2»«i S. VII. May 7. '69.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



381 



fifth pair of nerves which gives a general sensibi- 

 lity to all the organs of sense, in addition to the 

 specific nerve on which they depend : hence 

 Thornton's fact respecting "the gristly part of 

 one of the ears," as subservient to hearing. The 

 experiments only prove these ph^-sical causes ; 

 and the term "hearing by the teeth and throat " is 

 a fallacy precisely like that of certain modern 

 Italian philosophers who concluded that water is 

 not compressible, because when they subjected 

 it to great pressure, enclosed in a golden globe, 

 the water oozed through the metal. This result 

 merely proved that gold is porous. 



Apropos of sound, a paragraph is going the 

 usual round of the papers announcing the dis- 

 covery of a method by which the sounds of musi- 

 cal instruments, or the human voice, may be made 

 " to record themselves on paper." Now sound is 

 nothing but the rapid motion of oscillation or 

 vibration in the sounding body — alternations of 

 the motion of the aerial particles taking place, so 

 as to produce condensations and rarefactions. It 

 is certain that the air of a concert-room is agi- 

 tated on all sides — that is, it suflfers an infinity of 

 sudden condensations and rarefactions. All this, 

 however, produces in the air not the least current 

 or motion of translation : the air is agitated, but 

 not displaced, — since the loudest noise and most 

 startling sound produce not the least agitation in 

 the flame of a candle. But to puzzle us still more, 

 this startling discovery is headed " Photographing 

 Sound " ! And, as the announcement originated 

 in a photographic journal, the inference is, that 

 sound is capable of chemical action on the salts of 

 silver — like light — which is obviously absurd to 

 all who are acquainted with the subject. Perhaps 

 some reader of " N. & Q." can enlighten us as to 

 the real fact of the invention and its " claims." 



As we are still very ignorant of the purposes 

 subserved by all the parts which constitute the 

 organ of hearing, the cause of deafness or imper- 

 fect hearing baffles the honest physician, and puts 

 money into the pocket of the quack : but pro- 

 bably this '' hearing by the teeth," that is, by the 

 Eustachian tube, may be turned to advantage for 

 the alleviation of certain cases of impaired hear- 

 ing. I say impaired hearing, for, of course, if 

 the auditory nerve be injured or inactive, or as 

 riourens says, if the nervous expansion of the 

 cochlea be damaged, there is an end of hearing, 

 as proved by his most interesting but very har- 

 rowing experiments. (See his Recherches Experi- 

 mentales, p. 450., a work replete with valuable 

 physiological facts, but which seems to be utterly 

 unknown to all our English writers on physiology.) 

 Although there can be no hearing by the teeth or 

 the throat in a case of complete deafness, as Mr. 

 PiESSE will find by experiment, yet I would 

 suggest the trial of a hearing trumpet in other 

 cases, in which direct experiment will show how 



far the Eustachian tube may aid in alleviating 

 the misfortune. This trumpet may be made of 

 metal or wood, — the small end being held in the 

 mouth — " by the teeth " — and the broad end, 

 being directed to the face of the speaker, held 

 towards the sound which it is desirable to hear, 

 or made to touch a musical instrument whilst 

 played upon. • 



Assuredly the experiment is worth trying by 

 those who sufier from impaired hearing, and 

 should it be successful, all thanks to " N. & Q." 

 for originating the suggestion. 



Andrew Steinmetz. 



DR. WOLCOTT (PETER PINDAE). 



(2"* S. vii. 280.) 



Your correspondent P. P. Q. says : " It is well 

 known that this celebrated person was the friend 

 of Opie, the painter, and greatly assisted in intro- 

 ducing him to practice ;" "and inquires "is any- 

 thing known of Dr. Wolcott as an amateur artist 

 himself?" 



Having known the painter and his patron, the 

 latter rather convivlally in his latter days, when 

 blind, but as amusing as ever, I am enabled to 

 answer both inquiries. 



Dr. Wolcott was fond of art, eminently critical 

 and learned in its elements, sketched many fa- 

 vourite places in Devonshire and Cornwall, and 

 dabbled occasionally in oils. Hence the satirist 

 obtained that critical acumen by which he flayed 

 the R. A.'s in his lyric odes to the Royal Acade- 

 micians — from West to Dance and from Chambers 

 to Wyatt — not forgetting their royal patron King 

 George III. of apple- dumpling memory. 



In Ode III. of the second series, called " More 

 Odes to the Royal Academicians," after complain- 

 ing that Gainsborough had kicked Dame Nature 

 out of doors, turns from the picture he thus cen- 

 sures to another, and exclaims : — 



" Speak, Muse, who form'd that matchless head? 

 The Cornish * boy, in tin mines bred ; 

 Whose native genius, like his diamonds shone 

 In secret, till chance brought him to the sun f , 

 'Tis Jackson's portrait — put the laurel on it, 

 Whilst to that tuneful Swan I pour a sonnet." 



Peter then drops the lash, resumes his neglected 

 lyre, and pours out a sonnet " To Jackson of 

 Exeter," worthy of the twain — the "enchanting 

 harmonist" and the lyric bard. 



The bard thus far patronised the painter, he also 

 put the pen into his hand, and instructed him to 

 note the words he so fluently spoke : for Opie was 

 full of art, it was in his soul — he thought, he 

 talked, he dreamed of nothing but art. Dr. Wol- 

 cott, after Opie had been in London three or four 



* Opie. 



t Peter here means himself, which is iu part true. 



