Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1833-05-20

anu With eerialf bias Of mind inclinlng them to
listen with cfeduous to supelstitious legends
and lies Of tho marvellous will generally terni-
nate ia optical and amiealar decisions and tia
by no means incredible chat many Of the unlor
tunatc persons who have put m tnd to their lives
have done 81 lar tho influence OF CAUSES like this
sane in all ,hings Use. but haunted continually
by sights and sounds, evoked by dorange,l nerves
aud ovefstra,ncd lmaginations.
Bat let Us return from this long DEPRESSION 10
ST. David Brewstets book Tho 10th Letter Is
principally devoted to detail Of the icats oi strength
performed by various SIMPSONS ancient and
modern, and 10 an explanation OF the means Ivy
which persons Of ordinary strength may perform
acts which NJ first sght would seem to defy the
muscular powers of him who uprooled the gates
Of Gaza, and bore them oil upon his shoulders.
Many of our readers haze witnessed tho tricks of
the jts'ers who sometimes pass though the eoun.
Try, astonishing the multitude by their ingenuity
and strength. Among their tricks, is that Of pla.
eng az anvil on the breast, aud permitting tho by
ISLANDERS to work upon IT, in this situation, with
sledeo henmer. Nlr Brewster thus explains this
marvel
" Ihe feat OF the anvil is certainly very sur-
prsing ono The difficulty, hawevcr, really CON
niss IN sustaining the anvil for when this is done
the effect Of the h,mmering 10 nothing. Ii tho nv.
WI were thin piece OF iron, even two or thrcc
times heavier than the hammer the performer
would be killed by few blows :; but tho blows are
scarcely felt When the anvil is very heavy Tor the
more matter the anvil has, the greater is its inertia
and It ~ the IS liable To be struck out OF its
place for when II has received by the blow the
whole momentum OF the hammer is velotlty viii
be 80 much less than that OF the hammer, as its
quantity ofmatcr II greater When tho blow,
indeed Is struck, the man feels less Of the weight
of the anvil ,han he did before because in the rcac-
ton of the s,ono all the parts Of II round about the
hammer rise towards the blow. Ths property is
lustrat dhy the well.known experiment Of lay
lrg ga stuck with lis ends upon Two drinking
glasses full Of water and striking tho stick down.
wants IN the middle with an IRON bar. The stick
will IN this case be broken without breaking the
glasses, or spilllng the water But L the stick Ia
struck upwards as if 10 throw II up IN tho ait the
glasses will break If the blow be strong aud II the
blow is not very quick, tho water Will ba splt
without breaking iie g'asses.
We have room only for o0e or two more extracts
which we Shall devote TO TWO singular and well
authenticated eases Of Spoaftaeoas eom5asttoa, rs
warning to those Who indu e too freely IN liquid
fre
"Onc Of the most remarkable cases OF spon,ano-
Gus combustion 10 lhaf of The Countess corn,t,e
Hangar and Baudi If Cessna, which Itus been mi
hQlely describeJby the Reverend Joseph Blnnchini,
prcbcnd IN the cily OF Verona. ThIs lady, who
WA in lie sixty sccon yoer OF her ngc retired TO
bed IN her usual health Here she spent above
three hours IN familiar conversation with her maid
aud IL saying heI prayers mud having at last fallen
asleep, the door of her chamber shut As her
maid was not summoned AT the usual hour, she
went into the bed room TO wake her mistress; bul
receiving no answer, she opened the window, and
SOW her corpse On the floor IN the most dreadful
condition At the distance Of four feet from the
bed there was heap Of ashes. Her legs, with
the stockings on, remained untouched, aud the
Aend, hafh0roed, Jay between them Neally ali
the rest Of he body was reIuced to ash.s. Tho
ar in the room was charged with floating SCOT. a
small oil lamp on the floor was covered with asl
b1. had no OIL IN and in two candlos.icks Which
stood upright upon tnblc, the cotton wek OF both
Tho caudies was left, and the tallow of both had
disappeared. The bed was not injured, and the
beHset' aud shcete we'o '"'ea ." e"a ei1e ~ " q
person had risen up IRON H. From an examination
oil all The circumstances OF TINS case, II has been
generally supposed that On internal combustion had
taken lace lha Inc 'auy hhd risen from her bcd
10 cool herself, ana 'nat IN her way to open the
window, INC COMBUSTION hau oVefpo"ef'h hef, ana
consumed her BODY by process IA wfich no hame
was produced which could set hire to The furniture
81 'np 'ool hc ''o'g"' 'o'P'o N'""'i ""a 1t,
formed by an Italian hooieman VINO pissed ihfoush
Cessna a itw days alter ms Gent MT heard It
stated +" that tow"' 'nn' the countess Hans"' was
IN the habit when sho te't herself '"dl*poseo, OF
""s''''s ''' "'' '0'' "''' N'''i''''"0 sf'''' "
e,rooo,,,,, -. i7it s, s,,ilor = v,r,nI. or e,o,,,
neous combustion occurred in our own country at