The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-01-15 00:00:00

IGNIs FATuus.-:-Lieutenant Burnes describes a
omenon observed on the confluence of the Indus
ver, half a mile from 'Atok, in the following words<
ztuus constantly shows itself in this place ; two,
ven four lights are visible at a time, and continue
ugh the night. It appears, at first sight, to be tbs
the water on the rock, well smoothed by the cur-
en it only shows itself in one. particular spot, and
hole banks are so smoothed, it is confined to a few
re was and could be no deception. The natives
unt for it, and its continuance during the rainy
most inexplicable part of the phenomenon in their
The valiant Man Sinb, who carried a war of Ye-
n the Mahomedans beyond the Indus, fought a bat,
ot, and the lights are considered by some as the
nits of the slain. For my own part, 'I cannot solve
_regarding this which I only
r having seen it."

IDE.—An article relative to the medical test of
whether children have been born alive, in the Lon.
and Physical Journal,gives the followin as that of
-" We are to determine the weight of the body of
en to remove die lungs from the chest, and having
Ln, to ascertain what proportion the weight of the
to the weight of the body. Whatever that propor-
it is clear, from what has been above stated, that
trly twice as great in foetuses which have respired
ise which are still-born. Of course it. was neces-
ne standard should be fixed by which the result, in
might be compared; and accordingly Ploucquet
ime experiments on the subject, and from these he
following proportions :-Ist, That where respire-
taken place, the weight of the lungs was, to the
le body, in the ratio of Ito 70. 2d, That where
respiration had been completely performed, the
e lungs was to the weight of the body in the ratio

—lt happened at a period when there was an alarm
vasion, and almost every
.man in Edinburgh was a
things had been arranged in expectation of the land-
emy ; the first notice of which was to be given by a
castle, and this was to be followed by a chain of sig-
led to alarm the country in all directions. Fur-
iad been recently in Edinburgh a splendid military
which five thousand men had been drawn up in
et, fronting the Castle. The gentleman to whom
curred, ana who had been a most zealous volun-
bed between two and three o'clock in the morning,
earat of hearing the signal-gun. He was imme-
e castle, witnessed the proceedings for displaying
and saw and heard a great bustle over the town
and artillery assembling, especially in Prince's-
his time he was roused by his wife, who awoke in a
isequence of a similar dream, connected with much
ie landing of an enemy, and concluding with the
articular friend of her husband's, who had served
a volunteer during the late war. The origin of
ble occurrence was ascertained in the morning to
produced in the room above by the fall of a Pais
Lich had been left in some very awkward position
f a clothes-screen.—Quarterly Review.—Philosophy
S.

[LLUSIONS.—One of the most extraordinary
illn-
of Nicolai, a bookseller at Berlin, who communi-
ount of his own case to the Prussian Academy of
translation of his memoir was published in 1803,
h journal of very limited circulation, and with the
what is contained in the brief abstract of it given
ert and Sir Walter Scott, is still but little known
reader. Towards the end of the year 1790 and
g of 1791, M. Nicolai had been agitated by various
which preyed deeply upon his mind, and on the
.y an event occurred which threw him into violent
lout ten o'clock in the morning, when his wife and
l entered his room, for the purpose of consoling
enly perceived, at the distance of a few paces, the
are of a person deceased, which remauied from
t minutes, and which the rest of the party were, of
le to see. A little after four o'clock. in the after-
ne figure appeared to him when he was alone, and
ig to mention this to his wife, the spectre accom-
to her apartment, alternately vanishing, and reap-
little after six o'clock several stalking figures also
it they had no connexion with the figure already
When his mind had become more composed, and
'disposition had been removed by medical treat-
ookseller expected that these appearances would
,f him. His expectations, however, were disap-
they increased in number, and underwent the most
y transformations. The standing figure of the per-
t never appeared to him after the 2-Ith FebruarY,
ther figures occupied its place. These figures were
of persons whom he did not know, though ho
.w those of his acquaintances. The figures of per-
cursed more frequently than those of persons who
!d, and he distinctly remarked that toe acquaint-
shorn 'he daily conversed never appeared to him as
When, after some weeks, he had become familiar
inbidden guests, he endeavoured to conjure up
his acquaintance, and for this purpose he tried to
efore his imagination in the most lively manner:
to had but a short time before seen them as phan-
ver could, by this process, succeed in giving them
locality. When he was conversing with his phy-
is wife concerning. the phantasms which hovered
the figures sometimes Left him altogether, and
-ed either singly or in groups. The apparitions
ly human figures of both sexes, who, like people at.
1 to and fro, as if they had no mutual connexion,
sometimes appeared to have business with one
one or two occasions he saw persons on horse-
and birds, all of which appeared in their natural
he same colours which they exhibited in real life,
shat paler. When these apparitions began to be
iquently, Nicolai began also to hear them speak ;
ey addressed one another, but generally they spoke
n short speeches, which never contained anything
This loquacity in the apparitions occurred most
hen he was alone, though he sometimes heard it iii
rinixed with the actual conversation of the 'vim-
iugh these appearances had ceased to excite aril'
emotion, and had even afforded him frequent sub-
ement and mirth, yet, as his disorder had sensibly
id as the figures had appeared to him for whole
r, and even when he awoke during the night, h 4
essary not only to take medicine, but to appll
is was done on the 20th April, at eleven o'clock its
; and during the operation, while he was sitting
to surgeon, the room swarmed with human form!
riptiou, which crowded fast upon ene another tio-
r o'clock. The figures then began to move moell
colours became gradually paler, and, after inter
minutes, he could distinguish a palpable dims'
it intensity, without any change in the distinctness"
res. At about half-past six o'clock they hecalos
e, and moved very slightly; their forms, howeve'
fectly distinct, and without decreasing in umbel)
ly became less perceptible. Instead of moving OP
as they had usually done, they now dissolved 40'
ki air; whole pieces of some of them coutinuip,i
of time, and at last disappearing. About eigbi
a vesti6se of them remained; and Nicolai neve;
isturbed by these spectral illusions. Accustonie
gation of mental phenomena, Nicolai took a greos
adying the facts which had thus occurred to hill
has recorded various excellent observations, °
lowing are the most interesting to the pneurn.v,
. He endeavoured to discover if the figures we
his mind by some association with his previc°
it though he sometimes thought that he lied c 11..;
e such associations, especially during the lad!,
visions, yet, he assures us, that on the whole, PI
no connexion between the figures and the state °f
r the nature of his employments, or the olkel
ich occupied his attention. 2d. Ile found that
I distinguish phantasms from real figures, and";
erred in makin,s this distinction. "1 knew, rai
ly" says he, "when it only appeared to ma tn
opened, and the phantasms entered, and the d'"'
pened and some person came in." 3d. The are
he phantoms was, in every case, involuntaryl.
tle, if at all, upon external circumstances. 11'ef
~;
distinct, whether he was alone or in sociofri
vas in broad day-light or in darkness, whether
.1
vn house or in that of a neighbour. tie notice;
t they were less frequent in another person's he
own; and they very seldom appeared when
ic public streets. 4th. The figures sometimes 1:
en he shut his eyes, and sometimes they remaivetti
finished in the former case, nearly the same figoi
eu his eyes again opened. sth. The figures w 4
ble, ludicrous, nor repulsive, and they appeno
lion than at rest. 6th. On two or three occasiet,
ceased to observe these appearances, he felt a P. 4
ie them, or a sensation as if he saw sometbrii
moment was again gone.—Quarterly Review.
Taritians.

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