, 1870-05-08
TIE UNEARTHLY EssENCE,7
Curious Statement Relative to the
Reproduction OF Forms.

Curious Statement Relative to the
Reproduction of Forms.
From Hrs- Croue,s Night SiLe Of Sature.r
Ga1a1iuus, in book entitled "Curiosities
monies" published in 1850, when speaking On
| the subject Of talsmans, signatures, ETC., OBJ
serves that since, in many Instances, the plants
| used for these purposes were reduced to ashes,
and no longer retained their form, their eff
cacy which depended on their figure should
inevitably be destroyed !; but this, be says, ia
existing IN nature, the form, though invisible,
! is still retained in the ashes. This, he OBJ
serves, may appear strange to those who have
1 never attended to the subject but he asserts
that an account OF the experiment Will be
found in the works OF NJ Du Chesne, one OF
shown by Polish phyaician, at Cracow, GER
tain.sia con tanning aahes, which, when duly
heated, exhibited the forms Of yafious plauts
A small obscure cloud Was first Observed
which gradually took On definite form, and
presented to the eye a rose, or whatever p1ant
or flower the ashes consisted Of. II. Du
Chesne, however, had never been able to re-
peat the experiment, though he had made sev-
eral unsuccessful attempts to do 30; but at
length be succeeded by accident in the follow
ing manner.
Having, for eome purpose, extracted the
salts from some burnt uettles, and having laft
the lye outside the house all night to cool, in
the morning he found it frozen; and to his
surprise the form and figure Of the nettles
were so exactly represented on the ice that the
living plant could not be more perfect. De
lighted at this discovery, he summoned n. de
Luynes, a Parliamentary Councillor, 70 behold
this curiosity, from whence, he Bays, they both
concluded that when body dies, its form, or
figure, still resides in lis ashes
Kizcher, Vallemont, Digby, and others, are
the FORMS OF plants from their aahes and st
the meeting Of the naturalists at Stuttgard. in
1884, Swiss savant seems to have revived the
nubject, and given receipt for the experiment
extracted from . work by Oetinger, called
nThoughts On the Birth and Generation Of
"remsins in the retort, Hhile the volatile es-
sence asceids like spirit, perfect in form, but
void in substance"
But Oetinger also records another discovery
Of this description, which, be says, he fell
him q large bunch Of balm, be laid i under fhe
tiles, which were yet warm with the summers
heat, where it dried in the ahsde But, it be-
ing in the month Of September, the cold soon
came and contracted the leaves, without
expelling the volatile sa1ts. They lay thare
the balm, put + into glass retort, eu poared e
above. He afterNards heated it til the watar
boiled, and then increased the hest where
upon there appeared on tho water coat OF
}euOH OIL &oout Inc L04kne6a OF the DECK o. =
knife, and this oil shaped itseH into the forms
Of innumezable balm leaves, which did not
run into one another, but remained per~
fectly distinct and defined, and exhibited all
the marks that are seen in the leaves Of the
plant. Oetinger says he kept the fluid some
At length, Hiahing to throw it away, he shook
it, and the leaves ran into one another with
the disturbance Of the oil, but resumed their
distinct shape again IS aoon as it was ut rest,
the fluid form retaining the perfect signature.
Nov how far these experiments are really
practicable. I cannot sayii their not being
repeated, or not being repeated successfully, Is
no decided argument against their possibility. |
as all persons acquainted with tho annals Of
chemistry well know; but there is, certainly,
curious coincidence betwixt these details ana
the experience Of Billing; where it u 70
Whit right have we to dispute 1.-THE ns re,
after being disturbed by Pfenel, fsii fss.9iia1ity
snmed ita original form The ssns Pss scr,e .rs
has been observed with respect -, hen hid
partitions where the spectator n = latter to
fnouEh r Kanf}t tS ~ td ths .Ps Re5 Ihes wnns
- neuK ~ Kh1n,+an III in Hampshire, Written
IN 1Eo5 ~ rberein be gives N account OF an apF
partition which haunted IA ~ tcre1aI 6thar ne1
and which he hinso44 hinso4nio,,v In naent;ons Gi IbeetN e
sons naa = scT 1.;eht be some fellow hid in the
thinsangg e. :. INT oat his arm to feel it, and his
faud seeripsiy went through the BODY OF i,
~ ~ tbs .a Ts1l, then drew bsck my hand, but
Il Iii ii he apparition WAS N the same place
Bat This magical process is said to be not
MY the work Of tho elements but slso possi-
lie to man and as the forms Of plants can be
reserved after the substance is destroyed. 20
IN thar OF man be either preserqed or repro
uced. from the elements Of his body. In
he reign OF Louis XIV. three chemists, bav-
1g distilled some earth taken from the
,smetc1y Of the Innocents, IN Paris,
Iere forced to dssist, by seeing the forms Of
zen appearing in their yia1a, mstend of the
hilosophere stone which they we're seeking
nd physician, after disseeting body, and
ulvezing the Uranium, whlch WAS then an
rtic]e admitted into the mate1is medica, hAT-
ag left The powder On the table Of his labors~
oty, in charge ct his assistant, the latter, who
1ept In An adjoining room, was awakened u
be night by hearing noise, which, after sono
eareh, hs ultinatel{ traced % the P9Edas, N
trncting itself human form. first appeared
he head, with two open eyes, then tho arms
nd hands. and By degrees tha rest of
Va raraoy1 vh;oI, n,,h0a1rspftv haAuYaad L