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XXVII. Remarks on the Incomhuslihle R'lpn. 

 , To Mr. Tilloch. 



SIR, 



VV hat may be the accuracy of the experiments detailed in 

 the last Number of your Magazine, by Dr. Sementini, re- 

 lating to the incombustible man, I know not ; but of this 

 I am certain, that the Doctor has gone sadly out of his way 

 to account for the method employed by Senor Lionetto,"" to' 

 render his tongue uninjured by the hot iron which he was- 

 accustomed to pass over it. 



The fact is, that there is not the slightest occasion to de- 

 fend the tongue with alum, sugar, soap, or any other sub- 

 stance, for the purpose of rendering it insensible to the ac- 

 tion of red-hot iron. I have repeatedly seen a friend of 

 mine pass over his tongue, without any covering, a red-hot 

 poker; and this experiment, which he has performed hun- 

 dreds of times, to the great astonishment of dinner and tea 

 parties where he happened to be, I ventured (on his assurance 

 that no hurt would ensue) to repeat. I found that it may be 

 done with the utmost safety : the only effect is a slight taste 

 in the mouth of carbonated hydrogen, and a very slight 

 soreness for a short time. — Any of your readers may-satisfy 

 themselves of the accuracy of this statement. It is only 

 necessary that the tongue be wet with saliva before it is put 

 out of the mouth, and that the poker be of course quickly 

 passed over it. 



The cause of this phenomenon I conceive to be, that the 

 saliva is vaporized, and in fact prevents the iron from ever 

 actually touching the cuticle. I am, sir, 



Your obedient servant, 

 Hull, ' W. S, 



November 8, 1808. 



In addition to what has been stated above by W. S., I shall 

 here mention a circumstance which occurred since the pub- 

 lication of Dr. Sementini's paper. Having mentioned to a 

 plumber, whom I had employed to repair a lead -cistern, some 

 of the particulars of the incombustible man, he expressed 

 l but 



