The Portsmouth inquirer. [volume] (Portsmouth, O. [Ohio]) 1849-1855, 1852-04-02
Sleep.
From a ne'o icork by Professor Samuel Hen
YU Dickson, of South CurOIina.


From ntao luork By Professor Samuel Hen
ny Dickson, Of South Carolina.
The necessary amount of sleep must differ
in the various tribes, as well as different in
diyiduals, according to numerous and varied
contingencies. The average proportion OF
time thus employed by our race may be stat
ed pretty fairly, | think, at one third. The
allotment of Sir William Jones slightly al
tered from an old English poet, does not de-
part much from this standard -
"Seven hours 10 books, to soothing slumber
seven.
Ten 10 the world allot, and all to Heayen''
The busy engagement of ambition and ava
rice may induce men to subtract more or less
from their due repose. but any considerable
deduction must be made at great risk to both
mind and body. Sir John Sinclair. who
slept eight hours himself, says that in his re-
searches into the subject Of longevity, he
found long life under every circumstance, ev-
cry course OF habit; some old men being .ab-
stinent some intemperate, some active and
some indolent but all had slept we'll and
long. Yet he gives letter from correspon-
dent, recording the case Of an old man of
Pinety-one, who had slept through life but
four hours day. Alfred the Great slept
eight hours, Jeremy Taylor but three. Dir.
Gooch tells us Of an individual who slept on
ly fifteen minutes in the day but this is
scarcely credible. Bonaparle, during the
greater part of his active life, was content
with four or five hours sleep; the same is
said OF Fredrlck the Great, and Of John Hun
0f 1 KNOW iamiiiarly person whose ave-
rage has been lower than this; / heard his
wife say that they had been married four
years before sic had ever seen him asleep
Seneca has been quoted as telling the incred-
ible story of Mecenas, that he had passed
three years without sleeping single hour
Boerhaave says of himself that he was six
weeks without sleep, from intense and con-
tinued study. Statements like these demand
close examination and clear proof.
"oi long protracted sleep there are nume-
rous and wonderful tales, from the story of
the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus, and their dog
Ito be found in the early legends of the
Church; in the Koran, chapter Of the Cave
all over the East, as Gibbon tells us and
even in Scandinavia 10 the exonisite
Rip Van Winkle of our own Washington
Irving. In the Philosophical Transactions
we read of one Samuel Clinton, a laboring
man, who frequently slept several weeks at a
time, and once more than three months, with
out waking In the Berlin Memoirs of the
Academy of Sciences, there is curious his
tory OF lady of Nismes, who fell asleep ir.
resistibly at sunrise, woke for brief interval
at noon, fell asleep again, and continued in
that state until seven or eight in the evening,
when she awoke and remained awake until
the next sunrise. Old age and infancy sleep
much. Old Parr slept almost constantly =
Demoiyre, in advanced life, large part of
bis time. 81
1.-THE desire Of sleep is one Of the most ur-
gent demands Of nature. Some boys slept,
from fatigue, on board OF Nelson's shin at
the battle of the Nile. Among the impress
sive incidents of Sir John Moore's disastrous
retreat to Corunna in Spain, not the least
striking is the recorded fact that many of his
soldiers steadily pursued their march while
fast asleep. Burdacb, however, affirms that
TINS is not uncommon among soldiers
Franklin slept nearly an hour swimming on
MS back. An acquaintance Of mine, travel
ing with party in North Carolina, being
greatly fatigued was observed to be sound
ssleep in his saddle. His horse, being be Z
Ter walker, went far in advance of. tie rest.
On croossinga hill, they found him on the
ground snoring quietly. His horse had fsl-
len, as was evident from his broken knees.
and had thrown his rider on his head on a
hard surface, without waking him."