Miscelianeous. 165 
warded by Professor Gottlieb, in Gritz, accompanied by a certificate 
from the district judge of Knittelfeld, in Styria, stating that this sub- 
stance was brought to him by a peasant woman, who told him that she 
had seen her farm-labourer eating it, and that she gave it up to justice 
to put a stop to so evila practice. An accurate chemical analysis showed 
that the substance was pure arsenious acid. Extracts from many of the 
reports of the medical men were then read, all stating that arsenious 
acid, called ‘‘ Hidrach’”’ by the Styrian peasants, is well known and 
widely distributed in that country. The second question to which Mr 
Roscoe sought. to obtain an answer was, whether arsenic is, or is not, 
regularly taken by persons in Styria in quantities usually supposed to 
produce immediate death? ‘The most narrowly examined, and therefore 
the most interesting case of arsenic eating, is one recorded by Dr Schafer. 
In presence of Dr Knappe of Oberzehring, a man thirty years of age, 
and in robust health, eat, on the 22d February 1860, a piece of arsenious 
acid, weighing 43 grains; and, on the 23d, another piece, weighing 53 
grains. His urine was carefully examined, and shown to contain arsenic ; 
on the 24th he went away in his usual health. He informed Dr Knappe 
that he was in the habit of taking the above quantities three or four times 
each week. A number of other cases, witnessed by the medical men 
themselves, of persons eating arsenic, were then detailed. Dr Holler of 
Hartberg says that he and other persons, named in his report, guarantee 
‘that they are together acquainted with forty persons who eat arsenic ; 
and Dr Forcher cf Gratz gives a list of eleven people in his neighbour- 
hood who indulge in the practice. Professor Roscoe did not think it 
necessary to translate the reports in ewtenso ; he gave extracts containing 
the portions immediately bearing upon the two questions at issue, and 
deposited authentic copies of the original reports with the Society, for 
the purpose of reference. He concluded, that decisive evidence had, in 
his opinion, been brought forward, not only to prove that arsenic is well 
known and widely distributed in Styria, but that it is likewise regularly 
eaten, for what purpose he did not at the moment investigate, in quantities 
usually considered sufficient to produce immediate death.—Trans. of 
Manch. Lit. and Phil. Soc., 1860. 
Dr Livingstone and his Researches.—The following letters from Dr 
Livingstone, addressed to Sir Roderick Murchison, were read at a meet- 
ing of the Royal Geographical Society in London :— 
“ SesHEKE, Sept. 10, 1860. 
*¢ My pear Sir Ropericx,—Feeling in honour bound to take the Mako- 
lolo back to their own country, and disliking the idea of coming to a stand- 
still while waiting for news of a real steamer, we started on the 16th of 
= from Tete, and in three months accomplished a distance of some 600 
miles. 
“Our route lay along the north bank of the Zambesi, crossing the 
mountain mass in which Kebrabasa lies, and the Loangua and Kafue at 
their confluences; then along the fine fertile valley in which the Zam- 
besi gently flows (being new ground) for about 100 miles; then turning 
westward, in lat. 17. 18. S., up a sandy river (the Zongue) till we saw 
the source of the fragments of coal strewed on its bed. Ascended about 
2000 feet above the Zambesi, or 3000 feet above the level of the sea, to 
the base of Tabacheu ; breathed for a short time the clear, cold, reviving 
air on the highlands, and actually saw hoar frost and a little ice; then 
descended into the great valley of the Makololo. "When within 20 miles 
of Victoria Falls, we could see the columns of vapour with the naked 
eye, and there I could not resist the temptation of acting the showman to 
my companions, Dr Kirk and Mr C. Livingstone, though by diverging 
from our straight course to Sesheke we added some 40 miles to our 
