June 1, 1870.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



123 



instruction. In dismissing the subject, I would 

 caution those who might be disposed to try such an 

 aquarium to guard against the evil of crowding it 

 with too many living creatures at once, for if the 

 water once gets tainted by the death of one of them, 

 the rest are sure to follow ; and one would have to 

 stock the aquarium again, after the water had re- 

 covered its purity, which it would do after a little 

 time, if aerated as mine is at present. 



Oscar Meltzer, 

 Millbrook Cottage, Loughborough Road, Brixton. 



THE NATURAL CHINESE MUMMY. 



A DRIED specimen of humanity was found by a 

 Chinaman on 21st February, in an abandoned 

 shaft situated at Donkey Hill, Campbell's Creek. 

 It seems the unfortunate finder desceuded the shaft 

 (which was about 35 feet deep) to seek for washing- 

 stuff, and that on lighting his candle in the drive, the 

 first object which met his view was the horrible- 

 looking remains of another Chinaman. His exit 

 from the shaft was somewhat quicker than his entry, 

 as may be supposed, and it was some two days before 

 he communicated with the police. The Chinese 

 have a superstitious horror of touching a dead body, 

 it appears; and accordingly no one of the race has laid 

 any claim to these remains, or has acknowledged 

 any acquaintance with the deceased. 



Eirst, to describe the mummy. It is evidently 

 that of a Chinaman, probably about 30 years of age. 

 The body is drawn up, the knees to the chest, the 

 hand contorted as with pain, and the face twisted 

 into a most horrible expression of torture. The 

 , mouth is open, the teeth perfect ; but one must 

 believe, from the wrenched, agonized look of the face, 

 that the unhappy creature died with a shriek of 

 mortal agony. The eyes have disappeared, the 

 orbits being partially filled up with dried animal 

 matter ; the nose is also imperfect, and portions of 

 the lips have apparently been eaten away. The hair 

 on the front "part of the head is entire, and the queue 

 is also perfect, but was separated from the back part 

 of the head in lifting the remains from the shaft. The 

 body as it is weighs about 1251b. The skin looks like 

 discoloured parchment, and'yields to the touch in the 

 same way as leather does, and only to[that extent. The 

 nails are perfect, and apparently were rather long, 

 as if the unfortunate had not been a hardworking 

 Chinaman. The fingers are covered with a sort of 

 white efflorescence, apparently lime, and the same 

 is on portions of the legs. The word efflorescence is 

 used advisedly, as the chalky formation does not 

 look like a deposit, but rather an outgrowth from 

 the remains. It is a hard substance, but has all the 

 appearance of a fungoid growth. It appears, how- 

 ever, that this may be a deposit of falling clay from 

 the roof of the drive, as some of the limbs were 



partly buried. No clothes are on the body, but some 

 were found in the drive. 



The remains were identified by some Europeans, 

 as those of a Chinaman who had been missed for 

 some three years. It was believed by some that he 

 was partially insane during life, and that, falling ill, 

 he had retired to the drive in the shaft where his body 

 was found, and that he had there lain down to die. 

 It is concluded that he starved himself to death ; but 

 the conclusion is possibly arrived at without 

 thoroughly sufficient premises. 



The shaft is situate at Donkey or Doctor's Hill, 

 about half a mile from the main road from Castle - 

 maine to Guildford, on the top of a moderately high 

 hill. It is exactly 35 feet in depth, and is sunk 

 through a gravelly deposit of about 25 feet ; then 

 through what diggers call cement, a sort of conglo- 

 merate of iron-stone, excessively hard. Underneath 

 this is a stratum of the stuff called pipe-clay, but 

 which in some respects resembles kaolin. In this 

 the drive was made in which the remains were dis- 

 covered. A sample of this earth is enclosed. 



The temperature of the drive at the time of ex- 

 amination, a warm day, was nearly the same as 

 that of an ordinary cellar, about C0° Fahrenheit. 

 The thermometer in the shade on the surface of the 

 earth stood at GS°. There was no draught through 

 the drive, nor any perceptible odour : the air seemed 

 pure and dry. The earth was also extremely dry and 

 powdery," and fell easily at a slight touch. Not the 

 slightest appearance of any dampness was to be seen. 



The Chinaman had evidently prepared the place 

 for his occupation, as there was a quantity of gum- 

 leaves formed into a rough sort of bed ; and he had 

 as evidently prepared himself, either for sleep or 

 death ; since his clothes were removed, with the ex- 

 ception of the shirt, aud were lying beside the 

 deceased. The shirt, which was on the body, was 

 reduced almost to tinder, and crumbled away in the 

 course of removing the remains. The trousers were 

 comparatively perfect, but the boots were destroyed, 

 the uppers having come away from the soles. 



The reason how or why the skin should be pre- 

 served so entire is still difficult to understand; for, 

 on descending the shaft, some flies were found there . 

 The mummy would appear to be outwardly pre- 

 served, only the skin having apparently been par- 

 tially tanned, and the remains gradually undergoing 

 the process of petrifaction. It has not been decided 

 whether the Melbourne Museum will receive the 

 mummy as a curiosity or not at this date. 



A photograph of the mummy is enclosed to give 

 a better idea of the position and the degree of pre- 

 servation. E. Wheeler. 



[Castlemaine is in Victoria, about 7S miles from 

 Melbourne. The circumstance' above narrated oc- 

 curred at the" diggings among the deserted shafts 

 and it is believed that severai'Ckinamen have taken 

 up their abodes amongst them.] 



G 2 



