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SIR

No. XII.

FROM HORACE WALPOLE.

Florence Feb 21. 1741 N.S.

NOT having Time last Post, I beg'd Mr Mann to thank

you for the obliging Paragraph for me in your Letter to Him. But as I desire a nearer correspondence with you than by third hands, I assure you in my own proper person, that I shall have great pleasure on our meeting in England to renew an Acquaintance which I began with so much pleasure in Italy. I will not reckon you among my modern Friends, but in the first article of Virtû: you have given me so many new Lights into a Science that I love so much, that I shall always be proud to own you as my master in the Antique, and will never let any thing break in upon my Reverence for you, but a warmth and freedom that will flow from my Friendship, and which will not be contained within the circle of a severe Awe.

As I shall always be attentive to give you any satisfaction that lies in my power, I take the first opportunity of sending you two little Poems, both by a Hand that I know you esteem the most: if you have not seen them, you will thank me for lines of Mr. Pope; if you have, why I did not know it.*

I dont know whether Lord Lincoln has receiv'd any orders to return home: I had a letter from one of my Brothers last post, to tell me from Sir Robert that He wou'd have me leave Italy as soon as possible, least I shou'd be shut up unawares by the arrival of the Spanish Troops; and that I might pass some time in France if I had a mind. I own I don't conceive* how it is possible these Troops shou'd arrive without its being known some time before. And as to the Great Duke's Dominions, one can alway be out of them in ten hours or less. If Lord Lincoln has not received the same orders, I shall

* These were Pope's Verses on his Grotto, and Epitaph on Himself.

beleive what I now think, that I am wanted for some other Reason. I beg my Kind Love to Lord Lincoln, and that Mr. Spence will believe me

His sincere Humble Serv'.

HOR. WALPOLE.

I

No. XIII.

FROM LD ORFORD, TO COL: CHURCHILL.

DEAR CHARLES

Fro' Houghton; June 24, 1743.

HAVE now wrote to Capt" Jackson, to give Ld Tyrawley a Ticket, as you desired; and am glad to oblige him with it. This place affords no News; no subjects of Amusement, or Entertainment, to fine men. Men of Wit and Pleasure about town understand not the language, nor taste the pleasures, of the inanimate World. My Flatterers here are all Mutes. The Oaks, the Beeches, the Chesnuts seem to contend which shall best please the Lord of the Manour. They cannot deceive; they will not lye. I, in sincerity, admire them; and have as many beauties about me as fill up all my hours of dangling, and no disgrace attends me from 67 years of age. Within doors, we come a little nearer to real Life; and admire, upon the almost-speaking Canvas, all the Airs and Graces which the proudest of the Town Ladies can boast. With these I am satisfied; because they gratify me with all I wish and all I want; and expect nothing in return which I cannot give. If these, Dear Charles, are any temptations; I heartily invite you to come and partake of them. Shifting the Scene has sometimes its recommendation; and from Country Fare you may, possibly, return with a better appetite to the more delicate entertainments of a refined life. Since I wrote what is above, we have been surpris'd with the good News from abroad. Too

much cannot be said upon it; for it is truly matter of infinite Joy, because of infinite consequence. I am truly,

Dear Charles,

Yours most affectionately,

ORFORD.

REVd: sr.

A

No. XIV.

FROM MR. W. CARR.

S you lay me under no restriction wth. respect to time; I waited for the most convenient opportunity of informing my self of the particular circumstances that attended the Drowning and Revival of the Man at St: Neots. It was in the Year 1741 that the Accident happen'd to one John Saunders, a Taylor in that Town, at that time ab'. 19 Years of Age: who, in washing himself, slipt into a hole above 12 feet deep; where he ascended and descended three several times before he cou'd be laid hold on, and remain'd each time for above a minute under water, when at length he was taken out dead to all appearance. He was carry'd from the River upon mens shoulders wth, his Head inclin'd, and then laid over Chairs in the same position; but notwithstanding voided no water, tho' swell'd as big as a Porpoise. It was propos'd by some of the Faculty then present to bleed him; but this was strongly objected to by D'. Quinton, who instead thereof prescrib'd a Pipe of Tobacco; wch. being blown up that part that generally follows for its share, immediately produc'd a violent vomiting; during wch the Body being continually rub'd wth. warm cloths, there soon appear'd such Signs of Life as encourag'd them to proceed in the aforemention'd application, wch. by degrees produc'd Sense and Motion. He lay for above a fortnight in a very weak condition, but by the use of Cordials and other Res toratives, soon became worth a hundred drown'd men, and

is now living at Bonhurst in Bedfords. When come to himself, he was examin'd, but cd: give no account of the least Sensation of either Pleasure or Pain, from the time he went under water to the time he recover'd his Speech, when he found himself very sick; the Interval of wth. was ab'. 12 Hours. The Person who gave me this information, is the Landlord of the Cross Keys in St: Neots, who being an Eyewitness of the whole Proceeding, and a man of credit and veracity: you may I believe, depend upon this account's being authentick. I shall be extremely glad if it proves in the least satisfactory, or if by this or any thing else, it lay in my power to acknowledge the obligations confer'd on

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S it is post Night I will not delay a moment answer

Asiatis and wish I give Dr Armstrong

information adequate to the pleasure his request has given me, for it is what I have many years wanted, some person or persons equal to the task, to try experiments in order to see how far they might improve the practice of their foreign predecessors upon this subject. I am sorry I can say foreign for speaking in general I may, notwithstanding the repeated incitements in the Newspapers and publishing Pamphlets upon the subject with directions. We frequently hear of persons lost, especially in the swimming and sliding seasons, without the least attempt to recover 'em, I hope this negli

gence proceeds from infidelity and not inhumanity; but to my subject. In order to incourage the D'. you mention, I shall refer him to two now living of his own Profession, and both eminent in it. Dr Mead in his Mechanical Account of Poisons is very earnest in perswasives to this practice and expressive in directions and Dr Shaw told me, He himself brought a person to life that had been under water near 3 Hours, by only blowing Tobacco into his Nostrils from an inverted pipe. What first led me to try experiments upon this subject was reading in Chambers's Dict: a Quotation from Peclin. de Aer et Aliment: def. c. 10. Wherein He mentions a Gardener who was saved after being 16 Hours under Water and that the Queen of France settled a Pension upon him afterwards for Life, and adds he was then living when he wrote his Book, I forgot to tell you I know a Colonel now in the Army Who told me he was recovered himself by this method when he was drown'd as he was swimming when abroad.——I have not had the opportunity of trying the experiment upon human bodies above 5 times and all of them in this Town, where it is almost impossible to put it in practice without molestation from the ignorant populace. A large Pamphlet was publish'd with directions some years ago, but as I cannot readily find it. I do not know for whom 'tis printed. but I have another Book entitled the uncertainty of the signs of Death at the end of which are near 20 pages upon the subject of Drowning this book is printed for M. Cooper at the Globe in Pater Noster Row in the year 1746.- -To conclude at present I heartily wish Dr Armstrong success in his experiments and should be as glad to know the result of them, I have some Agents with whom I have left directions near the sea shore but cannot find They have as yet try'd any experiments

Yours &c

Feb: 22.

N. HERBERT.

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