Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-09-11
DO SNAKES HISS ,
FROM THE BUFFALO conmEnorAL ADVERTISER.


FROM THE BUFFALO COMMERCIAL ADVERTISER.
This has assumed the solemnty of judicial inquiry
Grave editors issue the point. 'When doctors
disagree who shall decide The surest mode of arriving at
the fact would be the production OF the animals themselves
and provoking them to Speech if speak they But alas
forum a newspaper, and menagene. Nought then
remains but to hear the witnesses, and then decide have
tried the cause in the attic and the following testimony
have pronounced Judgment which, like all just Judgments,
is fnathat is the end of the But do not aater
myself it will end the controversy.
That snakes hiss is put down by that keen detecor
Of popular mistakes, Sir THos BRowNE, among his Vul-
gar Errors"
That snakes do hiss is belief almost universal among
Christians. The denial of il has startled community much
moe than would the assertion that setting goose
y gander will not, when provoked.
Common people every where -naurasts assert it.
travellers word defners assert it-and poets from
the beginning, have asserted it, and will maintain to the
end Of time. None but editors and skepcs have de-
MED it,
But call the witnesses and let them be brief
Homer and Virgil and Ovid, it is said, all make serpents
hiss But they all of the dark ages and talk English
One Of them will do Homer and Virgil dismissed the
Court Call Dryden and swear him as an interpreter He
is rather free translator but will do for the What
says Ovdius Naso Of the Furies
"And iearest thou not the internal bands
Their heads with snakes with torches armed their hands,
Full at thy face tn avenging brands to bear,
And shake the serpents from their kissing hair -
What fine constellation off eyes in fine phrenzy rolng
What sweet Babel they would make of this grave Court,
could they all give tongue. Turn them out all but four
ve and keep that grave, maescal sghtless old for
the last
g heard kissing; there sef'ents here -
The dragon is sain--but
Wrath yet remains, tho strength his fabric leaves
And the meant hiss the gasping mouth deceyes"
[Savage
Brennus has thy holy hand
Safely broug the Druid wand,
And the potent adder-sone,
'Gendered fore the autumnal moon,
When in undulatng twne
There foamng snakes, prolite join,
When they hiss, and when they bear
Their wondrous egg aloof in air ~ Mason.
Now then, miraculous Seer, stand forth, and say what
CHANGED Pandemonum when Satan returned from blasted
Paradise, rehearsed his triumph to the Stygian throng"
'sIe stood, expecting
Their universal shout and high applause
To fill his ear, when contrary he hears
On all sides, from innumerable tongues,
dismal, universal hiss, the sound
Of public He wondered, but not long
Had leisure, wondering at himself now more,
His ysage drawn he felt too sharp and spare
His arms chung to his ribs, his legs entwinng
Each other, till supplanted down he fell
A monstrous serpent on his belly prone.
He would have spoke,
But hiss for hiss returned with forked tongue
To forked tongue for now all transformed
Alike to serpents as accessories
To his bold riot Dreadful the din
OF kissing through the hall.
Lead him reverendy away The Court declares it fully
established that snakes do hiss poetice
Bring forth that in the rusty suit He looks like
student and may' possibly know something of the matter
What say you of the Pythian Games !!
''The songs which were sung were called the Pythan
NODES and were divided into FIVE parts which contained
Goht If
Come to the point, if there be
"The fifth singes, 1--WE have font of Greek tyPe)
imitation of the Kisses Of the serpent just he expired
under the blows of Apollo"
These travellers lie there is no ceditng them But you
may call William Jackson who dwe for years in Mo
rocco he looks respectable. Whaae you talking about sir
1.-The FL Elijah of the Arabs, Cor the Epheh of the He
brews. They have wide mouth, by which they nhnle
great quantity of air and when inflated herewith they eject
with such force to be heard at considerable distance
Summon the gentlemen who know all hings-the En-
cyclopedists
"Al sepents breathe air. The aynr too simple and
membanaceous admit Of the existence OF voice hiss
ing sound, however, can be Produced
Ne,c Edin Enc.-Ophpiogy
"Their kissing, in Species is truly startling"
TEac Amr.-SepentS.
elm comparing serpents their voices found
SILENT have peculiar cry but kissing sound which
they commonly send forth, either call 10 their KIND
or a threat their enemies. London Enc.-SerPeifs
What says Noah Webster, who, in his great love for all
living words, sought all from perdnon very many Of
them most truly merited
Hiss, n, the noise Of serpent, goose, &c
I'll hear the testimony's closed g. W. Q.
The New York Commercial Advertiser, which recently
started the above question: the conclusion, in view
of evidence has received in communications from
many quarters that there is least kind Of serpent that
hsses-namey, the adder, which aens and swels its head
or neck when iritated.l
GEORGE ]. J. Banner, Esq. is the whole-hearted and
liberal Wing who time since presented the edi
Of the Cortland Whig with set Of types for his
paper After repeated solicitations from the Wings Of Cor
land the Editor has without Mr.. b. consent, given his
TO the public. Now that it is known, we hope the
Wing press will pass round worthy of everlasting re-