The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-06-01

cover that they can, produce positively mo-
thing without it's did, and that o time ar
riSes when heavy stupor supersedes that ex-
citement of the intellectual faculties which
once seemed so easy and 80 harmless. At
ter the first draughto Of this poison, which
DR. Legrand, who has studied its effects,
,pronounces to sbe one of the greatest
scourges OF our time, you seem to lose your
feet, and you mount to bound1ess realm
without a. horizon. You probably ina
CINE that you are going in the isdi-
rection- Of the infinite; : whereas you
are simply drifting into the incoherent.
lAbsinthe effects the brain unlike: any
other stimulsnt; it produces neither the
heavy drunk of beer, the furious
iRebriation of brandy, nor the $exhilarant
1intoxication Of wine. 1T is: an ignoble
poison, destroying life not until it has more
or less brutalzed its svotaries,g and made
dwelling idiots of them. There are two
classes of absinthe drinkers. The, one,
after becoming accustomed to it for o short
time, takes to imbibing it in consid erable
|. quantities, when all of a sudden delrium
declares itself. The. other is more regular,
and at the same time more moderate in it's
libationss; but upon them the effects, though
necessarily more gradual, are none the7less
sure. Observation-Disclosures Of the former
class are usually noisy and aggressive
during the period of intoxication, which,
moreover, lasts much longer than drunken
ness produced by spirits of wine, and is
sfollowedzby ,extremesd depression and asen-
sation of fatigue whichare MOTTO be got rid
of. - After awhile the digestive organs be-
come deranged, the appetite continues Ito
diminish until it is altogether lost, and an
intense thirst supplies its place. Now en-
sues constant feeling Of uneasiness, q
painful anxiety, accompanied by sem
sations of giddiness and tinglings in
the ears and as the day declines,
/. hallucin of sight and hearing begin.
.iAsdesiresof seclusion from friends and &C
quaintances takes possessionlof the sufferer,
on whose countenance strong marks Of dis
:quietude may be, seen; his mindl lis op-
pressed by asettled melancholy and hisbrain
affected by q sort of 2sluggi shness which in
dicates approaching idiocy. During it's
more active moments he is continually see
ing either come imaginary persecutor from
whom he is:anxious to escape FOR the fancied
tdenunci ator of some crime he dreams he has
commit From these phantoms he flies
Ito hide himself, sor ad yances tpassi onately
towards them, protesting his innocence. At
this stage the result is certain, and disco
luton IS rarely delayed very long: The
symptom that first causes disquiet to the
kabitual absinthe drinker i'd d pecdEar af-
lection Of the muscles, commencing with
fitful contractions of the lips and muscles
of the face, and tremb lings: in the arms,
hands, and legs. 81 These are presently
accompanied by tingiHgs, mum bness, and
distinct loss Of physical power; the hair
falls of, the counfenance becomes wan and
sad-looking, the body thin, the skin
wrinkled and of a yellow tinge-eyery7
| thing, in short, indicates marked decline.
simultaneously with this, losionlof the brain
takes place; sleep becomes more and, more
disturbed by dreams, mig tmares, and sud
den. wakings; ordinary illusions, succeeded
by dizziness and headaches, eyentualiy,gIge
place to painful hallncin ions, to eliriur,
in its most depressing form, pochondria,
and marked impe ment Of speech .eg5E1 In the
end come entire loss. OF ltellect, general
paralysis, and death. There are two kinds
Of absinthe consumed in Paris, the common
and the Swiss ahsinthe, the: latter of which
possesses almost. double the intox icating
properties Of the former. "a few years ago
Che consumption Of the common absinths
was. thrras times that Of. the Swiss; but now
the proportions are reversed, and four
times as mach Swiss absinthe- 10 drunk as
| Of the common quaHty s-+s34isv8
According TO oficiaf satisfies Francere-
sceiyes from Switzerland nearly :, 000, 200
gallons Of the nox ions CON pound annually
in addition to which ansenormous quantity
mad inSParis is sold as the veritable Swiss
production. Genuine absinthe is distilled
from heitlea7ess of major and minor abb
tsinthe, angelica roots, Gala rnus aronlatieus,
isaniseed, dittany leaves. and with marjmam,
laA Of which have been previously bruised
and soaked for d period OF eight days in
alcohol. q Z, AS quantity OF ron of Ianiseed is
then adGedY and the whole u carefnlly
mixed together. Occasionally femme, mint,
tetc.. sntes into the * comps sifisn. The
utmost care lis taken to obtain the right
shade of color, and 10 INSURE the iiauid ex-
banding and whitening we'll whom mixed
| With water. Should III prove to be defcient
in these quail tiesthet manufacturer does NOT
hesitate 70 add indigo. hyssSps nstuss ,and
even to- have recourse 10 sHlp hate of copper
obtain the preeiss tint of green, or chlot
/ ride OF santimonE tai produce tbs Jaifky
white precipitate both of these chemicals
being deadly .poisc Paris actusAy has
ats einbsyof labsinfha drink erss the members
OF which Ara pledged ID, intoxicate them
selves with mo- other stinaulanf, and even to
drink no other fluid only hedges. IL ID
believed, which they doI not YiSlats. They
j asaamble daily at some appointed place of
3ranflaz raya Mt n nssfain hnIsrss