Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1860-11-20
Meeting of the Tennessee Historical
Society for October and November.

Meeting of the Tennessee Historical
Society for October and November.
q IcoNcLUDED
From Donald Cameron, Esq, Sept, Xon-
ophoatis de Cyri Institutions, Libri Octo.
By Thomas Hutchinson. With the Greek
Prima Amaess ina. Gura Johannis MATHS.
l vol. 8vo. 30 PIP. WIN. Poyntell & Co.,
Philadelphia, 1906.
TlsesYorks OF Thomas Sydenham, on Acute
and Chronic Diseases; with their Histories
aud Modes of Cure. With Notes, &C., by
Benjamin Rush. 1 vol. svo. $40 PIP. Benja-
min d Thomas Bite, Pbiladelphia, 1909.
From Mr.. A. G. Smith, Nov. ID, 1860. A
Part of Queen Either or the Bloody Rock,
wyoming PENN Battle Ground. On this
rock the captives were slaughtered by Queen
Esther. 2. Portion of the brick wall of ST.
Johns Church, Richmond, Va, where Patrick
Henry enunciated the celebrated expression:
"GiUe me Liberty or gius me Death" An ex-
| preston which may have again 10 DO repeat
ed in view of the diaholical schemes OF dis
unionists, secessionists, and all such base
rubbish v hich would clog the glorious on
ward march of this great country. 3. Some
Olive wood from the Mount Oliyet, Jerusa-
lem. t. a piece of a cane from Waterloo
battle ground. 5. Stone from the inside OF
Washington's Tomb at Mt. Vernon. 6. Por-
ton of the stone wall of the House in Valley.
Forge, Pennsylvania, in which Gen. Wash
ington and his staff of officers had their head
quarters in the Revolutionary War. Z. Tas-
sci from the Coronation and Military Car
rage of Napoleon Bonaparte.
From Mr. A. j. Crossman, of Providence,
Rhode Island, Sept. goth. a section of the
branch Of the root of an apple tree which
penetrated the grave of Roger Williams (the
celeb ated founder of the Providence Planta-
ton, or Rhode Island) at Providence. A
Pamphlet of II pages, being Memorial OF
Roger Williams accompanies Mr.. Gross
mans letter and relic. This pamphlet gives
an account of the recent opening of the grave,
March %, 1860, We will give such extracts
from it as may prove interesting: "Ihe ut
most care was taken in seraping away the
earth from The bottom of the grave OF Roger
Williams. Not Festage of any bone was
discoverable, nor even OF the lime dust which
usually remains after the gelatinous part OF
the bone is decomposed. So completely had
disappeared all the earthly remains OF the
Founder of the State of Rhode Island, IN the
commingled mass of black, crumbled slate
stone and shale, that they did not leave a
wreck behind By chemical laws, we learn
that all flesh, and the gelatinous matter Civ
ing consistency to the bones, become finally
resolved into carbOnc acid gas, water and
air, but the solid lime dust of the decomposed
bones was here doubtlessly absorbed by roots
or commingled with the earth in the bottom
OF the grave, being literally the ashes OF the
dead This was all that remained. On
looking down into the pit, whilst the sex
tons were clearing il of earth, the loot of an
adjacent apple tree was discovered. This
tree had pushed dowDwards one of It's main
roots in slOping direction and nearly
straight course towards the precise spot that
had been occupied by the skull of Roger
Williams. There making a turn conform
the direction of the back bone to the hips,
aud thence divided into two branches, each
one following leg-bone to the heel, where
they both turned upwards to the extemitles
of the toes of the skeleton. One of the roots
formed a slight crook at the part occupied
by the knee joint, thus producing an in
creased resemblance to the outlines of the
skeleton of Roger Williams, as if, indeed.
moulded thereto by The powers of vegetable
life. This siHgularly formed root has been
carefully preserved, as constituting very
impressive exemplifcation of the mode i'll
which the contents of the grave had been en-
tirely absorbed. Apparently not stated with
banqucting On the reIDains found in one
grave, the same roots extended themselves
into the next adjoiIiing one. pervading every
part Of it with network of voracious flores
in their thorough search for every particle Of
nutritious matter in the form of phosphate
of lime, and other organic elements consti-
tuting the bones. AT the time the apple
tree was planted, all the 1eshy parts of the
body had doubtlessly been decomposed and
dispersed in gaseous forms; and there was
then left only enough of the principal bones
to serve for the roots 10 follow along from
one extremity of the skeleton to the other in
continuous course, to CLEAN up the scanty
remains. Had there been other organic
matter presen: in quantity, there would have
been found divergent branches of roots to
envelope and absort it. This may serve to
explain the singular formation Of the roots
into the shape OF the principal bones of the
human skeleton. These disclosures are cor
roborated by the artificial use of bones as a.
manure in practical agriculture Similar
instances have been. noticed in excavatiug to
remove the remains of human bodies from
old burial grounds. This very remarkable
exhibition of the powers of vegetable life in
| active pursuit of appropriate nourishing food,
even in the depths of the human grave, con-
| stitutes one of the most interesting phen am-
ena in philosophical point of views, dis
closed during the researches that have been
described. serving to show that nothing use
| ful as food for plants is wastfully lost in the
| economy of nature. and that even our yery
| graves are ransacked by rambling roots, as
well as by the crawling w rms, that convert
every charnel house into banqueting hall
At the close of these careful excavations
and during the disappointment which ensued
from finding only parcel of roots nestled
into the place of the remains of the founder
Of the State of Rhode Island, all present
turned to the innocent looking apple tree, as
the theft that had stolen them away. There
was no mistake, for it had been caught in
the act of robbing grave, and of appropri
ating the contents to its own use, re incorpor
ating them into its living trunk and