272 SPECIMEN OF THE BLACK ART.' 



done partially, why not on the entire body by a little and little, and 

 not skinning one part till another should be healed. He, therefore, 

 stated to the good family at Dureen, that he would take upon him- 

 self to whiten the child, as he was perfectly satisfied the black was 

 merely the outside or scarf skin, and that the under skin was the same 

 as any other. The mode of operating was now the subject of diffi- 

 culty, and it was agreed to call in Mr. Knaggs, the surgeon of Mount- 

 melick. The state of surgery in Ireland suggested but two ways of 

 performing this notable operation ; one purely surgical, the other 

 surgomedical, viz., either by flaying with the knife, or by blistering. 

 Most people inclined to the blister ; but the doctors conceiving that 

 a blister might not rise regularly, and would in that case leave the 

 child piebald, determined as a first experiment to try both. Accord- 

 ingly, a strong blister two inches by three, was placed on the child's 

 right arm, and being properly covered, remained there for above an 

 hour without inflicting any torture ; the left arm was reserved for the 

 scalpel and forceps, and the operator entertained no doubt whatever 

 of complete success. The mode he pursued was very scientific. He 

 made two parallel slashes as deep as he could, in reason, down the 

 upper part of the arm, and a cross one to introduce the forceps and 

 strip the loose black skin off, where he could snip it away at the 

 bottom and leave the white to show the proper colour for a god-child 

 of General Washington. All eyes were now rivetted to the spot. 



"Hush! Hush! my dear." said the doctor to Master George, who 

 roared like a town bull ; " You dont know what is good for you, my 

 little innocent," while he applied the forceps to strip off the skin 

 like a surtout. The skin, however, was tight, nor was there any ap- 

 pearance of white beneath, though a sufficiency of the vital fluid ma- 

 nifested itself. The doctor was greatly surprised. 



" O I see," said he, " it is somewhat deeper than we conceived." 

 Another gash was effected on each side, but the second had no better 

 effect than the first. Doctor Bathron seemed desperate ; but con- 

 ceiving in so young a child, a cut or two more or less could make no 

 difference, though his hand trembled for his fame, he gave the scalpel 

 its full force. The experiment was now complete ; he opened the 

 wound, and starting back apparently struck with horror, threw down 

 his knife, and swore the child was in fact an imp of the devil, for he 

 could see black to the bone, and the bone black also ! He appeared 

 distracted ; however, the child's arm was bound up, a good poultice 

 put over it, the blister hastily removed from the other arm, and the 

 young gentleman (fortunately for Mr. Bathron,) recovered from the 

 scarification, and lived with an old dry nurse for four or five years. 

 He was there killed by a cow of his father's horning him, and died 

 with the full reputation of being a devil incarnate. 



Lieutenant Palmer shortly after returned to the West Indies, taking 

 with him his favourite and faithful black servant, who had accom- 

 panied him from Trinidad. The poor fellow was a great favourite 

 with his master, and indeed with most of the family. 





