50 OBSERVATIONS on 



The only well-attefted cafe of the poifon- 

 ous efFeds of the cicuta major in England, 

 is the following : 



During the rebellion in 1745, fomc 

 Dutch troops were quartered at V/altham- 

 abbey, in Effex. On Sunday, May 6, two 

 of the foldiers colledted in the fields, adjoin- 

 ing to that town, a quantity of herbs fuffi- 

 cient for themfelves and two others for din- 

 ner, when boiled with bacon. Thefe herbs 

 were accordingly dreffed, and the poor men 

 firft eat of the broth with bread, and after- 

 wards the herbs with the bacon. In a fliort 

 time they were all feized with violent verti- 

 gos : foon after they were comatofe : two of 

 them became convulfed, and died in about 

 three hours. The people of the town were 

 much alarmed at this accident ; and Dr. Bar- 

 rowby, a phyfician, being upon the fpot, 

 immediately attended, and ordered the other 

 two, at that time almoft dead, large quanti- 

 ties of oil, by which means they threw up 

 moft of what they had eaten, and afterwards 

 became better. In all of them, the efFefts 

 refembled thofe produced by a large dofe of 

 opium. 



The 



