The National Register.
London, England, 1811-02-24 00:00:00

TIE; NATION A L REGISTER.

124

EXTRAORDINARY CASE.

Mr. Eoz ron,—l found the following curious fact solemnly
attested in a " journal de l'Etnpire" which reached me a few
days ago. I transmit it to your interesting paper as food to gra-
tify the curiosity of your readers, and to attract the notice of the
learned and of the faculty.
" After accurate inquiries we find that the following pheno-
menon took place at Toinville, in the second arrondissement of
the Department of Meuse, about three mouths ago. A widow,
of an advanced age, and c lied Marice Razor, had for two years
bean in the habit of complaining of sickness. She felt incessant
disgust at the appearance of food, and experienced internal
spasms. 'llese symptoms were attributed to the- aneurism of
some viscera ; but it was at last discovered that they were pro-
duced by the presence of a strange body in the stomach. She
was at the termination of that period attacked with violent
and painful vomitiugs,an.l at last brought up a living reptile be-
fore a number of persons collected t 3 assist her.
" Alarmed at the appearance of this reptile, those persons pur-
enrl it in its flight and killed it. "When examined, it proved to
belong to the class of I.izards. Its body was thin and length-
ened in its shape : its telour was a light grey, striped on the
hack and yellow under the belly : it had four thin legs, each of
which was terminated by five fingers with nails. Its head was
of a triangular form, rather flattened towards the mouth. Its
tail was short and its extremity tiliform. When it was crushed
something like pus came out of it. This is the most correct
description we have been able to obtain, a., mate of the witnesses
were careful enough to preserve the Lizard, or attentive obser-
vers enough to be able to state exactly what preceded or followed
this so-ange expectoration. Marie Ragot dit d at the end of
October last, without its being ascertained whether her death
was occasioned by the abode the reptile made in her stomach.—
" This lizard, according to the description we Lave just given,
appears to he the grey wall lizard. It is presumed that it found
its way into Maria Ragot's inside whilst she slept with her
uzouth open.".

I have the honour to be,

Yours, &c.

MEDIC US.

THE DUKE OF ALBUQUERQUE.
On Monday night, Februayy 18, at half past eleven o'clock,
at his apartments at Paddington, the Duke of Albuquerque,
Ambassador Extraordinary from Ferdinand VII. to his Britan-
nic Majesty, died, after a short illness. The Duke had passed
his life in military service: he was distinguished in the late war
between Spain and France ; and during the present, he had not
for an instant quitted the service of his country. Being with the
Spanish forces in Holstein at the time of the first rising of his
countrymen against Bonaparte, he immediately left that army,
and, travelling through the whole of France, with great personal
hazard, joined the armies of the Patriots. He was present, and
distinguished himself, in all the principal battles that have beer.
fought since t4t period; and had the singular good fortune ne-
ver to have sustained a defeat, when he had the power to direct
his own operations. Cadiz was preserved by a rapid and skilful
march, which he conducted in January, 1810. It was some
consolation to the Duke, who added to all the qualities of a good
officer, the purest and most ardent affection for his country, Ito
have received, in his latter moments, the approbation of the
Cortes, who owe -to him the seat of their deliberations.—His
disorder wa.; a derangement of the most violent kind. He was
seized with it on the Friday previous, and never had a lucid In-
terval from that day. His usual residence was at the Clarendon
Hotel ; and on the first appearance of the disorder, he is said to
have beat his own servants severely. This naturally excited as-
tonishment, fur his temper was usually calm and mild, and he
had ever been one of the kindest and mo t indulgent masters.
He then burst forth into a strain of invective against Bonaparte,
su loud that he might be beard in the street ; " Moriar Napo-
leon" was his constant cry from the moment of his attack al-
most to that of his death. Medical aid was called in, and he
was removed to Paddington, where his paroxysms were so vio-
lent, that it was with ditlicultyi he could be kept in bed. On
Monday night, after a restless day, during which he bad scarce-
ly ever Ceased to cry out " Moriar Napoleon," he dropt into a
short sleep, and a message was dispatched to Admiral Apodaca
with the intehigence. It was thought his disorder would assume
a quieter aspect—vain hope ! at half past eleven he awoke in a
v orient paroxysm, and almost immediately expired.—The Duke
of Albuquerque will he lamented by Spain, as an :ardent patriot
and a gallant soldier ; by England, as a firm friend and ally; and
by mankind, as an honest man.

MI SC ELLA.NIES.
•
We may hourly expect intelligence of the fall of Batavia. A
division of Admiral DRURY'S squadron has been some time
blockading it ; and the ulterior object which our troops at the
Isle of France had in view, alluded to in General AIiERCROM•
B 's dispatch, was the capture of Batavia.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, since the departure of Mr.
A. Goldsmid, has, it is said, determined to get through the pre-
sent year, if poesible, without a loan. For this purpose twenty
millie;:s of Exchequer Bills arc to be issued, in order to be fund-
ed in due season.

Air. Sadler, the celebrated aeronaut, has prepared a balloon,
which is nearly tini bed, larger than any that has been made, its
contents being 33,51 u cubic feet, for the arduous uarertalaing of
cruising St. George's Channel, for Dublin. He.wrill previously
asccrid from Loudon in the balloon which he -used at Bristol and
Oxford.

A subscription has been commenced with considerable .suc,
cess to defray the expences of erecting a Roman Catholic Cha-
pel, near C helsea Hospital, for the accommodation of such of
the invalids as are of that persuasion. The amount of the ex-
pence is estimated at 2,0001.
Tile new Comedy in rehearsal at the Lyceum is from the ele-
gant pen of Miss Chambers, the fair authoress of The School
jOr Friends, which was brought out at Old Drury, and so sue-
cei,folly revived at the above Theatre on Tuesday last.
The can-.e of so much disturbance in Ireland between the par-
ties called i':ararnts and Shanarests originated in a fight about a
dray•jede. They received that appellation, it appeared, in a late
trial in Ireland, in consequence of a man beiag hanged, who
was prosecuted by a Shanavest, on which occasion an enemy of
the delinquent said be would not leave the place of execution
before be saw the Caravat, meaning the rope about the fellow's
neck. The two parties have since entertained the greatest iv:is-
tility against each other, and are engaged in perpetual broils. The
Shahan: s arc so denominated because they wore old waistcoats.
• According to the last-accounts from Portugal, Junot was not
dead, as reported, nor had his wound been of a dangerous na-
ture. It was merely a flesh wound in the neck. -.
Henry Johnson is bringing out Blue Beard, .at-his D lin
Theatre, in the same style and splendour as at Covent Gar en,
with real horses introduced ill the Grand Procession, gat es.
atc. ice.

.R

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