BEING THE SIXTH NUMBER OF VOL. LVI. PART II. An Account of a new Elerical Fish. In a Letter from Lieut, W. Paterfon M Sir Jofeph Banks, Bart. P. R. S. From the Philofophical Tranfactions. XXXR. PATERSON, while 淡 at the land of Johanna, in his way to the EaftIndies, met with the fifh, here delineated and defcribed, in the cavity of a rock hollowed by the sea, the water in which was about 56° or 60° of heat of Fahrenheit's thermometer. He caught two of them in a linen bag, clofed up at one end and open at the other; but, in attempting to take one of them in his hand, it gave him a fevere electrical fhock, which obliged him to quit his hold; he, however, fecured them both in the bag, and carried them to the camp at two miles distance; where, on opening the bag, one of them was found dead, and the other with only fo much life as to convince the Surgeon and Adjutant of its electrical powers. The fish is feven inches long, two inches and a half broad, has a long projecting mouth, and feems to be of the genus Tetrodon. The back of the fish is a dark brown colour, the belly part of fea-green, the fides yellow, and the fins and tail of a fandy green. The HEARING by chance of a human body in a very curious and uncommon ftate of prefervation, in the poffef fion of a gentleman of fortune in Westminfter, I procured, through the intereft of a friend, a fight of it, which perfectly answered the defcription that had been given me, and gratified my curiofity in the fulleft manner poffible. Inclosed is a very exact representation * of it from a copper-plate of the propri etor's, to which is annexed a short defcription of the circumstances attending its difcovery, &c. than which nothing can be more confiftent with probability. In addition to what is there defcribed, and to throw further light on fo ftrange a phænomenon, it may not be amifs to *We thank our correfpondent for the communication; but fhall content ourselves with copying the infcription: This print is an exact reprefentation of a boy about twelve years old, who was found erect, with his cloaths on, in a vault under St. Botolph's Aldgate old church, in the year 1742, and is fuppofed to have been thut in at the time of the plague in 166, as the vault had not been opened from that period till the time abovementioned, when the church was pulled down. The extraordinary circumstance of this boy is this, that his fkin, fibres, and inteftines, are all dried, and very little of his bones appears, and weighs about 18 pounds. Now in the poffeffion of John Symmons, efq. of Grofvenor-house, Weaminger," 1008 Human Body uncommonly preserved.—An extraordinary Skeleton. the above, preferably to the publisher of any other periodical publication. Yours, &c. A. 2. MR. URBAN, West Bromwich, Dec. 6. THE great readiness you have always fay, that the extreme length is about four feet, the fex very clearly marked, and the bones every where completely covered but in those places where external violence feems to have been used for the purpose of laying them open. Of the teeth, all the incifores are wanting, and but fix of the grinders left, three in each jaw. The vifcera are clofely invested by the outer integu ments, and of courfe dried up in the fame manner as the other more folid, parts, the cartilages of the ears quite perfect, and the fhape moft accurately preferved; the back part of the fca'p is thinly covered with short hairs of a red-ed to be built at the east end of Weftdifh caft. That no putrefaction, even in the fmalleft degree, ever took place, is evident from the medullary fubitance of the eyes, which is dried like the reft, and ftill perceptible in that state. fhewn in your communications to your numerous readers, through that ufetul mifcellany the Gentleman's Magazine, induces ine though a new correfpondent, vet a constant reader of yours, to relate the extraordinary appearance of a skeleton, whose coffin lid was broke open by a labourer, in dig ging the foundation for a very intend bromwi h church; the body and head was turned on its right fide, with the Jeft elbow preffing hard against the lid of the coffin, apparently as if strug gling after burial. It feems not improbable but the body of the unhappy man was buried in a trance. and on the best information I could get, it was the body of an old lawyer in the faid parish of the name of Whitehoufe; and what strengthens my conjecture in the above matter, was his frequent ufe of large quantities of opiates during his laft illncis. He died about the year 1764. If you think this merits a place in your ufeful work, it may poffibly be the means of preventing others from the too early burial of their friends, after their apparent, if not real decease; as, in my own mind, 1 have not a doubt but many in a year are buried before all fymptoms of life have left them. Yours, &c. I understand that many human bodies, under the fame predicament, have been found in a conventual vault at Toulouse, but do not recollect to have heard of any thing precifely fimilar within the limits of this ifland; the humidity of our climate, perhaps, tending in general to the prevention of that effect, which can only be produced by the extreme of a contrary principle. The body of Humphrey Duke of Gloucefter, when difcovered entire at St. Alban's, was in a fort of pickle, upon the confumption of which it prefently mouldered to duft; as was, I believe, that of Robert Earl of Effex, found fome years ago at Carmarthen. Many other bodies, that were faid to have been entire at the time of their difcovery, on being expofed to the air, fome immediately, and all the others at no very diftant interval of time, fell to nothing, fome even eluding the grasp of the first discoverers on the fpot; whereas this is not only perfectly fold, but of the confiftency and toughness of strong leather throughout, fo that the whole body, weigh ng 18lb. can be fufpended, and even held at full length, by one foot, without the fall eft injury. The prefent poffeffor oftion this valuable curiofity is Mr. Symmons, of Grosvenor house, Weftminster, who behayed to me with very great politenefs, and very liberally expreffed a wiljingness that it fhould be feen by any perlon curieus in the pursuit of natural history. As your entertaining and instructive Mifcellany is the propereft vehicle for fuch information to the public, I have taken the liberty of troubling you with MR. URBAN, R. W. E. Dec. 2. N the courfe of a ramble in October IN laft, I chanced to vfit the little church of Chickual St. James, near Chelmsford; and the refult of an hour's amufement is now at your fervice, if you think the drawing and notes herewith tent will furnish entertainment to your readers. In the general defcrip of the parish, I fhall refer to Morant's Ellex, vol. 1. p. 79. CHICKNAL ST. JAMES. A female figure, beautifully attired, with flowing han, holding a golden cup in her right hand, and with her left railing up her outward garment. Within a corded border, ornamented with flowers, catherine-wheels, &c. IHS. Diey merci. Alfa |