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SNAKE  POISON  AND  ITS  ANTIDOTE. 
thirds  ^of  the  juice  is  pressed  out  for  this  purpose ;  it  being 
found  that  the  last  portion  resulting  from  extreme  pressure  is 
of  diminished  strength  and  quality.  This  purer  juice,  being 
run  from  the  presses  at  once  into  casks,  is  immediately  secured 
from  the  air,  so  as  not  to  be  opened  till  its  arrival  in  England. 
The  lime  tree  requires  a  period  of  from  seven  to  ten  years 
from  the  time  it  is  planted  Defore  it  makes  any  considerable 
return  in  fruit. 
Montserrat,  like  the  adjoining  islands,  is  occasionally  visited 
by  earthquakes.  In  that  of  1843,  occurring  in  dry  weather, 
the  large  quantity  of  rocks  and  boulders  detached  from  the 
mountain  summits  enveloped  them  in  such  an  atmosphere  of 
dust,  that  the  captain  of  the  inter-colonial  mail  steamer,  passing 
at  the  time,  reported  that  the  island  had,  in  the  convulsion,  sunk 
under  the  ocean. — Chem.  and  Drug.^  Lond,^  June  15,  1870. 
SNAKE  POISON  AND  ITS  ANTIDOTE. 
The  following  communication  appears  in  a  recent  issue  of  the 
European  Mail,  and  throws  an  important  new  light  on  the  thera- 
peutics of  animal  poisons: 
Sir, — Having  noticed  of  late  the  publication  in  both  European 
and  American  journals  of  articles  upon  the  subject,  and  particu- 
larly one  under  date  March  2,  1870,  under  the  heading,  "  The 
Cobra  Question  in  India,"  I  trust  you  will  give  publicity  to  this 
communication,  on  account  of  its  importance;  and  am  induced 
to  ask  for  it  a  place  in  the  columns  of  your  journal,  in  the  hope 
that  it  will  afford  to  your  readers,  in  India  more  particularly,  a  - 
knowledge  of  an  antidote  for  snake  poisons,  which  may  claim  to 
be  specific,  insomuch  as  it  has  never  been  known  to  fail  in  a 
single  instance  during  the  past  three  years  in  different  districts 
in  this  country,  in  which  I  have  been  able  to  induce  its  general 
adoption,  and  particularly  by  the  curanderos,  or  curers  (snake 
charmers).  I  have  devoted  no  little  time  during  the  past  twenty 
years  to  a  study  of  the  habits,  peculiarities,  &;c.,  of  poisonous 
snakes,  and  have  made  many  experiments  with  their  poisons, 
with  a  view  to  discover,  if  possible,  specific  antidotes  to  them, 
and  have  been  so  far  successful  as  to  be  able  to  announce  the 
