6\6 PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. [aNNO 1742. 



rior conlacts are not observable; but that the ingress is seen some little time 

 later, and the egress sooner, than the true times. I have all along spoken of the 

 motion of Mercury, without mentioning that of the sun, whereas, in reality, 

 it is that of them both jointly; but as we may suppose the sun to standstill 

 during the transit, it will then be considered as the apparent motion of Mer- 

 cury alone for that time. 



Concerning a Man who lived 1 8 Years on Water. By Mr. Robert Campbell of 



Kernan. N° 466, p. 240. 



About 18 years before, viz. about 17^4, John Ferguison, of the parish of 

 Killmelfoord, in Argyleshire, happened to overheat himself on the mountains, 

 in pursuit of cattle, and in that condition drank excessively of cold water from 

 a rivulet, near by which he fell asleep; he awaked about 24 hours after in a 

 high fever; during the paroxysm of the fever, and ever since that time, his 

 stomach loaths, and can retain, no kind of aliment, except water, or clarified 

 whey, which last he uses but seldom, there being no such thing to be had by 

 persons of his condition in that country during many months in the year. 



Archibald Campbell of Ineverliver, to whom this man's father is tenant, car- 

 ried him to his own house, and locked him up in a chamber for 20 days, and 

 supplied him himself with fresh water, to no greater quantity in a day, than 

 an ordinary man would use for common drink ; and at the same time took par- 

 ticular care, that it should not be possible for his guest to supply himself with 

 any other kind of food without his knowledge; yet after that space of time, he 

 found no alteration in his vigour or visage. 



? He is now about 36 years of age, middle stature, a fair and fresh complexion, 

 with a healthy, though not seemingly robust, fresh complexion; his habit of 

 body is meagre, but in no remarkable degree; his ordinary employ is looking 

 after cattle, by which means he needs must travel 4 or 5 miles a day in that 

 mountainous country. 



He uses no tobacco; yet seems to discharge as much saliva as others, who 

 do not use stimuli to provoke that evacuation. 



'If we may judge of his insensible perspiration by the softness and freshness 

 of skin, he is in that respect like other men, and like them sweated with vio- 

 lent exercise ; as to the grosser excrements, it did not occur to Mr. C. to inquire 

 about them, but he concluded he discharged none; because the country people, 

 who strongly fancied him supported by supernatural means, would not forget 

 to object this to him, if he evacuated any quantity of gross faeces, with which 

 water is not charged. 



This history of this abstemious person he had from Mr. Campbell of Inever- 



