The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1842-11-15

sell upon u.s. and wherever I went about the room,
my eyes still involuntarily turned, expecting to see
tat herce negro drawing up his legs ready to bound
ike malignant demon, over the intervening space
lie mad been brought home for murder upon the high
SEAS but the jail fever anticipated the hand of the ex
ecutloner, and his body Of course given over to
the surgeons
far different object lay on the floor near him. 1t
was the body of young girl of about eleven or
twelve years old. The poor little creature had evil
gently died OF neglect, and her body drawn up by
the action OF the heXor muscles into the form of
bow, stiifencd in death, rocked forward and back
ward when touched by the foot: the sunken blue
eyes staring sorowiully and reproachfully upon us
from the emaciated features Beyond her, in most
savage contrast was thrown the carcass Of Bengal
tiger which had died day or two before in the Roy
al Menagerie, his taons extending an inch beyond
his paws, and there about his huge distended
jaws and sckly eyes perfe portraiture of dis
earse and pain and agony, has ever been my lot
TO witness in suffering humanity. There was no lev
iy among the students, but on the contrary sort of
soemnity In their examinations and when thew spoke
1t was IN low tone, as if they were apprehensive
OF disturbing the dead around Them | thought at
the time that it would be well if some of those
who sheer at the profession uld look in upon one
of these minor ordeals to which its followers are
subjected in their efforts TO alleviate the sulerngs of
their fellow men. AS the hour for the lecture up-
preached the students by one closed their books
washed their hands, and descended to the lecture
ROOM We descended with the rest, and as we pas
sed the grim porter, at the bottom of the staircase
Observed in the corner behind him number of stout
budSeons, besides several cutlasses and muskets A
popular commotlon short time previous, among
some of the well intenoned but ignorant Of the low
er Classes had induced the necessity of caution and
this preparation for resistance. Entering the lecture
room, we took our places the third or fourth row
of seats from the demonstrator's table, upon which
the subject was lying, covered with white sheet,
and had time, as the gradually filed to look H.
bout US. Besides the Students Lee pointed out to
me several able professional gentlemen, advanced in
life, who attracted by the celebrity of the ectu
rer among others, Abernethy and Sir Ashley Coop
er. Shortly after we had taken seats, u SLENDER
melancholy young man, dressed in deep mourning
entered the circles in which were seated, and
took his place on the vacant bench at my side. He
bowed TO my companions as he passed them, but i'm
medlatey on sitting down became bed, in deep
sadness. My friends returned his salute but did not
appear inclined to break into his distractions
At the precise moment that the lecture was an
nounced to be delivered the tall form of the eminent
surgeon descending the alley of the crowded
seats to his chair. The lights in the various parts Of
the room were raised suddenly, throwing glare all
around, and of the skeletons to which an acciden
tai jar had been given, vbrated slowly forward and
backward, while the other hung perfectly motonless
from its cord. In his short and scntentous manner,
he opened the subject of the lecture, which was the
cause, effect and treatment Of that scourge of our
country consumption. His remarks were snguarly
lucid and clear, even to me, a layman. After hav-
ing gone rapidly through the pathology of the disease
consuming perhaps some twenty minutes of time, he
said-'sN will now gentlemen, proceed to demon
srate upon the subject itself" shall not readily for
get the scene which followed las he slowly turned
up the wristbands of his shirt sleeves and bent over
to select an instrument from the case at his side, he
motoned to assistant to wit hdmw the sheet that
covered the corpse. Resuming his erect position the
long knife gtterng in his hand, the sheet was slow
drawn off exhibiting the emaciated features of an a.
ged woman, her white hair parted smoothly in the
middle of her forehead passing around to the back of
her head, beneath the plain white muslin cap. The
silence which always arrests even the most frivolous
in the presence of the dead, momcntarily checked
the busy hum of the whisper around me, when I
heard GA spa choaking rafting in the throat,nt
my side; and the next instant, the young man sitting
next to me- rose to his feet, threw his wildly up
wards, and shrieIng in tone Of agony, that caused
every mans heart in that assembly momentarily to
sop-sNly NIo-t-h-e-r! plunged PROSTATE and stiff,
head foremost on to those in front Of him. All was
instant CONSERVATION and confusion. There was one
present who knew him, but to the majority of stu
DENTS he was as much stranger as to my friends.
He was from one of the adjoining parishes of London
and two weeks before, had lost his mother, to whom
he was mnch attached, and by fatal nschance, that
mother lay extended before him. upon the demonstra
tors table. He Immediately raised, but entire
ly stiff and nsensibe, and carried into an adjoining
room. Sufficient animation was at length restored to
enable him to stand but he stared vacantly about
him. the great beads of sweat triclling down his
forehead, without particle ofmind and memory