1824.) 
he found that those writers were correct 
who attributed its creation to an insect 
lodged beneath the skin, from which he 
concluded that it was a local disease re- 
quiring the external use of medicines. 
Hence too he inferred the use of sulphur 
in its most volatile form as the surest mode 
of destruction to the insect; and thus far 
he was riglit ; but he does not seem to have 
had the slightest idea that he was pro- 
‘ducing a’ beneficial effect on the whole con- 
stitution by cleansing the pores and deter- 
mining the action of-the blood towards the 
surface. Yet this is one of the principal 
effects of either sulphurous or chlorine 
fumigations, which excite profuse perspira- 
tion without the Jeast danger of cold to the 
patient ; for while they open the pores they 
‘stimulate the internal functions, and keep 
up a grateful glow over the whole body for 
at least twelve hours after the use of the 
bath. Here too we see the cause of its 
prodigious influence in all cases of chronic 
disease, and even in nervous affections that 
at first sight would seem to indicate a con- 
trary treatment. 
Galés’ baths in the outset were extremely 
inconvenient, and it is probable that the 
remedy would have again fallen into neglect 
from the aukwardness of its application, had 
‘not Dr. D’ Arcet'soon after invented the sim- 
ple mode of fumigation which is now in use ; 
but thus improved, its influence spread ra- 
pidly ; it was adopted in Vienna by the ce- 
lebrated De Carro, and about the same 
time in Dublin by Sir Arthur Clarke and 
by Mr. Wallace, the latter of whom em- 
‘ployed it, not only with sulphur, but with 
chlorine. The success with chlorine fu- 
migation in cases of diseased liver was 
altogether as astonishing as that of sulphur 
in cutaneous eruptions, &c., yet still it was 
not till long after that this powerful agent 
found its way to England, and then was re- 
ceived only in a single charitable institution. 
Here too the reports of its efficacy wereno 
less favourable than they had been before in 
Paris, Vienna, and Dublin, but without 
giving any popularity to the system, nor was 
there any other public or private establish- 
ments for its application, till within the last 
few montlis, when, aceording to our second 
pamphlet, Mr. Green prepared a suite of 
baths in Bury Street, St. James’. It is 
not usual for England to lag so far behind 
her neighbours in any rational improve- 
ment ; the business, however, seems to be 
in good hands, for Mr. Green writes like 
one who is a thorough master of his sub- 
ject, caring less about form than facts, and 
never stepping beyond actual experience. 
‘As to the ultimate success of the system 
in this country there can be little doubt. 
The internal application of medicine has 
been found in many cases utterly inade- 
quate to its object, more particularly in 
cutaneous eruptions and chronic diseases of 
all sorts, which have never been cured, and 
not often mitigated, either by pill or 
Literarycand Critical Proémium. 
259 
draught, though the intervals of such ma- 
ladies have been with great kindness at- 
tributed to the physician. A wide field, 
therefore, is open to a remedy like this, 
which has been so eften tried, and so wni- 
formly found effectual. It comes besides 
in a rational and tangible form, and though 
in the natural course of things it must find 
some instances of disease to baffle all its 
power; yet from the evidence before us, itis 
fair to conclude that it will be as decisive 
as mercury is, where mercury is most 
decisive. 
Memoirs of the Rose. 12mo. 
Tur broomstick has had its meditations, 
and why not the rose its memoirs ? 
The one lives in our recollection only as it 
is connected with that odious ‘patron of 
learning, birch,—while the rose is a crea- 
ture of smiles and gaiety, and, therefore, 
much more worthy of an historian. 
The rose, here memorialized; is neither 
of York, nor of Lancaster, neither red nor 
white, but the representative of the whole 
race. We have the tale of her birth and 
education in twenty sentimental letters to 
“my dear Anne; and notwithstanding 
some formidable scraps of Latin, and one 
mysterious looking word in Hebrew, these 
same letters are very pretty reading for any 
young lady, who has got rid of her doll, 
and not yet got a lover. The book, in 
short, is what old people would call a good 
book; and, like my Lady Bountiful’s distil- 
lations, if it does no good, will do no 
harm. 
Our biographer is, of course, a warm ad- 
mirer of the rose, and he quotes precedents 
from all sides to justify his admiration, 
for there is nothing like authority in mat- 
ters of belief, be they of what kind they 
may. He calls in religion as well as 
poetry, Pagan as wellas Christian, offering 
a very agreeable jumble of prose and verse, 
the Bible and Anacreon, Shakespeare and 
Bilderdyk, Hafez and Barry Cornwall. 
Those worthy folks, if they could wonder 
at any thing, must wonder prodigiously 
at such a meeting. Above all, we can- 
not conceive how Master Barry Corn- 
wall ever contrived to get into such com- 
pany; we are sure he must feel ill at ease. 
We have yet another wonder in our 
minds, for ignorance will wonder. How 
happens it that in a book devoted to the 
celebration of the rose, Lord Byron is ex 
cluded, who yet has written more sweetly 
on the subject than any poet excepting 
Shakspeare? Was his Lordship’s charac- 
ter against him? Could not the poet of 
Don Juan be trusted so near to “ my- dear 
Anne?” We fear our biographer is some- 
what of a purist, a little too straight-laced 
in his morals, and yet, with the usual cén- 
tradiction of his sect, while he excludes 
Byron and reprobates Chaucer, he quotes 
from that seductive spirit, Moore, whose 
la Oe verses 
