The Sun.
London, England, 1823-12-15 00:00:00

MERCANTILE SHIPPING.

DEAL, Drc. 14.—Wind N.W, strong breeze.—Came down
from the River and sailed the Atalanta,- Pennan, for Jamaica.
Arrired. and 'remain • the Distletn, Edman •.; Christopher,
Knight; • and Europe, Willis...4mm. Quebec; (I,4ledonia,
Creigton, Mediterranean; and Minerva, Franklin, from Mira-
michi. The outward-bound sailed in the course of last night
and early this morning. The Cambridge 'for" Bombay, and.
York for Madras and Bengal, passed, through this- day._
POUTS:UOUTH, Dx c. 14.—Wind Westuly.—No arrirais
or sailings.

FAISIAUTII, DEC. 13.16—Wind W.N.W.—Arrived off the
port the Asia, front Quebec, and the following outward-hound
vessels' front London, viz. : —Ann, Dayborough ;
Cornehy ; Trist ; Th;:tis, Gibbons ; and Cemerous„
Fisher; also,from Yarmouth the Fame, Yates • Eliza,
Brit-
ton ; Lorine, Riley ; and Rebecca, Scott. Sailed the Eater-
prize, for London ; Duke of Kent packet, for Lisbon; Mat-'
EuiS of Salisbary packet, for Brazils ; and the Lorin.; liebe.
liza, and Friends, outward-bound vessels.
COWES, Dr c. M.—Arrived the Brit:mem Peche,
Mauritius in 90 days, for orders ; Alert, Abbott, from Seville ;
Albertus, Prahin, from Lisbon ; and Prince Royal, Shitrwood,
'frott.Batavia.

The Marquis Cornwallis, lierring, from Sunderland to Lon.
don, is lost of the Dogger Bank—crew saved.

EXTRAORDINARY INSTANCE OF SUSPENDED
MENTAL AND BODILY FUNCTIONS,

The following singular rase was related bi-
Sir Astley Cooper in his Lecture or w(,doeb(lB y
last

" The circumstance which I shell mention is one, -which,
whether vie regard it in a physiological or surgical point of
view, is, herpaps, one of the most extraordinary winch ever
occurred; and, as connected with surgery and phisiology,
I um surprised that it has not made a greater Impression
on the .public mind than it appears to have done. 'A .man
was pressed on board of one of his Majesty's ships, early in
the late revolutionary war. While on board this vessel, in the
Mediterranean, he received a fall from the yard arm, and When
pi 'keel up, he was found to he Insensible. The vessel soon
after makin.* Gibraltar, he was deposited in a hospital at that
place, whereb he remained for some months,still insensible ;
and some time after he .was . brought' from ibraltur on board
the Dolphin frigate, to a depot Air sailors ;. Deptford. While
he was at Deptford, the surgeon under whose care he was, wart
visited by Mr.• Davy, who was then an apprentice at this
hospital : the surgeon said to Mr. Davy, I have: a case
which I think you would like to see. It is a man who has been
insensible for many 'months ; he lies on his back With very
few signs of life : he' breathes, indeed, has a pulse, and some:
motion hi his fingers; but in all other. respects he is appa-
rently deprived
:of all powers of mind, volition, or
don. Mr. Davy went to see the case and on exianin-
ing the patient, found that there was a slight depression on
one part of the head. Being informed of the accident which had,.
occasioned his depression, -lie recommended the man to be sent
to St. Thomas's Iltainin. lie was placed under the care of Mr.'
Cline ; and when he was first admitted into this hospital, I saw
him lying on his 'beck, breathing without any great difficulty ;
his pulse regular, his arms extended,' and his fingers moving to
and fro to the motion of his heart; so that you mild count hie
pulse by this motion of his fingers. If he wanted food, he had.
the power of moving his lips anti tongue ; and this action of his
mouth was the signal to his attendants for sopplying this Want.,
Mr. Cline, on examining his head, found an oixnotia de ores.
Rion t and • thirteen months and.a few, days • after the accident,
he was carried into the operating theatre, and there rephined.
The depressed portion of bone was elevated from the skull.
While he was lying on the table, the motion of his finger*
went on during the Operation, but no sooner was the portion
of bone raised than it ceased. The operation was performed
at one o'clock in th? afternoon ; and at tour o'clock, as I wet
walking through the wards I went up.to the man's bed-side, and
was surprised to see him sitting up m his bed. fie had rsi,.ed
himself on his pilloW. I asked hand' he felt any pain, and he im-
mediately put his had to his head. In four (lays from that time,
he was able to get out of bed, and began to converse;. and •in
a few days mere was able to tell us where he came from. Ile
recollected the circumstances of his having been pressed, and
carried down to Plymouth or Falmouth ; but from that mo-
ment up to the time when the operation was performetl (that
is, for a period of 13 months and some days,) his mind had
remained in a state ofperfect oblivion. Ile had drink, ash' were,
the cup ofLethe ; he had suffered a complete death, as far 'as
regarded his mental and almost all his bodily powers; bat,
by removing a small portion of bone with the saw, he was at
once restored to all the functiOns of' his mind, and almost all
the powers of his body."--(The Lanett )