Daily gazette and comet., 1860-10-26
More Curious Superstition.

plants, the most whimsical fancies
were received and firmly believed in.
Thus, every plant was supposed to be
under the influence of planet each
planet reigDed paramount over a cer-
tain part of the human frame, and
the herbs under its influence were
believed to supply the proper medi-
cine for that portion OF the body
Another method of detecting the vir-
tues Of plants was by signature"
aud was founded on the idea that
"nature has stamped on divers plants
legibie characters, to discover their
uses. SO yellow flowers were held
the natural medicine for yellow jaun-
dice; spotted herbs for the removal
Of freckles I; aud the tooth.like shape
Of the henbane seed was sufficient
proof that its juice would cure the
tooth-ache. The medical properties
attached to some plants by the herbalist
are indeed astonishing. "Eye-bright"
wine will not only enable old people
to read without spectacles, but has
been known 10 restore sight to the
blind valerian juice draws iron or
wood out of flesh cowslip water re-
stores beauty and q single spoonful
Of the juice Of the mallow is a pre-
servative forever from all diseases -
Rue, renders a man subtle, quick, and
inventive ; sage strengthens the men,
ory, aud rejoicos in so many virtues,
that one of its panegyrists asks, "How
is it that one who grows sage in his
garden can never die 7"
Some curious recipes are furnished
by these old herbalists. There is
one-never in much demand, VIC
opiue-"good against merrie gals"
and another "to kill man in such
sort as though he seemed to die laugh.
ing" Two walnuts, two figs, and
twenty leaves Of rue, beaten together
aud eatin fasting, would preserve
against plague or poison for a day
Dogs, We are told, take grass as an
emetic asses, when afflicted with
melancholy, recover their spirits by
eating milk waste; whilegoats expell
arrows from their flesh by eating dit
tanty; serpents clear their eyes with
fennel. Adder's-tougue, put in the
left ear of horse, will make him fall
down as if dead; but on its removal,
he will become livelier than ever
while if asses feed much on hemiock,
they will fall so fast asleep, that
"some, thinking them to be dead
indeed, have Aayed off their skin ;
yet after they have done opera
ting, the beasts have stirred and wax.
cd out of their sleep, to the grief and
amazement of their owners, aud the
laugher ofothers." Mandrake, "that
procureth love, in poisonous filters
Mixed" bore fearful reputation. -
1t was said to spring up under the
gibbet, from the blood Of the male.
factors to resemble the human form
in shape; and not only shrek when
pulled out of the ground, but punish
any man attempting to remove it
with madness or death, so that it was
customary to employ dogs for that
ose.---Amerioan Agriculturalist.
The GREAT EAsTERN.-The advi-
ces from England announce that
Captain Vine Hall, the worthy and
popular commander of the Great
Eastern, has ceased his connection
with that vessel, as has also Mr..
Mcclellan, the chief engineer. 1t
was well known that Captain Vine
Hall felt keenly the illiberality of
the directors who accompanied the
ship to New York, and the mis-
management attending her exhibi-
ton and excursions. 1t was indeed
currently reported that Captain
Hall, feeling that he was held re-
sponsible for conduct that he could
neither approve nor prevent, had
declared that on his return he would
either have the supreme authority
on board or he would resign the
command ; and it is by no means
unlikely that the inability of the
company to worthily supply his
place is the reason why the great
ship must remain unworthily in-
active for the winter in Milford Ha-
ven.-Nelo York Com. advertiser.
SUCCESSFUL EXPERIMENTS WITH CAP
TIA. RanA N,s Etrrrr.--rncrr Gr-,