The Express.
London, England, 1868-09-15 00:00:00

A PHENOMENON.

In a country ramble yesterday afternoon
the Vallee de Ohevreuse—writea our Paris corr.,.
'pendant ou Sunday—l came across a curious
spectacle. When passing by a village 00h001,
carriage of peouliar oonstruotion drove up to et
door, where an expootant crowd had gathered.
strong-built woman, fashionably dressed, alight
and without further parley lifted out hero enpa.
nion, who at the first glance had struok me te
able-bodied man in the prime of life. Rot E
presently obeerved that he had neither leee,
arms, and the skirts of hie frock coat lapped ores
the arms of the lady who carried him, like
baby's mantle over the nurse's. Reopening to
know the schoolmaster, I asked him who this
phenomenon wan ; he replied, a professoror of
mathematics and arithmetio from Orleans. who
had been authorised by the council of pukka
inatruction to give Lootures in the priretry
schools during the summer months. The reheat-
master also informed me that the tenter.' wnr,
gratuitous, but that the hearers would L, ex-
peAed to buy come arithinetioal work., set s inert
each, written by the " professor," 1 at ono,
nt orcil the class-room—a low, chamber of
irregular form, with joisted enidee
walie, blackened with smoke and ri n. 4
and at the opposite extremities a plieter ere :ifir
and a bunt of Louis Napoleon. The free.
row of benches was 000upied hy ore
of bops, who wore all that het .
to school, though the oommune
villages. Some looked intelligent, but the m
lumpish. There west, a couple who were ersi e•
gentlemen's children ; the rest wore the
smock donned always in the country by
and small farmers. Behind there were ups
of 150 adults, and a stream of country •
crowed about the door. The phenomenon I. t 1
been seated on a platform behind she
master's desk, and made himself quite at 1,
He authoritatively ordered the four winder, • ,
be thrown open, and whistled at and 5c01d...! •i. •
rustics who showed any inclination to stop c ~r
him for the purpose of staring. "Be off te
seats; be off, go quickly, and don't be vex:Utz •. •
with your stupid looks." ' " I say, you peel.: ~
the door, stay in or stay out ; if you d•, een. .:•,
you must hold your tongues." " Now, ler,.
whispering, and cast your eyes down el: • •
summing begins." Ou saying this to tL.
tonislu.d children, he seized a white 1,
handkerchief in his teeth, dropped t•
the back rail of his chair, t. ••• i
round his body and rubbed his face against
lently to wipe off the profuse perspiration w!...
followed on his outbreak of ill-humour. IL• .•
dressed in black, with a white cravat, ant h
fifteen gold and silver medals attached
breast. His brain is of extraonlinary height ei 1
breadth at the base, but the diameter at the t.,t,
remarkably narrow. The face is well shaped, Fee
wan spoiled on this occasion by a wrathful ex-
pression. The development of the cheek and jaw
muscles, arising out of the necessity of making the
mouth supplement a handle‘s stump. amounts
almost to a deformity. This stump, not more the;
four inches long, grows at a curious angle out ,t
the left shoulder, and is furnished with a nieetl
crook at the end like a dwarfed first finger.
eye seemed to do the offioe of a tongue. I nere
saw one more expressive of a rapidly workine
brain, especially when the testa of aritlunetiee
capacity wore being applied by the mayor ael
schoolmaster, and a member of the astiteet
who happened to be staying en tillogiature itr
the hamlet, M. Granange—that is the
phenomenon's name—sat with his back to the black
board on which some of the before-mentionel
persons had stated the most difficult sums they
could think of in common arithmetic or algelee.
and propounded problems in trigonometry. TH,
answers were given in an amazingly. short tie, •
without any apparent aid. He multtpli..l by Is
and 36 to shorten his operations. As I.- rhea
additions, multiplications, &c. aloud. :!.. y
rapidly noted down on the blackboard. T. • :-
hibition over, a lecture was given in itrit:.:.. •
. .

The manner WWI admirable and the matt,•r
lent : but the delivery, clear, fordble,
gvereful.was marred from time t., tim

shrill whistle like that of a steam engine'.
to inipese silence upon whispering
sienally by an angry alterv:ition with th
ably dersseil lady this who. r-:
blocking up the fluor-stop liv sa!inz
At the end we were told that while

self with n sptseial capacity for tiLtitr,
turer had a method which twilitat, 4
operations, and this method was to t

little volume for 1 franc

The viiizt

might nut have so much money in th.-ir
wt-re offered credit on the security of

master.

Nobody. however. bought

tion, but francs in ready money poun••l
rapidity creditable to the thirst for ku•••,,'
the audience. I gather front th••

memoir. that Charle'; Gramlemange w

Epinal, without legs or arms, in l.s t. li -
was a poor man, and intending to rchihi•
phenomenon, would not allow hint to 1., -
school. But the child learned to r ,
write
_in secret, and at the ate• of

played an extraordinary capacity for aritinn
At a trial of his skill befon.. the Emperor and •
court at Compiilgne, several zin-mbers of
University invited to ho present admitted th.
Grundmanfce solved almost iustantaneou-ly pro-
blems which would have tak,•n them a i
hours. Before dispersing, a few ladies ‘‘
favoured with hi. Grancitutuize'i
written in their presence, in bold flowing oh,: -
ters, with his stump, aided by his mouth. r.:•
pamphlet is published at al, Ruo XIII:
Orleans.

EXTRAORDINARY CAM{ OF -
elqvctelteternnel publishes a letter from hr. •:
Academician. of which the following is the sult,t.c... I
them attic of the Meets, one of the ilisastrou, • -*
the French troopA had with the Arabs durin.;
part of the conquest of Algeria, a corporal tweed a • `
was hit ha a bullet which pas,ed clean
of the neck. fracturing a spinous apephris. P...
being in full retreat, l;autiry remained lying on ill.
and au Arabstabbed him twicewith his yet:Li:bun '`
to say, the first time the weapon went straight tb:-
wound inflicted by the bullet, it eould not ti,is
more accurately had it been intended; the se, a.
cut the extensor muscles of the right side of ta
two, almost laying bare the carotid artery.
notwithstanding these fearful:wounds. :.our !.. ..
again after the Arabs were gone. A nude.
the French army, just then hemmed to pis• dose by
Notwithstanding his loss of bloott, the corporal. ~h'
Of a herculean stature, hoisted himsen ou the mum
back, and was thus taken back to Va.. Fren..,
bolding up his head all the way with rue liaa.l.
both when ho could ! Hie comrades wore
tonished at hie condition, that they
St. Denis ; indeed, be himself said that ! L
as if his head were rolling off his body. thiudry
on a bed, and his head kept extended as much a•
the borders of the gash being repeatedly brought T.
as much impossible. With much care and nurw,
corporal at length recovered; but there remained 3
t:irisraneck sufficient to admit a finger laid ou tt 11.,'
tally ; the vertebrae had nothing but the skin • i
The scar of the second gash was deep likewise. and 3...1.. .S.,
to the carotid. His baud leaned forward, and it w,u
difficulty he could raise it a tittle ; otherwise, his 4".;
health was rod. He would bare been well satvdoi
thaongercz to of
an o
an f Honour.
and
r.buthomt uttfocolrtiavi
.
obtain such favours.
ROBBING GARDENB.—Yeaterday, at Ilitth":"..4
Police-court, a man named Clough was chanted 5,,h '
unlawful pomemion of some apples. Besides the arra."
U. 10e. in gold was found on him. It was smatter
robbing a gentleman's garden. The prisoner. 01l ee
asked what he had to stabs, replied. "Nothing." lac •
Hued, with costa, lOs., which was paid out of the wee/
tound in his possession.
NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF WORKS OF ART
AT
Liam—Return of admiminna ,—Monday, Seotomlier 14.
by season tickets, fidd ; by payment 01 15. owl; 0,00.
t•tal. 04w.