I had always entertained great objection to taking any such individual from his home, on the doubtful chance of benefiting himself, or of his doing any service to the public as an interpreter. My scruples on this head had hitherto been confined to the consideration due to the individual himself, and to the relatives he leaves behind. In our present case, however, not the smallest public advantage could be derived from it; for it had long ago become evident that we should soon know more of the Esquimaux language than any of them were likely to learn of English in any reasonable period of time. I was, therefore, far from desiring to receive from Toolooak an answer in the affirmative, when I to-day plainly put the question to him, whether he would go with me to kablaona noona (European country). Never was a more decisive negative given than Toolooak gave to this proposal. He eagerly repeated the word Na-o (No) half a dozen times, and then told me that if he went away his father would cry. This simple but irresistible appeal to parental affection, his decisive manner of making it, and the feelings by which his reply was evidently dictated, were just what could have been wished. No more could be necessary to convince those who witnessed it, that these people may justly lay equal claim with ourselves to these common feelings of our nature; and having once satisfied myself of this, I determined never again to excite in Toolooak's mind another disagreeable sensation, by talking to him on this sub

ject.

amusing, yield to none published anywhere. This is throwing down the gauntlet, to be sure; but we shall not pursue the battle until we take it up; for we do not in the least intend to make an odious comparison between our papers and those of any other nation, under pretence of reviewing Mr Buckingham's Miscellanies. All we have to do just now, is to show how peculiarly useful his book may be here, on the ground that a far greater proportion of the best of the national intellect and learning goes to the conducting and supplying of our newspapers, than can be expected to go forth to the public in the same way in any other country.

the sledge, till, by means of laying the whip gently
over each dog's head, he has made them all lie
down. He then takes care not to quit his position;
so, that should the dogs set off, he is thrown upon
the sledge, instead of being left behind by them.
With heavy loads the dogs draw best with one of
their own people, especially a woman, walking a
little way ahead; and in this case they are some-
times enticed to mend their pace by holding a mit-
ten to the mouth, and then making a motion of cut-
ting it with a knife, and throwing it on the snow,
when the dogs mistaking it for meat, hasten for
ward to pick it up. The women also entice them
from the hut in a similar manner. The rate at
which they travel, depends, of course, on the weight
they have to draw, and the road on which their
journey is performed. When the latter is level and
very hard and smooth, constituting what in other
parts of North America is called "good sleighing,"
six or seven dogs will draw from eight to ten hun- There are very few in our land who are
dred weight, at the rate of seven or eight miles an by profession scholars; few whose business
hour for several hours together, and will easily unit is to make books, and avowedly and sys-
der those circumstances perform a journey
of fifty
or sixty miles a day; on untrodden snow, five-and- tematically to earn their means of subsist-
twenty or thirty miles would be a good day's jour-ence by literary labour. Still we have our
ney. The same number of well-fed dogs, with a fair proportion of men of original talent, and
weight of only five or six hundred pounds (that of even of literary skill and accomplishments.
the sledge included), are almost unmanageable, and But they are employed in the various pro-
will, on a smooth road, run any way they please, fessions of active life; our most practised
at the rate of ten miles an hour. The work per-
formed by a greater number of dogs, is, however, by writers as well as our ripest scholars, are,
no means in proportion to this; owing to the im- with few exceptions, to be found among
perfect mode already described of employing the our lawyers, our clergymen, and physicians.
strength of these sturdy creatures, and to the more
frequent snarling and fighting occasioned by an in-

crease of numbers.

The dogs used by the Esquimaux, are made by them to supply very satisfactorily the want of those animals which in other countries are used for burthen or draught. We had marked many more passages for The surgeon of the Hecla dissected one of them, and found that they were wolves in insertion, some of which, at least, might a domesticated state, as the vertebrae, both have given both a more just, and a more fain number and structure, corresponded ex-vourable impression of the book than those actly with the peculiar anatomy of the which we have extracted. But we must wolf. They are, however, a little smaller forbear from further quotation, assuring our than the wild wolves which abound in those readers, that whether they do or do not feel regions, though very similar in appearance. regions, or in the practicability of forcing an interest in the geography of the Arctic a passage through the polar sea, they will find this an interesting and instructive work.

In directing the sledge the whip acts no very essential part, the driver for this purpose using certain words, as the carters do with us, to make the dogs turn more to the right or left. To these a good leader attends with admirable precision, espe cially if his own name be repeated at the same time, looking behind over his shoulder with great earnestness, as if listening to the directions of the driver. On a beaten track, or even where a single foot or sledge-mark is occasionally discernible, there is not the slightest trouble in guiding the dogs; for even in the darkest night and in the heaviest snow-drift, there is little or no danger of their losing the road, the leader keeping his nose near the ground, and directing the rest with wonderful sagacity. Where, however, there is no beaten track, the best driver among them makes a terribly circuitous course, as all the Esquimaux roads plainly show; these generally occupying an extent of six miles, when with a horse and sledge the journey would scarcely have amounted to five. On rough ground, as among hummocks of ice, the sledge would be frequently overturned, or altogether stopped, if the driver did not repeatedly get off, and by fifting or drawing it to one side, steer it clear of those accidents. At all times, indeed, except on a smooth and well made road, he is pretty constantly employed thus with his feet, which, together with his never-ceasing vociferations, and frequent use of the whip, renders the driving of one of these vehicles by no means a pleasant or easy task. When the driver wishes to stop the sledge, he calls out "Wo, woa," exactly as our carters do, but the attention paid to this command depends altogether on his ability to enforce it. If the weight is small and the journey homeward, the dogs are not to be thus delayed; the driver is therefore obliged to dig his

heels into the snow to obstruct their progress; and having thus succeeded in stopping them, he stands up with one leg before the foremost cross-piece of

There are,

But the zeal of rivalry, and the crowding of competitors, have not as yet produced such a division of labour in the business of those whose labour is chiefly mentalthey have not yet, in this country, so imperiously demanded of the professional aspirant, a real and hearty abandonment of every thing which does not directly promise him professional success, as to permit either law, or physic, or theology, to exert which, when pursued with no regard to upon the mind that contractile influence, collateral and more expansive studies, each of them almost must exert. therefore, in this great body, many who Miscellanies selected from the Public Jour- and elegance of mind which would make have not only the power, but the range nals. Published by Joseph T. Bucking them eminent as professed scholars. Such ham. 2 vols. 12mo. Boston, 1822-24. men are seldom disposed to hide their light; THE design of this work is excellent; and he who thinks with peculiar acuteness, oriis peculiarly adapted to the literary and in-ginality, or accuracy, is sure to know it, tellectual condition of this country. The and almost sure to be willing that others author, or rather compiler, proposes to se- should know it. The newspapers offer him lect from our newspapers their most inter-ready opportunities; and they are often, if esting articles, of prose or poetry, of fancy or fact, of serious or whimsical character; and thus rescue from the fate to which they are borne along by the ephemeral matters about them, all such productions as have a permanent interest or use, and thereby deserve the security of a permanent form. This plan would be a good one, wherever there are good newspapers; of course, it is particularly good here, seeing that our newspapers are about the best things we have. Doubtless, among the myriads which are perpetually poured forth from our public presses, there are some as bad as ever were published, or as the wit of man could easily devise. But, on the other hand, we have also some, which, in respect of literary talent and skill, of original and acute speculations in politics, or even in science or the arts, and in all the departments of literature which are generally interesting or

not generally, the best he can have; because in this country there are, comparatively speaking, but few of those weighty journals of literature, science, and the arts, which in Europe exist in such numbers and variety, as to absorb the talent and knowledge which are here put forth in aid of the newspapers.

It is obvious, that this state of things has within it a tendency to increase. Papers, by receiving valuable communications, are made both more worthy and more likely to receive them; gentlemen, eminent for intellectual power or culture, or both, find it a fitting and profitable employment, to edit them. In this country there are papers,common newspapers, conducted by men most distinguished as men of talent and of letters; and this we believe to be a fact without example elsewhere. In other countries, newspapers possess neither the

harsh and uncouth terms. But he relies much upon his authority; now whether it be good or not, we conceive that it would not warrant him in his conclusion, because the practice is not carried to the extent he supposes it to be; at least in this part of our country.

We have been somewhat accustomed to hear that language spoken, and we think from our own observation, that he has gone farther than the facts would authorize. Had he confined his omission of the terminal st in the second person singular to the past tenses, and left the future and the present of the auxiliaries as other grammarians have given them, we think this change would be entitled to less qualified approbation. Thou shalt and thou canst are still used, as we believe, by all whom even Mr Brown would call good authority. We observe that nearly all the examples which are cited in the note are of the past tense; we think, quite all which ought to be admitted. Our brethren of the rhyming race will feel under peculiar obligations to Mr

Brown on this subject; some of whom have
thought it necessary, in order to avoid the
uncouthness of these terminations, to change
from thou to you while addressing the same
person and even in the same sentence.
Take an example from Gay.

When I thy humbler life survey'd,
In base and sordid guise array'd,
A hideous insect, vile, unclean,

You dragg'd a slow and noisome train.
We think a violation of measure or of
rhyme would be preferable to such a sole-
cism as this. But on Mr Brown's plan
neither the one nor the other would be
necessary; while the invocation in Pope's
Messiah,

"Oh Thou, my voice inspire Who touched Isaiah's hallowed lips with fire," could no longer be cited as an instance of false grammar.

says, "The distinguishing characteristic of
this participle is, that it denotes an unfin-
ished and progressive state of being, action,
or passion; it is therefore properly denomi-
nated the imperfect participle." Our in-
ference is, taking his own definition, that
it is therefore properly denominated the
present participle. Which of these in-
ferences is the most logical, we should be
willing to let Mr Brown himself decide.
Unless he can give some better reason for
this change, than any which suggests itself to
us, we hope to see the present participle
restored, in his second edition, to the place
which it has held in all grammars of all
languages, with which we are at all ac-
quainted, this one only excepted. We
must do our author the justice to say, that
this is the greatest fault, and indeed the only
fault of any magnitude, which we have found
in his book ;-while its merits are of a decid-
ed and valuable character.

bourhood; the list of characters includes a Southern planter, who is a very fine gentleman, his daughter, who is a spoilt child, and altogether weak and wicked, till just at the close of the book, some Yankee yeomen, several heroes and heroines, who are much like others of the same class, an English officer, who is just nothing, an old woman, who is a little bit of a Meg Merrilies, one Indian, and some Shakers. Much beautiful scenery is beautifully described, some striking incidents well told, and some very interesting though not peculiarly original characters well portrayed. The Shaker establishments are visited, and the condition, principles, habits, and, in some measure, the history of this strange sect, are well illustrated.

We find it difficult to select, for quotation, passages which may give our readers a just idea of the author's powers and manner. To make the following extract intelligible,—and we cannot but injure its beau

Redwood; a Tale. In two Volumes. New ty by separating it from the context,-we

York, 1824.

will state, that Ellen Bruce, the heroine, awakens some suspicions by certain solitary walks, and absences from home, at hours when young ladies are usually found there, and thereby gives occasion to Miss Caroline Raymond to scandalize a little. The mystery is thus explained.

THE literary character of this tale is highly respectable, as all would expect it to be who are acquainted with the previous efforts of the author. Common fame attributes these works-Redwood, and the New England Tale-to a lady; if this be so, we can 'It is five weeks to-morrow,' continued the narraonly say we think it surprising,—not that tor, since I first saw Miss Ellen; it was the very their pages should exhibit much eloquence morning after young Mr Allen's funeral. I saw and bright imagination, but that the style her that morning and the next, sitting on that rock should be so singularly correct, and that by the elm tree yonder, ladies; she had a pencil in its excellence should be so well sustained. her hand, and a big book on her lap, and a paper Indeed, the literary execution of these vol- on it; and the second morning Peggy heard her umes, would in no degree discredit an auhumming some songs to herself, and she crept close thor who had disciplined and fortified his breakfast for an end of a song. I saw the young to her; the silly thing would any time leave her mind by severer studies than ladies are apt lady noticed Peggy, and then I made bold to walk to love, and chastened his taste by diligent up to her; and will you believe me, ladies! she and profitable study of "the classics" and had been picturing on her paper this little hut and acquired all the skill in words which few the half-withered tree, and that old bench with my wash-tub turned up on it, and my old cow as she but practised writers can have. The im- stands eating her morning mess, and Peggy stroking We now come to another alteration, of agery is sometimes very beautiful and ap- her! and I could not but ask her why she did not which we cannot speak so favourably. The propriate, and is never offensive to good choose to draw out some of the nice houses in the participle ending in ing, which has been taste, and there are many passages of true village, with two chimnies, and a square roof to considered the present participle from time eloquence. As a tale, it is pleasing, and them, and a pretty fence to the door-yard, and the immemorial, he calls the imperfect; with certainly sufficiently interesting to carry suited her fancy better;' and then she began talkstrait tall poplars; but she smiled and said, 'this no good reason whatever, that we can per- the attention along with it, until the whole ing to me of Peggy, and when she found she was ceive, but in despite of a great many excel- story is developed, and the persons of the quite blind, she just laid down her pencil and her lent ones. That it is an innovation, is of drama finally disposed of. But it exerts book and all, and took the child in her lap, and said, itself one objection; for we are opposed to nothing of that witchery over the imagina-something must be done for her;' and when she all changes merely for the sake of change, tion of the reader, which makes him almost or without some substantial reason for mak- mingle his personal identity with that of ing them. On this occasion our author the prominent characters, and suffer and reabandons his own definition of the imper-joice with them, and look forward anxiously fect tense previously given, viz. "The im- with them, to learn the destiny which time perfect tense is that which expresses what is bringing. In other words, it is a work took place within some period of time fully of much talent and excellent taste, but not past," and seeks in the etymology of the of high and commanding genius. word "imperfect"-unfinished-an apology for calling that which is now passing, the imperfect. We will add the definition of the present tense in our author's own words, viz. "The present tense is that which expresses what is now existing or taking place; as somebody is coming””. and leave it to be decided by his own remarks on this participle, while contending for its being called the imperfect, to which of the two tenses it properly belongs. He

6

We shall make no abstract of the story; for it is a little intricate, and we could not in a short space, array the facts in such form and order as to make them even intelligible to our readers; and moreover, the author would hardly thank us for leaving no curiosity for his or her readers to find pleasure in gratifying. Suffice it to say, that the scene shifts from the banks of Lake Champlain to Lebanon Springs, and the Shaker establishments in their neigh

knows, I never saw tears so becoming; and from
said so, the tears stood in her blue eyes; and God
that time, ladies, she canie every morning and sate
here three or four hours, teaching Peggy to sew,
and learning her hymns and songs.
'Caroline, Caroline, do you hear that?" asked
Mr Redwood, impetuously.

Lord, papa, I am not deaf-certainly I hear.' 'Go on, good woman,' said Mr Redwood.

The child's quickness, sir,' continued the aunt, seemed a miracle to me, for, God forgive me, had never thought of her learning any thing. Peggy, get those bags you made, that Miss Ellen said you might sell."

The child instantly produced the bags, which were made of pieces of calico very neatly sewn together. Caroline interrupted the story while she bargained with the little girl for the bags, for which she paid her most munificently.

The aunt seemed more sensible of the extent of

Miss Redwood's generosity than the child, for she was voluble in her thanks; and then proceeded to say that Miss Ellen, not satisfied with doing so

scream. I fell on my knees, and heard nothing and
saw nothing till I felt Peggy's arms round my neck
and heard her say, 'Oh, aunt, I see her-I see
you."

much, brought Doctor Bristol to look at Peggy's eyes. Doctor Bristol,' she said, had come to live in Eton since she had given up Peggy's eyes as quite gone, and therefore she had never shown the child to him. But Doctor Bristol had learned some new fashioned ways that other doctors in the country knew nothing about, and as soon as he looked at the child, he said one of the eyes might be re- ways and fashions are a little caricatured; its integrity, that an attempt even to touch

stored. Then poor Peggy was so frightened with the thought of an operation, and I could do nothing with her, for I had always let her have her own way, for who, ladies, could have the heart to cross

We think there is one error in this work which should be noticed.

Our Yankee

foreigners might infer that we are rather
more loquacious and inquisitive, and prone
to "guess" about that which we know, and

parents, their frequent cautions against breaking or bruising it, whilst the danger of its dislocation was an early and favourite metaphor for the probability of disgrace. And the experience of riper years makes us so sensible of its value, and jealous of it, by any but the members of privileged professions, is often resisted with as much indignation in our own time, as it was in persuaded, therefore, that a brief account of the process of restoration, as successfully practised by Mr Carpue, as well as the

a blind child? but Miss Ellen, God bless her, could to "calculate" just where we should expect, that of Hafen Slawkenbergius. We are

always make her mind without crossing her, for she loves Miss Ellen better than any thing on earth, or in heaven either, I fear me; and she would liken her to strawberries and roses, and every thing that

than is the fact; and they need no sort of
encouragement to fall into this error.

was most pleasant to the senses the poor thing had An Account of two Successful Operations for

left-and she would say that her voice was sweeter than the music of the birds, or the sound of the waters breaking on the shore, when a gentle breeze came over the lake of a stil evening, for that was the sound she loved best of all, and would listen to it sometimes for an hour together without speaking or moving.'

It seemed that Miss Redwood's patience could no longer brook the minute and excursive style of the narrator, as she proposed to Mrs Westall in a whisper, that they should cut the woman's never ending story short and pursue their ride. Mrs Westall acquiesced, with a 'just as you please, my dear; but Mr Redwood, guessing the purport of his daughter's whisper, interposed with a request in a low voice, that she would not prolong their delay by interrupting the good woman's story, as the pain in his arm warned him that it was time for him to return; then turning to the aunt, he asked her how she brought the girl finally to consent to the operation ?'

Oh, it was Miss Ellen that made her consent,

and she would only do it by promising that she would stay by her and hold her head. God knows I could not have done it, well as I love her, to have saved her eyes, for I was all in a shiver when I saw the doctor fix her by that window, and Miss Ellen stood behind her, and Peggy leaned her head

In Europe, this art seems first to have been practised in Naples, Sicily, and Calabria, by one Branca, his son Antony, and a family of Boianis. Calentius, a Neapolitan poet, in the fifteenth century, writing to his son Orpianus, who had lost his nose, invites him to come to Branca at Naples, with the encouraging assurance that be might "go home again with as much nose as he pleased." Their manner of opera ing is not described. But Alexander Benedictus, a teacher of medicine at Padua about the end of the same century, gives a particular account of the practice of cer tain skilful persons of his time, by which a portion of the skin of the arm was transferred to the place required.

history of the operation and the physiolog restoring a lost Nose. By S. C. Car-ical principles upon which the redintegra pue, Member of the Royal College of Sur- tion of this and other valuable ornaments geons of London, and formerly Surgeon of our physiognomy, such as lips and ears, to the York Hospital, Chelsea. must depend, will be agreeable to the genTHE very respectable Mr Peregrine Touch-eral as well as the professional reader. wood, who figured rather conspicuously at "St Ronan's Well," cannot be forgotten by our readers. In one of his pleasant conversations with Mr Cargill, minister of that place, he took occasion to remark that he had "dined with Sir Sidney Smith's chum, old Djezzar Pacha, and an excellent dinner we had, but for a dessert of noses and ears brought on after the last remove, which spoiled my digestion. Old Djezzar thought it so good a joke, that you hardly saw a man in Acre whose face was not as flat as the palm of the hand. Now I respect my olfactory organ, and sat off the next morning as fast as the most cursed hard trotting dromedary, that ever fell to poor pilgrim's lot, could contrive to tramp." We have fortunately no Djezzar Pacha among us, But the author of the most elaborate but if all tales are true, it might occur to work on this subject, as well as the ablest back on to Miss Ellen's breast, and one of Miss a fellow-citizen,-somewhere this side the practitioner of the art at that period, was Ellen's hands was on the child's forehead, and the other under her chin, and she looked, God bless Rocky Mountains,-to have his most promi- Gaspar Taliacozzo, a name, which, if origiher, as white as marble and as beautiful as an an- nent feature bitten off, and even masticat-nally spelled Tagliacozzo, as is not unlikegel. I had but a glance at them, for when the doc-ed and swallowed; in which case it is ob- ly, would seem to have some ludicrous affintor took out his long needle, I covered my eyes till vious that the previous owner must give it ity to his favourite profession. He is better I heard them say it was all over, and Peggy had Such circumstances known, however, by that of Taliacotius. not made a movement or a groan. Miss Ellen bade up as entirely lost. me not to speak yet, and the bandage was put over must always occasion regret; but this re- He was professor of anatomy at Bologna, the child's eyes, and she was laid there on the bed, gret may be much lessened by knowing and his book, printed at Venice in 1597, and Miss Ellen motioned to me to go out with her, that the manufacture of actual, sentient, contains a detailed account of his method and as I stepped from the door, she sunk like a dying living, and breathing noses, is an affair of of operation, which was similar to that person into my arms; but still it seemed she could so little comparative difficulty, that if the abovementioned. He dissected a portion only think of Peggy, for she put up her hand for a sign to me to be quiet, and then the breath seemed demand for the article in these christian of the skin, not the flesh, as has been somequite gone out of her. I laid her on the turf and countries could ever become great, we have times supposed, of the arm, and applied it fetched some cold water, and she soon came to her- no doubt it would soon be brought to such to the remains of the nose, which were self, and bade me say nothing of it to the doctor, perfection, that a fashionable nose might first pared with the knife. The arm was and she came in again and told the doctor she be fitted to the wearer as readily as a fash-confined immovably to the face for twelve should come back in the evening and sit the night with Peggy, for she would trust no one else ionable pair of boots, and possibly with as days, when the part of the skin, which bad for the first night, for the doctor said all depended little torture. But though the nature of been left continuous with the arm, was cut on keeping her quiet; and the last word she said, our institutions seems to preclude the pos- through, the patient released from his unwas to beg he would not tell any of the family at sibility of any considerable consumption; comfortable posture, and the nostrils propMr Lenox's that she was coming here, for they, she we cannot but think that this demonstra- erly modelled. He describes the peculiarsaid, fancied she was not well and would not per- tion of the possibility of supply in case of ities of four sorts of skin, as occurring in mit it. At this simple explanation of the absence which Caroline had placed in a suspicious light, need, cannot but be interesting to the com- different parts of the body, and supposes her father turned on her a look full of meaning-munity. This noble organ, so distinguish- that of the arm to be best adapted to supshe blushed deeply, but neither spoke, and the aunting a characteristic of our species; span-ply the loss of the lips and nose; that of proceeded. All went on well to the third day, and then ning, as it were, with wide arch the human the ears is to be supplied by the skin imMiss Ellen came with leave to take off the band-face divine, and exposed by its very eleva- mediately behind them. age, and she asked Peggy what she wished most in tion, as well as the grandeur of its proporthe world to see. Oh you, you, Miss Ellen,' she tions, to casual, and, as commonly supposed, said; and then the dear young lady stood before irreparable demolition, has always been to her, and took off the bandage; and then, bless you, mankind an object of that solicitude and ladies, her piercing scream of joy when the light touched her eye-oh!-I heard my father curse care, which is naturally bestowed upon poor Fanny-I saw her die in a strange land; but such invaluable appendages. We can all never any thing went so deep into my heart as that recollect among the first advices of our

The skin of the

forehead he expressly rejects, as alien to the nose, and not to be commodiously joined to that part when defective. He takes notice also of the shrinking of the artificial nose, and directs the surgeon rather to take too much than too little skin. A fac-simile of one of the engravings con

tained in this work, representing the been investigated, it was discovered, that at the
posture to which the patient was confined same moment in which the nose grew cold, the la-
bourer at Bologna expired. Persons still living at
for twelve days, is given by Mr Carpue, Brussels were eye-witnesses of this transaction.
and "will assist the reader," as he well ob-
If any one is willing to grant that the
serves, "in appreciating the patience of
those who submitted to the Italian method." nose was actually extracted from the arm

union of small parts of the skin, after complete separation and in circumstances not the most favourable. And there are several well attested instances of the successful reunion of divided parts, in modern times, one of which at least, is quite equal to the

After the death of Taliacotius, which hap- of a labourer, and that the original owner accounts extracted above. It was publishpened in 1599, the operation was occa- died at Bologna of old age, we should thinked at Edinburgh in 1814, by Dr W. Balfour sionally practised by his disciple, John the analogy of grafts, as shown by the mod- and is thus quoted by our author.

ern discoveries in vegetable physiology,
very much in favour of Van Helmont's ac-
count of the matter.

On the 10th day of June in the year 1814, two men came into my shop about eleven o'clock, forenoon; one of whom, George Pedie, a house carhand, from which blood was dropping slowly. penter, had a handkerchief wrapped round his left Upon uncovering the hand, I found one half of the index (fore finger) wanting. I asked him what had become of the amputated part.

Baptist Cortesi, who tells us," that by the assistance of God, he had made such proficiency in the art, as to repair not a few noses, both in Sicily and other places." But it soon fell into disuse in Italy, in a great measure perhaps for want of opportunities, nor does it appear to have been practised at all beyond the confines of Italy, even in the time of Taliacotius, except in a single instance at Lausanne, which is mentioned by Hildanus. Some later writers have treated the operation either as alto-ed by Mr Carpue, from Fioravanti's "Se-piece. During his absence I examined the wound,

gether fabulous, or, if practicable, too cruel to be attempted. Mr Carpue considers the coldness of the climate north of Italy an

obstacle to its success, and a cause of its rejection. He states as a reason for the ridicule, which has been directed against the doctrines of Taliacotius, that they have been usually confounded with those of the Sympathetic Doctors, who flourished soon

after his time.

Whether these reformers really understood the theory of their own cures is uncertain. Probably like many charlatans of the same period they imposed upon themselves, as well as their patients. Their practice, as it regarded the wound itself, was exactly that of the present day in similar cases. They brought its edges together and retained them steadily in that position by means of strips of some adhesive plaster. They never removed the dressings till the wound was healed, which, as is now well known, happens under such circumstances within a short period, a few days, or when the wound is small, a few hours. But as this alone would have been a great deal too simple either for the doctors or their patients, they carefully applied their balsams, styptics, or ointments to the axe or sword which had inflicted the wound, with which they supposed it to have a certain sympathy. This doctrine of the sympathies and antipathies of different objects in nature, they carried to an absurd length, and their writings abound with marvellous fables in support of it. There is a story, which may illustrate this notion, in Van Helmont, whose works, with those of Robert Fludd, and not those of Taliacotius, are referred to in the satirical lines which have been probably suggested to most of our readers by the title of this article. The story from Van Helmont is as follows:

of Bo

A gentleman of Brussels, who had lost his nose in battle, repaired to Tagliacozzo, a surgeon logna, to have his nose restored; and as he dreaded to have the incision made in his own arm, a labouring man was found, who, for a remuneration, About suffered the nose to be taken from his arn. thirteen months after his return to Brussels, the

adscititious nose suddenly became cold, and after a few days dropped off in a state of putrefaction. The cause of this unexpected occurrence having

Our author further remarks, that the doctrines of Taliacotius have been coupled with certain accounts of the reunion of divided parts, which were current in the beginning of the seventeenth century, with the truth or falsehood of which, in reality, they had nothing to do.

Á remarkable story of this kind is quot

united, and cicatrized.

He told me he had never looked for it, but believed it would be

found where the accident happened. I immediate

ly despatched Thomas Robertson, the man that accompanied the patient, to search for and bring the

and found that it began near the upper end of the second phalanx on the thumb side, and terminated about half an inch lower on the opposite side. The amputated piece, as measured by the patient himself, was an inch and a half long on the thumb side, and an inch on the other. The wound was inflict ed in the cleanest manner, by one stroke of a hatchet, and terminated in an acute point. In about five minutes, as nearly as I can guess, Robertson returned with the piece of finger, which was white and cold; and I remarked to Dr Reid, who was present, that it looked like a bit of candle. With

crets of Surgery," and one still more extra-
ordinary is related by M. Garengeot, a
French military surgeon of high reputation.
In the month of September, 1724, a soldier of the
regiment of Conti, coming out of l'Epée Royale,
from an inn in the corner of the street Deux-Ecus,
was attacked by one of his comrades, and in the
struggle, had his nose bitten off, so as to remove al-
most all the cartilaginous part. His adversary,
perceiving that he had a bit of flesh in his mouth,
spat it out into the gutter, and endeavoured to crush
it, by trampling on it. The soldier, who on his out the loss of a moment, I poured a stream of cold
part was not less eager, took up the end of his nose water on both wounded surfaces, to wash away
and threw it into the shop of M. Galin, a brother the blood from the one, and any dirt, which might
practitioner of mine, while he ran after his adver- be adhering, from the other. I then applied, with
sary. During this time, M. Galin examined the as much accuracy as possible, the wounded surfa
ces to each other, expressing a confident expecta-
nose, which had been thrown into his shop, and as
it was covered with dirt, he washed it at the well. tion that reunion would take place. *** On the
The soldier returning to be dressed, M. Galin wash-12th (two days after), the patient, under the influ-
ed his wound and face, which were covered with ence of the ridicule of his acquaintances for giving
blood, with a little warm water, and then put the the least credit to my assurances, applied to anoth-
extremity of the nose into this liquor to heat it a
er practitioner. This gentleman represented the im-
little. Having, in this manner, cleansed the propriety of any other person meddling with the case.
wound, M. Galin now put the nose into its natural But prepossessed with the belief that he carried
situation, and retained it there by means of an ag- about a piece of dead matter only, tied to the stump
glutinating plaster and bandage. Next day the of his finger, the man insisted on having the ban-
union appeared to have taken place; and on the dages removed, which was done accordingly. Thus
fourth day, I myself dressed him, with M. Galin, and
were nearly rendered abortive my attempts at the
saw that the extremity of the nose was perfectly reunion of the parts, and the profession deprived
of a fact, which, as demonstrating the wonderful
Before the natural aptitude of divided powers of Nature to repair injuries, is inferior to
parts to unite was well understood, these none in the annals of the healing art. But, fortu-
and similar stories were regarded as ridicu-nately, Nature had been too busy for even this
early interference to defeat her purpose. Adhe-
But experience has taught sion had already taken place. *** I saw the pa-
lous fictions.
modern physiologists, that such accounts tient on the 4th of July, when the reunion of the
are by no means so improbable. It is now parts was complete. The finger in fact is the
well known that small parts, as lips and handsomest the man has, and has recovered both
ears, which have been so nearly divided
from the trunk as to remain hanging only
by a small slip, will frequently unite again,
if replaced and retained in exact contact,
for a few days. It has also been satisfac-
torily shown that certain parts of brute
animals will unite with the same, or even
other animals. Thus the spur of a cock
can be made to grow on his comb, or upon
the leg of a hen. Mr John Hunter suc-
ceeded in making a human tooth unite
with the comb of a cock. Some physiolo-
gists have still doubted, however, whether
a part of the human body can be restored
after it has been entirely separated; but
we think unreasonably, even if the trans-
plantation of teeth be set aside, as not
being a sufficient proof of a real vas-
cular union. We have witnessed the re-

heat and sensation.

These circumstances are attested by affidavits of Pedie, Robertson, and Dr Reid.

When, in addition to this relation, we consider that the accident mentioned by Fioravanti, happened in the warm and dry climate of Africa, in which wounds of all kinds heal with a rapidity altogether astonishing to a surgeon accustomed to the gradual processes of Nature in more northern regions, we shall be inclined to regard his account as very well worthy of credit. In the mean time, we recommend to our readers, in case of any accidental amputation of small parts of the body, to preserve the divided part, since the attempt to unite it cannot possibly do any harm, and if successful will prevent a more tedious and painful process.