The Sun.
London, England, 1862-12-09 00:00:00

TOTN_ES ELECTION.

THE NOMINATION.
TOT NES, MONDAY.
The show of hands at the nomiration to-day was for Mr.
Dent, the Conservative candidate.
A poll was demanded for Mr. Ponder (Liberal).

PLYMOUTH, TUESDAY.
Mr. Dent has this morning determined not to go to the
poll. Mr. Pender will therefore occupy the scat vacant by
the death of Mr. Mills.

SPOR7ING. INTELLIGENCE.

TATIERSALLS'-LAST EVENING.

THE DERBY.
15 to 2 agst Lord Clifden (taken and offered)
9to 1 agst Saccharometer (taken)
25 to 1 agst Automaton (taken freely)
25 to 1 agst Cairneastle (taken)
25 to 1 agst National Guard (taken)
30 to 1 agst Carnival (taken)
30 to 1 agst Tom Fool (taken)
40 to 1 agst Early Purl (taken)
40 to 1 apt Blue Mantle (taken)
40 to 1 agst Pratique (taken)
50 to 1 agst Taje (taken)

DOC7ORING A PORPOISE.

On Thursday morningMl7.—. Bartlett was good enough to
send me word that ho had just received a live r •e. I
immediately went over to the gardens, and four:di:l:hies
poor
beast well cared for, and placed in a small tank of sea water
behind the Aquarium-house. I immediately perceived,
that the porpoise was " very bad ;" he was upon his side
and every now and then turning his under side uppermost.' His breathing, or rather blowing, was hard and laboured,
and his wonderfully constructed "blow-hole" at the top
of his head was working with difficulty. I counted his
respirations, which were eight a minute, loud and power-
ful (especially the expirations), reminding ono of a man
snoring heavily; it was quite evident that the porpoise was
in a very exhausted state. Now I, as a doctor, could not
help reasoning thus :—This is an animal with a four-
cavitied heart, warm blood, and air-breathing lungs; his
system is much exhausted from a slow process of drown-
ing in air; in fact, it is exactly the same condition as a
human being would be half drowned in water. Reasoning
thus, I could not help advising stimulants, and, having
gained the permission of Mr. Bartlett, we agreed to give
the porpoise a dose of ammonia immediately; but how to
do it was the question. There was only one way, so I
braved the cold water and jumped into the tank with the
porpoise. I then held him up in my arms (he was very
heavy) while Mr. Bartlett poured a good dose of sal
volatile and water down his throat with a soda-water
bottle. I then dashed cold water on him about every
ten minutes, to help the effect of the medicine. This
treatment had some salutary effect, for his respirations,
which when I first saw him were eight in the minute,
increased to 10, and then to 12. In two hours' time I visited
him again, and, again going into the water, lifted him up
while Mr. Bartlett poured down his throat a good glass of
stiff brandy-and-water; again the results were good—the
respirations increased to 13 a minute. Perceiving that the
water in which he was floating was stained with ;bleed, I
examined him all over, and found a wound in his tail, which
was bleeding pretty fast. This I soon stopped with com-
mon salt. Seeing that, in spite of all done, the porpoise
did not get much better, Mr. Bartlett and'myself agreed to
give him another chance ; so we fished him out of his tank,
and carried him quickly to the seal's pond, and put him
carefully and gently into the water. In about an hour be
got decidedly better, and of his own accord swam twice
across the pond, using his tail with that peculiar motion
seen only in the whale tribe, He was, however, very blind
and stupid, for ho invariably hit his nose against the edge
of the pond when he arrived there. However, he was cer-
tainly better for the change and clean water (for his tail
had now ceased to bleed), and hii respirations were
thirteen in the minute, and certainly stronger and
longer. I was curious to take the temperature of his breath,
which felt warm to the hand as it came out of the blowhole
in a jet, striking the hand like the breath of a human being
blowing hard against it. As far as I could make the experi-
ment with a thermometer. its temperature was about 52 or
55 degrees. There were only two objectors to his being
placed in the'seal pond, and those were " Kate" and " Tom,"
the two seals, the rightful inhabitants thereof. It was most
absurd to see them cut away in the greatest alarm to the
further end of the pond, turn suddenlyround, and stare up
at the poor sick porpoise with their huge eyes distended to
twice their size ; and then down again they went in an in-
stant under their house, shortly to reappear and have
another long and frightened stare at the intruder. I fear
the poor porpoise--who was caught at Brighton and allowed
unfortunately to spend several hours panting on a fishmon-
ger's slab in Bond•street—will die after all, in spite of the
brandy-and-water and other treatment. He has had toe
many hours' start of his doctor. However, the stimulative
treatment, I really believe, prolonged his existence, even
if it would not save life. However, we have gained one fact
at least, i. e., that it is possible to transplant a living por-
poise to the gardens, and that he will live out of the sea
several hours. This is most encouraging to the idea of
Dr. Sclater, the secretary, Mr. Bartlett, and many Fel-
lows of the society, who are very desirous of hating, one
of these days, a live porpoise at the Zoological ; and should
any gentleman residing at Dover, Folkestone, Brighton,
Southampton, or any place within easy reach of London,
be kindly willing to aid in procuring a live and uninjured
specimen (I should say tie him by the tail in the sea when
caught), Mr. Bartlett, or myself, if telegraphed for, will
run down and see if we cannot bring him up alive to
London, in the place of our sick marine friend—to whom
in spite of his present condition we wish a speedy cure.-..