solution to the Visitor and Elder, to be by them reported to the person applying. It was afterwards determined, that the Visitors and Elders should make a new visitation every fortnight, in order to learn whether any change had taken place in the cases of those who were under their superintend ance. ary, The rate of wages was at first a shilling a-day, but on the 20th Januit was reduced to 10d. Those who have families receive no higher wages; but they are allowed soup, meal, and coals, in proportion to the number of children. The wages are paid on Wednesdays and Saturdays: the meal and coal tickets are distributed weekly, the soup tickets daily. The latter are marked as to be presented at each successive half hour from 12 to 2, so that all confusion is prevented. 720 of these tickets are now distributing. It is found, that excellent and nutritious broth can be made at 1d. per chopin. The following are the materials allowed for 430 chopins out of employment, Dr Baird, Con vener. 5. For food, Adam Duff, Esq. Convener. 6. For printing and accounts, Robert Dundas, Esq. Convener. The number of applicants has very greatly exceeded the expectations of the Committee. It was not supposed that they would be beyond four or five hundred; whereas in a very few days they amounted to twelve hundred and on the 29th of January had reached 1943. Of these, at the latter period, about 1200 were actually em On the ployed by the Committee. same date, the subscriptions (including £.1000 from the Prince Regent) amounted in all to £.6,619 " 11" 1. Glasgow. We do not possess any information from this quarter later than the mid dle of December. At that time the re lief had been given in money only. Dis tributions to labourers out of employ ment had begun about the middle c July, and were first drawn from th residue of a fund raised several year ago for the same purpose. The al lowances given were, to a single per son, 2s. week; to a man and wife 3s.; and for every child, 6d. Whe there was any employment, the relie was proportionally reduced. This su of £.1500 was expended about th middle of October. The Magistrate then undertook the distribution, an the expenditure was made to fall upo the assessment imposed for the gene ral relief of the poor. Aberdeen. Here, as in Edinburgh, the relia is given in work. The clergymen an nounced from the pulpits, that the and the elders would attend to tak Thes down the cases of applicants. were entered in printed schedule which were then transmitted to the Committee, who decided upon them. The labourers were employed in repairing the streets and approaches to the town, which, from its utility to the inhabitants, was conceived to be a kind of work that would encourage subscriptions. The whole number who applied were 120, consisting of labourers, a few tradesmen, and a good many sailors. Of those not more than 80 were employed at any one time; which were divided into two bands, working in separate streets. The allowances are, to a single man, 5s. a-week; to a married man, 6s.; for every child not exceeding four, 6. additional, thus making the maximom 8s. A soup kitchen has been employed for the relief of poor housebolders, but has not been connected with the general plan for employing the poor. MONTHLY MEMORANDA IN NATURAL HISTORY. IN the absence, this month, of more legitimate objects of natural history for our memoranda, we shall venture to stray into a by-path, adorned with artificial flowers, (but in the hope that the gallantry of our critics will excuse us), for the purpose of noticing a bouquet destined for the centre compartment of an pergne belonging to the Princess Charlotte of Wales, and which, we understand, was intended as a present to Her Royal Highness on her birth1 day, by Lord James Murray. It is scarcely necessary to remark how very remote from nature artificial flowers, even the most costly, in general appear. In many cases, those vulgarly styled gum-flowers, bear no resemblance to any thing that ever grew on the face of the earth. Even the best Parisian dress-flowers are very imperfect imitations. The taste of the wearers, we are glad to perceive, has evidently improved within our recollection; so that any very extravagant departure from nature is now scouted; and the greater the approach to a resemblance of real flowers, the more highly, we believe, are such articles now prized. It is pleasing to observe, that this mark of good taste prevails at Edinburgh; and still more so, to find, that perfectly correct imitations of nature have first been produced by an artist of our city, Miss Jack. So close and faithful are her imitations, that one might absolutely have botanized in the bouquet above alluded to. This lady constructs her flowers chiefly of a kind of fine inner bark of some tree, which she procures in lamine from the East Indies. It is supposed to be the delicate bark from the suckers of the East Indian breadfruit tree. This tree, in India, is also called Jack-tree; rather a curious coincidence of names! The layers of bark are dyed of different colours by the natives; but Miss Jack frequent. ly finds it necessary to alter the tints; and in closely following the hues of nature, she has made many experiments in extracting delicate vegetable colours, and has fixed them with mordants of her own devising. A judicious flower painter, it is well known, always prefers for the subjects of his art, the most common "garniture" of the garden or the field; so that every one being acquainted with the natural production may be more able duly to estimate the fidelity of the copy. In like manner, Miss Jack, in selecting flowers for the Princess's bouquet, instead of culling the rarer showy exotics, seems to have given a preference to the most familiar plants-the common white narcissus, hyacinth, double wall-flower, laburnum, lilac, thick-leaved saxifrage, apple and pear tree blossom, and one of our most common kinds of geranium (Pelargonium inquinans.) In all of these, as well as in the bunches of roses, particularly the Provence, the imitation of nature is complete, and the spectator really experiences a disappointment on discover ing that they have "no sweet airs and odours to bestow." The bouquet, in its perfect state, was, with permission of the noble owner, shewn by Miss Jack to her friends for two or three days previous to its being dispatched to London. A gentleman distinguished for superior taste in the fine arts, having viewed it, remarked, in a card to the writer of this article, (in which he partly adopted musical language), that "curious persons have occasionally observed how much one may excel in contriving a solo, or how closely some single flowers may in appearance approach to nature, both in form and colour; but it certainly remained for Miss Jack to compose a full piece.' He added, that "from the scientific manner in which the different specimens are disposed, bringing those of warm and cold tones in opposition, and keeping one of these always principal to those that surround it, she has evinced much knowledge of the harmony of colour." And he concluded with saying, that "if it were excusable to offer any hint on this effort, which comes so near to perfection, it would be to recommend, that, in her next attempt, she should introduce some darker greens, for instance, sprigs of laurustinus, bay-laurel, or alaternus; for perhaps the only defect is, the monotony of yellowish greens in all the leaves. Even as it is, I have no hesitation in pronouncing this bouquet to be one of the finest assemblages of closely imitated beautiful flowers ever formed, and certainly at this season, when -storms let loose Do drive the trunks of tallest cedars down, And kill the tender flowers, not yet half blown, it is quite delightful and refreshing to gaze on so striking an effort of skill in such a representation of nature.” We may observe, that we believe the artist admits the justness of the objection made to the shades of her greens, and that the reason of the paleness is, that the material employed is not susceptible of dark green and shining colours; but doubtless a person of her ingenuity may, for very dark leaves, such as those of the evergreens mentioned, devise some other and more tractable material. This notice concerning artificial flowers will, we flatter ourselves, prove agreeable, and eke profitable, to our fair readers, and save them, in future, both from the anxiety of procuring and the necessity of paying exorbitant prices for such ornaments as were wont to be furnished them by the hands of foreigners, certainly very far inferior to those of our home manufacture. Having already mentioned the improvement of taste in regard to dress flowers, we cannot refrain from taking this opportunity of adding, that we should like to see the same chastness of taste gaining ground among our cotton printers. Why should not the pattern-drawers employed by opulent companies be instructed in flowerdrawing by the best teachers, and be enjoined to copy real leaves, flowers, and sprigs, in all their designs? Or who can doubt that patterns designed after Nature with the accuracy of a pupil of the school of Syme, would have a decided preference in the eyes of every purchaser possessed of any degree of discernment, when compared with the monstrosities which are at present blazoned in the bay-windows of our haberdashers, where the only competition seems to be, which shall excel in outraging Nature. Account of the Remarkable Case of MARGARET LYALL, who remain ed in a State of Sleep nearly Six Weeks. By the Rev. JAMES BREWSTER, Minister of CRAIG. (From Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Vol. VIII. Part I.) MARGARET LYALL, a young woman, about twenty-one years of age, daughter of John Lyall, shoemaker in the parish of Marytown, served during the winter half-year preceding Whitsunday 1815, in the family of Peter Arkley, Esq. of Dunninald, in the parish of Craig. At the last-mentioned term, she went as servant to the Rev. Mr Foote of Logie; but, in a few days after entering her place, was seized with a slow fever, which confined her to bed rather more than a fortnight. During the latter part of her illness, she was conveyed to her father's house; and on the 23d of June, about eight days after she had been able to leave her bed, she resumed her situation with Mrs Foote, who had, in the mean time, removed to Budden, in the parish of Craig, for the benefit of sea-bathing. She was observed, after her return, to do her work rather in a hurried mancer; and, when sent upon any errand, to run or walk very quickly, as if impatient to finish whatever she had in hand. Her health, however, appeared to be perfectly restored, except that ber menses were obstructed. On Tuesday morning, June 27th, about four days after ber return to service, she was found in bed in a deep sleep, with the appearance of blood having flowed from her nose; and about half a Scotch pint of blood was perceived on the floor, at her bed-side. All at tempts to awaken her were utterly ineffectual; and she was conveyed in a cart to her father's house, about half a mile distant from Budden. Dr Gibson, physician in Montrose, having been called, a pound of blood was taken from her arm; but she still re mained in the same lethargic state, without making the slightest motion, or taking any nourishment, or having any kind of evacuation, till the afternoon of Friday the 30th day of June, when she awoke of her own accord, and asked for food. At this period she possessed all her mental and bodily faculties; mentioned distinctly, that she recollected her having been awakened on Tuesday morning at two o'clock, by a bleeding at her nose, which flowed very rapidly; said, that she held her head over the bed side till the bleeding stopped; but declared, that, from that moment, she had no feeling or remembrance of any thing, and felt only as if she had taken a very long sleep. An injection was administered with good effect, and she went to sleep as usual; but next morning, (Saturday, July 1.), she was found in the same state of profound sleep as before. Her breathing was so gentle as to be scarcely perceptible; her countenance remarkably placid, and free from any expression of distress; but her jaws were so firmly locked, that no kind of food or liquid could be introduced into her mouth. In this situation she continued for the space of seven days, without any motion, food, or evacuation either of urine or fæces. At the end of seven days she began to move ber left hand; and, by pointing it to her mouth, signified a wish for food. She took readily whatever was given her, and shewed an inclination to eat more than was thought advisable by the medical attendants. Still, however, she discovered no symptoms of hearing, and made no other kind of bodily movement, than that of her left hand. Her right hand and arm, particularly, appeared completely dead and devoid of feeling, and, even when pricked with a pin so as to draw blood, never shrunk in the smallest degree, or indicated the slightest sense of pain. At the same tine, she instantly drew back the left arm, when whenever it was touched by the point of the pin. She continued to take food, whenever it was offered to her; and when the bread was put into her left hand, and the hand raised by another person to her mouth, she immediately began to eat slowly, but unremittingly, munching like a rabbit, till it was finished. It was remarked, that if it happened to be a slice of loaf which she was eating, she turned the crust, when she came to it, so as to introduce it more easily into her mouth, as if she had been fully sensible of what she was doing. But was doing. But when she had ceased to eat, her hand dropped upon her chin or under lip, and rested there, till it was replaced by her side, or upon her breast. She took medicine, when it was administered, as readily as food, without any indication of disgust; and, in this way, by means of castor oil and aloetic pills, her bowels were kept open; but no evacuation ever took place without the use of a laxative. It was observed, that she always gave a signal, by pushing down the bedclothes, when she had occasion to make any evacuation. The eye-lids were uniformly shut, and, when forced open, the ball of the eye appeared turned upwards, so as to shew only the white part of it. Her friends shewed considerable reluctance to allow any medical means to be used for her recovery; but, about the middle of July, her head was shaved, and a large blister applied, which remained nineteen hours, and produced an abundant issue, yet without exciting the smallest symptom of uneasiness in the patient. Sinapisms were also applied to her feet, and her legs were moved from hot water into cold, and vice versa, without any appearance of sensation. In this state she remained, without any apparent alteration, till Tuesday the 8th day of August, precisely six weeks from the time when she was first seized with her lethargy, and without ever appearing to be awake, except, as mentioned, on the afternoon of Friday the 30th of June.During the whole of this period, her colour was generally that of health; but her complexion rather more delicate than usual, and occasionally changing, sometimes to paleness, and at other times to a feverish flush.The heat of her body was natural; but, when lifted out of bed, she generally became remarkably cold. The state of her pulse was not regularly marked; but, during the first two weeks, it was generally at 50; during the third and fourth week, about 60; and, on the day before her recovery, at 70 or 72; whether its increase was gradual was not ascertained. She continued, during the whole period, to breathe in the same soft and almost imperceptible manner as at first; but was observed occasionally, during the night, to draw her breath more strongly, like a person who had fallen asleep. She discovered no symptoms of hearing, till about four days before her recovery, when, upon being requested, (as she had often been before, without effect), to give a sign if she heard what was said to her, she made a slight motion with her left hand, but soon ceased again to shew any sense of hearing. On Tuesday forenoon, the day of her recovery, she shewed evident signs of hearing; and by moving her left hand, intimated her assent or dissent in a tolerably intelligent manner; yet, in the afternoon of the same day, she seemed to have again entirely lost all sense of hearing. About eight o'clock on Tuesday evening, her father, a shrewd intelligent man, and of a respectable character, anxious to avail himself of her recovered sense of hearing, and hoping to rouse her faculties by alarming her fears, sat down at her bedside, and told her that he had now given consent, (as was in fact the case), that she should be removed to the Montrose Infirmary; that, as her case |
