Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1829-02-11

I now advanced farther into this desolate
plan, alton, and entered narrow path between
some trees, over which The unhealthy and dis-
coloured leaves seemed to have been spars'y
sprinked by handouts. had not proceeded a
bove dozen PAGES ere ! was arrested oy
fresh obiecl of error. human hand, covered
with parched and iivid skin, rose up Out OF
the earth, just in the centre OF my path! In
walking towards it had taken il for some dry
root, and my sudden perception OF the realty
made i, douhly starting. The pata, ii path II
mig hit be termed, was very narrow, and my hrst
impulse, as the shortest way to avoid this
threatening apparrion, was to Jump ever ~;
but the attemp; made me shudder, Got course
being attended with the expectation that II
would seizr me by the leg--a fancy wrich looks
very ridiculous IN words.) squeezing myself,
therefore, among The boughs, passed by as
hastiiy as possible. Before, however, l had
penet atrd to the middl. of The plantation, de-
scribng ,hr ough an open 10 the left, something
o. more appalling nature than any OF The fore.
going, and my curiosity, or rather my love OF
excitement, caused me o make towards II with
out delay. A human body had been, as Il seem
! ed here cas-, into the ground more careessly
than usual; the natives in their extreme indo-
lence having only dug ur' the earth 10 the depth
Of about half foot they hac then thrown
the sand and dirt loosely over 81, and lrodden II
down; which last piece of reeklessness having
principally taken place in the centre OF the boz
DIV, had caused the rxtremi,ies, shortly alter
their departure, to spring NJ! The consequence
was, that a head, which cannot call human,
for it was in a state not to BE- described, was
lifted out of the earth, the neck being wriihed
in the posture Of man on 'he rack. The body
and the upper parts of the legs were entirely
covered with earth, and over the whole place,
particularly round the head. the carrion tIes
were buzzing in loathsome swarms A pests
ferrous .ffluvia was rising all round, as this
dreadful object lay baking beneath the intense
glare Of day; and now the terrors OF the yellow
fever which had thus thou ghllessIy and even
madly tempted, came SO strongly upon mr, my
curiosity being now satis6rd, that holding
handkerc hief 10 my mouth, made oil with all
possible haste.
But the scene was moi destined 10 terminate
here In my hurry mistook the path by which
had entered, and was passing through strag.
Cling group Of trees, which Al the further end
perceived Dr.. NJ, OUT su' geon, who il appear
ed had ventu,ed here in defiance OF the jucular
threat of all the gun. room officers concerning
his flush and plethoric constitution Son,h to
Y.
| climate ever saw. lie was standing in an
attitude not very easy to describe, being evl-
denly engaged in observing something upon
the ground, from which at the same time he
seemed endeavouring to aver his senses. He
was armed with long Mexican cigar As
advanced ! hailed him. "Dootor M" lie
started and turned round. "Good heavens"
said he, in his Irish accent, "and sure you mae
me jump again: thought it had been The voice
OF one Of the skulls" q Ave" said /, shat on
the bank suppose" "Oeh! and you have OBJ
served that one, have you? fearful object sure
enough. I've seen, at the time walked the
hospitals in Ireland: many dreadful sigh,s; Tor
they are not so strict with The resurrection
people as in England, but III engage never
found any equal by half to what this place con.
tains. What brings you here?" "Nay, Doc
tor; may ask you that question, Tor surely
you have not come here profess, onally." mo,
no, cannot exactly say that did. VIVA, fine
teeth all these souls have got, "You were
s,udous when frs observed you." sand
VIVA, an abundance of them too" continued he.
eyes; but YOU were intenty gazing at some
thing when / called" "Oh." said he, sit lays
few PAGES 10 the left; let US 60 and look at
it," We went. On the earth lay the entire
figure Of a man, over whose rigid skeleton the
skin hung in dry thick folds, between which &
the bones al! was empty and heshless, as though
an en'ire leathern covering mad been sewn ov>
er the limbs. II must have lain there a very
long time. Now, without attaching too great
an importance 10 what is dead and done with,
or affecting sympathy which no one ever real
Iy fell for strange and nameless corse; do you
not think s., that such a scene as this is
enough 10 give one more solemn, definite, and
lasting impressions OF mortality, than all the
homilies which ever were or will be poured
into the worlds great ear? But with what cal.
Ious feelings Of contempt must the natives re-
gard death, who can thus suffer the remains OF
those of their own country, their own religion,
and perhaps relatives, to oe thus exposed in the
public burial ground'as objects OF terror and
disgust. One may hence infer they can have
little real love or respec, for each other during
life"
"Let US go leave this place." said Dr.. Nv,
"for upon my honor | think we've been rather
TOO venlurous in staying so long. should ad
wise your taking some medicine Immediately
we get on board. l shall do so myself