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the Dutch, Beef aal, in French Anguille de bœuf, i. e. Beef-eel: It is four feet in length, and nearly about the thickness of a man's arm; and it is found particularly in places where there are rocks.

M. Richer fpeaks, in the account of his voyage to Cayenne, of a fifh that feems quite like this in bignefs and its effects: He fays that when it is touched with the finger, or even with a tick, it fo benumbs the arm, and the part of the body neareft to it, that one remains for a quarter of an hour without being able to ftir it; that himself had felt this effect; and he adds, that the fishermen fay, that by ftriking other fishes with its tail, it fets them afleep: This is not unlike what M. Mufchenbrock relates of the gymnotus, but it is much less extraordinary.

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fo that the obfervation of whatever does not agree therewith is only attended to, far from finding a reafon to bring things to a clofer examination, and to return to the firft impreffions received.

The feveral bones difcovered near Aix, and which at firft fight have been held to be human bones, confirm what we fay, and prove, how much, on comparing one body with another, it is neceffary to know perfectly what is most proper to characterize them.

Springs of mineral waters are very near the place which these bones were taken out of; several chains of mountains separate it from the fea, which is five leagues diftant from it. A rock, which is there level with the furface of the

ground, was fapped by gun-powder; it formed a very hard mafs, and no ftrata were obfervable in it; the part of this rock which lay buried in the earth to a certain depth, was covered with a bed of clay, over which was vegetable earth: the interior of the rock was of the nature of the hardest marble, and mingled with jafpered and tranfparent veins. It was after penetrating into it five feet in depth, that a great quantity of bones were difcovered to be lodged in it: They were held as having belonged to different parts of the human body; jaw-bones, teeth, arm and thigh bones, all were confidered as fuch: they had not, in appearance, changed their nature; their cavity was filled with a chryftalline fubftance, or a ftony matter like to that which inclofed them.

At the depth of four feet and a half, were discovered bodies of a pretty regular figure, and refembling human heads; the occiputs

of

of fome of them have been preferved they were incruftated in the ftone, and their internal part was full of it: the face of one of thofe heads was preferved without alteration; it is in the natural proportions; the eyes, the nofe well formed, though flatted, the cheeks, the mouth, the chin, are therein diftinguished, and the mufcles of the whole very well articulated this head is of the fame fubftance with the tone it was taken out of.

In the fame place was found a great number of pointed teeth, whofe analogies are unkown; one in particular was remarked which was round, much bent, and sharp as that of fishes; it was not entire, but it was judged from its remains that its length might have been three inches; its enamel was of the finest polifh: fome other teeth were alfo difcovered, which were of a greater or fmaller dimenfion than that here mentioned, and whofe interior fubftance bore a great likeness to that of the teeth of fishes.

There was likewife obferved, on the furface of a fragment of the ftone, a kind of fquare horn, fome. what bent, and laid horizontally; it was covered with a fubftance refembling that of harts' horns; the remains of it is three inches in length; and three longitudinal canals make it fufpected that it be longed to fome fish.

The quarry, out of which thefe bones were taken, is fituated on a rifing ground, where neither fprings, nor rivulets, nor waters, are feen to filtrate into it: and though, in digging into the earth about, feveral broken bricks and the remains of houses are found,

yet none of thofe veftiges are perceived in the quarry itself; which gives room to prefume that it was never opened by the firft Romans who eftablished themselves in the environs of Aix ; and those bones are of a date greatly anterior to them.

M. Guettard, among fome other of our academicians, is not dif pofed to believe that the greater part of those bones have the origin that is attributed to them; and that the heads, efpecially, have belonged to human bodies. How, indeed, can it be conceived, that the flesh and mufcles of thofe heads have been preferved in fuch perfection that a mask of stone should mould itfelf over them with regu larity, and catch exactly the delicate features of the face? A ftony juice fhould, in confequence of this idea, have bedewed those wellformed masks, and, after being indurated thereon, fhould have given in relief the figure of the heads on which the mafks had been at firft moulded. Befides, it is feen, by the account, that the quarry is formed of ruins; that all things are there heaped upon one another without order; and that the fediments of ftony matter being performed by fucceffion, it fhould be like wife fuppofed, that thofe heads were preferved without alteration during a confiderable time, to ferve as a nucleus to the matter which had enclosed them. M. Guettard's opinion, in refufing to hold as human bones thofe of the quarry of Aix, feems alfo the better grounded, from the difcovering of feveral teeth of feafishes; it being very probable, that whatever has been taken for human heads is only the produce of a ftony

a ftony fubftance, which had taken its regular form from fome heads of fishes. Teeth like thofe of the environs of Aix have been found at Dax; and they were ftill fixed in a jaw-bone which is preferved in M. de Reauinur's cabinet of natural hiftory, and which could belong only to fome large fea-fish. M. Guettard has befides obferv. ed, that the ftones mixed with the bones of the quarry of Aix are filled with gravel and roundish pebbles, which indicate fediments formed by the fea: the greater part alfo of the bones, which have been taken for arms and legs, feems to be portions of the ribs of fishes.

M. Guettard does not deny but that human bones may be found inclosed in stone; but he pretends that, when this happens, the place they are in retains the marks of earth that has been stirred or worked, and fhews, by fome veftiges, that men had dwelt there. It appears, on the contrary, according to the defcription made of the quarry of Aix, that it is ftill in its primitive state, and belongs to old nature the gravel and pebbles found there are like thofe thrown up by the fea; and it is very probable, that the bones it contains have their origin from fishes; whatever relation might have been obferved between them and human bones.

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unforeseen. A lady, thirty-five years old, and of a good conftitu tion, had continual pains, with exacerbations, which feized her once regularly in eight or ten days; and lafted ten or twelve hours, with fo much violence, that he was fometimes as fenfelefs, and fometimes as mad. The feat of the pain was principally in the forehead, and in the eyes, which then became very red and fparkling. The great fits were accompanied by naufeas, and always ended by vomiting a quantity of a white, flimy, frothy, and infipid matter, and a green and very bitter water which did not come till laft. While thefe fits continued, he could take no nourishment; when they ceafed, fhe had a good appetite, and no wafte of flesh was vifible, notwithstanding the long duration of fo diftreffed a condition.

Her phyficians to no purpofe adminiftered all forts of remedies to her for three years together. Opium alone fufpended for fome hours the ordinary pains of her head, but had no effect upon the exacerbations.

One evening perceiving the ap proach of a fit, and going to bed, he had a mind firft to examine if her eyes were very red. She beheld herfelf in a little pocket lookingglafs, and the fire of a wax taper, which stood near her, catched her night-cap, which was of thick cloth. At first he did not perceive it, and the chanced to be alone. The fire burnt all her forehead, and a part of the crown of her head, before fhe could make any one come to extinguish it. Her phyfician, who was fent for, had her let blood immediately, and he treated the burn according

to

to the common method, the pain of which ceased in a few hours. But the great fit that was expected did not come; even the ordinary head-ach difappeared almoft that moment without the help of any other remedy than burning; and now, thefe four years fince this happy accident fell out, the lady has. enjoyed perfect health.

Another good effect of accidental burning appears from the following cafe: A woman, who for feveral years paft had her legs and thighs fwelled, in an extraordinary manner, and very painful, found relief in rubbing them before the fire with brandy every morning and evening. One evening the fire chanced to catch the brandy fhe had rubbed herself with, and flightly burned her. She applied fome unguent to her burn, and in the night all the water her legs and thighs were fwelled with was entirely difcharged by urine, and the fwelling did not return. It is a pity that chance does not oftener act the phyfician.

It has undoubtedly taught feveral barbarous people this fort of remedy who fuccefsfully practife it, and perhaps the more voluntarily from being more cruel, as it gives them an opportunity of fhewing their courage. M. Homberg, the French academician, who was born in the island of Java, relates, that when the Javans have a certain cholic, or a loosenefs attended with pain, which is generally mortal, they cure themfelves of it by burn

ing the foles of their feet with a hot iron. If they have a whitlow on the finger, they dip it several times into boiling water, an inftant each time; and M. Homberg himfelf, to follow in fome measure the cuftoms of his country, cured himfelf of a whitlow in this manner. We find, in the relations of travellers,feveral other diftempers, which the favages cure by burning; and without going fo far ourfelves, on feveral occafions we apply this remedy to horfes, hounds, birds of prey, &c. but it is true our delicacy does not permit us to make use of it for ourfelves, and it perhaps makes us prefer longer pains to shorter. It has not likewife fuffered our long ufe in Europe of the Chinefe moxa, or down, brought alfo by the Spaniards from America, and which cured the gout when burnt on the afflicted part. A recent inftance has appeared in, a burgher of Hamburgh, who by this remedy in feven or eight days. was freed from his fits of the gout, which before lafted two or three months, and at the fame time it made them more unfrequent.

In fhort, it may be fuppofed, with good reafon, that burning may cure three different ways; by putting the noxious humours in a great motion, which makes them turn into new channels; or by making them fluid from a ftate of vifcidity, which comes to the fame; or by deftroying a part of the ducts that conveyed them in two great abundance.

1

ANTIQUITIES.

A Letter from Edward Wortley Montague, Efq. F. R. S. to William Watfon, M. D. F. R. S. containing an account of his journey from Cairo, in Egypt, to the written mountains in the defart of Sinai. Received January the 3d. and read before the Royal Society, March 13, 1766.

T is with a good deal of diffi

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on myfelf to write to you, for, as coming now to Italy was quite unforefeen, and I am immediately going back to the eaft, I have not my journal with me, but luckily have the famous infcriptions. I am fenfible every paper I fend to the royal fociety expofes more and more my incapacity. However, as thefe infcriptions are much wanted, I cannot avoid fending them. I fhall only fpeak to fome of the points the bishop of Clogher mentions; but cannot avoid being now and then a little prolix.

I fet out from Cairo by the road known by the name of Tauriche Beni Ifrael, road of the children of Ifrael. After twenty hours travelling, at about three miles an hour, we paffed, by an opening in the mountains on our right hand, the mountains Maxattee. There are two more roads; one to the northward of this, which the Mecca pilgrims go; and one to the fouth between the mountains, but

never travelled (as it does not lead to Suez, to which it is thirty hours march from Cairo). Through this breach the children of Ifrael are faid to have entered the moun. tains, and not to have taken the moft fouthern road, which I think most probable: for those valleys, to judge by what one now fees, could not be paffable for Pharaoh's chariots. This breach, the inha

told me,

directly

a plain called Badeah, which in Arabic fignifies fomething new and extraordinary, and alfo the beginning, as the beginning of every thing is new, i. e. was not before known.

At Suez I found an opportunity of going to Tor by fea, which I gladly embraced, that, by going nearer the place at which the Ifraelites are fuppofed to have entered the gulf, and having a view from the fea, as well of that as of the oppofite fhore, I might be a little better able to form a judgment a. bout it. Befides, I was willing to have the views, bearings, and foundings, which I took, and they will appear fome time or other; but this paper would scarce be their place, if I had them with me.

When we were oppofite to Ba deah, it feemed to me (for I was not on fhore) a plain, capable of containing the Ifraelites, with a fmall elevation in the middle of it. I faw fomething too like ruins.

The

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