Des Arc citizen., 1859-09-28
The Approach of Death.
In Appleton's Cyclopedia, under ths

All hppletOuS 5 OyCLOpCoios uuuCE shO caption .Dea,h," occurs the following:
 "As life approaches extinction, insensibility supervenes--a numbness and disposition to re- pose, which does not admit of the idea of suf- fering. Even in those cases where the activity of the mind remains to the last, and where nervous sensibility would seem to continue, 1t is surprising how often there has been obser- we'd state of happy feeling on the approach of death. of had strength enough to hold a pen, would write how easy and delightful it is to die," were the last words of the cele. brated Wm. Hunter during his last moments Montaigne in one of his essays, describes an accident, which left him so senseless that he was taken up for dead. On being restored, upon my lips, and shut my eyes to help thrust it out, and took pleasure in languishing and letting myself go. A writer in the Quarterly Review records that gentleman, who had been rescued from drowning. declared that he had not experienced the slightest feeling of sufocation. The stream was transparent, the day brilliant, and as he stood upright he could see the sun shining through the water, with dreamy consciousness that his eyes were about to be closed on it forever. Yet he neither feared his fate, nor wished to avert it. A sleepy sensation, which soothed and gratified him, made luxurious bed of watery grave.'
 The writer might have cited another re- markable case. We give it simply re- marking that there can be no doubt of its genuiness.
 A British Admiral fell from the deck of his ship in Portsmouth harbor into the sea. When he was fished out, life was nearly extinct. It was with great difficulty that he was resuscitated.
 He said afterwards that the only un- pleasant sensation he experienced was just at the moment from failing from the deck, and when he struck the water. There was no dread of death while in the water, and the stsangest part of the whole matter was that, while drowning, every act ot hls life passed in rapid review before his mind. Conscience sat in judgement upon them. There was no physical pain.
 Many years before, he was an officer with Nelson at Trafalgar. A shot hit him, and he fell upon the deck. He thought that he was dying, but there was no such review of past life as took place in the water at Portsmouth. It turned out that the wound was comparatively slight, and that he tainted from loss of blood soon af- ter 1t was inflicted.
 Al Trafalgar, he, Thought he was dying, at Portsmouth, he was absolutely dying. That was the difference.
 We have seen several extraordinary ar ticlcs within few years past on this sub | iect of Death. The writers all agree that itis painless process. Last Sunday. we published paragraph entitled the Tear less Dying" in which the remarkable fact is stated that the dying do not weep. A writer in the San Francisco Golden Era, says of this matter
 | Itake it to be probable thatsuch, being past physical excitement, have little or none Of thai heart-emotion, whence all tears have theii source. The dying often realize supreme hap piness, amounting even to joy, if not rapture, but it is calm-wholly unaccompanied witn excitement. Their regrets and sorrows are also of the same subdued character-too mild to cause the starting of tear. Is 1t not sln- gular, too, that newborn babes present the same peculiarity? They never shed tears They give us dry cries until they begin to take cognizance of objects and actions, and theii l little hearts become susceptible to their iniii' ences: in other words, till the emotions are manifested. Thus, at either extremity of life the lachrymal fount is dread-at the one end I before the passions are aroused-at the other when the passions have ceased to rage.-lN N o. Delta.