Star.
London, England, 1824-12-15 00:00:00

OPENING OF A MUMMY.

Thursday evening last, was unwrapped at the Bris-
tol Institution, the body of an Egyptian mummy. The
case, ssrich was beautifully covered with hieroglyphics,
exhibited rather the copper-coloured countenance of a
Nubian, than the expanded forehead and wide eye-
sockets of an Ethiopian. Dr. PRITCHARD, Dr. Gale-
ria, and Mr. RICHARD SMITH, surgeon, and Mr. Mtt•
LER, the curator, were appointed by the Codlmittee to
be demonstrators. The upper part of the shell being
removed, there arose a peculiar, but not unpleasant
odour. The body was remat kably light, and wrapped
up in a multitude of folds of cotton cloth, which was
stained of a yellowish brown colour. Upon the removal
of the circular bandages, there appeared a long wrap-
per them the chin to the toes, with a double border of
blue stripes in front. The innermost layer of cloth was
soaked in naphtha, asphalthum, or some bituminous
substance, combined probably with natron. The skin
was blackened, and the neck and one of the hands had
been attacked by a peculiar sort cf coleopterous insect,
apparently a dermistis. In otl.er respects, this curious
specimen of antiquity was very perfect, indeed, very
much mote so, we learn, than usually happens. It was
the boy of a (probably young) female. The hands were
placed strai6h.. upon the thighs, and not, as most fre-
quently happens, across the bosom. The hair upon
the head was perfect, of a brownish auburn colour,
short, but not at all wearing the character of a Negro's.
The contour of the countenance strengthened the opi-
nion that the subject belonged to a Province closely
bordering upon the confines of Egypt. The coverings
of the chest and stomach being removed, exhibited, in
high preservation, the heart and lungs, and all the intes-
tines=-indeed, it did not appear that any part had been
removed. Whether the brain had been extracted, was
not ascertained ; neither were the teeth examined, as it
was thought advisable to subject the head altogether to
a more leisurely and minute observation. Dr. PRIT-
CHARD made many remarks, explanatory of the sub-
ject. Mr. SMITH then pointed put the difference be-
tween bodies preserved by direct antiseptics, and those
convene? in our cemeteries, by moisture, into the sub-
stance called adipocere, which differed totally from
mummies, although in a high state of preservation. To
exemplify this, he exhibited from his Museum several
fine specimens, and amongst others, our old acquaint-
ance, the heart of Master Sheriff YEAMANS, who was
executed in Wine-street, by CROMWELL'S Officer, Co-
lonel FIENNES, on the 30th of May, 1643, and was ex-
humated in 1814, being quite perfect, after having lost
the vital spark 171 years ! Towards the finishing, some
Gentlemen expressed a wish that the appearances should
be placed upon record, when Mr. SMITH said he would,
with great pleasure, undertake to draw up a Memoir,
with the assistance of the Gentlemen with whom he
was now associated, in which they very cheerfully ac-
quiesced ; and Dr. PRITCHARD promised to read, be-
fore the Philosophical and Literary Society, a Paper
upon the subject of Mummies, on the 30th of this month.

A colliery at Flint took fire about a fortnight since,
and still continues burning.—Cambrian.

Lieutenant-Governor READY arrived at Prince Ed
ward's bland on the 21st October, after a passage of
only 28 days. A public dinner was given to him by the
inhabitants of Charlotte Town, and everything wore
the appearance of general satisfaction. By the accounts'
from Halifax, we learn that the remains of the late
Governor of Prince Edward's Island, DESIARRES, had
been interred on the Ist of November, with military
honours..beneath St. George's Church. He died on
the 27th October, at the advanced age of 102 years,
having entered the army as a Cadet in 1755. A new
Church was raising at Sherbrooke, by public subscrip-
tion amongst the inhabitants.

New CANALS IN Hor.LAND.—Some of_our readers
are, perhaps, not aware of the anxious attention of the
KtNo of the Netherlands to the commercial interests of
his subjects. This has been evinced of late years in va-
rious undertakings, and in none more than in Canals,
several of which are conducted on a scale that recals all
the enterprise of the Dutch of the 17th century. The
New Canal, traversing North Holland fioni the Texel
to Amsterdam, and intended to enable large vessels to
avoid the shallows of the Zuyder Zee, is now in consi-
derable forwardness, and there will soon, we understand,
be submitted to the States General,•a plan for saving
the detour caused by the shallows at the mouth of the
Maese, and enabling heavy laden vessels to proceed
directly to Rotterdam. This will be accomplished by
a Canal, to be cut across the small island of Voorn, so
as to lead from Helvoetsluys to the upper parts of the
Maese, and enable large vessels to reach Rotterdam by
a passage of 16 miles, instead of 50 or 60, as at present.