Foreign Literature and Science. 385 
amphitheatre 220 feet in length ; temples ; barracks whose 
columns are covered with humorous inscriptions and the 
names of soldiers who occupied it ; wells, cisterns ; public 
seats ; beautiful altars in mosaic ; fragments of statues ; ear- 
then tubes for carrying water through the streets; prisons 
and fetters ; such are the principal remains of the a 
ancient Italy. The houses of Pompeia are in general very 
low, many of them are only ten feet high. The streets are 
about sixteen feet wide, and the foot walks three feet, con- 
siderably elevated. The narrower streets are only sixteen 
feet wide with side walks in proportion. 
34. Remedy for Drunkenness.—The use of dilute liquid 
Ammonia as an antispasmodic has been long known. Dr. 
Girard, of Lyons, has applied it to the cure of fits of intoxi- 
cation, which he considers as a neryous affection. Seven 
or eight drops of this alkali in half a glass of water, is enough 
torouse a person from this morbid condition. It operates 
not by a decomposition of the wine or alcohol, but by modi- 
fying the sensibility of the mucous membrane ef the stom- 
ach, and acting upon the innumerable nerves which are dis- 
tributed over it, and transmit to the brain the impression they 
have received. 
35. Hydrophobia.—In a report made to the Faculty oi 
Medicine of Paris, on the virtues of scutellarta laterifola, — 
M. Merat observes that the New-York physician who eu 
gises this plant so highly, and who speaks of more than a 
thousand cures it has effected, does not distinguish in any 
case hydrophobia from madness, and seems to be ignorant 
that the first is only a symptom of the second, and may ex- 
istin other maladies. Hydrophobia is only a nervous mal- 
ady, susceptible sometimes of cure, whilst confirmed mad- 
Ness is always incurable. Dr. Merat fears that the scutella- 
ria laterifolia has had no more success against madness than 
anasellis so much boasted of formerly, and alisma plantago 
recently presented as a true remedy, and which in reality is 
like the others, destitute of properties in this frightful mala- 
yY- To form a safe conclusion, we must wait until the 
American hysician shall have pronounced decisively on this 
subject.—Rer. Encye. 
