30 Miscellaneous Intelligence. 



Poisoning by Mouldy Bread. 



Dr. Westerhoff attended, in 1826, upon two children of 

 a laborer, who had been simultaneously attacked with the 

 following symptoms. The eldest, ten years of age, had his 

 face red and swollen, his countenance was animated and be- 

 wildered, tongue dry, pulse feeble and quickened, head ache, 

 giddiness, unextinguishable thirst, violent cholic, desire to 

 sleep, and alternate unsuccessful attempts to vomit; subse- 

 quently sudden vomiting and very abundant alvine evacua- 

 tions, after which great faintness, indifference to every thing, 

 and sleep only a few minutes at a time. The younger, eight 

 years of age, was even more violently attacked. Having un- 

 derstood that they had eaten the preceding day only a piece 

 of old mouldy rye bread, Dr. Westerhoff prescribed a de- 

 mulcent treatment, and they soon recovered. 



Sometime afterward, several boatmen having eaten some 

 jnouldy rye bread were attacked with similar symptoms, but 

 they were quickly relieved by vomiting, which came on spon- 

 taneously. The question suggested by these cases is whether 

 this kind of poisoning arises from an alteration in the quality 

 of the bread, or from the vegetation which constitutes mould- 

 ings, [mucor mucedo.) — Ai'chives Generales. 



Volcanic Island in the Mediterranean. 



The Semaphore of Marseilles states, on the authority of 

 the captain of a brig sailing between Trafani and Girgenti, 

 that an Island was formed by a volcan'C eruption in the mid- 

 dle of July, 1831, in that part of the Mediterranean. The 

 phenomena are represented as very striking. An immense 

 mass of water was thrown up to the heighth of 60 feet, ac- 

 companied by a sulphurous smoke, and a great noise. The 

 result of the submarine explosion is an island in 37° 6' north 

 latitude, and 10° 26' east longitude, from the meridian of Paris. 



It is an active volcano, with a crater in its centre, whence 

 lava flows. The sea all around is a hundred fathoms deep. 



The last accounts of this island, from the Semaphore, state 

 that the eruption had ceased, and that the crater is now filled 

 with boiling water, from which a sulphurous smoke contin- 

 ues to issue. The island is chiefly formed of spongy lava and 

 puzzolane. The brink of the crater is thirty feet in height 

 at the lowest part, in other places eighty feet, and in the 

 centre two hundred feet. It is easy to land on the south 

 west side. Smoke issues from several points of the sea around. 



