, 1854-02-04
CnflnsilirS Of Slrrn.

IuilUAlllth Vi Dlttp'
There are some curious incidents on rec.
ord Of sleeping and waking. in Turkey
if person happens to fall asleep in the
ncighhorhood Of a poppy-feld, and the
wind blows over towards him, he becomes
gradually narcOtizcd, and would die if the
country-people, who are well acquainted
with the circumstance did not bring him to
the next well or stream, and empty pitcher
after pitcher on his face and body. DR..
Oppenbeim, during his residence in Turkey
owed his life to this simple and eflicacious
treatment. DIR. Graves, from whom this
anecdote is quoted, also reports the case of
a gentleman, thirty years Of age, who from
long-continucd sleepiness, was reduced 10 a
complete living skeleton, unable to stand on
his legs. 1t was partly owing to disease,
but chiefly 10 the abuse Of mercury and
opium, until at last, unable to pursue his
business he sank into abect poverty and
woe. Dr. Reid mentions a friend of his,
who, whenever anything occurred to dis
tress him, soon became drowsy, and fell
asleep. A fellow-student also, at Edinburg,
upon hearing suddenly the unexpected death
of near relative, threw himself on his bed,
and almost instant0neously, amidst the glare
Of noon-day, sunk into profound slumber.
Another person, reading aloud to one of his
dearest friends stretched on his death bed,
fell fast asleep, and, with the book still in
his hand, went on reading, utterly unc0n-
scious of what he was uttering A woman
at Henault slept seventeen or eighteen
hours q day for fifteen years. Another is
recorded to have slept once for forty days.
A man twenty-five years Of age, at Timsbu-
ry, near Bath, once slept for n month, and
in two years he slept again for seventeen
days. DR.. Macnish mentions woman who
spent three-fourths of her life in sleep and
DIR. Elliottson, who has collected several
instances Of this sort, quotes the case OF
young lady who slept for six weeks, and re-
covered. Herodotus, in Malpomene," al
ludes incredulously to race Of the Scythi-
ans, or Tartars in the extreme north, who
were reported to sleep away six months of
the year. "Two young men," says DIR.
Graves, "college-students, went 10 bed in
perfect health the night previous to their
examination they slept soundly the elder
one rose early in the morning, and left his
younger brother still asleep he remained
so for two hours more, having slept alto
gether for more than ten hours, when he
awoke in a state of complete insanity
The same author likewise relates the case
of o gentleman who fell asleep with his
head resting on his hands, folded together
before him on the table, after dinner. On
awaking, one arm was paralyzed, and re-
mained paralyzed to the day of his death,
which followed not long afterwards. The
celebrated General Elliott, Frederich the
Great, and John Hunter, seldom slept more
than four or FIVE hours in the twenty-four.
DIR. Macnish mentions lady, in perfect
health, who never slept more than four or
five hours in the twenty-four, and then only
haifan hour at a time. General Plchegru,
according to Sir Gilbert Baine, had only
one hours sleep in the same space Of time
in the whole year. The venerable St. Au-
gustine. of Hippo, prudently divided his
hours into three parts eight he devoted
to sleep, eight to recreation, and eight TO
converse with the world. De MOiyre slept
twenty hours out Of twenty-iour. Quln,
the celebrated player, could at his pleasure
slumber twenty-four hours in succession
and DR.. Reid, could when he liked, take as
much food and as much sleep as would
serve him for q couple Of days. TheoGssi,
us, falling asleep in the morning watch ol
his last great battle, saw in his dreams al
apparition that assured him of his victory
over his desperate foe Eugenius; and the
issue of the Forthcoming day verified, Oh
coincided with, this strange presentlment..
The Daupin, son Of the unfortunate Louis
XIV, the descendant of the Soverelgns D
France and Navarro, shut up in a loathe
some nook, with hole in the wall, through
which his scanty rations were thrust, wa'
killed for the want of sleep. His feyerlsl
temples were scarcely laid upon the pallet
when a stern voice pealed round the walls
-CAPEr, ou Es TU2 DORIS TU? by o re
fnement of cruelty of this description, hi
ductile and confding spirit, drawn out t
the last gasp, silently gave up the ghost, o.
the Sth of June, in his tenth year, ll9o
The famous st. Dominic never reposed eX
cept on the floor, or the bare boards, whlcl
served him for a bed st. Bonayentara
one of the first Franciscans, made use OF
common stone of some size, instead OF
pillow and 81. Peter Of Alcantara sep
/ but one hour and half in the twenty-lou