PENNSYLVANIA. 



561 



disposition naturally parsimonious and fond 

 of hoarding; and it was from a sense of bene- 

 fits conferred on him by Divine Providence 

 that he overcame the natural tendencies of 

 his nature, and exercised his strong will in 

 giving, till it became a delight to him to give ; 

 till, in the words of Mr. Gladstone, "he taught 

 us how a man may be the master of his fortune, 

 and not its slave." The extent of his benefac- 

 tions is undoubtedly greater than that of any 

 man of ancient or modern times, and entitles 

 him to a place among the world's best and 

 noblest heroes. Intellectually he was surpassed 

 my many, but in the greatness of benevolence 

 he stands alone in all the history of the past. 



The preservation of the remains of Mr. Pea- 

 body for transportation to the United States 

 was intrusted to the hands of Dr. Parry. The 

 process carried out consisted in injecting the 

 whole body through the arteries with a solution 

 of arsenic, containing also some bichloride of 

 mercury. 



Twenty-four hours afterward another li- 

 quid, consisting of a saturated solution of tan- 

 nic acid, was thrown in, with a view of effect- 

 ing the gradual conversion of the gelatinous 

 structures into the tanno-gelatin, or the basis 

 of leather. None of the viscera were removed 

 or disturbed, and, before the opening into the 

 chest required for the injection, practised 

 through the aorta, was closed, an arsenical 

 paste, or rather cream, consisting of arsenic, 

 camphor, and spirits, was introduced into the 

 thoracic cavity; also through an opening in 

 the diaphragm into the cavity of the abdomen, 

 and freely distributed about. 



Death had taken place about two days and 

 a half before the process was commenced, and 

 decomposition had set in, so as to produce 

 great distention of the abdomen ; but the pro- 

 cess was found to check all this, and, when 

 completed, all signs of a tendency to decom- 

 position were removed. Under the silk shroud, 

 and upon the floor of the coffin, there was 

 placed a bed of well-burnt animal charcoal. 



PENNSYLVANIA. The Legislature of the 

 State of Pennsylvania met at Harrisburg on 

 the 5th of January, and continued its sessions 

 from day to day until the 20th of April. In 

 that time it passed a large number of acts, 

 very few of which, however, are of general 

 interest. A United States Senator was elected 

 to succeed Charles E. Buckalew, whose term 

 of office expired on the 4th of March. The 

 choice fell upon John Scott, of Huntingdon 

 County. On the 8th of March, the Governor 

 submitted the fifteenth amendment of the Fed- 

 eral Constitution, and " unhesitatingly recom- 

 mended the prompt ratification of the same." 

 The ratification was made in the Senate on the 

 llth, by a vote of 18 to 15, and the vote of 

 the House was taken on the 25th, and resulted 

 in the approval of the amendment, 62 to 

 38. Among the acts of the session was one 

 providing for the registration of electors. An 

 act on this subject had been passed in 1868, 

 VOL. ix. 36. A 



which was pronounced to be unconstitutional 

 by the Supreme Court. At the election in Oc- 

 tober of that year, loud complaints were made 

 of illegal voting, especially in the city of Phil- 

 adelphia ; and accordingly, early in this session, 

 a new registry act was introduced, which re- 

 cieved the approval of the Governor on the 

 17th of April. It provides that a list of 

 qualified voters shall be made on the first 

 Monday in June by the assessors, who shall 

 take the tax-list and strike therefrom the 

 names of all who have died or removed from 

 the district, or in any other way lost their 

 right to vote, making careful inquiry with re- 

 gard to all the persons who are enrolled on 

 the list. The assessors are also to add the 

 names of such persons as are qualified to vote, 

 so far as they can ascertain them by inquiry, 

 at the same time assessing a tax upon such 

 persons. Another list is to be made of all white 

 freemen above twenty-one years of age claim- 

 ing to be qualified, taking the residence, occu- 

 pation, name of employer, if any, and whether 

 naturalized or native. The completed list is 

 to be subject to public inspection, and names 

 added from time to time on the personal ap- 

 plication of those claiming the right to vote. 

 All such lists, with the assessments, etc., are 

 to be returned to the county commissioners at 

 least ten days before the election, and no ad- 

 ditions will be made to them thereafter. Any 

 person claiming the right to vote on the day 

 of election, whose name is not upon the list, 

 " shall produce at least one qualified voter of 

 the district as a witness to the residence of the 

 claimant, in the district in which he claims to 

 be a voter, for the period of at least ten days 

 next preceding said election, which witness 

 shall take and subscribe a written, or partly 

 written and partly printed, affidavit to the facts 

 stated by him, which affidavit shall define 

 clearly where the residence is of the person so 

 claiming to be a voter; and the person so 

 claiming the right to vote shall also take and 

 subscribe a written, or partly written and 

 partly printed, affidavit, stating, to the best of 

 his knowledge and belief, where and when he 

 was born ; that he is a citizen of the Common- 

 wealth of Pennsylvania and of the United 

 States ; that he has resided in the Common- 

 wealth one year, or if formerly a citizen therein, 

 and has moved therefrom, that he has resided 

 therein six months next preceding said election ; 

 that he has not moved into the district for the 

 purpose of voting therein ; that he has paid a 

 State or county tax within two years, which 

 was assessed at least ten days before said elec- 

 tion ; and, if a naturalized citizen, shall also 

 state when, where, and by what court he was 

 naturalized, and shall also produce his certifi- 

 cate of naturalization for examination; the 

 said affidavit shall also state when and where 

 the tax claimed to be paid by the affiant was 

 assessed, and when, where, and to whom paid; 

 and the tax receipt therefor shall be produced 

 for examination, unless the affiant shall state 



