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MORNING NEWS.
JOHN H.COOPJEK,
T.. THfO tK <*»&&,. E DITOR
TERMS f
DAILY EATER $4’ 00 | TRI-WEEKLY $2 00
Alt New Advertisements appear in both papers.
Dr. Webster's Trial for the Murder of Dr.
Parknsaa.
—THIRD, DAT.
Thursday March21. A. M.
The clerk proceeded to call the witnesses,
and when the court was fully organized, testi
mony for the government resumed.
Dr. V. T. Jackson called and sworn.—l
am a chemist by profession ;• I was one of the
persons called to oxamine the Medical Oollego
shortly after tho discovery of the remains.
Went on Saturday P. M., December 1st, 1849.
I went with Dr. Martin Gay, and met Dr. Wins
low Lewis there; Dr. Lewis made the prelim
inary arrangements for the examination ; the
chemical examination was undertaken by Dr.
Gay and myself; the remains were handed
over to the surgeons ; I undertook a chemical
analysis of the slugs found in tho furnace, and
also of pieces of the skin andi flesh found. The
manner in which the parM were- separated
would seem to indicate that the person who
did accomplish the separation was some what
acquainted with anatomy ; the flesh was cut
Up boldly towards the ribs, and cartileges were
divided ih a skilful manner; found by examin
ation that the portions of the remains in the
ce* chest had been treated with a slimy solu
tion of caustic potash.
• There were some peculiarities, 1 think, in
the figure of tho Dr. The Dr. was broad and
flat in the pelvis. [Here t'no report made by
Dr. Jackson to the Coroner’s Jury, was read to
the Court by Mr. Bemis, junior counsel for tho
Government.] I dissected the bloodvessels,
from the thighs found in the College, and they
and their contents wero analysed by Dr. Crons-
fay, a very skilful chemist, who is in my em
ploy. The result of analysis showed 1 that the
arteries and veins had not boon injected with
any of the solutions used in the intended
bodies for dissection.
The best thing to dissolve a human body is
eaustic potash; the quantity required would be
hboat half the weight of the body; the time
requsite to consume a body,bones and all, would
ha about two hours. Nitric acid would be
the naxt thing to caustic potash to dissolve
a body in; the requisite quantity would he
equal to the weight of the body to be destroyed.
Report from Dr. Jackson to Dt. Winslow
Lewis jr.
Dear8irt—I present below an account of
our examination of the furnace contents, list of
articles found in the laboratory furnace, cin
ders delivered to us by the Jury of the Cor
oner's Inquest at the Massachusetts Medical
College in Boston, Dec. 1st, 1849.
These articles were sorted on Sunday by
Drs. Wyman, Ainsworth, and myself. Bone's
found in the cinders from the furnace'—right
oscalsis, right astragalus, tibia, and fibula pha-
lurges. probably of the middle or ring finger;
coronid, proof of lower jaw; numerous frag
ments of a skull, a human tooth that had a hole
in it, as if once filled by dental operation; three
blocks of artificial mineral teeth were found in
the finders, without the gold plate; a pearl
shirbbutton was found in the ashes, and par
tial!/ calcined; numerous little cup shaped
pieces of copper, similar to some seen in one
•■wjpi' laboratory drawer*, ‘were also found ;
many pieces of gloss, miked with the slugs and
pieces of metals, were found in and among the
elnders. These various articles were all care
fully examined, and such as needed chemical
analysis were subsequently taken by Dr. Gay
and myself, and examined; the lumps of mfital
most abundant in the furnace cinders, were tea
chest lead and an alloy of till and lead in near
ly equal proportions, the tin predominating in
the pieces analyzed; the cinders being pound
ed and washed, disclosed some small globules
of gold and an alloy of silver and • gold; the
amount of gold found was small, 30 grains;
the amount of aijver was small. After our
examination of the human body committed to
you, I made some chemical examinations
the surface which had been discolored on the
chest and one thigh, and found they had been
imbued with a solution of potash; this J
determined by chemical analysis, finding pot'
ash and a little sea salt; there was an evident
corrosion of tho surface ol the skin by the
action probably of the potash aided by heat;
I found potash in the skin of both the thigh and
thorax and in the muscles, at each end of the
discolored thorax, the alkali being very strong,
ly marked ; the daik color of the skin which
hod been acted upon by potash was probably
in part colored by the tan, thepotash aiding in
this coloring; I found no alkali in the interior of
the thigh, nor in the flesh of tho back beneath
Si the skin; I observed that the hair on the left
side of the thorax had been singed by fire;
noticed that the skin was corroded by potash,
and wa» quite tender near the opening in the
skin opposite the first and seventh ribs, that the
edges of those openings, appeared to have been
corroded by that alkali; I dissected portions of
the femoral arteries and flesh of both thighs
and the artery and vein of the leg, to asccrtuin
whether the body had been injected with the
fluids used for preserving-bodies in the disscc
ting room. These I gave into the hands of Dr.
H^Iartin Gay, for analysis, and he has caused an
Hnpx&mination of one .of these piecies to be made
HFip my laboratory, by Mr. Richard Cronsley,
who found no traces of zinc or arsenic, sub
stances used in the preservation of bodies in
the dissecting room. The spots on the wall,
floor and furniture shown us by tho jury and
police, were submitted to the examination of
Dr. .Jeffreys Wyman, as were“also the spots on
a pair of pants and slippers, submitted to our
inspection, and his results will probably be
rep4fced to you by that gentleman. The re
sults to which I have arrived,are, that portions
of* human adult skeleton were found in the
cinders and coals, and submitted to my exami
nation. That tea-chest lead had been thrown
into the fire—that the gold found may have
been derived from the set of mineral teeth
found in the fire, that the silver was in small
quantities, that the skin, and part of the thorax
and body you examined, hud been subjected
to the action of potash, and an nttempt had
been made to burn the thorax in the fire, but
had not been persevered in. These are all the
conclusion we are authorized to draw from the
premises herein set forth, and from the exami
nations submitted to the Chemical department
of your Committee.
C. T. Jackson
DtvC* T- Jacksoa’s testimony continued.—
"stash is best, because It can be used in any
~ vessel made, of metal, such as Iron
a body, should be boiled during the operation,
which would be greatly expedited by the ap
plication of heat. Nitric acid would require
peculiar'kinds of vessels to consume the desk
in. I saw several bottles in the closet ofJ’rof.
W.’s Laboratory, some of which contnined
Nitric, and soino Muriatic acid. There was
not, I think, more than 10 lbs. of Nitric acid
in all the bottles thorn. Ol.the walls, and on
the stair-case, leading from the tower to tho
upper Laboratory, wero drops or splashes of a
greenish liquid, which, by the employment of
test papers, I discovered lobe Nitrate of cop-
pcr.
The splashes looked as though made separ
ately upon each stair, and notes the conse
quence of a quantity of liquid accidental y spi
ed from above. In the ashes of the furnace
were found some punched pieces o copper
which had apparently been subjected to the
action of nitric acid, to produce nitrate of cop
per. 1 call them punched pieces because they
resembled the pieces that are struck out from
the bottom of u callenuer with a punch by the
manufacturer. These punched pieces found in
the furnace were of precisely the same sue and
form as those found in a drawer in I rof. Web
ster's laboratory, only they are somewhat thin
ner in consequence probably of the action of the
acid upon them. From tho slugs taken from
tho furnace there were separated in all. 173-65
grains of gold. [Here the singularly formed
knife was exhibited.] I have peen that knife
in Prof. W.’s laboratory. Saw it there before
Parkman’s disappearance. When I saw the
knife at the laboratory after the disappearance
of Dr. P., there wns a small quantity of oil
and whiting on it as though it had been recent
ly cleaned- There is a small portion of oiland
whiting on the blade now, similar to that 1
observed on it at the laboratory on Saturday,
Dec. 18, 1849. Think the cover of furnace
was sufficiently tight to keep the odor of any
burning substance from getting into the room-
Cross examined.—The drops on the wall
and stair case were nitrate of copper; am cer
tain of it. Knowing Dr. P. to bo missing, I
should have no reason to believe that those
were his remains found in the Medical College.
There was nothing that indicated that the parts
had been boiled in potash. 1 found caustic
aotaah on both ends and sides of the thorax,
jut none in the interior of it. A body dissolved
nitric acid, would bccomo liquid; a thick
yellow liquid; flesh would dissolve in nitric
acid quicker than bones. The bottles seen by
me in the laboratory were nearly full at the
time; was there on Saturday and Sunday.
The splashes of nitrate of copper on the
walls, coold not have been made a great while
when I first saw them. The color would have
been different if they had been there longer, for
their color has changed much since that time.
To the Court.—A few minutes of the joint
action of potash and fire, would be all-the time
requisite to soften tho flesh of the thorax and
thigh to the degree that it was softened when
first found. I took a piece of the Norway Pine
on which were the spots supposed to be blood,
"rom tho stair-case, which I now produce, and
mbjected them to the action of nitrate of cop
per, but did "not ascertain by that process
whether the spots were caused by blood or not
Dr. Nathan C. Keep, Dentist, called.— lam
Dentist, and was acquainted with Dr. George
Parkman; there was shown me sometime
since a block of mineral teeth; I recognized
them, to be the teeth made by me for Dr. P. in
1846; there was a great peculiarity, in Dr. P.’i
jaw, and the peculiar structure of it left an im
pression on my mind; when I made the teeth
for Dr. P. he was in a great hurry for them
he said that ho was going to speak at the open
ing of the Medical College; I went to work in
the usual manner to take an impression of each
jaw; this was done by putting soft wax into
the mouth, and pressing with, a piece of metal
upon it until it becomes chilled; this is then
taken out and a liquid plaster is carefully pour
ed into the mould thus made, and the form cor
responds exactly with the jaw on which the
mould is made. Here the plaster cast of Dr.
Parkman’s jaw, was exhibited and explained
by Dr. Keep; there were apparent fac similes
of four natural and tljree stumps of teeth.
There is a greut resemblance between tho
piece of jtiw found in the furnace of the labo
ratory and the mould taken by me of Dr. P’s.
jaw in 1846. I had just time to finish the
blocks of tceih before the ct emonies; I
ground «ff the lower edge of them near the gum
in order to make the jaws fit better; this
operation destroyed the pink color made to im
itate the gum. I was in NeW York at the
time of Dr. P’s disappearance and received a
letter stating that bis artificial teeth had been
found in the furnace of Prof. W’s laboratory.
I soon afterwards returned to Boston, and the
teeth were brought to me, and I at once recog
nized them as the teeth which 1 had made for
Dr. P., and with which I had taken so much
pains.
Here the voic* of Dr. Keep was frequent
ly interrupted by sobs, and he was finally oblig
ed to wait for some time, until his emotions
would allow him to proceed.
great euro, eliciting a variety explanations from
the witness, os he proceeded. „
Dr. Keep's Testimony resumed.—I was sat-
sfied that tho right upper tocth which were
put into my hands by Dr. Lewis, were Dr. P's.
There could be no mistake about them ; Dr.
Noble assisted me in their manufactevo; tho
other parts of the artificial teeth were some
what damaged by the action of the fire.
At this point, the Attorney General request
ed Dr. Keep to stand immediately before the
jury, and explain to them the points of rttsem-
elunce between the mould and the blocks of
teeth found in the laboratory furnace. The
bench ulso examined the blocks of teeth und
the mould with minute attention, under the
explanations of Dr. Keep.- The interior of tho
jaw bone found in the furnace was calcined.
To a Juror.—The next time I saw Dr. P,,
hich was the day before bis disappearance,
saw the teeth in bis ntouth, while conversing.
Question by the Attorney Oene.ral.— Do
you know any tiling concerning tho appearance
of the teeth that would indicate that the teeth
were in the mouth of tho head while in the fire?
Answer.—Such is the nature of tho mineral
teeth tlmt while in a persons mouth, they ab
sorb a minute quantity of water in the poors of
tho ntineraljtnatter, and if these teeth hud been
thrown directly into the fire while wet, they
would have been fractured into a great many
pieces- The teeth which were found in the fur
nace, indicate that they were slowly subjected
to the action of tile fire, and not instantly. If
the teeth had been thrown into the fire without
a mnffler, and dry, they would have cracked.
Don't know whether lean state the events
which I remember in connection with tho man
ufactures of the teeth in order,but I do re
member that the teeth were made by me be
fore I went to Europe ; Dr. P.’s name is on the
plaster cast of the jaws ; I put it on there at
the time the juws and teeth were manufactured.
Direct resumed.—I said belorethe Coronet’s
jury that there wus part of a natural tooth ud-
[tering tooneuf the blocks of mineral teeth that
were thrown into the fire, enclosed in the head
Dr. Lester Noble, called.—I was an assis
tant of Dr., Keep from the 12th Oct, 1838, until
the last of July, 1818; I am now prosecuting
my studies in Baltimore ; 1 remember making
mineral teeth for Dr. Parkman in 1846 ; wrote
Dr. P.’s name on tho model; the inscription on
the model is “Dr. Parkman, Oct., 1846.” I
recognized the teeth the moment I saw them,
as those made by me for D. 1\, as well from
the general configuration as fiom several pe
culiarities which I remembered. Noticed al
so the defacement given them by Dr. Keep in
grinding down tho edges. Am positive these
are the teeth made for Dr. P.; have as good
reason to believe these teeth were made by
me, as I have to believe any’fact which I know;
remember that they were to huve been done
by the day that the Medical College wns open
ed ; remember the circumstances ot the open
ing. Governor Everett delivered the speech ;
I was present and watched to «ee if Dr. P.
would speak in order to discover how the teeth
would work ; he did not speak as I inferred he
would, when he was complimented by Gov.
Everett for his generosity ; I understood that
Dr. P. had given the land on which the Medi
cal College stood to Howard College.
Heretho Court adjourned to 3 o’clock.
That was
FOURTH DAY.
[Here the City bells rung for fire, and it
Boston, Fridat, March 22.
The galleries of the Court room were [open
ed to the public at about 20 minutes bef*e 9
o’clock this morning, and were instantly filled,
nlmost to suffocation, by an excited mulitude.
At five minutes before 9 o’cleck thejury enter
ed. The prisoner entered at ten minutes past
9 o’clock and was shortly after follower! by the
Court. The names of the jury were next call
ed and proceedings commenced.
Littlefield's testimony, very important—
Startling disclosures.
Ephraim Littlefield called—my connection
with the midicalCollege is that of janitor; I
have charge of the whole building; make fires
in tho rooms, and have been janitor 7 years.
Since last October had charge of the College
in Mason street. Have known Professor W.
since I first acted as janitor; knew Dr. P.; was
present at an interview between Dr. P. and
l’ruf. W. on Monday, the 19th of November,
towards evening. We were in bis (W.’s) pri
vate room, I stood near the stove stirring some
water with salt. There were three candles
burning at the time. The Prof, was reading
a chemical book, as I supposed, while I was
stirring the water. I did not hear any foot
steps, but on lookingtip suddenly 1 saw Dr. P.
in the room. I observed that Prof, W. was
surprised to see him so suddenly. Dr P. said,
as I thought, “Prof. W., are you ready to meet
this to-night.’’
The Dr. afterward said something about Dr.
Webtser’s having sold something to some per
son which he (Webster) had before sold to him
(Farkman). Prof. W. said “I do not remem
ber that it is so. I had forgotten it,” Dr, P.
showed W. some papers, and then went to
ward tho door, and raisirg b'.s hand, said “Prof.
Webster, something must be accomplished to
ed the gas lie would let me know.
the last I ever beard of it.
On Thursday Prof. W. said he wanted me
to get him soma blood for his lectures. Took
a glass vial, holding about a quart, from one-of
the shelves, and asked httn if that would do to
get it in ; he replied, “ves, get it hill il you
can, from the Massachusetts hospital.” I saw
a student who intended in the apothecary’s
shop in tho hospital, and told him tlmt there
was a glass jar, Dr. W. wanted some blood in
it. He replied, “1 think likely wo shall bleed
some one to-morrow morning and I’ll save the
blood.” On Friday morning 1 went over to
the hospital and saw the student. Said he
hadn’t bled any body and so could not get any
blood.
1 went to Prof. W.’s room about half past
11 o’clock, and told him I could not get any
blood. He said he was sorry. Don’t recol
lect that anything farther wus said about it.
Do not recollect, any farther interview on that
day. In tho morning (Friday) after I had
made the fire in hts back room, 1 took a brush
and swept the floor > threw tho dirt into the
(ire; went to put the brush behind the door of
the laboratory, and there I saw a sledge ham
mer. Had seen the hammer in tho lower
rooms, but never up tltoru before. The handle
v as about two feet long and of white oak.
Should think that it would weigh six or seven
pound
To the Court.—The sledge was about os
largo round in the face of it as an ordinary or-
range cut in two.—Never suw the sledge any
where but in the lower room before. I took it
down stairs to the laboratory and set it up
against the large vault where he makes gases.
—Here the plan of tho laboratory was exhibit
ed, and the position of the vault shown to the
Court and jury.—Huvo never seen the sledge
since.
At about two o’clock 1 wns standing in tho
front entry, looking out of the front door,
thought, when I testified before the coroner’s
jury, that it was about half-past 1 o’clock, but
I think now I wns mistaken. I saw Dr. F
coming down Grove street very fast. Ho was
about opposite Fruit street. I laid down on the
settee nearest the furnace, or register, and the
door, waiting for Dr. Holmes’s lecture to finish:
did not hettr any one go intj or como out. o-f
Prof. W’s rooms. Laid on tho settee until a
few minutes before two o’clock, and then went
up stairs. Always wait at the door of the lec
ture room until the lecture is out.
I went down stairs and shut the front door
just after Dr. Holmes went out. Afterward
went down stairs, cleaned out the furnaces atld
left the materials for building the next morn
ing’s fire; then went up stairs into Prof. W.’s
back room and cleaned out the stove.—
I then went to the medical lecture room
and cleaned out the furnaces there. [Here
the wooden model was exhibited, and Lit
tlefield pointed out the position of the set
tee on which he had laid.] I then went down
to Prof. W.’s laboratory, to clean up there.—
Went to the door of the laboratory under the
privy stair way, leading to the private room.
This was the door under the laboratory stair
case. Found that the doors were bolted on
the inside. I then went round to the other
door of the laboratory on the same floor, and
found that locked or bolted. [Here the mod
el was again brought into requisition.] Tho’t
siv^Ersy^aiB
Wedncmlny Morglng, March ay, is 3o
LARGEST CIRCULATION! ~~
Mr* The Hajlv Morning News bus now a *.
er err* CiaeufATioN than either of tlic other s,If'
papers, and consequently is the best ADvxeZ,., 1 '
consequently is the must advert,
MKDICM We state this fact in justice to mJLi) 0
and tor the benefit of the advertising public Tc *
i3 S ™ t P*»ge for our rates of adverdsinir
5-3 Advertisements should be handed in !?»
early hour, to insure their appearance in the paper oi
the next morAlng.
13 Single copies of the I>aiiy Moknino^T'
may be had at J. M. Coopers Book store, atj a
Cubbedge’s Book- store, Congress-st,, nnd at the
lice of publication, M 7 Bny-st. |y Price two cent
13“ See first page.
*3 In order to give our reuders the deep
ly interesting testimony in the Webster case
we have given a large portion of our space il
day to its publication. We shall continue J
give the trial as it progresses.
Daguerreotypes.—We refer our reader*
to tho advertisement of W. V. Prentic* j„
another column. Those who desjre <o p roj
cure good pictures/ at moderate rates, should
give him a call.
13“ I’omarede’s Panorama of theMissisj.
ippi opens to-day, at Oglethorpe Hall. This
is one of tho most populur Panoramas now e*.
hibiting in the country.
S3 The Tremont House, Boston, took fi f g
in the South wing on Thursday. The fire pro-
duced great consternation among the boarders
—several ladies fainted, &c. The damage to
the properly is estimated at from $20,000 to
$30,000,
S3 We learn, says the Mobile Tribune, that
twenty-seven bodies have been found of thost
who wero lost in tho steamboat Orleans fit.
John. It is supposed that there are still twelve
or mdro to be recovered.
being announced that the Tremont House was
on fire, the Court granted an intermission to
allow the Attorney General, who boarded at
the Iremont House, to save his papers which
wero deposited there; at 29 minutes past 12
o clock, the Court entered ; the jury were
re-summoned and the proceedings resumed.]
There were various conjectures afloat in tho
Court room, as to the origin of the fire. Some
persons attributing it to some incendiary, so as
to interrupt the course of the trial. There ap
peared to be some mystery about the occur
rence taking place as it did, in the noon day,
and at such a period of the trial. The confu
sion created by this sudden itTtctruption, hud
the effect to embarrass tho proceedings not a
little. While the great body of the spectators
were out of Court during this interval, Dr. W.
hold a conversation with Dr. Jackson, from the
dock, in which he expressed his fears lest the
testimony of the latter might have been misun
derstood. Dr. Jackson stated to Dr. W. and
his counsel, that if he feared any such misun
derstanding, he would be ready again to testify
on any point upon which his testimony might
have been misunderstood on the part of the de
fence.
The conversation was interrupted by the en
trance of the Judges and the Jury, when the
Court resumed its sitting. Dr. Keep resumed
his place upon the stand. In testifying to the
identity of the teeth already referred to, which
he positively swore to, he became much affect
ed; he wept bitterly and sobbed audibly, wiping
his eyes and face with his handkerchief while
flooded with tears. He pointed out with great
precision and accuracy, the different teeth and
the block . used therefor; which he identified
and positively swore to. Tho Chief Justice
aud the Bench in general* paid marked atren-
I heard them in there walking, and the Cochi-
tuate water running. I then went up stairs to
the door that leads into tho lecture room in the
front entry, pnt the key into the lock to Unlock
it. I found that it was unlocked and bolted
on the inside.
I afterwords wont down stairs into my kitch
en and laid down. About 4 o f clock|a lady, who
was from Medford and staying nt my house,
came into the bed-room and said a gentleman
wanted to see me. Went to the door and found
that it was Mr. Petty. He had come to fill
out (i ticket for a.student named Ridgway,
who was going away. Petty staid about 15
minutes. After ho went away I again went to
the door of the laboratory; found the doors all
fastened as at first. I went then to fix his fire
and clear tho loom up. He (Prof. W.) u9ed
to leave on his tables the glasses and vessels
used in bis lectures, and always requested me to
clean them up. At about half post 5 o’clock
ns I was in my kitchen, I heard some one com
ing down the stairs of the back entry.
E3 It has been said that the Hon. R. W
Thompson, of Indiana, has declined the ap
pointment of Charge to Austria.
t3 Mr. Hudson is delighting large au
diences, at tho Atheneum, with liis inimitable
delineations of Irish character.
S3’ The Montreal Pilot says that the ex
citement at St. Gregoire on account of the
school tax still continues; that though tho
burning of the outhouses of the friends of law
and order is discontinued, their horses and
other farm stock are often maliciously injured.
S3* Johnston, convicted of the murder of
the aged cot^le in New Jersey, has been sen
tenced to be hung on the 30th of April.
Health of Mr. Calhoun.—The Charles
ton Courier of Monday morning says—wehavo
the gratification of announcing that a telegraph
ic despatch to a relative, has been received
from Mr. Calhoun’s son, who is with his la
ther in Wasiugton, dated at 7 o’clock and 25
minutes on Saturday night,which states that he
he was great deal better on that day.
Nothing later than this having been received,
there is every reason to hope that he is per
manently on the recovery.
morrow.” Dr. P. left the room, and I have
Ssmatoa v***el made of metal, such as Iron, tion to tbii part of hi* testimony, which the
*>pp<fcr, or tin. Th* potash used in dissolving Chief Justice in particular, took ncte* of with
not seen him since. The following day about
1 o’clock, as I was standing outside the Medi
cal College, Prof. W. came to the door, and
asked if I was busy; if not, bo wanted me to
carry a note to Dr. P.; and said if 1 could not
he should have to carry it himself.
I took the note and give it to my boy, John
Baxter. I told him to take the note to Dr. P.
as soon as he could. Dr. P. was at the Col
lege on the forenoon of the day of the interview
in the evening alluded to above. Prof. W.
asked me if the vault used to put the remains
of subjects for dissection in was repaired, and
that the faculty had said something about hav
ing a new one made. He asked me how the
vault was built under his coal bin, between
his laboratory nnd the dissecting room. I told
him there was a leuk in the coal bin thaf let
the scent all over the building; and that the
vuult had been all filled up with dirt. He ask
ed how I had got down to it; told him that I
had taken up the brick floor, nnd then cut up
the wooden floot beneath. He asked me if
that was all the vault in the building; nnd if
lie could get a light into that vault. Told him
no.
Ho asked me if I was sure. I replied that
I was, for I had already endeavored to get o
light into the vault a day or two days before.
He suid he wanted to get some of the gas out
of it.
To the Court—The foul air would put a
light out.—Dr. Ainsworth had given me a skel
eton to put in the vault, a little while before, to
ntascerate. I attempted to put a light down
there to find it, but the foul air put out the lamp.
He told me he wanted to get some gas out of
there to try an experiment. I said to him,
“Hew will you get it out afterward ;” said it
would be a good time then for the tide whs up
and pressing the gas up. He said he had an
nparatus to do it with, gud said when he want-
From Peru.—The Picayune has Lima dates
to the 31st December.
By a recent law foreign manufactured im
ported prodnets, similar to those produced in
Peru, are to p«y a duty of nine-tenths the price
for which the domestic article sells. The
Comercio argues then that if a person shoitl d
want a carriage like one which should cost i
Peru $1500, and should have to pay $1350 du
ty, the consequence would be that he would
have no carriage, and the Government would
get no revenue.
There had been several disturbances in Are-
quipa, between the friends of the rival candi
dates for the Presidency. The poinurd was
freely used.
At Tacua similar scenes were enacted, when
Gen. Pezot, alarmed by the state of affairs, as
sembled the citizens.and tnok-measures to sup
press any attempt against public order. These
measures were succesful.
The Peruvian Congress has imposed a duty
of 90 per cent, on pinnos, because they manu
facture better ones in Peru. Rather a singular
reason, we should think. ,
13“ It is an old saying that “there’s many
a slip twixt the cup and the lip.” That theta
is occasionally a miscarage twixt the bucket and
the pocket, is equally well attested by the fol
lowing incident. A California letter says I—
A digger who had brought from the mines
twenty-five pounds of gold, carried it in a tin
pail to the vessel on which he had taken pas
sage for home. By some misstep, or other
mischanco, most unluckily it slipped from his
hand, over the ship’s side, and went to the bot
tom, in forty feet of water, leaving the poor dig
ger minus his fortune.
13“ A Serious affray occurred at Clarks
ville. Tenn., a few days since, between Mr. L.
G. Faxon, and Mr. Wm. Marr, in which the
former was dangerously wounded by a stnb
being inflicted on his left side. Marr was
bound over in the sum of $6,000.
An Internal Tumor of 30 Pounds.—Died,
in Liberty N. Y., at the residenceof her father,
(James Gildersleeve, Esq.,) on 3d inst., Mrs.
Rachel McGrah. aged about 30 years, after a
long and exceedingly painful illness. Accor
ding to a request she made, a post mortem ex
amination wns held upon iter body, nnd a tumor
taken from the neighborhood of tho liver, weigh
ing 30 pounds. So much had it filled the chest,
that it had broken several ribs from the back.
Useful Invention.—The New York Tribune
speaks of a new box for railroad car wheel
which, it is said, overcomes many of tho disad
vantages of those now in general use. It re-
quires,we are told, neither oil nor grease, and
never heats ; and the friction is so slight that a
car furnished with them, and loaded with iron,
was easily moved by one man ; while with the
common boxes the strength of six men would
have been required. Several railroad compa
nies are experimenting for the purpose of tho
roughly testing the invention.
The Nicaragua Difficulty.—The Wash
ington Correspondent of the N. Y. Journal of
Commerce generally well informed, after men
tioning that all the papers relating to the treaty
between this Government and Nicaragua are
now before the Senate, says;
I learn, from an authentic source, that the
difficulty witli Great Britain, growing out of the
Bruish claim to exclusive jurisdictions in Cos
ta Rica nnd tho Mesquite Kingdom, ha3 not
been nnd is not likely soon to be settled. Tho
British Minister has asserted the right of his
Government ta*this jurisdiction, and our fiov-
ernment will not admit it.
The Ncw-York Tribune, Slivegammon au
thority, would have it. that this whole matter
was settled long ago.
Charge to 1 Sardinia.—We see that Mr*
KiNNEY,the able and accomplished editor of the
Newark Daily Advertiser is spoken of in con
nection with the chargeships to Sardinia. The
only objection that can be made to his appoint
ment is likely to emanate from the gentleman
of the press, who will dislike to spare 60-
worthy and talented a cotemporory. We dif
fer with Mr. R. in some matters, but wedo 1
not hositato to say, that his appointment would
be highly creditable to the administration.
13 Mr. John St. Luke, a talented per
former on the violin, was seen to fall on his
face in the street, in Brownsville, (Texas,) on
the night of the 5th inst. On going to his as
sistance, a deep wound was discovered in hu
breast, from which he shprtly after died. The
stab is supposed to have been inflicted by a w °'
man, with whom he was seen in conversation a
few minutes before.
Difficulty Bruing in Mexico.—Late ac
counts from Mexico, state that flagrant out
rages have been perpetrated by the Mexican
authorities upon American merchants. S-A-
Belden & Co., an American firm at Matamo
ras, huve been obliged to escape to Brownsville-
to avoid imprisonment, after suffering the eon
fit-cation and seizure of their property.