Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub

entreated them to spare his poor servant, and allow him to depart with his papers, which could be of no use to them. All this they granted; and what may appear still more extraordinary, the ferocious brigands, to whom the acquisition of arms must be as the staff of life, made the man a present of his master's pistols and double-barrelled gun; but they were English, and the marks might have betrayed the new possessors. These singular robbers then permitted Mr. Browne to see his servant safe out of sight, before they laid further hands on himself; after which, they carried him, and the property they had reserved for themselves, into a valley on the opposite side of the Kizzilouzan, and, without parly, terminated his existence, it is supposed, by strangulation. They stripped his corse of every part of his raiment, and then left it on the open ground, a prey to wolves and other wild animals. The servant, meanwhile, made the best of his way towards Tabreez, where he related the tale just told.

DREADFUL RENCONTRE WITH A TIGER.

Mr. Latrobe, in his "Journal of a Visit to South Africa, relates a rencontre between Brother Schmitt, one of the missionaries, and a tiger, in a wood near Groene Kloof.

"Wolves having done much mischief at Groene Kloof, an attempt was made to destroy them. For that purpose, the missionaries, Bonaty and Schmitt, with thirty Hottentots, set out early in the morning towards the Lanweskloof hill. One of these animals was seen, and lamed by a shot, but escaped and entered the bushes. The Hottentots followed, and called to the missionaries, that the wolf was in the thicket. Brother Schmitt rode back, and alighting, entered with a Hottentot of the name of Philip Moses. The dog started some animal, which those within the thicket could not see; but the Hottentots on the outside, perceiving it to be a tiger, called aloud to the missionary to return. He, therefore, with Philip, began the retreat backwards, pointing the gun, and ready to fire, in case the animal made its appearance. Suddenly a tiger sprang forwards, but from a quarter not expected, and, by a flying leap over the bushes, fastened upon the Hottentot, seizing his nose and face with his claws and teeth. I measured the distance from whence the tiger made his spring, to where the Hottentot stood, and found it full twenty feet, over bushes from six to eight feet high. Brother Schmitt observed, that had it not been for the horror of the scene, it would have been an amusing sight, to behold the enraged creature fly, like a bird, over that length of ground and bushes, with open jaws and lashing tail, screaming with violence. Poor Philip was thrown down, and, in the conflict, lay now upon, now under the tiger. The missionary might easily have effected his escape, but his own safety never entered into his thoughts,-duty and pity made him instantly run forwards to the assistance of the sufferer. He pointed his gun, but the motions both of the Hottentot and tiger, in rolling about and struggling, were so swift, that he durst not venture to pull the trigger, lest he should injure Philip. The tiger perceiving him take aim, instantly quitted his hold, worked himself from under the Hottentot, and flew upon Brother Schmitt. As the gun was of no use in such close quarters, he let it fall, and presented his left arm to shield his face. The tiger seized it with his jaw,-Brother Schimtt, with the same arm, catching one of his paws, to prevent his outstretched claws from reaching his body. With the other paw, however, the tiger continued striking towards bis breast, and tearing his clothes. Both fell in the scuffle, and, providen

tially, in such a position, that the missionary's knee came to rest on the pit of the tiger's stomach. At the same time he grasped the animal's throat with his right hand, keeping him down with all his might. The seizure of his throat made the tiger instantly quit his hold, but not before Brother Schmitt had received another bite, nearer the elbow. His face lay right over that of the tiger, whose open mouth, from the pressure of the windpipe, sent forth the most hideous, hoarse, and convulsive groans, while his startling eyes, like live coals, seemed to flash with fire. In this situation, Brother Schmitt called aloud to the Hottentots, to come to his rescue, for his strength was fast failing, rage and agony supplying to the animal extraordinary force in his attempts to disengage himself. The Hottentots at last ventured to enter the thicket; and one of them snatching the loaded gun, presented it, and shot the tiger under the missionary's hand, right through the heart. Schmitt and Philip were both materially injured in the conflict."

PROJECTED ESCAPE OF BONAPARTE.

Brother

It is not generally known that a vessel was undertaken to be built at Battersea, by the renowned Johnson, the smuggler, for the purpose of liberating Bonaparte from the island of St. Helena. The vessel was about ninety feet long, and of the burden of one hundred tons. It was built of half-inch plank; the grain of two such planks was placed in a vertical, and the other two in an horizontal position. These planks were so well cauked and cemented together that the thickness of the sides of the vessel did not exceed that of an ordinary washing tub. The masts were so contrived that they could be lowered to a level with the deck, and the whole vessel might be sunk in shoal water with the crew on board, without danger. Ample means were provided for supplying the vessel with fresh air. The plan was, to sail up at night, within a short distance from St. Helena, and sink the vessel until the next or some subsequent night, when Bonaparte would be enabled to make his escape to the beach, at which time the vessel was to be raised, Bonaparte to get on board, and sail away in the dark.-It happened, however, that Bonaparte died before the vessel was quite finished; and it is a curious coincidence that she was to have been coppered the very day the news of his death arrived.

Johnson was to have received £40,000, as soon as the vessel got into blue water, exclusive of the reward to be given in case the enterprise was successful. This Johnson had previously offered his services to the Admiralty, and affirmed that he could blow up any ship without being hurt. Accordingly, a trial was given him in the Thames, accompanied by a boatswain of one of his Majesty's ships, (who had been married only a week before,) in a boat of a similar construction to the one before described, to a barge moored in the middle of the stream. They sunk their boat, made fast the torpedo to the bottom of the barge, and lighted the match. Johnson then perceived that his vessel remained fast, having got (as the sailors express it) his cable athwart the hawse of the barge. Upon which he pulled out his watch, and having looked at it attentively, told the boatswain that he had only two minutes and a half to live,-Upon hearing this, the boatswain began to make grievous lamentations.—“Oh, my poor dear Nancy!" said the boatswain, "what will she say?"-" Avast blubbering," said Johnson. "Doff your jacket, and be ready to stuff it into the hawse-hold while I cut the cable." Upon saying this, Johnson seized an axe, and cut the cable. The boatswain stuffed his jacket into the hole, and they got out of the reach of the torpedo, which blew up the barge,

eth

CLAUDE SEURAT, THE LIVING SKELETON! pas

[graphic]
[ocr errors]

nat

CLAUDE AMBROSE SEURAT (now exhibiting in London) is a native of the city of Troyes, in Champaigne in France; he was born on the 10th of April, 1798, and has consequently completed his seven-and-twentieth year. His pmother, who has been dead for some time, was of small stature, rather lusty than otherwise, and particularly near-sighted; which circumstance tended to preclude the idea of any object of a disgusting nature having met her observation during the period of pregnancy. The fact is, according to the statement of the father, (who has been incessantly asked the same question,) that no circumstance of such a nature ever occurred to produce any deformity in his late wife's offspring. We have been the more particular in noticing that fact, as many of the diurnal prints have asserted that his mother had been frightened when far gone in her pregnancy, by the appearance of a skeleton in the house of a medical gentleman. On being delivered of her son, the infant proved a fine child, particularly handsome in the face, and, as he grew, displayed every symptom of a gentle and yielding temperament of mind. However, with increase of size, Seurat first began to display symptoms of bodily wasting, which the medical persons who saw the child attributed to many usual causes, constantly observing, that there was no doubt but he would ultimately acquire flesh, and become a thriving boy, as there existed no apparent reasons for judging otherwise. Contrary to such, calculation, the substance of the child continued to dwindle in proportion to his increase of stature, which regularly proved they case until he had terminated growing, presenting the extraordinary form he now wears, having attained the height of five feet seven inches and half.

A few months back the continental journals, and in particular the newspapers of France, contained various statements respecting the existence of a human being, whom they designated by the title of "Le Squelette vivant," or the Living Skeleton. Those reports for a time gained credit, but on

enquiry being made, respecting the name, residence, or even the precise country of the object in question, and no satisfactory information being obtained, the whole was at length set down as a mere joke, purposely disseminated to raise the laugh against popular credulity, as proved the case in regard to the Parisian lady with a death's head. In this manner all credence, as regarded the Living Skeleton, gradually died away, and scarcely any further mention was made of the object in question.

As some persons, however, are not so easily prompted to relinquish an idea which has once taken possession of the mind, a gentleman of independent fortune, of the name of Williams, a major in the English service, as we are given to understand, either possessing some information of a more conclu sive nature, or urged by curiosity, resolved to discover the residence of this wonderful phenomenon.

Without delay, Major Williams commenced his reconnoitring expedition, and at length succeeded, after experiencing frequent disappointments, in tracing this wonderful being to a small town in the province of Champaigne in France. Having easily obtained access to the father of the skeleton, and on inspection of the son being naturally struck by such an extraordinary lusus naturæ, he began to make numerous enquiries, from which he was given to understand, that several physicians of the French provinces had seen the young man; but in consequence of their harsh treatment of his delicate frame, by squeezing, pressing, and even pinching him in different parts of the body, to ascertain the effects thereby produced upon him, he imbibed such a distaste for French practitioners, that he would no longer admit them to an examination of his person. In more instances than one, it appears the father was offered large sums for the purchase of the body of the phenomenon, in case of his death, and in particular, a medical practitioner of Burgundy proposed to the father to name any sum he thought fit, agreeing to subscribe to such unlimited terms; but the parent, who felt impressed with sentiments honorable to humanity, refused that lucrative proposal, as he had done every other of a similar nature, being resolved that the body of his offspring should, if he possessed the means, be removed, and consigned to the burial place of his native city.

Such was the situation of affairs, when Major Williams proposed to the parent the conveying his son, himself, and his wife, to England, (the latter being mother-in-law of the prodigy under review); coupling that offer with such terms as proved the liberality of the gentleman in question, who, far from seeking to realize any beneficial pecuniary speculation as regards himself, is, it appears, only anxious to assist the family, and make England the depository of a sport of nature hitherto unparalleled in the history of the world. Such an unexpected offer was eagerly embraced by the family, when another impediment arose that seemed likely to frustrate the views of Major Williams; for although, as previously observed, many French practitioners in the provinces had visited the youth, no regular communication had been made to the Ecole de Medicine (the School of Medicine) of Paris, respecting his existence; and it was consequently apprehended, that the jealousy of that learned body would be awakened, in case it ascertained that the removal of such a wonder was on the point of taking place, particularly to the shores of England. The apprehension, therefore which arose was this: that the body of Parisian practitioners, on making application to the proper authorities, would procure an order for no passport being granted to the family, which proceeding would, without doubt, have been put into effect, had not every precaution been

adopted to render the departure of the living skeleton as secret as possible.On their way to England, however, the requisite credentials being procured, and no impediments apprehended, added to which, no further delays were to take place in the journey than the health of the subject of this memoir required, he was visited by the public at Rouen, and in the course of a few hours, no less than fifteen hundred persons repaired to contemplate the skeleton, so great was the curiosity evinced in the capital of Normandy, to behold that living prodigy. The number in question would soon have doubled, had not the son's exhaustion obliged the father to refuse admittance to any further applicants.

Considering the emaciated state of this phenomenon, and his having been unaccustomed to perform long journeys, much apprehension was entertained as to his removal, and particularly the crossing the channel. He, however, sustained the whole without being much incommoded, and sailed to Brighton, where he landed upon the pier on Thursday evening, the 14th of July, 1825, When news of the arrival of a living skeleton being quickly bruited abroad, thousands assembled on the strand to witness his disembarkation; but as the populace was purposely told by his conductors, that the personage in question had been miraculously cured of the plague, the affrighted and credulous concourse gladly made way, fearful lest any latent germs of the infection might remain, and its pestilential effects be communicated to any of the bye-standers.

Such were briefly the facts relating to this individual and his family previous to their arrival in England. As he is now exhibiting in London, we are enabled from actual inspection of his person, to give our readers a circumstan tial detail of his person, manners, habits, &c. as collected from the most scrutinizing observation of his whole structure, being also the result of the numerous questionings proposed to himself and his father; to all of which the most frank and explicit answers have uniformly been given.

There is little doubt but different impressions may be formed upon the minds of persons on first contemplating the "Living Skeleton." Speaking for ourselves, we can only state that a sensation of awe impressed us on entering the exhibition room, the phenomenon presented himself in an erect posture, and naked, with the exception of a short silk apron fixed round the loins; the same being constructed with holes on either side, through which the hip bones protruded, serving to hitch the drapery upon and secure it from falling off.

The head of Seurat was amply covered with hair of a dark brown colour, all of which, it appears, has been shaved off for the purpose of exposing the formation of the skull to the scrutiny of scientific observers; he is therefore at present provided with a wig of the same colour in order to guard against the effects of cold, when not called upon to bare the cranium. In regard of the construction of the back part of the head, the cranium appears defective in the intellectual organs; there is a flatness in the posterior part of the head, denominated by the disciples of Spurzheim, philo-progenitiveness, is altogether wanting; the ears are perfectly formed, and the organs of hearing free from any defect. The forehead is neither particularly high, or otherwise; and the eye-brows are full and arched. The eye is large and prominent, the pupil of a dark hazel, and the white very clear, the upper lids, however, incline somewhat downwards, which is most probably owing to laxity in the muscular powers of those parts. Upon an attentive observation of the eyes of Seurat, the spectator experiences a kind of inexpressible something, a species of gleam that convey an appalling, ghastly appearance to the whole

« ПредишнаНапред »