produced by the life of Spirituous Liquors. 145 



our eyes, permit our minds fo much the lefs to difcover their 

 real caufe. 



Some people, however, may afcribe. to the wickednefs of 

 mankind what we afcribe to accident. It may be faid, that 

 aflaffins, after putting to death their unfortunate viftims, 

 rubbed over their bodies with combuftible fubftances, by 

 which they were confumed. But even if fuch an idea 

 fliould ever be conceived, it would be impoflible to carry it 

 into execution. Formerly, when criminals were condemned 

 to the flames, what a quantity of combuftible fubftances 

 was neceffary to burn their bodies I A baker's boy, named 

 Renaud, being condemned to be burnt a few years ago at 

 Caen, two large cart-loads of faggots were required to con- 

 fume the body, and at the end of more than ten hours fome 

 remains of the bones were ftill to be feen. What proves that 

 the combuftion in the before-mentioned inftances was not 

 artificial is, that people often arrived at the moment when 

 it had taken place, and that the body was found in its na- 

 tural ftate. People entered the houfe of Madame Boifcon at 

 the time when her body was on fire, and all the neighbours 

 faw it. Befides, the people of whom I have fpoken were al- 

 moft all of the lowefl: clafs, and not much calculated to give 

 rife to the commiffion of fuch a crime. The woman men- 

 tioned in the Traufadlions of Copenhagen was of the pooreft 

 condition; Grace Pitt was the wife of a fiflimonger ; Mary 

 Jauffret that of a flioemaker; and two other women, who 

 refided at Caen, belonged to the lowed: order of fociety. Tt 

 is inconteftible, then, that in the inftances I have adduced 

 the combuftion was always accidental and never intentional. 



It may be feen that a knowledge of the caufes of this phe- 

 nomenon is no lefs intereftin'.c to criminal juftice than to na- 

 tural hiftory, for unjuft fufpicions may fumetimes fall on an 

 innocent man. Who will not llmdder on rccollefting the 

 cafe of the unfortunate inhabitant of Rheims, who, afier 

 having loft his wife by the efietl of combuftion, was in 

 diinger of perilling himfelf on the fcafi'old, condemned un- 

 juftly by an ignorant tribunal ! 



I (liall coufider myfelf happy if this piiSturc of the fatal 

 cficii'ts of intoxication makes an impreflion on thofe addid' I 



Vol. VI. U / 'o 



