The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-26 00:00:00

MELANCHOLYDEATH FROM THE

BITE OF A RATTLESNAKE.

We are seldom called upon in New York to record
an event of such a character, or one that has thrown
so sudden a gloom among a large circle of personal
friends and acquaintances, as that of the sudden and
melancholy death of Dr. Arnold F. Wainewright, of
No. 41, Crosby-street, of this city, occasioned by the
bite of a rattlesnake. The snake was sent him by a
friend in Mobile, Alabama ; it was a large animal,
about five feet in length, having twelve rattles ; it
was contained in a box with spars over the top. The
Doctor as on his way home from the ship with the
present, but stopped at the Broadway•house to show
the curiosity. The company present seemed to enjoy
the sight of teasing and irritating the snake, while
the reptile kept whizzing his rattle at a furious
rate. The box was opened, and now there being a
fair field, the reptile kept coiling end rearing
himself in fierce defiance of his enemies. This
display lasted for some time, when Dr.
wright touched him a few inches
below the
head, expecting that it could not bend its body suffi-
ciently to bite. In a moment he snapped, and in-
flicted a wound on the first joint of the middle finger
of the right hand. This occurred at half-past six
o'clock P.M. on Thursday. Dr. Smith was hereupon
immediately called upon, and visited the patient. He
made a superficial excision of tho part, and also cau-
terised it with nitrate of sulphur. He also applied a
light ligature immediately above the wrist. The hand
commenced to swell immediately after the occurrence
of the accident. The deceased was then removed to
his residence by a few friends, and lire. Whittaker,
Caldwell, Post, Parker, and Campbell were called
in, and an application of turpentine to the wound
was ordered on their arrival, as also the internal
administration of diffusable stimulants. Although
the disease progressed rapidly in its course to
the fore-arm and arm, no constitutional symp-
toms seem to have made their appearance until
it reached what the faculty technically term
the " axilla," or armpit, when immediately the pulse
began to flag ; and, notwithstanding the continued
application of stimulants by the mouth and also in
other forms, the pulse never rallied until about twelve
o'clock rat., when death put a period to his existence.
Nothing could equal the assiduity and attention paid
to the patient by the above-named medical men, who
remained with him throughout from the moment 'hay
were called in. They all, however, frankly
_ore
acknow-
ledged that they had never seen a similar caseb•
Two medical students from Georgia
werev also fpre-
sent, having seen similar cases, and
gave valuable aid.
eminent stand-
Dr. Wainewright was a physician
of min medical, lite-
rary, of high
been
tenhis
ypreoin a
resident of New York, and studied under Dr. Whit-
taker. reputation
rary, and scientific acquirements, having been well
skinoonwainbarnetdhruenniavnedrsafrl
ilyendrse.sPelie has respected
amongb
taker. He was 40 years of age. He was formerly a
captain in the 50th Regiment of Foot in the British
service. The body has been embalmed, and will be
buried in the Greenwould Cemetery on Sunday newt.
—New York Herald.

RUSSIAN STATISTICS.—According to the almanac
for the year 1848, published by the Academy of St.
Pc!ersburgh, Russia in Europe covers a sure/Tides of
90,117 square miles, with 'a population of 54,092,000
souls ; the kingdom of Poland, an extent of 2 320 square
miles, with 4,850,000 inhabitants ; and the grand duchy
of Finland 6,844 square miles, with 1,547,702 inhabi-
tants. According to the last census, St Potersburgh
contained 443,000 inhabitants. In 1846, 1,677 poode of
gold, one pood of platinum, and 1,199 poods of silver,
were extracted from the Imperial mines. Thu public
debt is estimated at 315,084,200 silver roubles, thus
divided :—Determined foreign debt, 66,836,000 Dutch
florins ; internal debt, 52,497,760 roubles. Letters or
notes of credit are in circulation fora sum of 226,167,589
silver roubles, and assignments of the empire for
117,101,220 roubles.— Giornale del Lloyd Austliaco.
Sir John Pelly transacted business yesterday, at
the office of the Board of Trade. '