The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-12 00:00:00

N
, -

-4- 1

MEANS OF PROLONG ...,
TIVG Li . "-- Van Helmont has informed posterity of the means by :4 S
`which he prolonged the life of a man to extreme old age.
is person, whose name was Jan Mass, was in the aer.
• e of Martin Rythovius, the first Bish9p, of Ypres,
i when that prelate, by desire of the illustrious -sufferers,
assisted at the execution of Counts E.gmont and Horn.
Mass was then in the 25th year of his age. When he
was 58, being poor, and having a large. family of young
children, he came to Van Helmont, and entreated.him
to prolong his life if he could, for the sake of his children,
who would be left destitute in case ofhis death, and must
have to beg their bread from door to door. Van Helmont
then a young man, was moved by such an application.
Considering what might be the likeliest means of swain-
ing life in its decay, he called to mind the fact that wine
is preserved from corruption by the fumes of burnt ' brim-
stone; it then occurred to him that the acid liquor of
sulphur, "acidern sulphuric stigma" (it is better se to
' transcribe his words than to call it the sulphuric acid),
must of necessity contain the fumes and odour of sul-
phur, being, according to his chemistry, nothing but
those fumes of sulphur, combined with, or imbibed in,
its mercurial salt. The next step in his reasoning was
to regard the blood as the wine of life; if this could he
kept sound, though longevity might not be the necessary
consequence, life would at least be preserved from the
many maladies which arose from its corruption, and
sanity, and immunity from such diseases, and from the
sufferings consequent thereon, must certainly tend to its
prolongation. He gave Mass, therefore, a stone bottle
of the distilled liquor of sulphur, and taught him also
how to prepare this oil from 'burnt sulphur, and he
ordered him at every meal to take two drops of it in his
first draught of beer; and not liking to excet,d that, two
drops, he thought, contained enough of the fumes for a
sufficient dose. This was in the year 1600; and now,
says Helmont, in 1641, the old man still walks about the
streets of Brussels. And what is still better (guodgue
augustius est), in all these forty years he had never been
confined by any illness, except that, by a fall upon the
ice, he once broke his leg near the knee; and he has
constantly been free from fever, remaining a slender and
lean man, and always poor.
Jan Mass had nearly reached his' 100th year when
this was written, and it is no wonder that Van Helmont,
who upon a fantastic analogy had really prescribed.an
efficient tonic, should have accounted, by the virtue of
his prescription, for the health and vigour which a
strong constitution had retained to that extraordinary
age. There is no reason for doubting the truth of his
statement; but if Van Helmont relied upon his theory,
he must have made further experiments. ' It is probable,
therefore, that he either distrusted his own hypothesis,
or found, upon subsequent trials, that the result disap-
pointed him.

PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS.
From the Votes and Proceedings of the Souse of anismons.)

THURSDAY, FEB. H.
The following Railway Bills were presented, read a first
time, and ordered to be read a second time :
Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton (Leith Extension)_" to
enable the Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton Railway Company
to make a Branch Railway to the Upper Drawbridge, in the
town of Leith." •

Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton (Union Canal and Caledo-
nian Railway Junction)—" to enable the Edinburgh, Leith,
and Granton Railway Company to make a Branch Railway
(including a Baiin, Wharf, and Landing-place) from the
Haymarket Station of the Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway,
to join and communicate with the Edinburgh and Glasgow
Union Canal at Meggetland, and with the Edinburgh Branch
of the Caledonian Railway, at Gorgie Mains."
The following Railway Bills were read a second time, com-
mitted, and referred to the Committee of Selection:—
East Lincolnshire (Louth Navigation Purchase).
Windsor, Staines, and South-Western (Richmond to Wind-
sor, &c.).
Windsor, Staiges, and South-Western (Staines to Ascot
and Wokingham, with Branches).
London and Blackwall Railway Improvement and Branches to
St. Katherine's and London Docks.

NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL-OFFICE.
The following Railway Bills are appointed to be read a
second time on Monday, Feb. 15 :
Eastern Counties Extension (Cambridge to Bedford, &c.).
Eastern Counties (Cambridge, Royston, and Ware Line, &c.).
Glasgow, Paisley, and Greenock (Branches at Port Glasgow,
and to the Caledonian Railway and Diversion of Canal).

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
LIyERPOOL, FELLITART 11.
STocx Excnexox.—The sales are—Birmingham and Oxford
Junction, I p.—Blackburn, Darwen, and Bolton, 'A IL—Great
Northern (Nos. 1 to 108,000), % P.—Huddersfield Canal and Rail-
way, 3% p.—Laucaster and Preston, 11% p.—Leeds and Thirsk,
New, 1% dis.—Liverpool, Crosby and Southport, 2 —London and
North-Western, 189—Manchester and Leeds Hal
ves' (late L. and
IL), 4% P.—Matlock and Midland, % p..—Midland, 12034 ex div.—
Newcastle and Carlisle, New, 13 p.—Newport, Hereford, and Aber-
gavenny, 1% dis.—North Staffordshire, 3p.—North Staffordshire and
Churnet Valley Junction, 28s. 9d. p.—North Union (A), 222—Preston
and Wyre, Halves (B), p.Shropshlre Union Railway and Canal,
16s. 3d. dis.—South-Eastern and Dover, 37-13itto, New, No. 4, fis.
9d. P.—Belfast and Ballymena, 7% dis.—Dutch Rhenish, 2% WO-
MANCHESTER, FEBRUARY. 11.
STOCK EXCIIANGE.—The sales are—Birkenhead, Lancashire, and
Cheshire Junction, p.—Eastern Counties, New, 2134 —East Lan-
cashire, 2 p.—Ditto, New (scrip), 134 c. p.—East Lincolnshire, 236
p.—Fleetwood, Preston, and West Riding, 34 p.—Lancaster and
Preston, New Quarters, 714 c. p.—London and North-Western
(Manchester and Birmingham), 72—Ditto, Quarters (C), 6 7-16 p.—
Manchester and Leeds Extension, 134 p.— Manchester and South-
napton, 7-16 dia.—.North British, 3434—North Staffordshire, 3 1-16
P•—Northern Couaties Union, 1 4 dis.—Preston and Wyra, Halves
(A), 3% P. --Ditto, Halves (B), 34 p.—Shropshire Union, 13-16 C.
dis.—:-outh• Eastern and Dover, 3714—Ditto, No. 4, % p.—SOath
Yorkshire, Duncaster,..and Goole, dis. _ _

• LEEDS, FEBHUABY 11.
STOCK EXCIIaNGE.-The sales are-Ambergete, Nottingham, and
Boston, 3s. 6d. dis. -Buckinghamshire, be. p.-Eastern Counties,
York Extension, 10s. p,-East Lancashire, New, 21. 18. p.-Ditto,
New Scrip, 245. p.- East and West Yorkshire, ss. dis.-Fleetwood,
Preston, and West Riding, 7s. Gd. p.-Great Northern (late Londe*
and York), Is. 6d. p.-Ditto, Direct Northern, par-Huddersfield and
Manchester, 3!,i p.-Leeds and Thirsk, 2% n. dis.-Ditto, New.
2ls. 6d. c. dls.- Ditto, Preference, 245. Gd. p.-Leeds, Wakefield, and
Midland, 10s. dis.-Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle Junction,
I Is. 6d. n. dls.-Manchester and Leeds, Extensions, I yi s. p.-Man-
chester, Buxton, Matlock, arid Midland, 13s. p.-Midland, Preference,
3% p.-North British, Thirds, 51s. p.-Ditto, Extension (scrip), 13s.
6d. p.-Northern Counties Union, 25sr c.dis.-North-Western 7a. 6d.
p.-Sheffield, Rotherham, and Goole, ss. p.--West Riding Union,' 325,
p.-Wharfdaie Junction, Bs. dLs.-York and Newcastle, Preference,
4% .n. p.-York and North Midland, Preference, 10 p.
HULL, FEBRUARY 11.
STocK ExcHANoE..-The sales are-North British, Extensions
(scrip), 12s. 9d. p.-York and North Midland (East and Westßidlng)
221. 3s. 9d.•-Fleetwood, Preston, and West Riding, 6s. p.
,„ NEWCASTLE- UPON T y 11. • •
STOCK ExcHANGE.-The sales -Caledonianare, New, dia.-
Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle Junction, 14 dis.-Newcastie
and Berwick, 12 p.-North British, 914 p.-Ditto, Thirds, 51s. 6d.
p.--York and Newcastle, Extensions, 6% p.-York and North Mid-
land, Preference, 9% p.
EDINBURGH, FEBRUARY 10.
STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are-Caledonian and 'Dumbarton-
shire, 535.-Direct Northern (scrip), 535. 6d.-Dundee and Perth,
29-Ditto, New, 1514-East of Fife, 543.-Edinburgh, Leith, and Gfanton, Preferenee,2o% -Ditto. Quarters, 16s. 6c1.-Edinburgh and
Northern, 163-Ditto, New, 745.-Ditto, Newport, 514-Ditto, ditto.'
New, 525. 6d.-Edinburgh and Perth (New), 495.-Great Northern
(late Direct Northern), 725. 6c1.-North British, Quarters, 855.-
Ditto, New Quarters (scrip), 28s. 6d.-Ditto, Thirds, 755.-Scottish
Midland, 22-Shrewsbury, Oswestry, and Chester, 8 14 -Direct Bom-
bay and Madras, 4s.

GLASGOW, FEBRUARY 10.
STOCK Exciniwcat.—The sales are—Airdrie and Bathgate, 23%—
Clydesdale Junction, 39%—Direct Northern (scrip), 535. &I.—Dun-
dee and Perth, 2854—Ditto, New, 14% —East of Fife, 525. 6d.--East
Lothian Central, 43s.—Edinburgh and Glasgow, 7634—Glasgow, Kil-
marnock, and Ayr, Halves, No. 2, 91. Is.—Glasgow, Dumfries, and
Carlisle, 61. 2s.—Glasgow and Greenock, 18;4—Glasgow, Airdrie, and
Monkland Junction, 5% —Great Southern of Madras, 3s. 9d.—Kll•
maruock, and Ayr Direct, 38s.—Manchester and Southampton, 325,
3d.—North British, Thirds, 73s.—Ditto, New, Quarters (scrip), 28s,
—Scottish Midland Junction, 21% —South-Eastern and Dover, NO,
4, 4 .