti 111 mr oiiiiiii
pen to he bitten by a poisonous snake 1 twinkling in his depressed bead.
A. lh-y imnien.ate.y tie a con. tig , ,"to ,ake n()tice of
round'the arm above the wound and cut
out the bitten part as soon as possible
some burn it; the-y then ' squeeze the arm
downward, so as to press out the poison ;
but they don't suck it, because it is bad for
the mouth ; however, in spite of this, they
sometimes die. . 1 .
Q,
could be exhibited without the farlgs being
removed t ; t I
. him, but presently began to walk the cage,
I The snake suddenly, but almost imperccpti-
; bly, turned his head according to the rab-
' hit's movements, as if to keep the object
j within the1 rane of his -eye. At length,
: the rabbit, totally unconscious of his situa-
1 r.i. -i 1 Tiid
Do von think it possible that cobras ,' . . . . . .., ,. , . -v.. ...
xji u.i 1 .mi Ira i Utliu1 at him nun liolitninn-. I here
was a blow a scream and instantly the
victim was locked the cpils of the ser
pent.' This was done almost too rapidly
for the eye to follow at 'tV same instant
Jbe snake .was molionlos the.next he was
one coagnries of coils around his-prey. He
llio mHI.it rnniid the neck, inst tinder
Such were the particular given us by a J ,,, w ' anj was evidently exerting the
the India rubber kind in llieir formation, yet
jl.ey are notoriously gutter perchers.
The business hours of birds differ from our
own, their uoie being mostly given out be
fore 10 A. M. Spirit the Times.
How it is to bb Done. An Irishman who
was very near siahleJ, about to light a dneh
insisted that he should stand six paces nearer
to his antagonist than thu other did to him,
and that they were both to liio at the same
timo ! This beats Sheridan's telling a fat
man who was going to fight a thin one that
the lal tor's slim figure ou"ht to be chalked
un tho other's portly person, and if the bul
let hit him oulido the chalk lino it was to go
lor nothing.
. A. . Certainly not, for the least scratch
of their deadly teeth,, would cause instant
death and there i not a .day that, we exhi
bit that we are not bitten, and. no skill ia
the world would prevent it, . . ,
most distinguished professor in the nit, of
snake charmjng ; and, therefore, they may
be relied on as correct ; tne matter 01 tact
way in which be acted, as well as related
the snake catching,' bore the impress of
troth, and there certainly would appear to
be far less mystery about the cralt than has
generally been supposed. -i 1 1
THE REPTILE HOUSES. ' ;
The reptile-house is fitted up with much
attention to security and elegance of de
sign,' arranged along the left side are roomy
cages .parnted io' imltat1 mahogany and
fronted with plate 'glass-'They are Verrt
lated by perforated plates of tine above,
and warmed by hot water1 pip below, .
The bottoms of the cages are strewed with
sand, Bnd Irt'those- which contain the1 lar
eer serpents, strong branches of tree are
fixed. The advantage of the plate glass
fronts, is obvious, lor every movement of
strongest pressure round the throat of the
quadruped, thereby preventing the expan
sion of the chest, and at the same tune de
priving the anterior extremities of motion.
The rabbit never cried after the first sei
zure;' h lav with his hind-leg 'stretched
out. still breathini- with difficulty, as could
be seen by the motion of his flanks. Pre.
seotly he.madje ory? desperate struggle wi.th
his hind legs, but the spake cautiously ap
plied another coil with such dexterity as
completely to manacle the lower extremi
tiesand in about eight minutes the rabbit
was huite dead. He then very gradually
and carefully uncoiled himself and finding
that' bis , victim' moved not,' opened bis
month, let fab his hold, and put his head op
posite the forepart of the rabbit. The boaj
penerally, I observed, begin at the head;
but in this instance, the serpent having be
trun with tho legs, was longer in gorging
Many of those who carry iha sign of scrub-
binybrusli on their upper lip labor under an
insane vanity. They imagine themselves so
ooJ-louking that the girls will kiss tbem uti
le tiiey wear their hairy safe-guard
We saw a chap with a shirt collar yesler.
day. at least five inches high. His hat and
the upper edge of said collar wore in affec
tionate proximity, wlulo his ears enjoyed Ihe
shade of the linen. The wearer himself of
course, carried a high head of steam
Ky iwture'i walk., .Ii f-'")' 8'e"
Ajul i-uU-U tt-.o maimer., living a tlu-j rivr
.. An Ohio paper stales that a Mr. Porter, ii)
that State, has married a lady by the name
of Botilo. The editor says that it is not only a
good match, but it prove that there are more
ways than one lo toMM porter.
Uom in Tim United States. The value
of iron produced in I ho United Slate in 1849)
84i2,oqo,oot... , , ... tl. N.r..
Expressing Families. The United
States and California Express Company has
been established, to take to the gold region
the families of those residing there. The
pulse, and a fulness of muscular develope-
inent. ;
Doctor Mackenzie visited her for about
nine years, at the end of which timo she had
slightly improved. Before Ihe history of thi
case was sent to tho Royal Society, it was
read to the parents of the patient and certifi
ed to by the minister of the parish, all of
whom were persons noted for their excelled
cy of character ; also, by several persons, iu
eluding the sheiilf and justice of the peace o
the place.
We have not mentioned the case of Ann
Moore, who was called the "fasting woman
ofTutbury." There w as no doubt of deception
or imposition in ibis case, ll w as ascertained
that bo- daughtei conveyed a little tea and
water to her occasionally, although she pre
tended neither to eat nor diink. Her object
was to obtain contributions from visiters.
Yet Ihe committee who investegated her case
reported that the detection of the frand left
the case utmost as remarkable as before.'
They watched her for ten day, and she took
neither foot! nor drinks; but at the end of (hat
time her daughter slated that her mother
bad drank either - tea or water at inter-
valla of about ten days ; so that Ihe imposture
was proven, though the committee assert that
Ann Moore could endure privation longer
than it wuuKl be supposed compatible with
life.
A great multitude of hypnlhesesfonjeclures,
and opinions have been offered in explana
tion of those' wonderful phenomena or anoma
lies. The medical world ha never given any
satisfactory explanation of them. Suppose
we try to give one. If it be incorrect it wi
do no barm. Il willbeobseived that in most
of these cases, if not in all, the patients were
persons whqse nervou orginizatioua were
deranged; iney were epuepuo or leianio pa.
tiehls. Disease had made inroad or changes
In their "Constitutions. We know so little of
the law which' govern the nervous system
so little, in fact, of the cause of animal life,
The Philadelphia Bulletin states that the
munificent sum of over 8400,000 has recently
been paid to the following persons and insti
tutions by Mrs Elia Kohne, whose deceased
husband bequeathed the sums in question
leaving to his widow the discretion of paying
the bequests dtiring her life time:
ohn C. Lang 200 00
William Hazard, May 26 240 00
Theological Seminary,(Episcopal) 100,000 00
Missionary Society, do 10,000 00
Advancement of Christianity in
houtli Carolina, 5,000 00
Ladies' Benevolent Society in
South Carolina, 5,000 00
Shirras Dispensary in Charleston, . 10,000 00
Uishops ttind in South Carolina. 5.000 00
Female Benevolent Society of St.
James Church,
Philadelphia Dispensary,
Female Association,
Orphan's House of Philadelphia,
maul (school ot do.
Charleston Domestic Missionary
society,
Mariner's Church in Charleston,
House of Refuge in Pennsylvania, 100,000 0'J
Advancement ol Christianity in
1 ennsylvania,
Pennsylvania fustitution for the
Deaf and Dumb,
Bishops Fund in Pennsylvania.
Sunday School Union,
r.Ii.a holme,
Annuities paid off to John C
Lang,
" " William Hazard,
" " Susan Inglis,
3,000 00
10,000 00
5,000 00
60,000 00
5.000 00
10,000 00
5,000 00
5,000 00
20.000 80
5,000 00
20,000 00
100,000 00
3,39 60
2,217 6(7
2,600 00
$401,649 29
A learned coi NSELi.oB, in the middle of
an affecting appeal in a court on a slander
suit, let off the toflowins fli"ht of
Slander, gentlemen, like a boa constrictor of
gigantic size and immeasurable proportions.
wraps coil after coil of its unweildly body
about its uuforuiiate victim, and heedless of
the shrieks of agony that come from the' in
most depth of its victim's soul, loud and re
veiberating as the mighty thunder that rolls
in the heavens, it finally breaks its unlucky
neck upon the iron wheels of public opinion,
forcing him first to desperation, then to mad
ness, and finally crushing him in the jaws of
mortal death. Wifl the counsel for the plain-
tiff oblige me with his tobacco box T"
CorrEB Coming. Xeaily thirteen thousand
fcags of Rio coffee were received on Ihe 26th;
ult. al New Orleans, by the arrival of four ve-'
cls from that port. This is a larger num'
ber of arrivals from that quarter than we
know to have occurred on any one day. ' '
Piss is the CoRNr.a. A bale' of cotton,
recently sent from Liverpool to the Aberdeen
Railway, was found, on bemg opened, lo con
tain a five cat, which, from her emaciated
appearance, was judged to have mad (be
passage across the Atlantic in that manner..
She mol have lived like a bear by sucking
her pates.- "' ' " " ' J
Tea and Covrea la 1846 'ji,
16,891,020 pounds of tea, an 'j I51,336,054y
pound of oolTee brought luto, the Uuilad.
States.
Tne P"pyty belonj-ing to the city of Cin--
company was established at Sao Francisco. 1 (Jut it would be presumptuous in us not lo ciuuati amounts to about 51,500,000,,
) N
ife, j
Thi members of the Grand Lodge of Free
Mason at Georgia, recently iu session at Ma,
con, weie earnest ad vocates of the Union