ELEPHANTS. 293 



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in London, was being shown in Geneva, when lie went mwst. 

 Escaping from control, he tried to kill his keeper. After causing 

 considerable excitement to the good people of the city, he 

 was persuaded to enter an enclosure near the barrack-yard, and 

 the business of killing him commenced. First poison was tried, 

 three ounces of prussic acid with ten ounces of brandy. This 

 only made him more playful than ever, so three boluses each 

 containing an ounce of arsenic, mixed with honey and sugar, were 

 given to him, which he ate readily enough, but they also failed to 

 produce the desired eflFect. Ultimately the soldiers made a breach 

 in the wall, and inserting therein the mouth of a cannon, fired a 

 ball at the animal, which passed completely through him, and did 

 considerable damage afterwards. The people seem to have been 

 sincerely sorry at the death of this elephant, for he had occasioned 

 them much amusement, but they appear to have assuaged their 

 grief by eating up the body, for we read in the account given of 

 the affair that the fleshy parts of the beast " were given to the 

 public, who were extremely eager and anxious to eat elephant's 

 flesh, and much tempted by its excellent appearance, dressed as it 

 was in every variety of sauce. They seemed perfectly regardless 

 of the poison, which indeed had not time to develop itself in the 

 muscular system. Three or four hundred persons ate of it without 

 injury, excepting one or two individuals, who brought on a fit of 

 indigestion by indulging in excess." 



The " Jumbo " of a previous date, as far as popularity and 

 size are concerned, was an elephant named " Chunee," which was 

 exhibited from 1814 to 1826 at Exeter Change, and was a favourite 

 animal with the British public. Previously to his transfer to this 

 menagerie he had taken part in a pantomime, called " Harlequin 

 Padmanaba," performed at Covent Garden Theatre, which drew 

 crowded houses. Mr. Harris, the manager, gave 900 guineas for 

 the animal for this purpose, a joint interest being owned by Mr. 

 Parker, the husband of the celebrated columbine " who played up 

 to " the animal, which during the performance was ridden by the 

 graceful rider, Mrs. Henry Johnstone. 



This animal had occasioned considerable trouble at several 

 periods by recurring paroxysms and his having to be kept in such a 



