Sometimes tins same malady is concealed under 

 a mask, in appearance altogether different. Life 

 is equally a burden to these subjects, but they 

 have not the energy to inflict death on themselves; 

 they seek, by a kind of confusion and contra- 

 diction in their ideas, the means of having it 

 inflicted by others. For this purpose, they 

 ordinarily commit a murder on persons who have 

 never offended them, and often even upon children. 

 They then go and accuse themselves, and even 

 carry to the judges the victims of their fury, 

 eagerly demanding death; and if the judge, 

 recognising the acts as the effects of insanity, 

 condemns them only to confinement in an insane 

 hospital, they are plunged in despair! 



Those physicians who regard the kind of 

 melancholy which leads to self-destruction, as well 

 as to that of others, as incurable, are in error. I 

 have cured, radically, several subjects, who had 

 experienced all the symptoms, and who had even 

 attempted to destroy themselves. I admit that 

 the cure is much less easy, less complete, and 

 durable, when the disease is hereditary, or when 

 the patients have experienced symptoms from 

 early childhood ; as, for example, from the age of 

 seven to twelve years. 



Such is the true history, drawn from nature, of 

 this deplorable malady, which, unhappily, may 

 assume, to a certain degree, the appearance of 

 criminal premeditation. None better merit our 

 compassion than these unfortunate subjects, and 

 yet this terrible malady is almost entirely mis- 

 understood. In general, very few physicians 

 comprehend the different forms of disease of the 

 soul and body ; and it may excite surprise, that 

 this part of the natural history of man should not 

 have attracted more profound attention. This 

 description of persons are commonly regarded as 

 unquiet subjects, turbulent, excited. They are 

 ridiculed, treated ill, and reproached with their 

 ill-humor and their odious chimeras. Those 

 about them even charge them with impiety ; in 

 place of treating them with mildness, humoring 

 them during their paroxysm, and confiding them 

 to the care of the philosophic physician. 



Above all, no one is persuaded that this malady 

 almost always terminates in involuntary and 

 murderous paroxysms ; and there is the greatest 

 difficulty in inducing the superior authorities to 

 adopt the necessary measures of security. These 

 subjects are accused of having a depraved imagi- 

 nation, and it is supposed that it only depends on 

 themselves to think and reason like other men. 

 The catastrophe arrives, and is charged to a 

 thousand accidental circumstances of no impor- 

 tance. The unfortunate man, it is said, was in 

 debt ; he has been ill-treated, and refused a place 

 which was due to him, &c ; while it is forgotten 

 that similar causes take place every day with 

 other individuals without producing similar 

 effects. 



In treating of the moral qualities and intellec- 

 tual faculties, and of their peculiar organs, I shall 

 embrace every opportunity, as I have promised, 

 to make the most interesting applications to 

 education, morals, medicine, legislation, &c. Our 

 subject is now assuming features of immense 

 importance to society ; and they are vitally inte- 

 rested in the discussion. 



[To this we can bear most ready testimony.] 



AUTO-BIOGBAPHY OF A DOG— No. XXV. 



WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 



{Continued from Page 238.) 



I have very often, my dear friend, in times 

 gone by, heard my old master (in private) apply 

 the name of "sponge" to a certain gallant son of 

 Mars, whom most assuredly I knew full well ; as 

 also his extraordinary pointer, " Brilliant." To 

 hear this gallant captain discourse upon the 

 wondrous qualities of this celebrated sporting 

 dog, was quite surprising ; albeit I flatter myself 

 I know as much about sporting as he did. 



I should very much like to know the dog that 

 would hunt a rabbit, a hare, or a fox — nay, even a 

 Swiss " cayon" — with more fleetness than myself. 

 And as for a jay, an osprey, or a gull, — oh ! what 

 fun we used to have after these latter ! We would 

 row after them gently o'er the transparent waters 

 of the deep lake, till we came within reach of 

 some old fellow, quietly pluming his feathers on 

 a little bit of rock just above the surface of the 

 water. " Bang, bang," went the gun ; and of 

 coui'se my master generally missed him. But if 

 I had held it instead of Bombyx, he should not 

 have escaped, I assure you ! My old master is all 

 very well at hunting butterflies; but as for birds, 

 unless they come and perch upon his finger, they 

 have not much to fear. Now let me return to my 

 sponge. 



I always understood a sponge to be a soft, 

 porous substance, which imbibes all sorts of fluids ; 

 such as water, wine, ale, spirits, &c. It is an 

 animal substance, or, to speak perhaps more cor- 

 rectly, the sponge which we commonly purchase 

 in the shops is a mass of soft, fibrous, elastic, 

 porous substance, formed by minute little animals, 

 yet capable of imbibing a prodigious quantity of 

 fluid. 



I do not recollect how my old master first 

 became acquainted with the gallant captain 

 already alluded to. A right splendid fellow he 

 was — in his own estimation. If we had him just 

 now at Gallipoli, to lead our brave troops against 

 the Muscovite, I doubt whether a single one of 

 the enemy would return to their home and 

 country. Only imagine him ! — he stood some six 

 feet two inches high, rather stout in proportion ; an 

 unmeaning style of countenance when not excited; 

 also an uncouth, unpolished manner of speaking ; 

 and he was puffed up with self-pride to the very 

 white of the eyes. Entre nous, the fool considered 

 himself the handsomest man in Europe. Per- 

 haps in his uniform he did look rather " impos- 

 ing;" but certainly in his long, brown coat, loose 

 drab pantaloons, and rusty black silk vest, he had 

 anything but a military appearance. 



When once en train, his tongue went on like 

 an alarum bell ; but all was in his own praise, or 

 in that of his own exploits, or those of his 

 wondrous dog. I am not jealous of that dog, I 

 can assure you ; for the worthy captain was as 

 severe to the poor beast as my old master is 

 indulgent to me. If the least thing went wrong, 

 a nasty knotted leather strap was applied to the 

 back of poor " Brilliant;" whereas, if I ever mis- 

 take my old master's wishes (which very rarely 

 indeed occurs, as I know by every move what he 

 means), a simple look or word is all that is re- 

 quired. I instinctively see what he wants. 



