﻿ALEXANDER HAMILTON. 211 



M. F. No; he was without doubt correct. Fishes are cold- 

 blooded, and in that respect differ from all other animate objects. I 

 have never seen the experiment tried, yet there is abundant evidence 

 to prove that not only fishes, but frogs, snails, and lizards, after be- 

 ing frozen hard, solid as a stone, are capable of being reanimated. 

 Ah ! I see symptoms of unbelief in several countenances. Well, I 

 cannot wonder. It does seem almost impossible. And yet it is as 

 well known in some northern countries as any other fact. Not only 

 so, but various experiments have been tried to ascertain the fact. 

 Sir John Franklin, the enterprising navigator, now in the northern 

 seas, and about whose safety there is so much interest manifested, 

 both in this country and Europe, while at Fort Chipewyan, in 

 March, 1820, makes the following notes : " It may be worthy of no- 

 tice here, that the fish froze as soon as they were taken out of the 

 nets, and in a short time became solid masses of ice. Of course 

 they exhibited no signs of life. If, however, in this completely frozen 

 state they were thawed before the, fire, they recovered their anima- 

 tion. This was particularly the case with the carp, and we had oc- 

 casion to observe it repeatedly, as Doctor Richardson occupied him- 

 self in examining the structure of the different species of fish, and 

 was always, in the winter, obliged to thaw them before he could cut 

 them. We have seen a carp recover so far as to leap about with 

 great vigor, after it had been frozen for thirty-six hours." 



If frozen fish are thawed in cold water, they live ultimately, 

 though when brought to a fire they never thoroughly recover, but 

 soon die. This is because it is an unnatural way to thaw them. 

 You know that when individuals freeze their ears, fingers, or toes, 

 it is exceedingly dangerous to thaw them by a fire. But by putting 

 on snow or cold water, the extremities soon lose their numbness. 



But we must break off. 



Alexander Hamilton. 



WE present to our young patrons, in this article, a portrait and 

 sketch of the life of one of the remarkable men of the Revolution. 

 God, it would seem, raised up a class of men well fitted, by natural 



