VOL. LV.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. ISQ 



had made its way into one of the lobes of the lungs. It was with the greatest 

 difficulty they could get her to swallow any liquid, which for some time threw 

 her into violent commotions. In this languid state she continued for several 

 days, begging of God to release her by death ; and desiring Mr. M. to open her 

 body, which he promised. But what was very remarkable in this case, notwith- 

 standing the great agonies she was in while awake, yet the 2d night after the 

 accident happened, she fell asleep about 12 o'clock, while insensible, slept sound 

 for several hours ; and while in that state of relaxation fetched her breath quite 

 easy, as she did every night after, when asleep, with a serene pulse, but always 

 waked in exquisite pain, and in great agitations. 



In a few days Mr. M. observed her breath to smell very strong, and he made 

 a prognostic, that nature would form an abscess or imposthume in the lungs, as 

 the only chance for her life, and would bring it up, by the same channel it went 

 down; though he was not without apprehensions, as there was a prominence 

 pointing outwards, and attended with great soreness, that a collection of matter 

 would be formed in the cavity of the breast, which, if it had made its way out- 

 wards, would in all probability have proved fatal. However, on the iJth day 

 from the accident, she was of a sudden seized in the morning in bed, with a 

 nausea, violent sickness, and a cough, when the imposthume in her lungs broke, 

 and discharged itself by the mouth, with a large quantity of bloody matter, in 

 which the portion of crust was happily entangled, about the size of a large 

 hazel nut or filbert, being rather oblong than round, with a great quantity of 

 slimy substance, in which it was enveloped. After which, for an hour or more, 

 she complained of violent pain and soreness in the whole cavity of the breast, 

 with great tremors; but they soon went off, and her speech returned immediately, 

 and as perfect as before the accident, though languid ; for, during the greater 

 part of her illness, she could express herself no otherwise than by applying one's 

 ear close to her mouth, and by giving her time, she could then, by a slow 

 whisper, make them sensible of her wants; the extraneous body pressing, or in 

 some measure obstructing, the fine threads or ramifications of the par vagum, 

 or 8th pair of nerves, that come out of the brain, and are dispersed on the 

 larynx, and accompany the bronchia to their minutest branches. She was then 

 in a fair way of recovery, though weak, and afflicted with a dry cough, attended 

 with an uncommon hojlow sound, as if her lungs were impaired, 



Mr. M. adds, that he never heard of any person recovering in a case of the 

 like nature ; though he had known several instances of this accident. 



y. Of an Earthquake f tit at Lisbon, December 26, 1764. In a Letter to the 

 Rev. Sam. Chandler, D. D., F. R. S. p, 43. " 



Dec. 26, 1764, the writer was awakened about 3 o'clock in the morning by 



