314 Scientific Intelligence. [Ocr. 
magnetic meridian ; it resembled in its brilliancy and in the nature of 
its light, the fire-work called a Roman candle. It left after it a 
luminous rectilinear train, which, attenuating towards the top, in- 
creased in diameter as far as a point a little above its lower extremity. 
This point, more luminous and of greater diameter than the rest, also 
remained for a much longer time ; it subtended an angle sufficiently 
sensible. The inferior extremity of this train was in the constellation 
Auriga, passing between the stars Capella and 4; by degrees it al- 
tered in form, and presented, nearly, the aspect of the projection of a 
helix traced upon a cylinder. The extent of this helix diminished in 
proportion as its diameter augmented, and its brilliancy sensibly de- 
creased at the same time. After some minutes its continuity ceased, 
and it became divided into two branches, the superior of which con- 
tained the greater portion of the curve, and both extremities of each 
branch were directed towards the west. The upper branch continued 
slowly to diminish in brilliancy, and without change of place or further 
alteration of form it ceased to be visible in ten or twelve minutes after 
its first appearance. The inferior branch still presented an irregular 
curve, and after the lapse of some minutes, nothing of it remained ex- 
cept the brightest point, or nucleus, the lustre of which became slowly 
extinguished. The position of this nucleus with respect to the two 
stars above mentioned, as far as could be judged without an instrument, 
appeared to be invariable ; notwithstanding that the phenomenon con- 
tinued for a quarter of an hour, and that the diurnal motion of the stars 
had been sufficiently sensible. (Ann. de Chim, &c. xx. p.89.) 
VI. Case of a Man swallowing Clasp Knives. 
Dr. Marcet has given a curious and detailed account of this case 
in the 12th vol. of the Medico-Chirurgical Transactions, from which 
we extract the following particulars :~- 
In the month of June, 1799, John Cummings, an American sailor, 
about twenty-three years of age, being with his ship on the coast of 
France, and having gone on shore with some of his ship-mates, about 
two miles from the town of Havre de Grace, he and his party directed 
their course towards a tent, which they saw in a field, with a crowd of 
people round it. Being told that a play was acting there, they en- 
tered, and found in the tent a mountebank, who was entertaining the 
audience by pretending to swallow clasp-knives. Having returned on 
board, and one of the party having related to the ship’s company the 
story of the knives, Cummings, after drinking freely, boasted that he 
could swallow knives as well as the Frenchman. He was taken on his 
word and challenged to do it. Thus pressed, and though (as he can- 
didly acknowledged in his narrative) ‘* not particularly anxious to take 
the job in hand, he did not like to go against his word, and having a 
good supply of grog inwardly,” he took his own pocket-knife, and on 
trying to swallow it “it slipped down his throat with great ease, and 
by the assistance of some drink and the weight of the knife,” it was 
conveyed into his stomach. The spectators, however, were not satis- 
fied with one experiment, and asked the operator “ whether he could 
swallow more ?” his answer was, “all the knives on board the ship ;” 
upon which, three knives were immediately produced, which were 
swallowed in the same way as the former; and, “ by this bold at- 
tempt of a drunken man,” (to use his own expressions) “ the company 
