sence. "Is she killed?" murmured the former, as she staggered towards the bed, and then clung convulsively to me -"Has the lightning struck her?" I was compelled to disengage myself from her grasp, and hurry her into the adjoining room-whither I called a servant to attend to her; and then returned to my hapless patient. But what was I to do? Medical man as I was, I never had seen a patient in such circumstances, and felt as ignorant on the subject, as agitated. It was not epilepsy-it was not apoplexy-a swoon, nor any known species of hysteria. The most remarkable feature of her case, and what enabled me to ascertain the nature of her disease, was this; that if I happened accidentally to alter the position of her limbs, they retained, for a short time, their new position. If, for instance, I moved her arm-it remained for a while in the situation in which I had last placed it, and gradually resumed its former one. If I raised her into an upright posture, she continued sitting so without the support of pillows, or other assistance, as exactly as if she had heard me express a wish to that effect, and assented to it; but, the horrid vacancy of her aspect? If I elevated one eye lid for a moment, to examine the state of the eye, it was sometime in closing, unless I drew it over myself. All these circumstances, which terrified the servant who stood shaking at my elbow, and muttering, "She's possessed! she's possessed!-Satan has her!" convinced me that the unfortunate young lady was seized with CATALEPSY; that rare mysterious affection, so fearfully blending the conditions of life and death-presenting so to speak-life in the aspect of death, and death in that of life! I felt no doubt that extreme terror operating suddenly on a nervous system most highly excited, and a vivid, active fancy, had produced the effects I saw. Doubt less the first terrible outbreak of the thunder-storm-especially the fierce splendour of that first flash of lightning which so alarmed my self-apparently corroborating and realizing all her awful apprehensions of the predicted event, overpowered her at once, and flung her into the fearful situation in which I found her that of one ARRESTED in her terror-struck flight towards the door of her chamber. But again-the thought struck me-had she received any direct injury from the lightning? Had it blinded her ? It might be so-for 1 could make no impression on the pupils of the eyes. Nothing could startle them into action. They seemed a little more dilated than usual, and fixed. I confess that, besides the other agitating circumstances of the moment, this extraordinary, this unprecedented case too much distracted my self-possession to enable me promptly to deal with it. I had heard and read of, but never before seen such a case. No time, however, was to be lost. I determined to resort at once to strong antispasmodic treatment. I bled her from the arm freely, applied blisters behind the ears, immersed her feet, which, together with her hands, were cold as marble, in hot water, and endeavoured to force into her mouth a little opium and ether. Though the water was hot enough almost to parboil her tender feet, it produced no sensible effect on the circulation or the state of the skin; and finding a strong determination of blood towards the regions of the head and neck, 1 determined to have her cupped between the shoulders. I went down stairs to drop a line to the apothecary, requesting him to come immediately with his cupping instruments. On returning to my lovely patient's room, I found, alas! no sensible effects produced by the very active means which had been adopted. She lay in bed, the aspect of her features apparently the same as when I last saw her. Her eyes were closed-her cheeks very pale, and mouth rather open, as if she were on the point of speaking. The hair hung in a little disorder on each side of her face, having escaped from beneath her cap. My wife sate beside her, grasping her right hand-weeping, and almost stupified; and the servant that was in the room when I entered, seemed so bewildered as to be worse than useless. As it was now nearly nine o'clock, and getting dark, I ordered candles. I took one of them in my hand, opened her eye-lids, and passed and re-passed the candle several times before her eyes, but it produced no apparent effect. Neither the eye-lids blinked, nor the pupils contracted. I then took out my penknife, and made a thrust with the open blade, as though I intended to plunge it into her right eye; it seemed as if I might have buried the blade in the socket, for the shock or resistance called forth by the attempt. I took her hand in minehaving for a moment displaced my wife and found it damp and cold; but when I suddenly left it suspended, it continued so for a few moments, and only gradually resumed its former situation. I pressed the back of the blade of my penknife upon the flesh at the root of the nail, (one of the tenderest parts, perhaps, of the whole body,) but she evinced not the slightest sensation of pain. I shouted suddenly and loudly in her ears, but with similar ill-success. I felt at an extremity. Completely baffled at all points-discouraged and agitated beyond expression, I left Miss P-in the care of a nurse, whom I had sent for to attend upon her, at the instance of my wife, and hastened to my study to see if my books could throw any light upon the nature of this, to me, new and inscrutable disorder. After hunting about for some time, and finding but little to the purpose, I prepared for bed, determining in the morning to send off for Miss P-'s mother, and Mr. Nfrom Oxford, and also to call upon my eminent friend Dr. D-, and hear what his superior skill and experience might be able to suggest. In passing Miss P-'s room, I stepped in to take my farewell for the evening. "Beautiful, unfortunate creature!" thought I, as I stood gazing mournfully on her, with my candle in my hand, leaning against the bed-post. "What mystery is upon thee? What awful change has come over thee?-the gloom of the grave and the light of life-both lying upon thee at once! Is thy mind palsied as thy body? How long is this strange state to last! How long art thou doomed to linger thus on the confines of both worlds, so that those, in either, who love thee may not claim thee! Heaven guide our thoughts to discover a remedy for thy fearful disorder!" I could not bear to look upon her any longer; and after kissing her lips, hurried up to bed, charging the nurse to summon me the moment that any change whatever was perceptible in Miss P-. I dare say I shall be easily believed when I apprize the reader of the troubled night that followed such a troubled day. I did not so much sleep as dose interruptedly for the first three or four hours after getting into bed. I, as well as my alarmed Emily, would start up occasionally, and sit listening, under the apprehension that we heard a shriek, or some other such sound, proceed from Miss P-'s room. It must have been, I should think, between two and three o'clock, when I dreamed that I leaped out of bed, under an impulse sudden as irresistible-slipped on my dressing gown, and hurried down stairs to the back drawing-room. On opening the door, I found the room lit up with funeral tapers, and the apparel of a deadroom spread about. At the further end lay a coffin on tressels, covered with a long sheet, with the figure of an old woman sitting beside it, with long streaming white hair, and her eyes, bright as the lightning, directed towards me with a fiendish stare of exultation. Suddenly she rose up-pulled off the sheet that had covered the coffin-pushed aside the lid-plucked out the body of Miss P-, dashed it on the floor, and trampled upon it with apparent triumph! This horrid dream woke me, and haunted my waking thoughts. May I never pass such a dismal night again! I rose from bed in the morning feverish and unrefreshed; and in a few minutes' time hurried to Miss P-'s room. The mustard applications to the soles of the feet, together with the blisters behind the ears, had produced the usual local effects without affecting the complaint. Both her pulse and breathing continued calm. The only change perceptible in the colour of her countenance was a slight pallor about the upper part of the cheeks: and I fancied there was an expression about her mouth approaching to a smile. She had, I found, continued throughout the night motionless and silent as a corpse. With a profound sigh I took my seat beside her, and examined the eyes narrowly, but perceived no change in them? What was to be done? How was she to be roused from this fearfulif not fatal lethargy--While I was gazing intently on her features, 1 fancied that I perceived a slight muscular twitching about the nostrils. I stepped hastily down stairs (just as a drowning man, they say, catches at a straw) and returned with a phial of the strongest solution of ammonia, which I applied freely with a feather to the interior of the nostrils. This attempt, also, was as unsuccessful as the former ones. I cannot describe the feelings with which I witnessed these repeated failures to stimulate her torpid sensibilities into action: and not knowing what to say or do, I returned to dress, with feelings of unutterable despondency. While dressing, it struck me that a blister might be applied with success along the whole course of the spine. The more I thought of this expedient, the more feasible it appeared :-it would be such a direct and powerful appeal to the nervous system-in all probability the very seat and source of the disorder! - I ordered one to be sent for instantly-and myself applied it, before I went down to breakfast. To be continued. THE OPENING OF THE SIXTH SEAL tributions of many navigable streams, (REV. VI. 12-17.) For the Olio. Sackcloth of hair resembled ; and the stars So earthward fell the stars, and left their The Heavens departed like an earthly scrawl, And the chief-captains of the earth come Each bondman, and each freeman, hid themselves, And cried out to the mountains "Fall on us! Hide us, oh hide us from the face of Him That sitteth on the Throne,-from the dread wrath Of the eternal Lamb!-Behold, the day, NEW AFRICAN EXPEDITION. THE most interesting armament ever dispatched from the shores of Britain has just been equipped at the expense of a few princely merchants of Liverpool. Its objects are to explore and to open a commercial intercourse with the heart of Africa, by means of the mighty waters of the Niger, a river which has occasioned the loss of more ink, and of more lives, to ascertain its course, than any stream that geographers have attempted to delineate. Richard Lander, however, an unlettered menial servant, at length discovered the Niger to have its termination by several mouths in the Atlantic! This most important discovery has "at one fell swoop,' with pitiless certitude, annihilated a thousand elaborate theories. Interesting as must be the result ofthe expedition now on its way to Africa, yet it is quite amazing how little public notice has been bestowed upon the subject. A few fugitive paragraphs in the newspapers, indeed, announced that the squadron had sailed; but no detailed account has yet appeared respecting either its objects or its efficiency; and we are mistaken if the empire at large will not feel indebted for a communication so important. It has already been observed that R. Lander, an obscure and uneducated, but enterprising and intelligent, Cornish servant of Captain Clapperton, at length ascertained that the Niger below Boussa, after wandering for four or five hundred miles through the heart of western Africa, and receiving the con empties itself into the ocean, by several embouchures, in that immense bay of the Atlantic called the Gulf of Guinea. The Nun River, by which Lander and his brother descended to the sea, disembogues its waters near Cape Formosa, a promontory separating the Bight of Biafra from the Bight of Benin. From our settlement at Fernando Po, to the Nun River, does not exceed one hundred and fifty miles, so that the importance of our maintaining a footing upon that island is manifest; for in all probability the Nun is the principal embouchure of the Niger, though this point is not yet decided. This much, however, appears certain, that, entering by this channel, the Niger is navigable for the whole four or five hundred miles between Boussa and the sea; that though above Boussa, the channel is obstructed by a barrier of rocks, yet little doubt exists of its having a communication with Timbuctoo; and, which is of greater consequence in a commercial point of view, that, throughout its whole majestic course, the Niger rolls through a fruitful, cultivated, and thickly populated country, studded with towns and villages, hitherto unvisited by Europeans; and having no other trade with civilized nations than such imperfect barter as could be carried on across burning deserts, by the agency of slavedealers and periodical caravans. What a field is here displayed for mercantile adventure! What an opening for extending the trade of Great Britain!What a market for our languishing manufactures! What a means of striking at the heart of the slave trade, by introducing civilization and industry across the very route of the principal Caffilas! What a harvest for geographical and other sciences in exploring the Niger and its many tributary streams! What an opportunity for our missionaries to spread the light of the gospel in the focus of idolatry and superstition! What a glorious chance of converting myriads of heathen nations, and of substituting for ignorance, cruelty, and barbarism, the blessed doctrines of peace, good will, and eternal salvation! It was with prospects like these, and with a view to secure the advantages in question for our own country, that proposals were made to his Majesty's Government to take immediate possession of Lander's newly-discovered river. Why this project was not eagerly adopted it is difficult to determine. it that our nation is now ruled by that Is miserable kind of economy which, placing a farthing over each eye, is prevented from seeing a guinea at a distance? Be this as it may, it is clearly our best policy that a strongly fortified settlement should instantly be formed at some commanding point in the healthy country above the swamps of the Delta, to prevent intrusion of vessels not under English colours. We should thus hold the keys of Africa in our grasp; and its vast resources would be open to us alone. If we neglect this, the prize will soon be snatched by Ainerica, France, Spain, Portugal, or some other nation less supine than Great Britain. Surely, should even the ministry persist in their incomprehensible apathy, this matter must soon attract the notice of parliament, since no subject of greater national importance could occupy its consideration. Finding no disposition on the part of government to assist in appropriating the commerce of Africa, Mr. Laird and some other merchants of Liverpool determined to fit out an expedition at their own expense; and so little encouragement did they receive that the Treasury actually refused to permit the vessels, on their return, to land their cargoes duty free. Yet no sooner had Mr. Laird, junior, accomplished the equipment of his squadron, than the Admiralty requested permission to send out a surveyor of their own to take observations, determine latitudes, longitudes, &c. Fortunately for the nation at large, Mr. Laird did not object to this appointment, and Lieutenant Allen, R. N., was selected by the Admiralty hydrographer; an officer whose conciliatory, amiable, and gentlemanly manners soon secured him the personal regard of Mr. Laird, and of every person on board. Every thing being at length prepared, and Mr. Lander having promised to accompany the expedition, the three vessels composing it assembled in Milford Haven as follows: Quorra steam-vessel. Having on board Mr. Laird, jun., of Liverpool, as director and supercargo of the squadron. Sailing commander, Mr. Harries, Master of the Royal Navy, an officer well acquainted with the coast of Africa. Lieutenant Allen, surveyor, furnished with various instruments for observing the dip, latitudes, longitudes, &c. Richard Lander, African traveller and discoverer of the termination of the Niger, acting as guide, adviser, and partly as interpreter to the expedition. Also a gentleman of ability who has volunteered to accompany the squadron as surgeon and naturalist. The Quorra is 115 feet in length over all; breadth of beam 16 feet; depth of hold, 8 feet; draught of water, with every thing on board for ascending the Niger, 4 feet 2 inches; tonnage, 146, including the engine room. One engine of 40-horse power, to be used only in calms, or in ascending rivers. Constructed to burn either coal or wood as may be required. Aiburkah. So named from an African expression, signifying blessing. A small steam-vessel, built entirely of iron, by Mr. Macgregor Laird, director of the expedition. Fitted with one steam-engine of 15-horse power, constructed to burn coal or wood. Vessel 70 feet in length over all; breadth of beam, 13 feet 2 inches; depth of hold, 63 feet; draught of water, when launched, only 9 inches. With engine in, and boiler full, drew 2 feet 6 inches; drew 4 feet 6 inches on leaving Milford Haven, having provisions and water for 12 men for 50 days, besides 10 tons of coal. Bottom of the vessel thick; sides 3-16 inches thick. Gross weight when built, and wooden decks laid, 16 tons; tonnage 56, including engine-room. Schooner-rigged, like the Quorra. Commanded by Mr. Joseph Hill. The greatest interest bas been excited about this diminutive vessel, as it is certainly a bold undertaking to navigate the Atlantic in so small a boat built entirely of iron. She is intended to explore the Tschadda and other tributary streams of the Niger, Columbine. Merchant brig of 176 tons. Commanded by Mr. Millar. This vessel conveys a considerable cargo of coal, and a very curious investment of goods for trading with the natives. Her bill of lading would, indeed, have furnished a most ludicrous assortment of articles, from a penny whistle to a kingly crown. inch 1 do. do. swivel gun 1 6 6-pounder carronades 4 and Alburkah for Port Praya, in the Cape de Verds, that being the first place of rendezvous. A day or two after Lander arrived in a fishing-boat from Ilfra combe, and in an hour the Quorra put to sea, bearing with her the hearty good wishes of every spectator. It is Mr. Laird's intention to proceed in the first instance to Port Praya, where he hopes to meet with the Commander-in-Chief of the African station, who has orders to render him assistance. From thence they go to Cape Coast to take on board some Kroomen negroes to cut wood in going up the Niger. Finally, they enter the Niger and dash on at once to Boussa, opening communications for a trade in gold dust, palm oil, and ivory by the way. The Alburkah will explore meanwhile all the principal tributaries of the Niger, and it is not altogether beyond possibility but she may find a way through the Tschadda, Shary, or some other water into Lake Tschad, in the centre of the African continent; nay, some flatter themselves with the dream of being able to penetrate into Abyssinia and the Red Sea, by rivers running out of Lake Tschad in an easterly direction. What would be the astonishment of the good people at Bombay should this cockle-shell of a vessel-not larger than the boiler of Whitbread's brewery, -and built of iron, force her way through the centre of Africa, and so on by the Red Sea and Straits of Babel Mandeb to Socotra and the coast of Malabar! Let this vision terminate as it may, the attempt deserves success; and that the whole of the spirited individuals by whom it has been undertaken will be rewarded by the fullest realization of their most sanguine hopes, is the sincere prayer of one who with difficulty restrained the desire to quit wife, family and friends to embark with the wanderers composing the African expedition! United Service Journal. SONNET. Oh no!-be false-be froward-or be kind, Blest muse of thought, let all things pass away, Thou, in my wretched bosom, ever stay. MR. WHITFIELD AT A SCOTCH MR. WHITFIELD's eloquence was of a peculiar cast, and well adapted to his auditory, as his figures were drawn from sources within the reach of their understanding, and frequently from the circumstances of the moment. The application was often very happy, and sometimes rose to the true sublime; for he was a man of warm imagination, and not wholly devoid of taste. On his first visit to Scotland, he was received in Edinburgh with a kind of frantic joy, by a large body of the citizens. An unhappy man, who had forfeited his life to the offended laws of his country, was to be executed the day after his arrival. Mr. Whitfield mingled in the throng, and seemed highly pleased with the solemnity and decorum with which the most awful scene in human nature was conducted. His appearance, however, drew the eyes of all around him, and raised a variety of opinions as to the motives which led him to join in the crowd. The next day, being Sunday, he preached to a large body of men, women, and children, in a field near. the city. In the course of his sermon, he adverted to the execution which had taken place the preceding day. "I know," said he, "that many of you will find it difficult to reconcile my appearance yesterday with my character. Many of you, I know, will say, that my moments would have been better employed in praying for the unhappy man, than in attending him to the fatal tree; and that, perhaps, curiosity was the only cause that converted me into a spectator on that occasion; but those who ascribe that uncharitable motive to me are under a mistake. I witnessed the conduct of almost every one present on that awful occasion, and I was highly pleased therewith. It has given me a very favourable impression of the Scottish nation. Your sympathy was visible on your countenance, and reflected the greatest credit on your hearts; particularly when the moment arrived that your unhappy fellow-creature was to close his eyes on this world for ever, you all, as if moved by one impulse, turned your heads aside, and wept. Those tears were precious, and will be held in remembrance. How different was this, when the Saviour of mankind was extended on the cross-the Jews, instead of sympathizing in his sorrows, triumphed in them. They reviled him |