The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-08 00:00:00

ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

At a meeting of this Society, holden at their
house in Bruton-street, on Thursday last, the Dean
of CARLISLE in the Chair,
_._

Several new members were elected.. The monthly
Report of the Council was read by Mr. Vigors, and
showed that the Council had, in accordance with
a late Resolution of the society, appointed Mr. Rees
es Assistant Secretary, with a salary of 2501. for the
first year, and 300/. for the succeeding years. The
Council further reported that they had, by the sale
of 2,0001. Three per Cents,, been enabled to pay off
all the debts owing by the Institution up to the end
of the past year, and a considerable portion of those
incurred during the present year.
Mr. ROBERT GORDON, M.P. said that- nothing
could be more satisfactory thaw the• arrangements
which had been submitted to them by the Council.
There was a point which he looked upon with con-
siderable distrust and fear ;—that was, the Society's
farm at Kingston. He did not know on what
grounds that establishment had been formed, but he
was certainly fearful that it would, in time, lead
the Society into difficulties of a similar nature to

those now involving the Horticultural Society.
Lord AUCKLAND said that the Council had made
such arrangements with regard to the farm, that if
found too expensive it might be relinquished. The
Council had also computed the probable annual cost
of the whole of the Society's expenditure, which
they rated as follows :—For the museum in Bruton-
street, including the office, 1,0001.; for the farm at
Kingston, 1,0001.; and for the garden in the Re-
gent's-park, 5,000/. ; and he hoped that the Coun-
cil had not calculated beyond their income when the
Members were informed that the income of last year
amounted to nearly 14,000/.
Mr. VALENTINE DUKE asked whether it was the

intention of Mr, Sabine to resign the office which he
held in the Society ? If be did not, he for one,
though he knew nothing of Mr. Sabine's private
character, should call a public meeting of the Society,
and move the expulsion of that person from his
office, as he conceived that what he had seen of his
condUct in the public prints, with 'regard to the
Horticultural Society, rendered him unfit to fill any
office in any other Institution.
Lord AUCKLAND conceived that the language
which had been made use of was quite unwarranted.
After some routine business bad been disposed
of, the Meeting adjourned.

CHAI3ERT, THE FIRE-KING.

In pursuance of a pledge which he had given to

several medical gentlemen of the first character and
celebrity in the metropolis, M. Chabert attended at
Cox's Auction-rooms, in St. James's-street, on
Saturday afternoon, for the purpose of proving that
he had discovered an antidote to prussic acid. The
time fixed for the trial of his antidote was half-past
three o'clock, and at that hour Dr. Harrison, Dr.
Holland, Dr. Walsh, Mr. Brodie, Mr. Bransby
Cooper, Mr. Callaway, and several other surgeons
of eminence were in attendance. It had been pre-
viously arranged that Mr. Williams, the lecturer on
chymistry at the London Institution, should provide
the prussic acid, and Mr. Bransby Cooper the two
dogs to which it was to be administered. After it
was announced that the poison and the dogs were
both in the room, some discussion arose as to the
mode in which the experiment should be conducted,
and it was at last agreed that after a dose of prussic
acid had been administered to one of the dogs, and
had produced its death, an equal dose taken from the
same phial should be administered to the other dog,
to which M. Chabert should then give his antidote.
This arrangement having been made, a question arose
as to the strength of the prussic acid to be used.—
M. Chabert wished to administer his own, which
he stated to be of Scheele's strength, but an objec-
tion was raised to this, on the ground that as it had
been repeatedly exposed to the air and light, much
of its strength must, from its volatile nature, have
evaporated. Mr. Williams stated, that in the short
interval which had elapsed since the last experiments
were tried, he had found it impossible to provide
himself with any prussic acid of his own making,
but that he had brought from Plough-court a phial
of it; which had never yet been exposed to the
light, and which was concentrated to such a degree.
that one part was equal to twelve parts of the ordi-
nary strength. Mr. Williams, and the faculty in
general, were desirous that the experiment should be
tried with the latter specimen; but M. Chabert stre-
nuously resisted this arrangement, contending that
he had never undertaken to provide an antidote
against prussic acid thus highly concentrated. Some
time was wasted in settling which of these two
poisons was to be employed ; and the point
was at length decided in favour of M. Chabert,
on the ground that if such a dose of his prussic
acid were given as would produce the death
of one dog, and he could save the life of another
dog which should swallow an equal dose of
the same poison, the efficacy of his antidote would
be brought at once to a test. M. Chabert was then
called upon to declare the amount of the dose which
in his opinion would destroy the canine life. He
said that three minims and a half or four minims of
his mixture would be sufficient. Many gentlemen
expressed their doubts as to the correctness of his
assertion, and with a view of satisfying them, M.
Chabert proposed to administer that quantity to a
poor weakly (log of his own, which formed a melan-
choly contrast to the two fine and powerful animals
provided by Mr. Bransby Cooper. The proposal
was acceded to. Mr. Williams accordingly pro-
ceeded to place three minims and a half on the dog's
tongue, by means of a graduated glass tube, which
M. Chabert lent them. After its jaws had been
tightly pressed together for a few seconds, to pre-
vent any part of the poison from escaping, the dog
was left at liberty. It attempted to run away, but
it fell down before it had got many paces, as if its
legs were paralyzed. It then rolled on the ground
for some time in great agony, and made many inef-
fectual attempts to rise. After a few indistinct
moanings, it laid itself down and gasped some time
for breath, its chest and flanks heaving most violently.
At the end of three minutes, the force of the poison
seemed to have exhausted itself. The dog raised its
head from the ground, gradually regaining its legs,
and used them as soon as he was able, which was in
about four minutes and a quarter after administering
the dose, to fly from the murderous society by which
it was surrounded. It was evident, from the issue
of the experiment, that M. Chabert's prussic acid
was much weaker than he was inclined to admit,
and in consequence an opinion very unfavourable to
M. Chabert's pretensions was beginning to pervade
the room, in spite of his repeated asseverations in
broken English, that it was most extraordinary that
the dog had not been killed by the (lose which it
had swallowed. It was then proposed that one of
the dogs which Mr. Bransby Cooper had provided
should he introduced upon the platform, and should
receive a much larger dose. All present agreed to
this proposal ; and it was as strenuously urged by
the faculty, as resisted by M. Chabert, that upon this
second occasion, the prussic acid to be administered
should be provided by Mr. Williams. Indeed, some
gentlemen went so far as to state their opinion that
Mr. Williams would npt be doing justice either to
himself or to the public if he administered any
other; for it was not clear, they argued, that M.
Chabert's prussic acid was prussic acid at all.
It would be only wearying the patience of our
readers to give an account of the various hickrings
which took place upon this point. Suffice it to say,
that they terminated in Mr. Williams's consenting
to give the second dog 10 minims of M. Chabert's
mixture. M. Chabert declared that this was too
large a dose, that' it would kill the dog before it
would be possible to administer an antidote, and
that as he had never pretended to work miracles, he
would only undertake to provide an antidote forjitst
such a portion as would destroy life. To this it was
replied, that it was impossible to determine exactly
what that pOrtion was, as it would vary according to
the nervous system of different dogs, and that it was
consequently necessary to fix the dose at such an
amount as would render it probable that in all cases
death would ensue. It was also contended, that in
case the dose given was only just sufficient to de-
stroy a dog's life, it would be insufficient if any the
smallest quantity of that dose was spilled or other-
wise lost in administering it ; as, for instance, if
100 parts and one-third of another were only just
sufficient to kill, the 100 parts would be insufficient
if the one-third were taken away. To these ob-
servations it was rejoined by M. Chabert, that if so
much prussic acid were given as would make a dog
drop lifeless upon the spot, it was quite hopeless to
expect any benefit from his antidote, as no antidote
could recall an animal to life after it had once lost it.
After much time had been wasted in discussing this
point, M. ( behest consented to let 10 minims be
given, predicting with great vehemence that the
dose would kill the dog almost instantly. Again
M. Chabert was disappointed—for the dog did not
even drop instantly after taking the portion. It
staggered across the platform on to the floor, and did
not fall until sufficient time had been given to ad-
minister any antidote. For the first four minutes it
appeared to be in dreafful agonies—its limbs were
convulsed—its eyes rolled frightfully in its head, and
it occasionally uttered shrieks of pain. It then be-
came quiet, and M. Chabert persisted that it was
dead ; but the indistinct moaning which proceeded
from it almost at the very moment at which M.
Chabert was speaking, proved him to be mistaken.
Immediately afterwirds Mr. Bransby] Cooper and
Mr. Callaway felt the pulsation of its heart, and both
of them declared that they had little doubt that if
ammonia were applied to it, the dog would recover.
M. Chabert expressed a different opinion, and as-
serted that the dog was even then on the point of
instant death. Here again, he was wrong ; for it
was not till the end of ten minutes from the time of
giving the poison that the pulsation of its heart
ceased, and the dog was declared to be unquestion-
ably dead. One point was now established in the
progress of the experiment, and that was that ten
minims of M. Chabert's prussic acid would produce
the death of a dog; but there was, and is still room
for doubt, whether they would produce the death of i
any, or rather of every dog. A second dog, and a
nobler animal could scarcely be found, was then pro-'
duced ; arid as Mr. Williams measured out his ten ,
minims of prussic acid, M. Chabert Caine forward
with a cup, which contained his antidote, The dog's
jaws were opened—the poison was placed upon his
tongue—and almost before the eye could be aware
of:its M. Chelsea de had Isis antidote into its mouth,

and as many were inclined to suspect, dashed the
poison out of it, at the same time the dog was then
set free, and though he appeared frightened, did not
exhibit any symptoms by which it could be supposed
that the poison had affected its nervous system. M.
Chabert contendeds.that his antidote had been corn
pletely successful, but was met with a disdainful
laugh, as he looked proudly round to claim the ap-
plause of the spectators. He was told that the joggle
was too evident to puss for any thing else than 11
juggle ; that he had efther washed the poison out
of, or decomposed the poison in, the dog's mouth ;
and that if he wished to satisfy the public that he
was in possession of the antidote which he alleged
himself to have discovered, he must wait till the
poison had seized on the dog's constitution before
he applied it. To this plea in abatement of
the merit of his antidote, M. Chabert instantly
put in a demurrer : but lie was assailed by such
an outcry that he declared it to be his opinion
that the meeting were detei.mined not to him justice
because he was a foreigner. This assertion met
with an indigent denial from several of the medical
gentlemen present. They p.rotested that they had
come to see his exhibition of that day in the most
perfect spirit of impartiality ; but they were com-
pelled to do justice to the public as well as to him.
Nothing, they added, could be more unsatisfactory
than the experiment by which M. Chabert asserted
that he had proved the efficacy (Ibis antidote. All
that he had hitherto done was nothing more at best
than to decompose, by some chymical process, the
prussic acid into some harmless mixture before it
entered into the system. Every tvedical gentleman
could perform that feat—the di'fficulty was to
neutralize this dangerous poison aft er it had begun
to effect the nervous system. Considerable discus-
sion took place upon this point betti.een several of
the medical gentlemen and M. Chatl)ert—and M.
Cliabert, with great tacr, endeavoured to enlist the
non-medical part of the spectators on his side, by
challenging any of the faculty, who thought so
lightly of his performance, to repeat it, it •they could.
By desire of several gentlemen present, who con-
sidered that M. Chabert was trifling with them and
with the public, Dr. Harrison, Mr. l3ransby Cooper,
and Mr. Callaway, were appointed a Committee, to
bring the question at issue to a speedy determina-
tion. Having previously fixed their plan of opera-
tions, Dr. Harrison proceeded to inform M. Chabert
that they could not pronounce any opinion in favour
of his antidote, until they had seen it tried upon a
dog, which was evidently suffering un tier the effects
of prussic acid—that every body kn ew that alkali
Neutralized that poison—that if his initidote con-
sisted of alkali, and was applied to the
,prussic acid,
as soon as the prussic acid was placed on the ani-
mal's tongue, the prussic acid was instal ttly neutra-
lind, and never entered into its constitution, and
that it had therefore been agreed that he sr,Chabert)
should not apply his antidote to the nett dog to
which prussic acid was administered until he (Dr.
Harrison) should give his intimation, by signal, that
the effects of the poison upon the dog had become
visible. As M. Chabert expressed some reluctance
to agree • to this arrangement, Dr. Harris on put
several questions to him, which it is only justice to
M. Chabert to state that he answered very candidly.
M. Chabert admitted that he decomposed the
prussic acid—that he had mingled his ant:dote
with that poison, and given it so mingled to 7ari-
one animals sithout its producing any injurious
effects upon them—that he did not conceive that his
antidote would ever be useful to society—thut
he had never applied it after the poison had entered
the constitution, but that he was of opinion, though
he could not say that he was certain, that even then
it would be an antidote. He was therefore asked
whether he had any objection to make experimen

of it upon the terms which Dr. Harrison had stated.
After some slight demur, he asserted that he had not,
and in consequence a demand was made for the pro-
duction of another deg. Unfortunately, no other
dog was to be found upon the premises. It was
therefore determined to take, as a dernier resort,
the unfortunate dog on which the bane and antidote
had been already tried—a determination which M.
Chabert considered to be very unfavourable to a

fair decision of the merits of his nostrum.

'When

the dog was brought once more upon the platform,
he seemed to have some presentiment of the trial
which he was to undergo; for several efforts were
made to get his jaws open to receive the poison, but
ineffectually. It was, however, administered at last,
and though Dr. Harrison gave the signal for. M.
Chabert to advance with his antidote as soon as he
saw the lower extremities of the dog paralyzed, M.
Chabert was impeded for a moment, very uninten-
tionally, by some of the spectators, as he was ruching
to the assistance of his four-footed patient. Hav-
ing forced his antidote into the dog's mouth, it was

at liberty to proceed where it pleased, :and M.
Chabert was told that he might do all he could for
its preservation. The symptoms of distrsis whick

. .
it at first exhibited were nearly the sameas '
those ex-
hibited by the dog which died : it lay at one tittle
almost insensible, but was revived by a quantity of
ammonia, which M. Chabert -administered' to its
nose ; by degrees its pulse grew stronger; mid as it
began to wag its tail and show symptoms of reco-
very, a burst of applause broke from the spectators,
and rewarded M. Chabert for his exertions. Still

the dog's respiration was impeded, and thoughii
was gradually getting better, and was declared, at
the end of half an hour, to be out of danger by the
medical gentleman, it had by no means regained its
high condition when we left the room. M. Chahert
paid it every attention in his power, and his lan-
guage and gesticulation, as he stood over it, encou-
raging it sometimes in French, sometimes in Eng-
lish, and sometimes in a party-coloured dialect of
both French and English, to get better, were the
only entertaining parts of his Saturday's exhibition.
After the applause which greeted the dog's recovery
had a little subsided, Sir R. WILSON, who had en-

tered the room shortly after the death of Mr.Bransby
Cooper's dog, and who appeared to take great inte-
rest in at* different experiments, moubted the plat-
form, and called upon the meeting to express their
opinion upon the experiment which they had just
seen performed. Without at all pretending to give
any opinion upon the subject as a medical question,
he would call upon the meeting to bear witness that
they had seen one dog die owing to its having taken
ten minims of prussic acid—that they had seen the
same quantity administered to another dog—that
they had seen that dog affected by the poison so ad-
ministered both in its respiration and in the paralysis
of its lower extrernities--that they had. seen M.
Chabert administer a something to that dog, and
that that dog, instead of dying, was gradually re-
turning to a state of convalescence. He had no
doubt but that this result would send medical gen-
tlemea to their laboratories in order that they might
discover the drug which M. Chabert used, and, if
possible, improve upon his valuable discovery.

Mr. BRANSBY COOPER admitted that the last ex-
periment had been very fairly performed, for the
signal on which M. Chabert was to advance to ad-
minister his antidote had been giVen, as he thought,
rather too late than too early.—(Applause.)—He
could not, however, admit that the experiment was
conclusive, for the dose was so small that the dog
might perhaps have recovered without the antidote.
He had repeatedly seen cases in which dogs had re-
covered without any antidote at all, after being
quite as much affected as this dog was.
Dr. HARRISON expressed a similar opinion to that
of Mr. B. Cooper.
Mr. WILLIAMS (not the gentleman who admini-
stered the prussic acid) said, that as Sir R. Wilson
had moved that the meeting should testify its ap-
probation of M. Chabert's conduct, he must beg leave
to say a word or two in opposition to the motion.
Sir R. WILSON denied that he had made any
motion.

Mr. WILLIAMS reminded the gallant General that
he had called upon the meeting to express an opinion
in favour of what they had seen performed that day
by M, Chabert, Now he could express no opinion
in favour of M. Chabert's conduct that day; for he
had not consented to make this last experiment which
was any thing but satisfactory in its result until he

was absolutely forced to do so. In forming hii
opinion respecting M. Chabert, he had never eon'
sidered whether he was an Englishman or a French-
man, for science knew no distinctions of country.
He spoke without any personal hostility to 144'
Chabert ; but after all the shuffling which M. Chr
bert had used in order to get his own prussic acid
administered, he felt himself bound to say, that be
looked upon M. Chabert's conduct that day as so
attempt en his part to continue his system of bam-
boozling the public.—(Great disapprobation.)
A spectator—Who is the gentleman who gives
this sweeping opinion ? Is he of the medical pro'
fession ?

Another spectator—No, he is a reporter.
A third spectator—Then I think he had better
hold his tongue, and leave those to give opinions
on M. Chabert's merits whose opinions are worth

Mr: WiLLlAsfs—l am here, not as a reporter,
but as one of the public interested in the progress
of science, and as such I have as much right as any
gentleman who hears me to give my opinion.--(Hear.)
Mr. CALLAWAY thought that as M. Chaberee
present exhibition had been quite gratuitous, the
medical gentlemen present should enter into a sub-
scription for him, in order to prevent him from being
a loser from his attention to their wishes.
M. CHABERT must decline the kind offer of Mr.
Callaway,—he would take no remuneration ; his,
object in appearing that day was to show that he
was not an impostor, as some persons had repro•
seated him.—(Cheers.)
The medical gentlemen then retired.
It is only proper to observe, that to prevent the
practice of any collusion which might lead to
change of the bottle containing the prussic acid,
the Mr. Williams, who declared his conviction that
M. Chabert was still attempting to bamboozle the
public, tied a tape, to which he had affixed his seal,
around the neck of it—arid that Mr. Williams, the
chymical lecturer, took charge of the bottle, thud
easily identified, during the whole continuance of the
experiments. .

In the course of the day, we heard M. Chabert
tell several of the medical gentlemen that he would
take 60 grains of phosphorus at his usual time in
the afternoon—that he would then go and drink
wine, &c., with them—and that he would stay with
them, or they should accompany him to every place
he went, till the next morning, in order to convince
them that he neutralized the poison by, an antidote,
and that he did not get rid of it by the stomach
pump. We did not hear that his challenge was ac-
cepted. _