The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-05 00:00:00

MESMERISM.

We have 'written recently so much upon this subject,
that we might be suspected of partiality, or, at least, of
wanting that malevolence, which is regarded as an es-
sential of philosophy by those who think every man a
rogue until he proves the negative, if we indulged our-
selves in a detailed account of the narrations made to us
yesterday at the house of Dr. Elliotson, in the presence
i‘f a numerous and most intelligent company, of cures al-
most miraculous, effected by that excellent and injured man,
through those mysterious means, which we are at length
compelled to recognise by the name of " Animal Mag-
netism." We, therefore, gladly avail ourselves of the
testimony which we find in the following ingenuous and
honourable report of the Morning Chronicle :
" We yesterday availed ourselves of an invitation from
Dr. Elliotson, to attend at his private residence the exhi-
bition of some illustrations of mesmerism. The recent
arrival of M. de la Fontaine in this country has drawn
to the subject of animal magnetism a very great degree
of public attention. From the beginning we have looked
upon the matter as hardly a legitimate one for newspaper
notice, certainly a very unfit one for newspaper discus-
sion. Nor is the manner in which we have observed it
treated by some of our Contemporaries, at.all calculated
to alter our opinion.
"It was impossible for any one to leave Dr. Elliotson's
house yesterday, without feeling that he must be a
very thoughtless or a very heartless person who could
find, in the subject of that able and benevolent man's
investigations, legitimate matter for the indulgence of
the ill-timed pleasantry, still less of' the unqualified
denunciation with which these mesmeric phenomena
have been received in certain quarters. We pretend not
to discuss the nature of them. We cannot say that we
believe all that the Mesmerist says upon the subject; but
with as little truth can we say that we disbelieve all.
One cannot, for instance, refuse to assent to facts resting
upon evidence infinitely stronger than that upon which
some more important conclusions are adopted every day
of one's life. There yesterday we saw a subject thrown
by the mesmeric influence into a state of perfect insensi-
bility, and the body in that state following the operator
just as a needle would the magnet. We examined the
case with the care of an incredulous watcher, and are
persuaded, as we are of our own existence, that to produce
this effect there was no trick, no delusion. The patient,
according to her own account, given with the most un-
pretending candour, had been for a considerable time
subject to, or rather the victim of, epileptic fits. By
the aid of animal magnetism she has been perfectly
restored. Another patient, upon whom the ope-
ration produced no more marked effect than might have
followed the administering of a gentle anodyne, had been
relieved from the excruciating agonies of tic doloreux.
Other patients attended, and each described the cure
effected upon themselves. The account of one was cor-
roborated by his father, of another by her mother. The
names and addresses of all were given, and the names of
some individuals of the very highest respectability were
mentioned as having witnessed some of the cases in the
progress of cure. A number of letters, too, were read
and shown by Dr. Elliotson, from persons who had
been cured through the influence 0f.,, etlni.iascsonei uextraordinaryofferedsidvhtiheia
agency. In short, a mass of evidence v‘
to the most incredulous, must havep fmittpsy
particularly—
e ordinary profes-
sional
certain cases of nervous disease
which had for years bid defiance to
courses, had yielded, all
partially, most of them
wholly, to the influ:nce of animal m
say
3uatn%y.teh anything t
so
udreefet
we presumeAs
to D to
Elliotsons ay upon
himself, the s j
eiett:e IreetisininTsuhltistoishaills
roefpliunt
pa reputation
rtoe
dathfiol ur
at
hi fromletile doubts,charge th e
discredit, the ridicule with which
con-
tend, and for the losses, whichhe has had to
n
less—for all these he must have wef doubt not he regal
compen-
sation in the undissembled rutituoduend amplehnl
fee,
we
understand, he has ever reeled from lt e oor creatures
t pc?
whom he had rescued from
one of the heaviest of bodily
afflictions."

SALTING MEAT. Tlle method for which a
patent has been takenl out u.t
by Mr.n Payne is thus described:
Thetreat to be s
vessel, which is closedate ' is
placed
air-tight it
and the
„ air exhausted from it by in amenanso hi
fan air-pump ; a com-
munication a
manner,s strong iron
is then opened with a brine vessel, whence
the brine flows into the receiver, until it is about half
filled ; the air-pump is then again worked to draw off
every particle of air from the meat, &c. The brine is
then permitted to fill the receiver, and a further quantity
is injected by
means of a common forcing pump, the
pressure being regulated by a safety-valve loaded with
about 100 lb. or 1501 b. upon the square inch. After re-
maining under this pressure for about fifteen minutes
the meat is cured, and may be taken out of the receiver.
THE NURSES AT ST. BARTHOLOMEW'S
HOSPITAL.—On Tuesday a Special Court of Almoners
of the Hospital was held, which was attended by Mr.
Alderman Lucas, the President, and a number of Go-
vernors, to investigate the charge of grossly improper
treatment towards a child who was a patient, which was
made against the sister anti two nurses of the ward, at an
inquest holden at the hospital a few days since. The
inquiry occupied a considerable time, and the Court were
of opinion that no blame was imputable to the house-
surgeon, but that the sister and two nurses were unfit
for their situation, and they were accordingly dismissed.
The nurses urged that they felt they were doing wrong ;
but could rot help obeying the directions of their supe-
rior, the sister. They were told they were not bound
to do what they felt to be wrong, for they might have
appealed to the matron, or the steward, or, the clerk, who
all reside in the Hospital, and would listen to any com-
plaints.

EVENING SUN.

EXPENSIVENESS of the SLIDING

SCALE.
I am not aware, Sir, whether your attention has ever
b3en directed to the great pecuniary loss which attends
the purchase of foreign corn, under the present Sliding
Scale—a loss resulting solely from its uncertain action,
unconnected with the amount of the protection to the
landowner, or the quantity of corn imported.
I believe that no return of the quantities of each de-
scription of grain imported for home consumption during
the last three years, has yet been laid before Parliament;
but this, so far as my argument is concerned, is of no
importance ; the loss I allude to being in proportion to
the quantity, whatever that may be. I shall, therefore,
assume as correct, the quotations of Mr. Leathern, of
Wakefield, which, he says, he received from a large
corn-dealer in London.

According to this authority, the importation which
took place in little more than eighteen months, did not
amount to less than 10,380,267 quarters of grain of all
descriptions, namely :
End of 1838
1839
Six months 1840

10,180,267
The smallest cost of which must have been—
Say, 7,000,000 qrs. wheat at 50s. £17,500,000
1,200,000 barley
1,360,000 oats 20 8,38 0 ,000
820,000 beans, peas

10,380,267 £20,880,000
Now, it must be remarked, in the' first place, that
we paid for these 10,380,267 of quarters, at least 15s. too
much for wheat, and ss. too much for the other kinds of
grain ; that is, in round numbers—

15s. X 7,000,000 quarters = £5,250,000
ss. X 3,380,267 845,000

=
11 1

£6,095,000
But, for the operation of the sliding scale, which opens
the ports only occasionally, for short periods, and under
risk of ruin to importers (ruin, if they buy too soon,
and have to warehouse for years ; ruin, if they buy too
late, and, on arrival, find prices down, and duties up) ;
all this quantity of corn, instead of being bought sud-
denly in near markets, and at high prices, wovid have
been bought in many markets, at various times, and at
low prices, and this enormous sum of above 6,000,0001.
been saved to the nation. It has been entirely thrown
away, or made a free gift to foreigners. What should
we think of a law, framed for the avowed purpose of
taking from us 6,000,0001., to give absolutely for nothing
to foreigners ? What must we say of a law which has
actually done this, and which necessarily entails en fre-
quent repetition of such a sacrifice ?
This national sacrifice, constantly to be repeated,
whenever we import foreign grain, is entirely owing to
the operation of the sliding scale ; it has nothing to do
with securing high prices to the agriculturist ; not one
quarter of wheat, more or less, is introduced into con-
sumption ; it is a simple, gratuitous robbery of the na-
tional property, for which ignorance alone can be
pleaded in excuse.—Mr. B. H. Grey's Letter to the Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade.

BEDFORDA.DDRESSESTO THE
QUEEN.
TO THE QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MIJEWT.
May it please your Majesty,—We, your Majesty's de-
voted and loyal subjects, the gentry, clergy, electors,
and other inhabitants of the county and town of. Bedford,
in public meeting assembled, venture most humbly to
approach your Majesty to offer our sincere and heartfelt
congratulation upon the occasion of your Majesty's ho-
nouring the county of Bedford by your present visit to
the noble house of Russell.

We beg to assure your Majesty of the loyal and duti-
ful attachment entertained by as towards your Atajeity's
Royal person, while we fervently pray that Almighty
God will continue to shower down his choicest blessings
upon your Majesty and your Illustrious Consort, and
that your Majesty may long be spared to reign over a
united, free, and loyal people.

HER 31AJL8TY'S REPLY.
I thank you warmly for this loyal and affectionate
address upon the occasion of my visit to this part of
the country, and I receive it with peculiar satisfaction
under the roof of the illustrious and patriotic ftpuily of
Russell.

I rely entirely upon the assurance of your attachment;
and to the prayers which you offer up for our welfare, I
humbly join mine for the welfare of people.
TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE ALBERT.
May it please your Royal Highness,—We, her Ma-
jesty's loyal and dutiful subjects, the gentry, clergy, elec-
tors, and other inhabitants of the county and town of
Bedford, in public meeting assembled, beg leave most
respectively to approach your Royal Highness with iaur
sincere congratulations on the occasion of the visit of her
Majesty and your Royal Highness to this loyal county.
We humbly avail ourselves of this opportuity of ex-
pressing to your Royal Highness our devoted loyalty to
her Majesty the Queen, and offering the homage of
our unfeigned respect and attachment to your Royal
Highness.
We fervently pray that your Royal Highness. may
long live to enjoy the esteem and devotion with which
your Royal Highness has so universally inspired all
classes of her Majesty's subjects.

PRINCE ALBERT'S REPLY.

The very gratifying reception which. the Queen and
myself have met with on. our journey to this plane, has
already assured me of the kind feeling, which is again
evinced by the Address you have just presented to me
from the gentry, Clergy, electors, and other inhabitants
of the county and town of Bedford. lam very glad that
this opportunity enables me to express to them the lively
satisfaction which I, as well as the Queen, have derived
from their cordial welcome.

ANTI-CORN-LA W MOVEMENT.
It is gratifying to observe the success which attends
the efforts made by the Metropolitan Anti-Core-law As-
sociation to enlighten the inhabitants of the districts
surrounding the metropolis, on the advantages which
they cannot but reap from a repeal of the bread-tax. Mr.
Sidney Smith lectured upon Tuesday evening at Merton,
in Surrey, to a most crowded audience. It was 34 first
intended to have held the meeting in the open air, but
from the very unfavourable state of the weather this was
abandoned, and the large room of the Nelson Arms
crammed to suffocation. Indeed many were obliged to
go away from inability to find room. And such was the
eagerness of the people for further information upon
the subject, that Mr. S. Smith was obliged to promise
that he would shortly deliver another lecture in the hall
of the Victory. Knowledge of the widely-spread evil
effects of the Corn-laws is only wanted among the people
to render the outcry for their abolition too imperious to
be long resisted.

ALDERMAN HUMP HER Y.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Southwark, July 31, 1841.
SIR-I am one of the electors of the borough of South-
wark, devoted to the Liberal cause, and as such greatly
deplore that the least dishonest, or even. ungentlemanly
imputation should be cast upon one of our Members.
It was asserted by the Directors of the Black% all
Railway Company, at a late meeting of the Proprietors,
that Mr. Humphery, when invested with the trust and
responsibility of office, had betrayed such trust in the
selling of the Company's shares not belonging to him,
for his own private benefit to the great injury of the
Proprietors. _ _ _

Mr. Humphery, in his reply to this startling accusa-
tion, given in a letter from him, published in a late
number of your Journal, unhesitatingly denies it : but I
confess his explanation is not such as to insure him my
vote, which otherwise he could have relied upon, ut the
next election for this borough.
Mr. Humphery says, on the last occasion when he
was requested to join the Direction, then having r
shares, that he _ purchased twenty, and subsequently
twenty more. How then could
dispose of one Mr. Ilumpheryod
,1:g.
possessed only of these forty,h
he bold
which he admits in his communication to yon 'a
just prior to his retirement from the Ctolin.sp y i
Company
no doubt
As many of my fellow Liberal electors
it is only
equally perplexed with myself on te.swilo_ subject,
(as I have little
fair to Mr. Humphery to request he
doubt he can) set us right in the matter.
disgraced unfortunate
The critical state of ohuer lately
Liberal cause should be
country requires that
ht
ighest standing, ennobled as well
sup-
ported by men of thehit
the patriotism of . their
by the virtue and pas
end,y, by
trusting you will give our
characters.
hitherto approlv'°edtand respected Member an opportunity
of satisfyin, his political friends,
"'I 9.1 D, Sir, your obedient servant,
A LIBERAL ELECTOR OF SOUTHWARK.
VORACITY OF 'l7----THE 17OUT.—A curious in.
stance of a trout's voracity occurred a few weeks ago
when fishing in Warrington Park. I was trolling
with the diving minnow in a leet which communicates
with the tunnel that supplies the pond with water, when
a trout laid hold of it, and having allowed him time
to gorge, I struck, when my gut next the hook snapped
off, and away went the fish. I did not, however,
suppose it to be a large one, from his uneasy move-
ments after he had taken the bait, and attributed the
breakage to some flaw in the gut that had escaped my
notice. About a quarter-- of an hour afterwards I
chanced to cast in again near the same spot, and
instantly had another run ; this I missed, though not
till I had pulled the fish, which was a small one,
above the surface ; and yet the very next throw I
made, what appeared to be the same fish rose almost
the instant the bait touched the water ; and this fish
I caught, when, to my great surprise, I discovered that
this tierce and hungry little gentleman--for jie only
weighed three ounces and a quarter—had actually my
lost gorge, hook, minnow and all, sticking in his throat„
in addition to the one I caught him with, each of which
weighed one-thirteenth part of his own weight.—Corr.se-
pondent of the Sportsman.
THE LOTUS BIRD.—The white tents thrown
out in strong relief on the dark foliage of the forest,
were pitched on a piece of open green sward, gently
sloping towards a small but clear and deep sheet of
water, in whose placid bosom was reflected the tranquil
scene around, but broken here and there by a partial
carpeting of the broad-leafed lotus, along whose wavy
surface skimmed with fairy flight the beautiful birl
which bears its name. So graceful is the flower of this
plant, that the Iliudoos make it give birth to Camdes,
the god of love. But let us return to the bird ; in shape
it is a pheasant in miniature, but, if possible, with much
more splendid plumage, which changes to every tint of
the rainbow as it lightly runs along the surface of the
broad lotus leaf, and the bright feathers catch the re-
flected rays of the sun. It is enabled to support its light
weight on this frail tenure by the rapidity of its motions
4nd peculiar shape of the feet, which, although not
webbed, have toes of such unusual length, that they
cover a very large space, and, lelfl
s in skater, it
glides with ease over a surface apparently inadequate to
its support.—Scenes and Sports of Foreign Lands; b
Major Napier, like a'

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