The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-05-03

Fishes OF the United States; or rather those found
in our New Red Sandstone.
Mr.. Rs4asId said he would be ready 70 read i to-
morrow.
Prof. Silis,an then read paper from Lieut. n.
w. II. Hardy, r. ~, Of Kilkenny House, Sion
Hill, near Bath, England, on two SUBJECTS l. Inc
mapoiitc root bark, or pole-cat tree root Dark OF
Missouri. 2. The mistletoe and holly banks, and
their medicinal properties Lieut.. Hardy sala Una.
possessed wonderful and strong anti-scoroutic prop
critics. and would cure gums that were sore swollen,
and tender even when the teeth were loose he cured
a man with it at Sonora in Mexico in three days,
whose gums were so very bad that his pillow used
In general cases il cured scorbutc gums, &C. in one
DAYS use Of the bark. He never knew it TO fail.
piece of the root bark is TO be masticaed ill all
the pungen properties have left it, then chew another
piece and 50 till is effected. If the disease
returns, repeat the remedy He speaks of its anti
scorbutic properties in the same manner as we do
of the properties Of cinchona suphste of qunine,
a cure for ague. Its therapeuticai properties
were first shown to him by an American, Mr.. Glib
son, a hunter or rapper, who married woman at
Opossum, in Sonora, Mexico; whose wife Hardy
attended. II is found in great abundance on the
banks Of the Missouri, where its smell disguss all
who come near it. Mr. Hardy took some of it to
England and has used il there with great success IN
every case The second case was the produce Of the
miseioe berries and the inner bark of the holly tree
(brd lime) made into plastic state, and spread on
cloth Take three pounds Of yellow beeswax and
one pound of bird lime; melt the wax over slow
FIRE; add the bird lime by degrees, SO as not to
have it boil over; keep the vessel after this. on
the FIRE forty-fve minutes, so that the bird lime
and wax are fully incorporated; spread this mix
ture on cloth and cut it into proper size for
plasters. In cases of neuralgia, put the pas-
ter over the part where the pain is. The plaster
will retain its virtues till every part of is worn
from the cloth, and it does not materially interrupt
the action of the skin A repetition Of it has equal
effect Also the carbonzed ashes of the bark of the
holly mixed with its own weight Of calcined alum,
rubbed on the gums, where neuralgia proceeds from
its forms, and the remedy is almost simultaneous
with the application. He has cured three cases in
this way he however alludes only to secondary ef-
fecs; leaving the primary of neuralgia TO be
otherwise disposed of. But he thinks even the pri-
mary disease (when not the result of organic de-
rangement) can be cured by this bark, when made
into salt with sulphuric acid and given internally
Lieut. Hardy thinks that the Druids of old knew
these virtues in misletoc and holly; and hence the
great reverence they made the people pay to them;
and got up the superstitous notion that sprig Of
holly or misetoe would drive away demon; and
thus the practice of decorating houses at Christmas
and New Years herewith.
DIR. Barrett said he didn't know what was meant
by that tree--the polecat. He was sorry the lieu
tenant did not send a specimen ofit--a flower, a
leaf, or a piece of the bark. With regard to the
misletoe the lieutenant could not have read South
ey's "Book of the Church," where Southey has
shown up the way in which the Druds and priests
Of old humbugged the people by means Of a very
fine plant, and thus getting large share of their
worldly goods. As for neuralgia, it was best re-
lieved by taking off the surface with blister and
then adding morphine.
the lieutenant sending over specimen of the pole
cat tree; it would be best known by its smell
[laughterl wherever found, without any flower,
bark, even leaf; like certain animals knowledge
of its whereabouts speedily carried through the
air to speak for itself. Much langhter.]
Mr. j. ID. Whelpley said that diseased gums were
not difficult of cures any powerful styptc would do
thisa solution of nitrate of silver for instance,
any acrid vegetable, either green or an extract.
No external remedy will cure neuralgia--not even
dissection of the nerve. ia supposed be caused
by pressure the nerve where it passes out at the
base Of the scull. The misletoe is useful only a
mere Alternative, and has no virtues an external
application.
"A .MemLer--Unless the practice of externally APP
plying kiss to fair maiden's cheek beneath sns-
pended misletoe bough be considered u virtue.
Much laughter.
The second paper was then read it was from Mr..
the Medical College Of Louisiana, the sinfuence
Of atmospheric pressure the tides" Professor
w. had made observations in regard to this in the
bay of Pensacola He observed that when the ba-
rometer ranged high, the tides were always low,
and pice Versa: the ordinary mean range Of the ba-
rometer was % so; the ordinary tide range was
fiom 3 to feet in the Gulf of Mexico. During a
strong northeast wind, with the barometer very
low, the tide at Pensacola would be very high,
though the tendency of such wind would be to
force the water out of the bay. With the wind
from the northwest, the tide would be very low,
while the weather was very clear; change in the
bar
duce rise of from to feet in the tide. And
thus he thought tide table might be made by which
any commander Of vessel could know by his ba-
rometer how much water there would be on the bar
of certain harbor in the gulf and this Of great
value, because the depth Of water on all the bars in
the gulf is very SMALL and at Pensacola it is only %
feet During northwest winds there, they have gen.
orally clear weather, with the barometer ranging
high and the tides very low.
This was the substance of the paper.
The President here said that he had Just remem-
bered the name Of plant he had seen in a garden
at Rochester, and no one knew how it got there; it
selid tritoliaia; and smelling abominably, was
called the skunk tree. Perhaps that was the mapo-
lite of Lieutenant Hardy.
DR.. Barrett said that could be known by Mutually
genera Of plants Of the United States, or Eliou's
Flora. There had been great fondness among the
public for skunk's cabbage and skunks grease and
other matters connected with skunks. Laughter
The President. Well, hope the public will get
an ample supply--equal to their desires. Laugh
teri
Mr. Rsdfeld said, in relation to atmospheric pres
sure on tides, that half an inch of mercury only
made difference of six inches in the tide DR..
Wedderburn has overrated the matter. So in the
case of the northeast winds causing high tides: a
rise in the tide at Pensacola must be produced by
some cause operating out Of that bay. Thus a
northeast wind at Pensacola would be an cast wind
at Yucatan, and southeast wind at another place,
forming, as it were circuit of WINDS all tending to
drive the water into the bay Of Pensacola.
Mr.. Rogers said that some years since great
changes were observed in the level Of the Swiss
lakes in times of great storms; and scientific men in
Switzerland called on us to observe if there were
similar changes in our great northern lakes. Here
is great gauge to go by. Has any one made these
observations on Lake Erie or SUPERIOR Is there
not some other force at work, much more than what
is due to static altered prcssure' Is there not dy-
manic force at work, well as that of the change
in superintendent column of atmosphere The
dynamic force Of the wind operating on the waves
OF lake, sustained through hours and days, is OF