1822.] Scientific Intelligence. 315 
was well entertained for that night.’”? The next morning he had a 
motion, which presented nothing extraordinary ; and in the afternoon 
he had another, with which he passed one knife, which however was 
not the one that he had swallowed the first. The next day he passed 
two knives at once, one of which was the first, which he had missed 
the day before. The fourth never came away, to his knowledge, and 
he never felt any inconvenience from it, After this great perform- 
ance, he thought no more of swallowing knives for the space of six 
ears. 
7 In the month of March 1805, being then at Boston, in America, he 
was one day tempted, while drinking with a party of sailors, to boast 
of his former exploits, adding that he was the same man still, and 
ready to repeat his performance; upon which a small knife was pro- 
duced, which he instantly swallowed. In the course of that evening 
he swallowed five more. The next morning crowds of visitors came 
to see him; and in the course of that day he was induced to swallow 
eight knives more, making in all fourteen. i 
This time, however, he paid dearly for his frolic ; for he was seized 
the next morning with constant vomiting, and pain in his stomach, 
which made it necessary to carry him to Charleston hospital, whereat, as / 
he expresses it, ‘‘ betwixt that period and the 28th of the following 
month, he was safely delivered of his cargo.” 
The next day he sailed for France, on board a brig, with which he 
parted there, and embarked on board the Betty of Philadelphia, to re- 
turn to America. But on his passage, the vessel, which was probably 
carrying onsome illicit traffic, was taken by his Majesty’s ship the Isis, 
of fifty guns, and sent to St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she was 
condemned, while he himself was pressed and sent to England on 
board the Isis. One day, while at Spithead, where the ship lay some 
time, having got drunk, and, as usual, renewed the topic of his former 
follies, he was once more challenged to repeat the experiment, and 
again complied, “ disdaining,” as he says, “‘ to be worse than his word.” 
This took place on the 4th of December 1805, and in the course of 
that night he swallowed five knives. On the next morning the ship’s 
company having expressed a great desire to see him repeat the per- 
formance, he complied with his usual readiness, and “* by the encou- 
ragement of the people, and the assistance of good grog,” he swallowed 
that day, as he distinctly recollects, nine clasp-knives, some of which 
were very large; and he was afterwards assured, by the spectators, 
that he had swallowed four more, which, however, he declares he 
knew nothing about, being, no doubt, at this period of the business, 
too much intoxicated to have any recollection of what was passing. 
This, however, is the last performance we have to record ; it made a 
total of at least thirty-five knives, swallowed at different times, and 
we shall see that it was this last attempt which ultimately put an end to 
his existence. 
<2. On the following day, 6th of December, feeling much indisposed, 
he applied to the surgeon of the ship, Dr. Lara, who by a strict in- 
quiry, satisfied himself of the truth of the above statement; and, as 
the patient himself thankfully observes, administered some medicines, 
and paid great attention to his case, but no relief was obtained.* At 
* An interesting letter from Dr. Lara, was found among Dr. Currys’s papers, which 
Supplies some of the particulars respecting the patient’s illness, while on board the Tsis; 
