Star.
London, England, 1830-03-18 00:00:00

%rout the Tyne Mercury.
Friday, a number of members of the Literary and
Philosophical Society of this town met in their lecture-
room, for a further examination of the mummy, an ac•
count of the opening of which was published some
time ago. Messrs. Greenhow and Baird atteneded,
but it should be observed that a large proportion
of the members present were professional gentlemen.
Mr. Greenhow, before the head was opened, seemed to
think that there was reason to believe the brain to have
been taken out, at the nostrils, and that, from their appa-
rout er.krirement, the bituminous matter had been in
.iettcd into the head by those orifices. He said it had
been conjectured that probably the orbits of the eyes had
been penetrated, but of this there was no appearance
natever ; indeed, the membranes of the eyes were still
iu tt,e sockets, but extremely compressed. Dr. Granville
had supposed that some corrosive fluid was usually intro-
(bleed into the nostrils, for the purpose of destroying the
u../ a muter. Mr. Greenhow and Mr. Baird speedily re-
moved a part of the skull which had covered the cerebrum.
The bone was so completely saturated with matter used
for embalming, that it might almost be called an entirely
new substance. The sutures were lost sight of, and the
small cavities which bones commonly contain quite filled
op. The dura mater was found in a state of considerable
petfection : it contained a quantity of matter, which was
at first supposed to be entirely bituminous; but a consi-
derable difference in the smell of this substance and other
parts of the mummy caused a more minute investigation,
and a strong opinion finally prevailed that the brain had
not been extracted at all. Some members compared the
smell to rotten cheese; and Mr. W. Hutton having sub-
mitted a portion of it to the action of fire, observed that
the odour then produced evidently resulted in a great de-
gree from animal matter. The septum which divides the
brain was in a perfect state. That the brain had not been
removed was corroborated by the medical gentlemen not
being able to discover the channel by which it might have
been taken out, and it was probable it had been forced
into a small compass by means of hot liquid sent in
through a syringe, by some very small passage. The
ethmoid bone and the backs of the orbits appeared to be
perfect. Mr. Greenhow conceived there was some car-
bonate of soda in the substance contained by the head.
Mr. G. here took the cover from a glass jar containing
some of the vicera which had been taken out on Monday.
He had put them into oil of turpentine, which had mace-
tated them, and made them easily cognizable. Mr. G.
chewed this by exhibiting an intestine, with the mesen.
tery by which it had been attached to the interior of the
abdomen. Mr. G. mentioned a chapter of. Genesis
in which it was related that Joseph had embalmed
his father Jacob, and that the process had occupied
forty days. There was also an account of Joseph's
body having been embalmed. Doctor Grenville had suc-
ceeded very well in imitating the process of embalming, as
far as four years could be said to have tried it, in the case
of an infant, and his method was by means of a slow fire,
so as to keep the mixture in a liquid state. Mr. G. said,
if the viscera were treated with oil of turpentine in the
way that he had done with those taken from the body on
Monday, he had no doubt but, the whole might be de-
tected. The bladder, the uterus, and the rectum, were
produced ; the first in parts only, as it could not be re-
moved without injury. A quantity of matter was disco-
vered, which must have been the intestinal canal, but
which had been compressed almost to nothing. The heart
was taken out. The auricles seemed to be gone, but the
ventricles were visible. The pericardium was discovered ;
the lungs, quite collapsed: the liver ; the spleen ; a con-
siderable portion of the diaphragm, and of the stomach.
'These were all carefully put into oil of turpentine, and
from their apparent state will doubtless in a few days
corroborate Mr. Greenbow's remark, that they will be
quite cognizable. He observed that he had not yet met
with any account of a mummy where the viscera bad not
beep more or less removed, sometimes by a lateral section
of the abdomen, and sometimes by the anus, and the
space filled with spices and bituminous matter, or with
dry powders. It should be mentioned also that the an-
tiseptic process seemed to have been much more corn.
plete than in any former instance. Mr. G. spoke of
supposed mummies which had been unrolled, but the
ciotbs contained no human body. In some instances
there were found nothing but beetles, frogs, and other
animals, and we understood Mr. G. to say, images or
models of the Nilometer. In our last we should have re-
marked that there were several small beetles found in the
mouth of this mummy. On Friday, a number of similar in-
sects in a perfect state, with others in the chrysalis, were
discovered in various parts, and in such situations that no
doubt was left but they had been placed there in the egg.
The weavers' marks appeared on the cloth at the ends of
several of the pieces, and these marks bore a remarkable
resemblance to the marks of the weavers of the present
day. The cloth has been weighed since our last, and
with some pieces that were taken away, and some not
removed from the mummy till Friday, the weight cannot
be stated at less than 541bs. The left hand of the
mummy was straight out, and the nails very long and
square at the toads, probably indicative of high rank.
The nails of the toes however were short, as well as those

of the right band, the thumb of which was bent in •, as
was the little finger, and the other fingers were bent
round as if this hand had originally held something.
We beg to recommend strongly that all the thick com-
presses which were about the limbs should be carefully'
examined, lest any papyrus should have been thrown
aside along with any of them in the hurry of unwrapping.
There is some difference of opinion as to the age of the
lady. Mr. Greenbow thought she had been of the
middle age, but others think she must have been older.
The general appearance certainly corroborates Mr. G.'s
opinion. We must add that the mummy has been brushed
over with oil of turpentine, and since strongly varnished,
and is to be immediately put into a case (formed of her
own coffin) with a glass before it.
In clearing away some buildings on the south side of
Tooley-street, nearly opposite St. Olave's Church, for
the purpose of forming the approaches to the new Lim-
don Bridge, a curious vaulted chambei has been:laid
Oven of lofty dimensions. It is chiefly constructed of
Kentish rag-stone, and the architecture is strictly of the
Saxon or Anglo-Norman period :. boldly-turned s4ali-cir-
oelar arches rest upon short columns, plaoed against the
ao-eralls. Thesikcolumns bays capiitornamented, in
the true Saxon style,' with four semi-tcalar comport-
inents. The building is supposed tg,g4,:juirt of du inn
or town house ;of the Prior of Lewes, in Sussexi and
must certainly have been constmeted' as early_ as the
twelfth century.
If we edit trust a currentitOciftion, contests between
the vomit and the throne oc*. jrjid more than once in the
face oteelte congregation. wk. is said a yotitigireacher
sn.Jamea'sinikteir some matter nighty offon.l
seri jibe Monarideiddit his podium, and.said aloud,
WI thee, au, Mem, to *pm& same or came down.''
!b which reasonable request, as it might be thonght,' the
preacher stoutly replied, And I tell thee, man, I will
neither speak sense nor come down."—Sir W. Scott's
History of Scotland.

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Frpm the Tyne Mercury.