414 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



and acting ; but I could not proceed far, because my mind, making 

 a certain efFort for a length of time, though but slightly sensible 

 to myself, became fatigued, and dropped the chain of calculation. 

 Nevertheless, in 1789, I succeeded in acquiring the invariable 

 possession of this faculty, which has never since left or deceived 

 me." 



He was then 22 years of age, and occupied at a school ; but in 

 consequence of some singular habits, as that of sounding bells, and 

 of some mystical notions he had acquired, and also certain dis- 

 putes about the correction of the village clocks, he was dismissed 

 and went to his mill, where, continuing to sound his bells and 

 make his clocks strike, he was nick-named the Mummy of the Mill. 

 Being on board the steam-boat on the lake of Geneva, (July 14, 

 1823,) he soon attracted attention by his remarks, thut so many 

 minutes and seconds had passed since they had left Geneva, or 

 passed other places ; and, after a while, he engaged to indicate to 

 the crowd about him the passing of a quarter of an hour, or as 

 many minutes and seconds as any one chose, and that during a con- 

 versation the most diversified with those standing by; and further 

 to indicate by the voice, the moment when the hand passed over the 

 quarter minutes, or half minutes, orany other subdivision previously 

 stipulated, during the whole course of the experiment. This he 

 did without mistake, notwithstanding the exertions of those about 

 him to distract his attention, and clapped his hands at the conclu- 

 sion of the time fixed. 



M. Chavannes then reverts to his own observations. The man 

 said, " I have acquired by imitation, labour, and patience, an in- 

 ternal movement, which neither thoughts nor labour, nor any thing 

 can stop; it is similar to that of a pendulum, which at each motion 

 of going and returning gives me the space of three seconds, so that 

 twenty of them make a minute, and these I add to others continu- 

 ally." The calculations by which he obtained subdivisions of the 

 second were not clearly understood by M. Chavannes, but the man 

 ofTered freely to give proof of his power. On trying him for a 

 number of minutes, he shook his head at the time appointed, 

 altered his voice at the quarter, half, and three-quarter minutes 

 and arrived accurately at the end of the period named. H 

 seemed to assist himself in a slight degree by an application oi 

 mnemonics, and sometimes, in idea, applied religious names to his 

 minutes up to the fifth, when he re-commenced; this he carried 

 throuo-h the hour and then commenced again. On being told that 

 the country people said he made use of his pulse as an indicator, 

 he laughed at the notion, and said it was far too irregular for any 

 such purpose. 



He admitted that his internal movement was not so sure and con- 

 stant during the night, " nevertheless it is easy to comprehend" 

 he said, " that when I have not been too much fatigued in the even* 

 ing, and my sleep is soft, if, after having awakened me without 



