Washington telegraph., 1850-04-10
EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY.

"A i1c Is worse Indie Cr1TnlnaI II 1t is a
poor weak invention. When it proves
ready wit, there is redeeming feature
IN 1t. A Scotchman defined lie to be
''the misrepresentation Of fact, wi
intent to deceive" The definition will
hardly apply to the following narrative
OF an extraordinary discovery" 80
Professor Van Grosselback, of Stock
holm, has very lately brought to state
of perfection the art of producing a torpor
in the whole system by the application
of cold Of inherent degrees OF intensity,
proceeding from lesser or greater, so
as to cause the human body to become
perfectly torpid without premature injury
to any organ or tissue of the frame. In
this state they remain one hundred or
thousand years, and again, after sleep
of ages, be awakened to existence as fresh
and blooming as they were when they
first sunk into this frigoric sIumber. The
attention of the learned Professor was first
led to the subject by fuding toad ell
closed in a solid fragment of calcareous
rock, ten feet III diameter, which, when
taken out, showed unequivocal signs of
life; but it is supposed that the concus-
sion caused by blasting the rock occasion
ed its death IN few hours after. The
opinion of Baron Grulthizen; who is at
present geologist to the King of Sweden,
was, that il must have been in that sltua-
ton for at least seven thousand years
and his calculations We're dra Wn from the
different layers of strata by which il was
surrounded. From this hint the Professor
proceeded to make experiments, and after
a painful and laborious course for the, last
twenty years of his life, he at last succeed
ed in pertecting the great discovery. Not
less than sixty thousand reptiles, she'll
fish, etc., were experimental on before
he tried human subject. The process
is not laid entirely before the public as
yet, but had the honor, in company
with friend, of visiting the Porfessor. |
shall give slight description of one of
the outer rooms. containing some OF his
preparations. Previous to entering we
were furnished with an India rubber bag,
to which was attached mask with glass
eyes. This was put OH to prevent the
temperature of the room from being raised
in the slightest degree by our breathing
1t was a circular room, lighted from the
Top Oy tIi0 sun > fdyS,-1AIOlu1 WHiCu tue
heat was entirely disengaged by its pas
sage through glass, etc., coIored 10y the
oxide of copper, ia late discovery and very
valuable to the Professor.) The room Is
shelved all round, and contains nearly
one thousand specimens of animals. One
was Swedish girl, from appearance
about nineteen years. She was consign-
ed TO the Professor by order OF the gov
ernment 10 experiment upon, having been
guilty of numbering her child. With the
exception of slight paleness, she appears
as if asleep, although she has been in
state of complete torpor for two years.
He intends to resusitate her in five years,
and convince the world Of the sounduesS
Of his wonderful discovery. The Protes-
>or, TO crafty us, took small snake out
OF his cabinet into another room. and al
though ii appeared to us 10 be perfectly
dead, and rigid as marble, by application
OF mixture of Cayenne pepper and BRAN
dy, it showed Immediate signs of life, and
was apparently as active as ever 1t was.
in minute, although the Professor assur-
ed us it had been in a state of torpor for
six years.