The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-04-30

A correspondent of the San Francisco
Weekly Mirror gives the following vivid de-
scription of the sensations he felt while IN
der the intoxication of chlorotorm, in which
he had been placed for the purpose of having
silver of iron extracted from his eye
"My last sane recollection is of the surgeon
applying the handkerchief to my mouth: then
the room began to magnify to gigantic proper
uons common lamp was transformed to q
candelabrum, more luminous and costly than
ever lighted the grandest cathedral in the
world. The surgeon became giant of prodi-
gious magnitude, holding huge, cleaning
knife, with single blow of which he might
have severed me. The sound of voices in the
room seemed like the clamorings of vast
multitude during the burning OF a city, and 4
sign board, screeching outside, conveyed the
idea of furious mob collected in the street
for my execution. On entering the room /
had noticed large cat sitting asleep on a
shelf, which turned its head laZily toward
me and then resumed its slumbers; this crea-
tnre became hideous, vampire like monster,
with great fiery eyes, and with fangs and
claws like what were tabled to belong TO the
griffin, walking round, and blowing fetid
breath on me, and pressing its frightful paws
on my breast But the worst of all was
collec ton of gigantic men sharpening instru-
ments for my dissection. l could hear the
whirring of the stone and the shrieking of the
highly tempered knives as the grinders laugh
ed at the intended dissection. One was more
jocose and heartless than the rest; he was my
implacaole enemy; we had quarrelIed and
fought about a schoolilate love. Presently I
felt their keen knives IT every Joint; shrek
ed and screamed, biasphemed and besought
my tormentors, but still the instruments
Kissed through my quivering flesh and grated
along every bone. / am satisfied that al l
these emotions were experienced within mo-
ment after the first inhalation which began
the process of stupefaction-so swift are the
evolutions of thought when sense is subdued,
and when the phantom monarch of dreams
leads the soul through the endless avenues,
swifter in it's journey ing than the short-lived
fire which falls from the womb OF an oVerDur-
dened cloud.
"But gradual revolution OF men tai percep-
ton succeeded I; those frightful specters began
to recede the men and knives began to dimin-
ish; the cat returned to his natural proportions
and crept slowly away; the voices became less
harsh and threatening, and the noise i'll the
street was subdued to unbroken silence. l
looked into universe of light, with nothing
visible un til indistinet forms appeared on the
horizon, coming toward me and defining them
selves as they came. One was my mother,
clad in grave CLOTHES, but, as she neared, her
habiliments changed to the fabrics which gilt
tered in the prophets vision when he looked
over the ''great congregation which no man
could number" Directly she stood by me !;
and. recognizing every feature, / saw that
each age mark was gone her cheek was fresh
as the young girls when she first bushes at
the whispered words of love, and, STOPPING TO
kiss me, the apparition went out, leaving an
other, still more beautiful and youthful it
was the figure Of my young wife, who died in
the birth Of her first child. She held an infant
in her arms, who reached down and ran his
tiny fingers through my hair, but when tried
to take him in my arms, infant and mother
were gone. Strange, that felt no disappont-
ment; / knew they were bat pictures that
hung in the galleries of a fathers heart
Everything changed to an exis teuce of indies
cribable pleasure: laughed and danced like
one mad with the exhileration of unexpected
deliverance from torture; the air came into nav
lungs gratefully as the up-gushing of cool
water to the lips of thirsty drinker The
aroma Of celestial gardens seemed about me /
believed that was in the territory of souls,
and wondered how any one should fear to die
could hear sounds in the street, but they
seemed to proiong and swell like the sound of
. great organ. Millions Of symmetrical crea.
lures passed In review, along horizon of sill
yer and gold, and yet was conscious that
tn'y were put the creations of distorted ina
gination.
Presently became conscious of returning
sense my limbs felt unwieidy and of too
great proportions to be moved by the strength.
ening will my eyes opened and began TO dis
Germ objects returning TO natural dimensions,
ana began 10 comprehend the conyers,tion
OF persons in the room. The whole operation
had not occupied half an hour, but had ii yed
centuries OF indescribable horrors. and emo
tions OF happiness which are incom pre- hensi
Die 10 the sane and wakefui mind NV sig hi
was preserved, and the fragment of steel is In
any possession, which, liks the kew of St Pc
Ter, unlocked the celestial splendors and
opened Pandora box of heIiish imagery
which, even now, scares me from dreams 10
sudden and trembling wakefuiness.