670 



F.HODE ISLAND. 



covery by Dr. Richardson, of London, of a use- 

 ful anaesthesia by freezing through the agency 

 of ether vapor, reducing the temperature to six 

 degrees below zero F., suggested to Dr. Bigelow 

 the idea of using a very volatile product of pe- 

 troleum for the congelation of the tissues. A 

 petroleum liquid was manufactured at his re- 

 quest (rhigolene), and by its application the 

 mercury was easily depressed to nineteen de- 

 grees below zero, and the human skin could be 

 frozen hard in five to ten seconds. A lower 

 temperature would probably be indicated but 

 for the ice which surrounds the bulb of the 

 thermometer. The same result may be approxi- 

 mately effected by the common ''spray-pro- 

 ducer." For convenience, however, Dr. Bige- 

 low has employed a glass vial, through the 

 cork of which passes a metal tube for the fluid, 

 the air-tube being outside and bent at its ex- 

 tremity so as to meet the fluid-tube at right 

 angles at some distance from the neck of the 

 bottle. Air is not admitted to the bottle, the 

 vapor of the rhigolene generated by the warmth 

 of the hand applied externally being sufficient 

 to prevent a vacuum and to insure its free de- 

 livery ; fifteen degrees below zero is easily pro- 

 duced by this apparatus. The bottle, when not 

 in use, should be kept tightly corked, as the 

 liquid readily loses its more volatile parts by 

 evaporation, leaving a denser and comparatively 

 less efficient residue. Dr. Bigelow claims that 

 freezing by rhigolene is far more sure than by 

 ether, inasmuch as common ether, boiling only 

 at about ninety-six degrees instead of seventy 

 degrees, often fails to produce an adequate de- 

 gree of cold. The rhigolene is more convenient 

 and more easily controlled than the freezing mix- 

 tures hitherto employed, is quicker in its action, 

 cheaper, and comparatively odorless. On these 

 grounds it is believed that rhigolene will super- 

 sede ether or chloroform for small operations 

 and iu private houses. For large operations it 

 is obviously less convenient than general anges- 

 thesia, and will not supersede it. Applied to 

 the skin the first degree of congelation is evan- 

 escent; if protracted longer, it is followed by 

 redness and desquamation, which may possibly 

 be averted by the local bleeding of an incision ; 

 but, if continued or used on a large scale, there is 

 imminent danger of frost-bite and mortification. 

 RHODE ISLAND. The election in this 

 State takes place on the first Wednesday in 

 April. The Republican Convention for the 

 nomination of candidates assembled in Provi- 

 dence, on March 20th. One hundred and six 

 delegates were present. Every town in the 

 State was represented. No sooner was the con- 

 vention organized by the election of officers 

 and the completion of the list of delegates, than 

 a strife commenced to determine who should be 

 the first to nominate Ambrose E. Burnside as 

 the candidate. One Mr. Fay was the first rec- 

 ognized by the chairman, and made the mo- 

 tion. It was seconded, and the nomination 

 urged, for the reasons that General Burnside 

 was well known to the people of the State ; he 



was the man, of all others, who could unite tlie 

 Republican party of Rhode Island ; the present 

 was a time of great importance, and there 

 should be no differences of opinion. General 

 Burnside was then promptly declared the can- 

 didate of the convention by 'acclamation. Wil- 

 liam Green was nominated for Lieutenant-Gov- 

 ernor, John R. Bartlett, Secretary of State; 

 Horatio Rogers, Attorney-General, and General 

 W. Tew, Treasurer. Committees were ap- 

 pointed, the candidate for Governor was no- 

 tified and accepted, and the convention ad- 

 journed without alluding to any resolutions. 



On the next day the Democratic Convention 

 assembled. About a hundred delegates were 

 present, representing nearly every town in the 

 State. After the organization of the convention, 

 a committee on resolutions was appointed, who 

 subsequently made a report, which was adopted 

 without opposition. The first resolution as- 

 serted that the Constitution of the United State* 

 is the only foundation that can sustain the 

 American republic, and that in every emer- 

 gency it should be adhered to in fact as well as 

 in letter, and should be the fundamental and 

 controlling law. 



The second referred to reconstruction, and 

 said that, in our system of government, each 

 State should bear its equal proportion of repre- 

 sentation as well as taxation. 



The third recognized the services of President 

 Johnson in his efforts to preserve the Constitu- 

 tion, to secure to the several States their just 

 representation in Congress, and their rights in 

 the Union ; and called upon all men to co- 

 coperate with him, thus showing their confi- 

 dence in his efforts to stand by the principles 

 of the Constitution. 



A discussion ensued on the propriety of nom- 

 inating a regular Democratic ticket, or ac- 

 cepting the names brought forward by the Re- 

 publican Convention, for the reason that the 

 popularity of General Burnside was such, that 

 he could not be defeated. It was finally deter- 

 mined to appoint a special committee of five, 

 being one from each county, with authority to 

 make up a ticket to be presented to the central 

 committee for their acceptance or rejection. 

 The ticket thus prepared consisted of Lyman 

 Pierce, for Governor ; G. H. Durfee, Lientenant- 

 Governor ; W. J. Miller, Secretary of State ; 

 J. S. Pitman, Attorney-General ; J. Atkinson, 

 Treasurer. 



At the election, the total vote given was 

 11,178; of which General Burnside received 

 8,197 ; Mr. Pierce, 2,816 ; Burnside over Pierce, 

 5,381. The Legislature elected was divided as 

 follows : 



Senate. House. 



Republicans ............. 28 



Democrats ............... 5 



65 



7 



58 



Republican majority.. 23 



The Governor elect was inaugurated on May 

 29th, at Newport. The inauguration scene9 

 are thus described by a spectator: 



