The Sun.
London, England, 1839-09-09 00:00:00

THE MANCHESTER ELECTION.

IVISITS TO DR. ELLIOTSON'S.*

From Charnbers' Edinburgh Journal)

One day lately, while residing a short time in London,
I dined at the house of a gentleman in the neighbour-
hood of Portman-square, where I happened to meet
and form the acquaintance of the celebrated Dr. El-
liotson. I had heard of this gentleman only by vague
report, and knew little further regarding him than that
' he had been zealous in the pursuit and practice of ani-
mal magnetism, for which he had incurred not a little
obloquy and professional animosity. Much as this sub-
ject has recently been discussed, I had never paid any
attention to it, and probably never should, but for the
accident of meeting this eminent magnetist, and being
gradually drawn into conversation with him. The good
humour of the professor, the vivacity of his manner,
and the truthful force of his observations when they
bore upon philosophical subjects, gave me reason to
imagine that deceit formed no part of his character ;
but at the same time I put myself on my guard, and
was resolved to be carried away by "no sort of non-
; sense." On my bringing the conversation round to the
subject with which his name was so intimately connected,
I found that he had formed no distinct code of laws or
precise theory regarding mesmerism, as he called it. He
said that the experiments he had been able to make,
were, in his opinion, highly interesting, as developing
physical and mental phenomena of no ordinary kind ;
that he felt assured there existed in nature an unseen
agent or agency, an influence, or whatever it might be
called, which flowed from one living animal to another
like a stream of electricity, although at the time the
animals were not in contact with each other ; and that
in highly irritable conditions of the bodily frame, that
agency produced certain phenomena of a most remark-
able kind ; that he did not pretend to account for or
to understand the nature of the agency ; all he insisted
upon, was, that such an agency existed, that it could be
excited into activity, and was therefore, as a truth in
nature, worthy of being examined, and to have its phe-
nomena duly recorded. "I do not wish to lead you one
way or another," he continued ; " but if you feel any
inclination to pursue the inquiry, call at my house, and
I will perform some experiments in your presence on two
patients, and you can think for yourself."
These explanations were so candid and fair, that I
at once agreed to go and see the experiments. Tuesday
next at four o'clock was appointed for my visit, and at
that time I proceeded to the Doctor's house, an elegant
mansion in Conduit-street, taking with me two gentle-
men of my acquaintance, one of them a medical man,
who had never seen any experiments in mesmerism, and
who I hoped would have all his eyes about him to make
sure that there was no trickery or collusion.
We were shown into a splendid suite of rooms, and
the doctor, his assistant, and his two patients, imme-
diately made their appearance. The two patients, as
he mentioned to me, were sisters, Elizabeth and Jane
°keys the former eighteen, and the latter sixteen years
of ague. In appearance, however, they were much
younger, being small in figure ; and I soon perceived
that their behaviour was marked by an extreme silli-
ness or infantile imbecility. They laughed, giggled,
spoke broken nonsensical language, and ran about the
room like two children at play. They could, however,
understand what was said to them, and do as they
were hidden, their imbecility not being that of ab-
solute idiots. The doctor explained to us that they
bad at one time been afflicted with epilectic fits, for
which they had been placed under medical treatment in
one of the London hospitals ; that he had cured them of
that malady by mesmerism, but that they were left in
the infantile condition in which we now saw them ; that
this condition was a mode of existence quite peculiar ;
they had no recollection of any thing,not even of who they
were ; and they had every thing to learn afresh. He
also mentioned that their afisceptibilityof mesmeric treat-
ment was now excessive ; that a single wave of the
hand could stupify them, or send them to sleep ;
and that they were further susceptible of being thown
into a state of perfect somnabulism, or waking sleep, in
which they were in a condition of existence different from
the preceding. It I understood him rightly, they are
susceptible of three conditions , first, the condition of
silliness in which I saw them ; second, the condition
of somnambulism ; and, third, that of rationality, in
which all their old recollections revive, and they re-
member nothing of what has passed while in their
other conditions. To these susceptibilities, however,
there are occasional and very remarkable exceptions,
and at all times their respective states of excitability
are different. Both are sometimes so slightly irritable
—or the force of the agency is so ineffective—that they
cannot be operated upon in the usual manner; but a
mode has been discovered of rendering them excitable.
This is done by the touch of gold or silver, the contract
being made on the palm of the hand.
)
The first experiment performed was something really
startling. I had asked for a glass of water, which
the doctor ordered Jane to bring into the room. She
had jest set down the water bottle and glass on a side
table, when Dr. Elliotson, at the distance of al,aut
twenty feet, and unseen by her, by a save of his open
band transfi:....d I.er in the attitude in which she hap-
pened to be at the moment. She seemed frozen to the
spot, and thus stood for a minute or two, with the
rigidity of a statue. In laa a minute she recovered
with a sort of shudder, and Came running back, whin-
ing as if affronted, and sat down on a chair. The
series of experiments performed on her while she was
looking at us, was equally striking, though some of
them might certainly have been the result of previous
rehearsal. A wave of a single finger, of two fingers, and
of the whole hand, had each a peculiar effect in setting
her asleep. The whole band being passed through the
air in front of her, made her, as I have said, stiff and
motionless ; her hands were clenched so firmly, that I
' could not with all my strength open them. From this
rigid state, and with her eyes shut, she was recovered
by the doctor holding the point of his hands (the two
palms pressed together) directed to her hand, a process
which seemed to relax the muscles, as if something had
passed out of his into her hands, though at the distance
of one or two inches. A little breath blown by the
mouth also appeared to transfix her, and the same thing
seemingly recovered her, the breath simply causing an
alteration of condition in either way.
The touch of gold, silver, or nickel, or friction with
any object, produces a similar effect in setting her asleep.
Gold, if held previously in the hand of the operator, has
a particularly powerful effect ; and a streak of water
with a small brush, if the water has been previously
blown upon, and had the fingers of a person in it, has
the most powerful effect of all ; so much so as to be in
some measure dangerous to the p itient. The touch of,
or fricticn with, iron, always loosens the rigidity, and
awakens the patient.
One experiment appears to me worthy of particular
description. The assistant procured a thick paste-
board, which he held to the neck, and round the face
I of the girl, so that she could not see any thing before
her. We sat down in front of her. The doctor
rubbed the palm of one of her hands with a piece of
lead the size of a pencil. He repeated the experiment
several times, but no effect was visible. At length
he rubbed the lead on a sovereign which he held in
his hand, and then applied the lead to the girl's palm ;
instantly the hand was clenched into rigidity. The
doctor now took me to the door, and said, " Tell me
how many times I shall repeat the rubbing with the
lead alone, and at what time I shall touch the gold."
I answered, " Touch the gold in your hand at the fifth
time." We returned to our seats, and the experiment
being repeated, he rubbed four times without effect ;
when, at the fifth time, having as I perceived, touched
the lead with the gold, her hand became clenched like
a vice. While these experiments were performing,
her face was so enveloped with the pasteboard, that
she saw nothing of the operations ; neither, I feel
assured, could she hear any sound from the rubbing of
the lead on the gold ; if the operator or his assistant
made any secret signal to cause her to clench her hand
nothing of the kind was apparent.
These, and most of the other experiments, were per-
formed on Jane, the younger sister. Elizabeth, the
elder of the two, a beautiful girl of a dark complexion,
with finely moulded features, and who had been amusing
herself meanwhile in running over the keys of a piano,
was now experimented upon. She possesses a degree
of mesmeric susceptibility which permits the perfor-
mance of an experiment very elegant in its nature.
PsY certain passes of the bands, and other means, she
.e.! thrown by Dr. Elliotson into the somnambulic con-
In this she stood fixed in the most graceful
attitude for several minutes, her eyes open,
.but looking
Vaguely forward, while an innocent smile played upon
lier countenance.
she thus sThe doctor spoke softly to her as
gazing in a statue-like attitude (harsh
speaking being, as be
said
displeas-
ing to her while in the 1 , hurtful and
how long she would remitranambulic state) ; he asked
replied " ten minutes." remain the way she was, and she
about the eleventh minute,
as I reckoned by my watch, she passed out of the som-
nambulic condition by falling
bytind of swoon
or sleep, and was immediately recovernedk
condition of
upon by the breath ; she awoke to her being blown
experichatting
infantile playfulness. While this experiment
formed on Elizabeth, my companions were was
per-
with Jane, and, as I afterwards learned,
his hand
upon her. My medical friend, by a pass of
cl but
when her back was turned towards him, threw her at
once into a sleep, and she would have dropped
for the timely support which was given. This extraor-
dinary susceptibility, and to all appearance the entire
absence of deception, astonished my friends not a little.
The experiments were altogether so curious, and so
unexplainable by any known laws, that I felt my mind
bewildered. I told Dr. Elliotson that I had now seen
what seemed very extraordinary, and almost magical ;
still that I was not convinced, and should like to see
something more ; however, that could scarcely be, as I
intended to leave London next day. Dr. Elliotson now
mentioned that he was 'to have a public exhibition next
day at three o'clock, and that be should be glad if I
would remain in town one day longer, and make one of
the company. I agreed to this polite proposal, and re-
turned next day accordingly.
I found on this occasion from thirty to forty ladies

•
It may be proper to state that the writer of the above
paper, and witness of the transactions described in it, is
one:o the conductors of the Journal.

and gentlemen in the room, along with Dr. Elliotson,
his assistant, and the two patients, as before. The
company being all met, a series of experiments com-
menced, similar to those which I had already witnessed,
with a few others that I had not seen. Not to
be tiresome, I shall briefly describe those that were
new to me. Jane was placed in a chair, beside which
stood on the ground three iron weights tied together,
making eighty-six pounds, which she was told to lift by
the ring of the principal weights. At first she could
not perform this feat ; but, her hand being placed on
the ring, Dr. Elliotson drew his hands upwards several
times, as if drawing something out of her hand, and,
after a certain number of these upward passes, her
hand actually lifted the eighty-six pounds off the floor,
and swung the weights round. Being relieved, she
rose up, and I among others advanced to try our
powers of lifting ; but not one of those who attempted
it could raise the weights in the sitting position.
Several gentlemen lifted them standing. The circum-
stance of a feeble girl of sixteen years of age, with one
hand, lifting or swaying off the ground a weight of
eighty-six pounds, and at the time sitting in the worst
possible attitude for performing such a feat, is of itself
a most extraordinary fact, and the cause of it altogether
baffles my comprehension.

The next thing done was the recovering of the same'
girl, Jane, from her condition of imbecility to that of
sound reason. This was a disagreeable experiment. The
doctor closely pressed her face with his hands, while
his assistant similarly pressed the back of her head.
The mode of applying the hands was peculiar. They
were placed across the face and across the back of the
head. We were told that if they were placed up and
down the face and head, the desired effect could not
be produced. The point of the patient's nose was only
visible, and left at liberty for breathing. A wave of
the hand downwards first sent her to sleep, and the
process of pressure, as I have described it, proceeded.
Once or twice she seemed to be recovering, but by an
instantaneous application of the hand longitudinally,
the sleep was continued, it being important that she
should not recover too soon, for then her irrational
condition would not be dissipated. After some minutes
were spent in this manner, the doctor said he believed
she would now certainly recover to consciousness.
She heaved sundry deep sighs, the operators took off
their hands, and she awoke to all appearance a new
creature. She seemed astonished to see such a crowd
of persons, stood up and curtseyed to the ladies, and
spoke with modest diffidence on being addressed. She
had no remembrance of any thing that had taken
place while in her former condition ; she did not know
who I was, although she had known and named me
previously, from having seen me the day before ; she
knew her sister, however, from early recollections in
her rational condition, but her sister did not know her.
After a little time, she was allowed to go out of the
apartment. At a subsequent part of the proceedings,
she was recalled, and, by a pressure of the Doctor's
thumbs on her palms, sent back into her infantile con-
dition, when she immediately began to speak and act
nonsense.

The reader will here naturally ask a question which
occurred to my own mind, and which I put to Dr.
Elliotson—if the patient can thus be restored to reason
at the will of the operator, why not allow her to remain
in that condition, and so restore her to society ? The
doctor, in answer, explained, that the infantile condition
would seem to be a state of mind most suitable for the
progressive strengthening of the physical frame, and so
permitting a cure of that nervous irritability which in
the first instance produced epileptic fits—that while in
the infantile condition she was gaining health and
strength—that, in point of fact, both girls had greatly
improved in intelligence since they came into his charge
—and that ultimately the nervous irritability would pos-
sibly be so much allayed, that a final and complete
restoration to reason might be ventured on with safety.
This, as far as I can recollect, was the substance of
Dr. Elliotson's explanations, and I gathered his meaning
so far as to comprehend that it was in reality an act of
humanity to allow the two girls to remain in the mean
time in the half-idiot condition in which I saw them. I
further learned that the doctor had cured other pa-
tients of epilepsy by mesmeric treatment, and that all
persons were less or more liable to be acted upon,
though in many cases a month's treatment (that is,
waving the hand towards them for a few minutes once
a day for a month) would be required before they could
be rendered so susceptible as to be thrown into the mag-
netic sleep.

Dr. Elliotson now proceeded to show another ex-•
periment, that of drawing the girl, Elizabeth, after
him, by the action of his hands, although at a con-
siderable distance from her. Having placed her in an
easy chair, and set her to sleep, he retreated slowly
from her backwards, his eyes looking steadily at her,
and his hands held together end pointed towards her.
As he retreated, he repeatedly drew in his hands to-
wards him, as if drawing something in the air along with
him. He thus retreated the breadth of the room and
across a lobby into another apartment, a distance of
perhaps fifty or sixty feet. As he retreated, the girl at
intervals appeared convulsed, and endeavoured to raise
herself, or to bend forward as if desirous of following
the operator, but always fell back into her position of
repose. The experiment being performed, the girl was
recovered.

This experiment did not make a deep impression on
the company, for the phenomena it exhibited could be
too easily accounted for by supposing that the girl
simulated. The next, which was the touching the
palms of Elizabeth with unaurified and afterwards
nitrified lead, was more striking and unaccountable.
Determined to prevent collusion betwixt the operator
and patient, if such existed, I solicited the office of
performer, and the Doctor being quite willing, I forth-
with began. All was expectation. Fancy the girl
reclining in an easy chair, with a thick pasteboard
held sloping upwards close round her neck, so that
she could sec nothing but the roof ; I sitting in a chair
in front of her ; the crowd of spectators behind me on
seats ; and the Doctor, by my request, placed out of
sight near the door. In the right hand I held the
stalk of lead, in the other a sovereign. I told the
girl to open her hand, and I then rubbed it with the
lead—perhaps twenty or thirty rubbings on the palm.
I told her to close her hand ; she did so. I told her
again to open her hand ; she did so. I thus rubbed
her palm thrice, and at each time caused her to close
and then open her hand. It was evident to all that
the lead had no effect. I now rubbed the lead on the
sovereign, and rubbed her palm as before. 1 then asked
her to shut her hand, and she did so. Now came the
trying moment. I asked her to open her hand, but she
could not ;it was stiff and clenched. A murmur of
surprise burst from all around. It appeared as if the
contact of the gold with the had had caused this re-
markable phenomenon ; and it was equally apparent
that there was no collusion. 1 feel satisfied that the girl
did not see what I was doing. How the aurified lead
should have had the effect it appeared to have (grant-
ng there was no deception in the case), is b eyond my
power to explain.

I next proceeied to perform the experiment of
streaking the fingers of the patient with water. Two
wine-glasses were half filled with common water from
a jug, and into each was put a camel-hair pencil.
Into the water in one glass the doctor's assistant put
two of his fingers, and also breathed several times, as
if to affect it with some kind of influence. To the
water in the other glass nothing was done. The girl
sat on the chair in a deep magnetic sleep, with her
face shielded by the pasteboard. Using the com-
mon water, I now streaked the back of the first and
third finger of her left hand, which was lying conve-
niently on her knee, and then streaked the second and
fourth with the mesmerised water. I repeated the
streakings three or four times. After an interval of
a minute, and while all anxiously looked on, the fingers
touched with mesmerised water moved and pointed
outwards, but the other fingers continued fixed as they
happened to lie. On touching both thumbs with the
mesmerised water, they shcrtly moved in the same man-
ner. The patient was now recovered by the usual
means, though with some difficulty as the mesmerised
water has, as I said, a very powerful effect.
Both before and after this experiment, I had, unper-
ceived by Jane, waved my hand behind her, and it uni-
formly and constantly fixed her into rigidity. Other
gentlemen present took similar opportunities of mag-
netising her by a pass of the hand, and always with the
same result, for the power seems to reside in any one.
I need hardly say that this bye-play caused extreme
astonishment to every one who saw it practised, and all
confessed that they could not previously have the smallest
conception of its effects. Towards the conclusion of
the proceedings, a cockatoo was brought into the room,
and when the girl rubbed it with her hand, the same
kind of stupor was produced in her person ; the lower
animals as well as mankind being agents, as I was told,
of this mysterious power.
Before my departure, I took out my watch and held
it towards her, as a person holds a watch before a child's
face to engage its attention. I asked her to kiss the
watch, and doing so she was instantly fixed in a stupor
in a bending attitude : the gold, as was explained, had
ionfgthine
hperordfauecee.d thAisgaeiffnecsht.e
hSeehaemreeefioxveedrehdybtyakminyg bhloolwd
chain ; but, on afterwards kissing the glass of the watch
she was not in any way affected. I touched the back
of her neck with the gold side of the watch, and it stu-
pitied her ; on touching her with the glass, no effect, as
before, was produced.
I now finish the account of this very strange exhibi-
tion ; it will be perhaps asked by the reader, what is
my opinion on the subject, but I profess my inability to
give one. My feelings are those of astonishment. I
citihaoontunsogonht believe that any deception was practised,
possessal-
d his nno
honour
thatr t
h. a
tth
thereere w
wasas n
no
ot . Dr.
andEl-
as he is a man of education and fortune caoblolvuesiobe-
ing a
gacted uponhatthe
by
pshnoerdorni d
phenomena
which mean
ieh I
motives,
have
I describedcan
not
ioccurred from any trick on
leave the reader to think for himsellsf panadrt. simply content,ever
myself with having given an account' of co w_
ertainly one of
the most curious " sights" of London.

Lord Brougham arrived at Brougham Hall on
Thuraday.— Carlisle Journal.

(From the Manchester Guardian.)
True it is, that Mr. Greg has been returned by a
majority which is small in comparison with those of the
Liberal Candidates on former occasions ; but, consider-
ing all the circumstances under which the election was
held, the wonder is, not that the majority for Mr. Greg
was small, but that it was not in favour of his opponent.
Those who are disposed to regard the recent election as
a proof of reaction in the public mind must remember,
that the Tories had for a candidate one of their very best
men ; whilst Mr. Greg, though he will make an excellent
Member of the House of Commons, laboured under
many and great defects as a candidate. In the first
place, we may mention his absence from England,
which the Tories turned to account with somewhat less
of honesty than dexterity ; then his religious opinions,
and his connection by marriage with the family of Mr.
Mark Philips— though no grounds of disqualification
for the representation of the borough—were calculated
to excite strong prejudices against him in the minds of
large numbers of electors ; and those prejudices were
most earnestly and dexterously appealed to by the oppo-
site party. Then, again, the dislocated condition of the
Liberal party, the strong differences of opinion which have
sprung out of some recent occurrences, tended greatly to
prevent that co-operation and unity of purpose which are
so essential to the successful working of an election
contest, by a party that has ,nothing but public spirit
and political principle to rely upon. On the other
hand, what was the position of the Tories ? They not
only had one of the ablest and most distinguished
members of the party for their candidate,—a man, too,
well-known to be far more moderate and enlightened
than the general run of Tory Statesmen ; but they
were themselves in a peculiarly favourable position for
carrying on a successful struggle. Their candidate
was on the spot—they were themselves compact and
united, full of hope and spirit—with an unlimited com-
mand of funds, and powerfully aided by the organization
and appliances to be derived from the existence of
their Borough Conservative Association, which is a
sort of standing election committee. So strongly
were they themselves impressed with these advan-
tages, that they did not scruple to declare their con-
viction that they should never again witness so favour-
able a conjunction of circumstances ; and we
have heard more than one member of the party
exclaim, " If we cannot now beat Mr. Greg, we may
finally give up the contest for the representation of
Manchester." But, notwithstanding the vigorous, and
we may say, too, the unscrupulous use which they
made of them—in spite of the aid spiritual and the aid
spirituous of the Wesleyans and the publicans—they
have been fairly beaten by the zeal and public spirit of
the voters, with no bond of union but their determina-
tion not to suffer the representation of this borough to
fall into Tory hands—with no better organization than
could be picked up on the spur of the moment—and
with almost every sort of difficulty to contend against.

SLAVERY-IN-THE UNITED
STATES.

TO THE MEMBERS 014"IsHE BRITISH ASSO—
CIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF
SCIENCE.

I observe in the report of the proceedings at a dinner
of the members of your body, on the 29th ult., at the
Town-hall, in this place, where the Marquis of Nor-
thampton presided, Andrew Stephenson, the American
Minister, was treated with distinguished honour, and
that in addressing the company he said—
" America and England were bound together by strong
and glorious ties—they were allied in blood, religion,
habits, and associations—they worshipped the same God
and in the same manner."

While according, on this occasion, to the American
Minister that attention to which you might deem his
position entitled him, you might be little disposed to
criticise too closely the equivocal congratulations con-
veyed in this sentence, or to remember that there were
" habits and associations" in slave-dealing America
which it would be the deepest insult to insinuate, ap-
plied to yourselves, I mean the American slave trade,
and slavery with which Andrew Stephenson is alike
politically add personally identified.*
We may indeed lament if the Atlantic should cease
to sever us from the "habits" of iniquity and the de-
grading " associations" which this system involves.
It would be an outrage to the feelings of Englishmen
to suppose that any ties could make them one with a
community whose moral sense is so utterly extinguished
as to insert advertisements similar to the following in
their public newspapers :
" Twenty Dollars Reward.—Ran away, a negro man,
named Harrison. It is supposed that he will make for
South Carolina in pursuit of ins WIFE, in possession of
Captain D. Bird. COLNELIITS BEAZLY."
(From the Florida Watchman, Tallahasse, May 12,
1838.—Motto, " Principle and the People.")
" 100 dollars is subscribed and will be punctually paid
by the citizens of Onslow to any person who may safely
confine in any jail in this state a certain negro man named
Alfred. The same reward will be paid if satisfactory
evidence is given of his having been KILLED ; he has one
or more scars caused by his haviir, been shut.
" The Citizens of Onslow."
" Ran away, my negro man, named Richard. A re-
ward of 25 dollars wi!l be paid for his apprehension, DEAD
or ALIVE. Satisfactory proof will only be required of his
being KILLED. He has with him, in all probability,
his wife Eliza, who ran away from Colonel Th,,rnp-
son, now a resident of Alabama, about the time he com-
menced his journey to that State.

" DURANT H. RHODES."
(From the Wilminuton (N.C.) Advertiser, June 1, 1838.

Motto, Th Be just and fear not.")
The only charge against these negroes is endeavour-
ing to obtain that liberty which they have never for-
feited, and to which they have as much right as the
American Minister himself.

I rejoice in believing that " the mighty power of
steam walking over the waters," making " neighbours of
people who had never seen each other before," so
justly the theme of Andrew Stephenson's praise, and the
result of that skill and science it is the laudable object of
your Association to promote, will bear across the Atlantic
such correct information of the horrors of the prison-
house, that the actors in these scenes ere long will be
regarded in the same light as the puMic robber, or the
midnight assassin. There is, however, a noble and
rapidly increasing number in America who claim our
aid, our sympathy, and prayers, associated in upwards
of sixteen hundred societies, making strenuous efforts
for the liberation of more than two millions five hundred
thousand of their countrymen, found by the slave owner
" Guilty of a skin
Not coloured like his own ; and havi,ig power
To enforce the wrong, for such a worthy cause
Dooms and devotes him as a lawful prey.
Chains him, and tasks him, and exacts his sweat
With stripes, that mercy, with a bleeding heart,
Weeps, when she sees inflicted on a beast."
We have happily lived to see the destruction of this
accursed system in the British dominions, and every
man of humanity would wish to lend all the legitimate
aid in his power to those who are struggling for the same
great object in other parts of the world. Are we not
bound by this consideration to show all who are im-
plicated in it, whatever station they may fill—that the
only condition upon which they can share our hospita-
lity, and receive from us the right hand of fellowship,
is to let the " oppressed go free."
I am very respectfully,
JOSEPH STURGE.
Birmingham, 9th month, 7th, 1839.

' On the Ist of August last year, at a meeting to corn.
memorate the Abolition of British Colonial Slavery, held
in the same Town Hall, Daniel O'Connell said :
" It is asserted that their very Ambassador is a slave-
breeder—one of those beings who rears and breeds up
slaves for the purpose of traffic. Is it possible that Ame-
rica would send a man who traffics in blood, and who, if
he do, wou!.', be a disgrace to human nature." This has
not been denied by the American Minister, and a letter
from the Secretary of the American Anti-Slavery Society,
dated from New York, the 22d of November, 1838,
states :—" The conduct of Mr. Stephenson, of whom it
is undeniable Mr. O'Connell spoke only the truth, has
been a standing subject of debate, even in the Slave States,
and in the course of the discussion it cannot fail to have
been seen by some, how intolerable is an institution which,
though honourable at home, disgraces all connected with
it abroad."

Many of the Coast Blockade Seamen in Sussex
lost their lives by walking over the cliffs during the dark
or foggy nights : and upon one occasion two of their bo-
dies were discovered dreadfully mangled within a few
yards of each other, having been precipitated from a
height of at least three hundred feet. The circumstance
of their being killed nearly at the same spot and at about
the same moment gave rise to an opinion that they had
been thrown over by the smugglers. Be this as it might,
some time after an officer, much disliked for his activity,
having fallen into an ambuscade of smugglers, they seized,
blindfolded him, and tied his feet together, crying," throw
him over the cliff!—throw him over the cliff!" Disre-
garding his entreaties for mercy, they bore him to the
edge, and pushed him gradually over, feet foremost, till
his arms and chin only remained above the brink, to which
he clung, by digging his finger-nails into the grass, and in
this cruel position they left him. He remained thus for above
an hour, in agonies of terror, screaming for help, and
straining every sinew to maintain his bold, till at length
the blood seemed to stagnate in his arms, his strength
failed—his brain reeled at thought of the depth beneath,
and he was upon the point of letting go in despair, when,
as a last effort, he released ono hand, tore the
bandage
from his eyes, turned his head with horror, and behvld the
bottom within a yard of his feet I—the smugglers having
selected a shallow chalk pit for their purpose, upon the
brink of which he had been so tormentingly suspended.—
United Service Journal.
SHOCKING RAILWAY ACCIDENT.—On Fri-
day afternoon a frightful accident occurred on the London
and Birmingham Railway to one of the Company's ser-
vants. From inquiries it appears that when the up mixed
train quitted the Watford station, between five and six
o'clock yesterday, one of the stokers was engaged in ailing
the bright work of the engine, and tho train had not pro-
ceeded far before he missed his hold and fell with great
violence on to the line, and the train went over one of his
feet and crushed it very severely. The train was stopped,
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