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A few characters will be missed in the -coded text in the "Gold Bug". Italics have been preserved to the -extent possible with the italicized words bracketed with the -underscore "_" character. A global delete will remove these -characters if readability is a problem. The set consists of five -volumes, the most popular works of Poe. Occasional printer's errors -have been corrected without comment. For conversion to MAC or UNIX -or DOS formats a shareware program "TEXTPAD" may be helpful. A space -has been preserved before the end-of-line marker to assist in -conversion to word-processing programs. A 70 character line is used. -The use of editorial notes is kept to a minimum, where necessary -they are enclosed in braces "{}" as are images -- {image}.] - - - - - -The Raven Edition - -THE WORKS OF -EDGAR ALLAN POE - -IN FIVE VOLUMES - - - - -VOLUME I Contents - -Edgar Allan Poe, An Appreciation -Life of Poe, by James Russell Lowell -Death of Poe, by N. P. Willis -The Unparalled Adventures of One Hans Pfall -The Gold Bug -Four Beasts in One -The Murders in the Rue Morgue -The Mystery of Marie Rogêt -The Balloon Hoax -MS. Found in a Bottle -The Oval Portrait - - - - -EDGAR ALLAN POE - -AN APPRECIATION - - -Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster -Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore-- -Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore - Of "never--never more!" - -THIS stanza from "The Raven" was recommended by James Russell Lowell -as an inscription upon the Baltimore monument which marks the resting -place of Edgar Allan Poe, the most interesting and original figure in -American letters. And, to signify that peculiar musical quality of -Poe's genius which inthralls every reader, Mr. Lowell suggested this -additional verse, from the "Haunted Palace": - -And all with pearl and ruby glowing - Was the fair palace door, -Through which came flowing, flowing, flowing, - And sparkling ever more, -A troop of Echoes, whose sweet duty - Was but to sing, -In voices of surpassing beauty, - The wit and wisdom of their king. - - -Born in poverty at Boston, January 19 1809, dying under painful -circumstances at Baltimore, October 7, 1849, his whole literary -career of scarcely fifteen years a pitiful struggle for mere -subsistence, his memory malignantly misrepresented by his earliest -biographer, Griswold, how completely has truth at last routed -falsehood and how magnificently has Poe come into his own, For "The -Raven," first published in 1845, and, within a few months, read, -recited and parodied wherever the English language was spoken, the -half-starved poet received $10! Less than a year later his brother -poet, N. P. Willis, issued this touching appeal to the admirers of -genius on behalf of the neglected author, his dying wife and her -devoted mother, then living under very straitened circumstances in a -little cottage at Fordham, N. Y.: - -"Here is one of the finest scholars, one of the most original men of -genius, and one of the most industrious of the literary profession of -our country, whose temporary suspension of labor, from bodily -illness, drops him immediately to a level with the common objects of -public charity. There is no intermediate stopping-place, no -respectful shelter, where, with the delicacy due to genius and -culture, he might secure aid, till, with returning health, he would -resume his labors, and his unmortified sense of independence." - -And this was the tribute paid by the American public to the master -who had given to it such tales of conjuring charm, of witchery and -mystery as "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "Ligeia"; such -fascinating hoaxes as "The Unparalleled Adventure of Hans Pfaall," -"MSS. Found in a Bottle," "A Descent Into a Maelstrom" and "The -Balloon Hoax"; such tales of conscience as "William Wilson," "The -Black Cat" and "The Tell-tale Heart," wherein the retributions of -remorse are portrayed with an awful fidelity; such tales of natural -beauty as "The Island of the Fay" and "The Domain of Arnheim"; such -marvellous studies in ratiocination as the "Gold-bug," "The Murders -in the Rue Morgue," "The Purloined Letter" and "The Mystery of Marie -Roget," the latter, a recital of fact, demonstrating the author's -wonderful capability of correctly analyzing the mysteries of the -human mind; such tales of illusion and banter as "The Premature -Burial" and "The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether"; such bits -of extravaganza as "The Devil in the Belfry" and "The Angel of the -Odd"; such tales of adventure as "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon -Pym"; such papers of keen criticism and review as won for Poe the -enthusiastic admiration of Charles Dickens, although they made him -many enemies among the over-puffed minor American writers so -mercilessly exposed by him; such poems of beauty and melody as "The -Bells," "The Haunted Palace," "Tamerlane," "The City in the Sea" and -"The Raven." What delight for the jaded senses of the reader is this -enchanted domain of wonder-pieces! What an atmosphere of beauty, -music, color! What resources of imagination, construction, analysis -and absolute art! One might almost sympathize with Sarah Helen -Whitman, who, confessing to a half faith in the old superstition of -the significance of anagrams, found, in the transposed letters of -Edgar Poe's name, the words "a God-peer." His mind, she says, was -indeed a "Haunted Palace," echoing to the footfalls of angels and -demons. - -"No man," Poe himself wrote, "has recorded, no man has dared to -record, the wonders of his inner life." - -In these twentieth century days -of lavish recognition-artistic, -popular and material-of genius, what rewards might not a Poe claim! - -Edgar's father, a son of General David Poe, the American -revolutionary patriot and friend of Lafayette, had married Mrs. -Hopkins, an English actress, and, the match meeting with parental -disapproval, had himself taken to the stage as a profession. -Notwithstanding Mrs. Poe's beauty and talent the young couple had a -sorry struggle for existence. When Edgar, at the age of two years, -was orphaned, the family was in the utmost destitution. Apparently -the future poet was to be cast upon the world homeless and -friendless. But fate decreed that a few glimmers of sunshine were to -illumine his life, for the little fellow was adopted by John Allan, a -wealthy merchant of Richmond, Va. A brother and sister, the remaining -children, were cared for by others. - -In his new home Edgar found all the luxury and advantages money could -provide. He was petted, spoiled and shown off to strangers. In Mrs. -Allan he found all the affection a childless wife could bestow. Mr. -Allan took much pride in the captivating, precocious lad. At the age -of five the boy recited, with fine effect, passages of English poetry -to the visitors at the Allan house. - -From his eighth to his thirteenth year he attended the Manor House -school, at Stoke-Newington, a suburb of London. It was the Rev. Dr. -Bransby, head of the school, whom Poe so quaintly portrayed in -"William Wilson." Returning to Richmond in 1820 Edgar was sent to the -school of Professor Joseph H. Clarke. He proved an apt pupil. Years -afterward Professor Clarke thus wrote: - -"While the other boys wrote mere mechanical verses, Poe wrote genuine -poetry; the boy was a born poet. As a scholar he was ambitious to -excel. He was remarkable for self-respect, without haughtiness. He -had a sensitive and tender heart and would do anything for a friend. -His nature was entirely free from selfishness." - -At the age of seventeen Poe entered the University of Virginia at -Charlottesville. He left that institution after one session. Official -records prove that he was not expelled. On the contrary, he gained a -creditable record as a student, although it is admitted that he -contracted debts and had "an ungovernable passion for card-playing." -These debts may have led to his quarrel with Mr. Allan which -eventually compelled him to make his own way in the world. - -Early in 1827 Poe made his first literary venture. He induced Calvin -Thomas, a poor and youthful printer, to publish a small volume of his -verses under the title "Tamerlane and Other Poems." In 1829 we find -Poe in Baltimore with another manuscript volume of verses, which was -soon published. Its title was "Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Other Poems." -Neither of these ventures seems to have attracted much attention. - -Soon after Mrs. Allan's death, which occurred in 1829, Poe, through -the aid of Mr. Allan, secured admission to the United States Military -Academy at West Point. Any glamour which may have attached to cadet -life in Poe's eyes was speedily lost, for discipline at West Point -was never so severe nor were the accommodations ever so poor. Poe's -bent was more and more toward literature. Life at the academy daily -became increasingly distasteful. Soon he began to purposely neglect -his studies and to disregard his duties, his aim being to secure his -dismissal from the United States service. In this he succeeded. On -March 7, 1831, Poe found himself free. Mr. Allan's second marriage -had thrown the lad on his own resources. His literary career was to -begin. - -Poe's first genuine victory was won in 1833, when he was the -successful competitor for a prize of $100 offered by a Baltimore -periodical for the best prose story. "A MSS. Found in a Bottle" was -the winning tale. Poe had submitted six stories in a volume. "Our -only difficulty," says Mr. Latrobe, one of the judges, "was in -selecting from the rich contents of the volume." - -During the fifteen years of his literary life Poe was connected with -various newspapers and magazines in Richmond, Philadelphia and New -York. He was faithful, punctual, industrious, thorough. N. P. Willis, -who for some time employed Poe as critic and sub-editor on the -"Evening Mirror," wrote thus: - -"With the highest admiration for Poe's genius, and a willingness to -let it alone for more than ordinary irregularity, we were led by -common report to expect a very capricious attention to his duties, -and occasionally a scene of violence and difficulty. Time went on, -however, and he was invariably punctual and industrious. We saw but -one presentiment of the man-a quiet, patient, industrious and most -gentlemanly person. - -"We heard, from one who knew him well (what should be stated in all -mention of his lamentable irregularities), that with a single glass -of wine his whole nature was reversed, the demon became uppermost, -and, though none of the usual signs of intoxication were visible, his -will was palpably insane. In this reversed character, we repeat, it -was never our chance to meet him." - -On September 22, 1835, Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, in -Baltimore. She had barely turned thirteen years, Poe himself was but -twenty-six. He then was a resident of Richmond and a regular -contributor to the "Southern Literary Messenger." It was not until a -year later that the bride and her widowed mother followed him thither. - -Poe's devotion to his child-wife was one of the most beautiful -features of his life. Many of his famous poetic productions were -inspired by her beauty and charm. Consumption had marked her for its -victim, and the constant efforts of husband and mother were to secure -for her all the comfort and happiness their slender means permitted. -Virginia died January 30, 1847, when but twenty-five years of age. A -friend of the family pictures the death-bed scene--mother and husband -trying to impart warmth to her by chafing her hands and her feet, -while her pet cat was suffered to nestle upon her bosom for the sake -of added warmth. - -These verses from "Annabel Lee," written by Poe in 1849, the last -year of his life, tell of his sorrow at the loss of his child-wife: - -I was a child and _she_ was a child, - In a kingdom by the sea; - -But we loved with _a _love that was more than love-- - I and my Annabel Lee; - -With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven - Coveted her and me. -And this was the reason that, long ago; - In this kingdom by the sea. -A wind blew out of a cloud, chilling - My beautiful Annabel Lee; - -So that her high-born kinsmen came - And bore her away from me, -To shut her up in a sepulchre - In this kingdom by the sea, - - -Poe was connected at various times and in various capacities with the -"Southern Literary Messenger" in Richmond, Va.; "Graham's Magazine" -and the "Gentleman's Magazine" in Philadelphia.; the "Evening -Mirror," the "Broadway journal," and "Godey's Lady's Book" in New -York. Everywhere Poe's life was one of unremitting toil. No tales and -poems were ever produced at a greater cost of brain and spirit. - -Poe's initial salary with the "Southern Literary Messenger," to which -he contributed the first drafts of a number of his best-known tales, -was $10 a week! Two years later his salary was but $600 a year. Even -in 1844, when his literary reputation was established securely, he -wrote to a friend expressing his pleasure because a magazine to which -he was to contribute had agreed to pay him $20 monthly for two pages -of criticism. - -Those were discouraging times in American literature, but Poe never -lost faith. He was finally to triumph wherever pre-eminent talents -win admirers. His genius has had no better description than in this -stanza from William Winter's poem, read at the dedication exercises -of the Actors' Monument to Poe, May 4, 1885, in New York: - -He was the voice of beauty and of woe, -Passion and mystery and the dread unknown; -Pure as the mountains of perpetual snow, -Cold as the icy winds that round them moan, -Dark as the eaves wherein earth's thunders groan, -Wild as the tempests of the upper sky, -Sweet as the faint, far-off celestial tone of angel - whispers, fluttering from on high, -And tender as love's tear when youth and beauty die. - - -In the two and a half score years that have elapsed since Poe's death -he has come fully into his own. For a while Griswold's malignant -misrepresentations colored the public estimate of Poe as man and as -writer. But, thanks to J. H. Ingram, W. F. Gill, Eugene Didier, Sarah -Helen Whitman and others these scandals have been dispelled and Poe -is seen as he actually was-not as a man without failings, it is true, -but as the finest and most original genius in American letters. As -the years go on his fame increases. His works have been translated -into many foreign languages. His is a household name in France and -England-in fact, the latter nation has often uttered the reproach -that Poe's own country has been slow to appreciate him. But that -reproach, if it ever was warranted, certainly is untrue. - - W. H. R. - -~~~~~~ End of Text ~~~~~~ - -========== - -EDGAR ALLAN POE{*1} - -BY JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL - - -THE situation of American literature is anomalous. It has no centre, -or, if it have, it is like that of the sphere of Hermes. It is, -divided into many systems, each revolving round its several suns, and -often presenting to the rest only the faint glimmer of a -milk-and-water way. Our capital city, unlike London or Paris, is not -a great central heart from which life and vigor radiate to the -extremities, but resembles more an isolated umbilicus stuck down as -near a's may be to the centre of the land, and seeming rather to tell -a legend of former usefulness than to serve any present need. Boston, -New York, Philadelphia, each has its literature almost more distinct -than those of the different dialects of Germany; and the Young Queen -of the West has also one of her own, of which some articulate rumor -barely has reached us dwellers by the Atlantic. - -Perhaps there is no task more difficult than the just criticism of -contemporary literature. It is even more grateful to give praise -where it is needed than where it is deserved, and friendship so often -seduces the iron stylus of justice into a vague flourish, that she -writes what seems rather like an epitaph than a criticism. Yet if -praise be given as an alms, we could not drop so poisonous a one into -any man's hat. The critic's ink may suffer equally from too large an -infusion of nutgalls or of sugar. But it is easier to be generous -than to be just, and we might readily put faith in that fabulous -direction to the hiding place of truth, did we judge from the amount -of water which we usually find mixed with it. - -Remarkable experiences are usually confined to the inner life of -imaginative men, but Mr. Poe's biography displays a vicissitude and -peculiarity of interest such as is rarely met with. The offspring of -a romantic marriage, and left an orphan at an early age, he was -adopted by Mr. Allan, a wealthy Virginian, whose barren marriage-bed -seemed the warranty of a large estate to the young poet. - -Having received a classical education in England, he returned home -and entered the University of Virginia, where, after an extravagant -course, followed by reformation at the last extremity, he was -graduated with the highest honors of his class. Then came a boyish -attempt to join the fortunes of the insurgent Greeks, which ended at -St. Petersburg, where he got into difficulties through want of a -passport, from which he was rescued by the American consul and sent -home. He now entered the military academy at West Point, from which -he obtained a dismissal on hearing of the birth of a son to his -adopted father, by a second marriage, an event which cut off his -expectations as an heir. The death of Mr. Allan, in whose will his -name was not mentioned, soon after relieved him of all doubt in this -regard, and he committed himself at once to authorship for a support. -Previously to this, however, he had published (in 1827) a small -volume of poems, which soon ran through three editions, and excited -high expectations of its author's future distinction in the minds of -many competent judges. - -That no certain augury can be drawn from a poet's earliest lispings -there are instances enough to prove. Shakespeare's first poems, -though brimful of vigor and youth and picturesqueness, give but a -very faint promise of the directness, condensation and overflowing -moral of his maturer works. Perhaps, however, Shakespeare is hardly a -case in point, his "Venus and Adonis" having been published, we -believe, in his twenty-sixth year. Milton's Latin verses show -tenderness, a fine eye for nature, and a delicate appreciation of -classic models, but give no hint of the author of a new style in -poetry. Pope's youthful pieces have all the sing-song, wholly -unrelieved by the glittering malignity and eloquent irreligion of his -later productions. Collins' callow namby-pamby died and gave no sign -of the vigorous and original genius which he afterward displayed. We -have never thought that the world lost more in the "marvellous boy," -Chatterton, than a very ingenious imitator of obscure and antiquated -dulness. Where he becomes original (as it is called), the interest of -ingenuity ceases and he becomes stupid. Kirke White's promises were -indorsed by the respectable name of Mr. Southey, but surely with no -authority from Apollo. They have the merit of a traditional piety, -which to our mind, if uttered at all, had been less objectionable in -the retired closet of a diary, and in the sober raiment of prose. -They do not clutch hold of the memory with the drowning pertinacity of -Watts; neither have they the interest of his occasional simple, lucky -beauty. Burns having fortunately been rescued by his humble station -from the contaminating society of the "Best models," wrote well and -naturally from the first. Had he been unfortunate enough to have had -an educated taste, we should have had a series of poems from which, as -from his letters, we could sift here and there a kernel from the mass -of chaff. Coleridge's youthful efforts give no promise whatever of -that poetical genius which produced at once the wildest, tenderest, -most original and most purely imaginative poems of modem times. -Byron's "Hours of Idleness" would never find a reader except from an -intrepid and indefatigable curiosity. In Wordsworth's first preludings -there is but a dim foreboding of the creator of an era. From Southey's -early poems, a safer augury might have been drawn. They show the -patient investigator, the close student of history, and the unwearied -explorer of the beauties of predecessors, but they give no assurances -of a man who should add aught to stock of household words, or to the -rarer and more sacred delights of the fireside or the arbor. The -earliest specimens of Shelley's poetic mind already, also, give tokens -of that ethereal sublimation in which the spirit seems to soar above -the regions of words, but leaves its body, the verse, to be entombed, -without hope of resurrection, in a mass of them. Cowley is generally -instanced as a wonder of precocity. But his early insipidities show -only a capacity for rhyming and for the metrical arrangement of -certain conventional combinations of words, a capacity wholly -dependent on a delicate physical organization, and an unhappy memory. -An early poem is only remarkable when it displays an effort of -_reason, _and the rudest verses in which we can trace some conception -of the ends of poetry, are worth all the miracles of smooth juvenile -versification. A school-boy, one would say, might acquire the regular -see-saw of Pope merely by an association with the motion of the -play-ground tilt. - -Mr. Poe's early productions show that he could see through the verse -to the spirit beneath, and that he already had a feeling that all the -life and grace of the one must depend on and be modulated by the will -of the other. We call them the most remarkable boyish poems that we -have ever read. We know of none that can compare with them for -maturity of purpose, and a nice understanding of the effects of -language and metre. Such pieces are only valuable when they display -what we can only express by the contradictory phrase of _innate -experience. _We copy one of the shorter poems, written when the -author was only fourteen. There is a little dimness in the filling -up, but the grace and symmetry of the outline are such as few poets -ever attain. There is a smack of ambrosia about it. - -TO HELEN - -Helen, thy beauty is to me - Like those Nicean barks of yore, -That gently, o'er a perfumed sea, - The weary, way-worn wanderer bore -To his own native shore. - -On desperate seas long wont to roam, - Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, -Thy Naiad airs have brought me home - To the glory that was Greece -And the grandeur that was Rome. - -Lo! in yon brilliant window-niche - How statue-like I see thee stand! -The agate lamp within thy hand, - Ah! Psyche, from the regions which -Are Holy Land! - - -It is the tendency of the young poet that impresses us. Here is no -"withering scorn," no heart "blighted" ere it has safely got into its -teens, none of the drawing-room sansculottism which Byron had brought -into vogue. All is limpid and serene, with a pleasant dash of the -Greek Helicon in it. The melody of the whole, too, is remarkable. It -is not of that kind which can be demonstrated arithmetically upon the -tips of the fingers. It is of that finer sort which the inner ear -alone _can _estimate. It seems simple, like a Greek column, because -of its perfection. In a poem named "Ligeia," under which title he -intended to personify the music of nature, our boy-poet gives us the -following exquisite picture: - - Ligeia! Ligeia! -My beautiful one, - Whose harshest idea -Will to melody run, - Say, is it thy will, -On the breezes to toss, - Or, capriciously still, -Like the lone albatross, - Incumbent on night, -As she on the air, - To keep watch with delight -On the harmony there? - -John Neal, himself a man of genius, and whose lyre has been too -long capriciously silent, appreciated the high merit of these and -similar passages, and drew a proud horoscope for their author. - -Mr. Poe had that indescribable something which men have agreed to -call _genius_. No man could ever tell us precisely what it is, and -yet there is none who is not inevitably aware of its presence and its -power. Let talent writhe and contort itself as it may, it has no such -magnetism. Larger of bone and sinew it may be, but the wings are -wanting. Talent sticks fast to earth, and its most perfect works have -still one- foot of clay. Genius claims kindred with the very workings -of Nature herself, so that a sunset shall seem like a quotation from -Dante, and if Shakespeare be read in the very presence of the sea -itself, his verses shall but seem nobler for the sublime criticism of -ocean. Talent may make friends for itself, but only genius can give -to its creations the divine power of winning love and veneration. -Enthusiasm cannot cling to what itself is unenthusiastic, nor will he -ever have disciples who has not himself impulsive zeal enough to be a -disciple. Great wits are allied to madness only inasmuch as they are -possessed and carried away by their demon, While talent keeps him, as -Paracelsus did, securely prisoned in the pommel of his sword. To the -eye of genius, the veil of the spiritual world is ever rent asunder -that it may perceive the ministers of good and evil who throng -continually around it. No man of mere talent ever flung his inkstand -at the devil. - -When we say that Mr. Poe had genius, we do not mean to say that he -has produced evidence of the highest. But to say that he possesses it -at all is to say that he needs only zeal, industry, and a reverence -for the trust reposed in him, to achieve the proudest triumphs and -the greenest laurels. If we may believe the Longinuses; and -Aristotles of our newspapers, we have quite too many geniuses of the -loftiest order to render a place among them at all desirable, whether -for its hardness of attainment or its seclusion. The highest peak of -our Parnassus is, according to these gentlemen, by far the most -thickly settled portion of the country, a circumstance which must -make it an uncomfortable residence for individuals of a poetical -temperament, if love of solitude be, as immemorial tradition asserts, -a necessary part of their idiosyncrasy. - -Mr. Poe has two of the prime qualities of genius, a faculty of -vigorous yet minute analysis, and a wonderful fecundity of -imagination. The first of these faculties is as needful to the artist -in words, as a knowledge of anatomy is to the artist in colors or in -stone. This enables him to conceive truly, to maintain a proper -relation of parts, and to draw a correct outline, while the second -groups, fills up and colors. Both of these Mr. Poe has displayed with -singular distinctness in his prose works, the last predominating in -his earlier tales, and the first in his later ones. In judging of the -merit of an author, and assigning him his niche among our household -gods, we have a right to regard him from our own point of view, and -to measure him by our own standard. But, in estimating the amount of -power displayed in his works, we must be governed by his own design, -and placing them by the side of his own ideal, find how much is -wanting. We differ from Mr. Poe in his opinions of the objects of -art. He esteems that object to be the creation of Beauty, and perhaps -it is only in the definition of that word that we disagree with him. -But in what we shall say of his writings, we shall take his own -standard as our guide. The temple of the god of song is equally. -accessible from every side, and there is room enough in it for all -who bring offerings, or seek in oracle. - -In his tales, Mr. Poe has chosen to exhibit his power chiefly in that -dim region which stretches from the very utmost limits of the -probable into the weird confines of superstition and unreality. He -combines in a very remarkable manner two faculties which are seldom -found united; a power of influencing the mind of the reader by the -impalpable shadows of mystery, and a minuteness of detail which does -not leave a pin or a button unnoticed. Both are, in truth, the -natural results of the predominating quality of his mind, to which we -have before alluded, analysis. It is this which distinguishes the -artist. His mind at once reaches forward to the effect to be -produced. Having resolved to bring about certain emotions in the -reader, he makes all subordinate parts tend strictly to the common -centre. Even his mystery is mathematical to his own mind. To him X is -a known quantity all along. In any picture that he paints he -understands the chemical properties of all his colors. However vague -some of his figures may seem, however formless the shadows, to him -the outline is as clear and distinct as that of a geometrical -diagram. For this reason Mr. Poe has no sympathy with Mysticism. The -Mystic dwells in the mystery, is enveloped with it; it colors all his -thoughts; it affects his optic nerve especially, and the commonest -things get a rainbow edging from it. Mr. Poe, on the other hand, is a -spectator _ab extra_. He analyzes, he dissects, he watches - - "with an eye serene, -The very pulse of the machine," - - -for such it practically is to him, with wheels and cogs and -piston-rods, all working to produce a certain end. - -This analyzing tendency of his mind balances the poetical, and by -giving him the patience to be minute, enables him to throw a -wonderful reality into his most unreal fancies. A monomania he paints -with great power. He loves to dissect one of these cancers of the -mind, and to trace all the subtle ramifications of its roots. In -raising images of horror, also, he has strange success, conveying to -us sometimes by a dusky hint some terrible _doubt _which is the -secret of all horror. He leaves to imagination the task of finishing -the picture, a task to which only she is competent. - -"For much imaginary work was there; -Conceit deceitful, so compact, so kind, -That for Achilles' image stood his spear -Grasped in an armed hand; himself behind -Was left unseen, save to the eye of mind." - -Besides the merit of conception, Mr. Poe's writings have also that of -form. - -His style is highly finished, graceful and truly classical. It would -be hard to find a living author who had displayed such varied powers. -As an example of his style we would refer to one of his tales, "The -House of Usher," in the first volume of his "Tales of the Grotesque -and Arabesque." It has a singular charm for us, and we think that no -one could read it without being strongly moved by its serene and -sombre beauty. Had its author written nothing else, it would alone -have been enough to stamp him as a man of genius, and the master of a -classic style. In this tale occurs, perhaps, the most beautiful of -his poems. - -The great masters of imagination have seldom resorted to the vague -and the unreal as sources of effect. They have not used dread and -horror alone, but only in combination with other qualities, as means -of subjugating the fancies of their readers. The loftiest muse has -ever a household and fireside charm about her. Mr. Poe's secret lies -mainly in the skill with which he has employed the strange -fascination of mystery and terror. In this his success is so great -and striking as to deserve the name of art, not artifice. We cannot -call his materials the noblest or purest, but we must concede to him -the highest merit of construction. - -As a critic, Mr. Poe was aesthetically deficient. Unerring in his -analysis of dictions, metres and plots, he seemed wanting in the -faculty of perceiving the profounder ethics of art. His criticisms -are, however, distinguished for scientific precision and coherence of -logic. They have the exactness, and at the same time, the coldness of -mathematical demonstrations. Yet they stand in strikingly refreshing -contrast with the vague generalisms and sharp personalities of the -day. If deficient in warmth, they are also without the heat of -partisanship. They are especially valuable as illustrating the great -truth, too generally overlooked, that analytic power is a subordinate -quality of the critic. - -On the whole, it may be considered certain that Mr. Poe has attained -an individual eminence in our literature which he will keep. He has -given proof of power and originality. He has done that which could -only be done once with success or safety, and the imitation or -repetition of which would produce weariness. - -~~~~~~ End of Text ~~~~~~ - -====== - -DEATH OF EDGAR A. POE - -BY N. P. WILLIS - - -THE ancient fable of two antagonistic spirits imprisoned in one body, -equally powerful and having the complete mastery by turns-of one man, -that is to say, inhabited by both a devil and an angel seems to have -been realized, if all we hear is true, in the character of the -extraordinary man whose name we have written above. Our own -impression of the nature of Edgar A. Poe, differs in some important -degree, however, from that which has been generally conveyed in the -notices of his death. Let us, before telling what we personally know -of him, copy a graphic and highly finished portraiture, from the pen -of Dr. Rufus W. Griswold, which appeared in a recent number of the -"Tribune:"{*1} - -"Edgar Allen Poe is dead. He died in Baltimore on Sunday, October -7th. This announcement will startle many, but few will be grieved by -it. The poet was known, personally or by reputation, in all this -country; he had readers in England and in several of the states of -Continental Europe; but he had few or no friends; and the regrets for -his death will be suggested principally by the consideration that in -him literary art has lost one of its most brilliant but erratic stars. - -"His conversation was at times almost supramortal in its eloquence. -His voice was modulated with astonishing skill, and his large and -variably expressive eyes looked repose or shot fiery tumult into -theirs who listened, while his own face glowed, or was changeless in -pallor, as his imagination quickened his blood or drew it back frozen -to his heart. His imagery was from the worlds which no mortals can -see but with the vision of genius. Suddenly starting from a -proposition, exactly and sharply defined, in terms of utmost -simplicity and clearness, he rejected the forms of customary logic, -and by a crystalline process of accretion, built up his ocular -demonstrations in forms of gloomiest and ghastliest grandeur, or in -those of the most airy and delicious beauty, so minutely and -distinctly, yet so rapidly, that the attention which was yielded to -him was chained till it stood among his wonderful creations, till he -himself dissolved the spell, and brought his hearers back to common -and base existence, by vulgar fancies or exhibitions of the ignoblest -passion. - -"He was at all times a dreamer-dwelling in ideal realms-in heaven or -hell-peopled with the creatures and the accidents of his brain. He -walked-the streets, in madness or melancholy, with lips moving in -indistinct curses, or with eyes upturned in passionate prayer (never -for himself, for he felt, or professed to feel, that he was already -damned, but) for their happiness who at the moment were objects of -his idolatry; or with his glances introverted to a heart gnawed with -anguish, and with a face shrouded in gloom, he would brave the -wildest storms, and all night, with drenched garments and arms -beating the winds and rains, would speak as if the spirits that at -such times only could be evoked by him from the Aidenn, close by -whose portals his disturbed soul sought to forget the ills to which -his constitution subjected him---close by the Aidenn where were those -he loved-the Aidenn which he might never see, but in fitful glimpses, -as its gates opened to receive the less fiery and more happy natures -whose destiny to sin did not involve the doom of death. - -"He seemed, except when some fitful pursuit subjugated his will and -engrossed his faculties, always to bear the memory of some -controlling sorrow. The remarkable poem of 'The Raven' was probably -much more nearly than has been supposed, even by those who were very -intimate with him, a reflection and an echo of his own history. _He_ -was that bird's - -" ' unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster -Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore-- -Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore - Of 'Never-never more.' - - -"Every genuine author in a greater or less degree leaves in his -works, whatever their design, traces of his personal character: -elements of his immortal being, in which the individual survives the -person. While we read the pages of the 'Fall of the House of Usher,' -or of 'Mesmeric Revelations,' we see in the solemn and stately gloom -which invests one, and in the subtle metaphysical analysis of both, -indications of the idiosyncrasies of what was most remarkable and -peculiar in the author's intellectual nature. But we see here only -the better phases of his nature, only the symbols of his juster -action, for his harsh experience had deprived him of all faith in man -or woman. He had made up his mind upon the numberless complexities of -the social world, and the whole system with him was an imposture. -This conviction gave a direction to his shrewd and naturally -unamiable character. Still, though he regarded society as composed -altogether of villains, the sharpness of his intellect was not of -that kind which enabled him to cope with villany, while it -continually caused him by overshots to fail of the success of -honesty. He was in many respects like Francis Vivian in Bulwer's -novel of 'The Caxtons.' Passion, in him, comprehended -many of the -worst emotions which militate against human happiness. You could not -contradict him, but you raised quick choler; you could not speak of -wealth, but his cheek paled with gnawing envy. The astonishing -natural advantages of this poor boy--his beauty, his readiness, the -daring spirit that breathed around him like a fiery atmosphere--had -raised his constitutional self-confidence into an arrogance that -turned his very claims to admiration into prejudices against him. -Irascible, envious--bad enough, but not the worst, for these salient -angles were all varnished over with a cold, repellant cynicism, his -passions vented themselves in sneers. There seemed to him no moral -susceptibility; and, what was more remarkable in a proud nature, -little or nothing of the true point of honor. He had, to a morbid -excess, that, desire to rise which is vulgarly called ambition, but -no wish for the esteem or the love of his species; only the hard wish -to succeed-not shine, not serve -succeed, that he might have the -right to despise a world which galled his self-conceit. - -"We have suggested the influence of his aims and vicissitudes upon -his literature. It was more conspicuous in his later than in his -earlier writings. Nearly all that he wrote in the last two or three -years-including much of his best poetry-was in some sense -biographical; in draperies of his imagination, those who had taken -the trouble to trace his steps, could perceive, but slightly -concealed, the figure of himself." - -Apropos of the disparaging portion of the above well-written sketch, -let us truthfully say: - -Some four or five years since, when editing a daily paper in this -city, Mr. Poe was employed by us, for several months, as critic and -sub-editor. This was our first personal acquaintance with him. He -resided with his wife and mother at Fordham, a few miles out of town, -but was at his desk in the office, from nine in the morning till the -evening paper went to press. With the highest admiration for his -genius, and a willingness to let it atone for more than ordinary -irregularity, we were led by common report to expect a very -capricious attention to his duties, and occasionally a scene of -violence and difficulty. Time went on, however, and he was invariably -punctual and industrious. With his pale, beautiful, and intellectual -face, as a reminder of what genius was in him, it was impossible, of -course, not to treat him always with deferential courtesy, and, to -our occasional request that he would not probe too deep in a -criticism, or that he would erase a passage colored too highly with -his resentments against society and mankind, he readily and -courteously assented-far more yielding than most men, we thought, on -points so excusably sensitive. With a prospect of taking the lead in -another periodical, he, at last, voluntarily gave up his employment -with us, and, through all this considerable period, we had seen but -one presentment of the man-a quiet, patient, industrious, and most -gentlemanly person, commanding the utmost respect and good feeling by -his unvarying deportment and ability. - -Residing as he did in the country, we never met Mr. Poe in hours of -leisure; but he frequently called on us afterward at our place of -business, and we met him often in the street-invariably the same sad -mannered, winning and refined gentleman, such as we had always known -him. It was by rumor only, up to the day of his death, that we knew -of any other development of manner or character. We heard, from one -who knew him well (what should be stated in all mention of his -lamentable irregularities), that, with a single glass of wine, his -whole nature was reversed, the demon became uppermost, and, though -none of the usual signs of intoxication were visible, his will was -palpably insane. Possessing his reasoning faculties in excited -activity, at such times, and seeking his acquaintances with his -wonted look and memory, he easily seemed personating only another -phase of his natural character, and was accused, accordingly, of -insulting arrogance and bad-heartedness. In this reversed character, -we repeat, it was never our chance to see him. We know it from -hearsay, and we mention it in connection with this sad infirmity of -physical constitution; which puts it upon very nearly the ground of a -temporary and almost irresponsible insanity. - -The arrogance, vanity, and depravity of heart, of which Mr. Poe was -generally accused, seem to us referable altogether to this reversed -phase of his character. Under that degree of intoxication which only -acted upon him by demonizing his sense of truth and right, he -doubtless said and did much that was wholly irreconcilable with his -better nature; but, when himself, and as we knew him only, his -modesty and unaffected humility, as to his own deservings, were a -constant charm to his character. His letters, of which the constant -application for autographs has taken from us, we are sorry to -confess, the greater portion, exhibited this quality very strongly. -In one of the carelessly written notes of which we chance still to -retain possession, for instance, he speaks of "The Raven"--that -extraordinary poem which electrified the world of imaginative -readers, and has become the type of a school of poetry of its -own-and, in evident earnest, attributes its success to the few words -of commendation with which we had prefaced it in this paper. -It will -throw light on his sane character to give a literal copy of the note: - - "FORDHAM, April 20, 1849 - - -"My DEAR WILLIS--The poem which I inclose, and which I am so vain as -to hope you will like, in some respects, has been just published in a -paper for which sheer necessity compels me to write, now and then. It -pays well as times go-but unquestionably it ought to pay ten prices; -for whatever I send it I feel I am consigning to the tomb of the -Capulets. The verses accompanying this, may I beg you to take out of -the tomb, and bring them to light in the 'Home journal?' If you can -oblige me so far as to copy them, I do not think it will be necessary -to say 'From the ----, that would be too bad; and, perhaps, 'From a -late ---- paper,' would do. - -"I have not forgotten how a 'good word in season' from you made 'The -Raven,' and made 'Ulalume' (which by-the-way, people have done me the -honor of attributing to you), therefore, I would ask you (if I dared) -to say something of these lines if they please you. - - "Truly yours ever, - - "EDGAR A. POE." - - -In double proof of his earnest disposition to do the best for -himself, and of the trustful and grateful nature which has been -denied him, we give another of the only three of his notes which we -chance to retain : - - "FORDHAM, January 22, 1848. - - -"My DEAR MR. WILLIS-I am about to make an effort at re-establishing -myself in the literary world, and _feel _that I may depend upon your -aid. - -"My general aim is to start a Magazine, to be called 'The Stylus,' -but it would be useless to me, even when established, if not entirely -out of the control of a publisher. I mean, therefore, to get up a -journal which shall be _my own_ at all points. With this end in view, -I must get a list of at least five hundred subscribers to begin with; -nearly two hundred I have already. I propose, however, to go South -and West, among my personal and literary friends--old college and -West Point acquaintances -and see what I can do. In order to get the -means of taking the first step, I propose to lecture at the Society -Library, on Thursday, the 3d of February, and, that there may be no -cause of _squabbling_, my subject shall _not be literary _at all. I -have chosen a broad text: 'The Universe.' - -"Having thus given you _the facts_ of the case, I leave all the rest -to the suggestions of your own tact and generosity. Gratefully, _most -gratefully,_ - - _"Your friend always, - - "EDGAR A. POE._" - - -Brief and chance-taken as these letters are, we think they -sufficiently prove the existence of the very qualities denied to Mr. -Poe-humility, willingness to persevere, belief in another's -friendship, and capability of cordial and grateful friendship! Such -he assuredly was when sane. Such only he has invariably seemed to us, -in all we have happened personally to know of him, through a -friendship of five or six years. And so much easier is it to believe -what we have seen and known, than what we hear of only, that we -remember him but with admiration and respect; these descriptions of -him, when morally insane, seeming to us like portraits, painted in -sickness, of a man we have only known in health. - -But there is another, more touching, and far more forcible evidence -that there was _goodness _in Edgar A. Poe. To reveal it we are -obliged to venture upon the lifting of the veil which sacredly covers -grief and refinement in poverty; but we think it may be excused, if -so we can brighten the memory of the poet, even were there not a more -needed and immediate service which it may render to the nearest link -broken by his death. - -Our first knowledge of Mr. Poe's removal to this city was by a call -which we received from a lady who introduced herself to us as the -mother of his wife. She was in search of employment for him, and she -excused her errand by mentioning that he was ill, that her daughter -was a confirmed invalid, and that their circumstances were such as -compelled her taking it upon herself. The countenance of this lady, -made beautiful and saintly with an evidently complete giving up of -her life to privation and sorrowful tenderness, her gentle and -mournful voice urging its plea, her long-forgotten but habitually and -unconsciously refined manners, and her appealing and yet appreciative -mention of the claims and abilities of her son, disclosed at once the -presence of one of those angels upon earth that women in adversity -can be. It was a hard fate that she was watching over. Mr. Poe wrote -with fastidious difficulty, and in a style too much above the popular -level to be well paid. He was always in pecuniary difficulty, and, -with his sick wife, frequently in want of the merest necessaries of -life. Winter after winter, for years, the most touching sight to us, -in this whole city, has been that tireless minister to genius, thinly -and insufficiently clad, going from office to office with a poem, or -an article on some literary subject, to sell, sometimes simply -pleading in a broken voice that he was ill, and begging for him, -mentioning nothing but that "he was ill," whatever might be the -reason for his writing nothing, and never, amid all her tears and -recitals of distress, suffering one syllable to escape her lips that -could convey a doubt of him, or a complaint, or a lessening of pride -in his genius and good intentions. Her daughter died a year and a -half since, but she did not desert him. She continued his ministering -angel--living with him, caring for him, guarding him against -exposure, and when he was carried away by temptation, amid grief and -the loneliness of feelings unreplied to, and awoke from his self -abandonment prostrated in destitution and suffering, _begging _for -him still. If woman's devotion, born with a first love, and fed with -human passion, hallow its object, as it is allowed to do, what does -not a devotion like this-pure, disinterested and holy as the watch of -an invisible spirit-say for him who inspired it? - -We have a letter before us, written by this lady, Mrs. Clemm, on the -morning in which she heard of the death of this object of her -untiring care. It is merely a request that we would call upon her, -but we will copy a few of its words--sacred as its privacy is--to -warrant the truth of the picture we have drawn above, and add force -to the appeal we wish to make for her: - -"I have this morning heard of the death of my darling Eddie. . . . -Can you give me any circumstances or particulars? . . . Oh! do not -desert your poor friend in his bitter affliction! . . . Ask -Mr. -- -to come, as I must deliver a message to him from my poor Eddie. . . . -I need not ask you to notice his death and to speak well of him. I -know you will. But say what an affectionate son he was to me, his -poor desolate mother. . ." - -To hedge round a grave with respect, what choice is there, between -the relinquished wealth and honors of the world, and the story of -such a woman's unrewarded devotion! Risking what we do, in delicacy, -by making it public, we feel--other reasons aside--that it betters -the world to make known that there are such ministrations to its -erring and gifted. What we have said will speak to some hearts. There -are those who will be glad to know how the lamp, whose light of -poetry has beamed on their far-away recognition, was watched over -with care and pain, that they may send to her, who is more darkened -than they by its extinction, some token of their sympathy. She is -destitute and alone. If any, far or near, will send to us what may -aid and cheer her through the remainder of her life, we will joyfully -place it in her bands. - -~~~~~ End of Text ~~~~~~ - -========== - - - The Unparalleled Adventures of - - One Hans Pfaal {*1} - -BY late accounts from Rotterdam, that city seems to be in a high -state of philosophical excitement. Indeed, phenomena have there -occurred of a nature so completely unexpected -- so entirely novel -- -so utterly at variance with preconceived opinions -- as to leave no -doubt on my mind that long ere this all Europe is in an uproar, all -physics in a ferment, all reason and astronomy together by the ears. - -It appears that on the -- -- day of -- -- (I am not positive about -the date), a vast crowd of people, for purposes not specifically -mentioned, were assembled in the great square of the Exchange in the -well-conditioned city of Rotterdam. The day was warm -- unusually so -for the season -- there was hardly a breath of air stirring; and the -multitude were in no bad humor at being now and then besprinkled with -friendly showers of momentary duration, that fell from large white -masses of cloud which chequered in a fitful manner the blue vault of -the firmament. Nevertheless, about noon, a slight but remarkable -agitation became apparent in the assembly: the clattering of ten -thousand tongues succeeded; and, in an instant afterward, ten -thousand faces were upturned toward the heavens, ten thousand pipes -descended simultaneously from the corners of ten thousand mouths, and -a shout, which could be compared to nothing but the roaring of -Niagara, resounded long, loudly, and furiously, through all the -environs of Rotterdam. - -The origin of this hubbub soon became sufficiently evident. From -behind the huge bulk of one of those sharply-defined masses of cloud -already mentioned, was seen slowly to emerge into an open area of -blue space, a queer, heterogeneous, but apparently solid substance, -so oddly shaped, so whimsically put together, as not to be in any -manner comprehended, and never to be sufficiently admired, by the -host of sturdy burghers who stood open-mouthed below. What could it -be? In the name of all the vrows and devils in Rotterdam, what could -it possibly portend? No one knew, no one could imagine; no one -- not -even the burgomaster Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk -- had the -slightest clew by which to unravel the mystery; so, as nothing more -reasonable could be done, every one to a man replaced his pipe -carefully in the corner of his mouth, and cocking up his right eye -towards the phenomenon, puffed, paused, waddled about, and grunted -significantly -- then waddled back, grunted, paused, and finally -- -puffed again. - -In the meantime, however, lower and still lower toward the goodly -city, came the object of so much curiosity, and the cause of so much -smoke. In a very few minutes it arrived near enough to be accurately -discerned. It appeared to be -- yes! it was undoubtedly a species of -balloon; but surely no such balloon had ever been seen in Rotterdam -before. For who, let me ask, ever heard of a balloon manufactured -entirely of dirty newspapers? No man in Holland certainly; yet here, -under the very noses of the people, or rather at some distance above -their noses was the identical thing in question, and composed, I have -it on the best authority, of the precise material which no one had -ever before known to be used for a similar purpose. It was an -egregious insult to the good sense of the burghers of Rotterdam. As -to the shape of the phenomenon, it was even still more reprehensible. -Being little or nothing better than a huge foolscap turned upside -down. And this similitude was regarded as by no means lessened when, -upon nearer inspection, there was perceived a large tassel depending -from its apex, and, around the upper rim or base of the cone, a -circle of little instruments, resembling sheep-bells, which kept up a -continual tinkling to the tune of Betty Martin. But still worse. -Suspended by blue ribbons to the end of this fantastic machine, there -hung, by way of car, an enormous drab beaver hat, with a brim -superlatively broad, and a hemispherical crown with a black band and -a silver buckle. It is, however, somewhat remarkable that many -citizens of Rotterdam swore to having seen the same hat repeatedly -before; and indeed the whole assembly seemed to regard it with eyes -of familiarity; while the vrow Grettel Pfaall, upon sight of it, -uttered an exclamation of joyful surprise, and declared it to be the -identical hat of her good man himself. Now this was a circumstance -the more to be observed, as Pfaall, with three companions, had -actually disappeared from Rotterdam about five years before, in a -very sudden and unaccountable manner, and up to the date of this -narrative all attempts had failed of obtaining any intelligence -concerning them whatsoever. To be sure, some bones which were thought -to be human, mixed up with a quantity of odd-looking rubbish, had -been lately discovered in a retired situation to the east of -Rotterdam, and some people went so far as to imagine that in this -spot a foul murder had been committed, and that the sufferers were in -all probability Hans Pfaall and his associates. But to return. - -The balloon (for such no doubt it was) had now descended to within a -hundred feet of the earth, allowing the crowd below a sufficiently -distinct view of the person of its occupant. This was in truth a very -droll little somebody. He could not have been more than two feet in -height; but this altitude, little as it was, would have been -sufficient to destroy his equilibrium, and tilt him over the edge of -his tiny car, but for the intervention of a circular rim reaching as -high as the breast, and rigged on to the cords of the balloon. The -body of the little man was more than proportionately broad, giving to -his entire figure a rotundity highly absurd. His feet, of course, -could not be seen at all, although a horny substance of suspicious -nature was occasionally protruded through a rent in the bottom of the -car, or to speak more properly, in the top of the hat. His hands were -enormously large. His hair was extremely gray, and collected in a cue -behind. His nose was prodigiously long, crooked, and inflammatory; -his eyes full, brilliant, and acute; his chin and cheeks, although -wrinkled with age, were broad, puffy, and double; but of ears of any -kind or character there was not a semblance to be discovered upon any -portion of his head. This odd little gentleman was dressed in a loose -surtout of sky-blue satin, with tight breeches to match, fastened -with silver buckles at the knees. His vest was of some bright yellow -material; a white taffety cap was set jauntily on one side of his -head; and, to complete his equipment, a blood-red silk handkerchief -enveloped his throat, and fell down, in a dainty manner, upon his -bosom, in a fantastic bow-knot of super-eminent dimensions. - -Having descended, as I said before, to about one hundred feet from -the surface of the earth, the little old gentleman was suddenly -seized with a fit of trepidation, and appeared disinclined to make -any nearer approach to terra firma. Throwing out, therefore, a -quantity of sand from a canvas bag, which, he lifted with great -difficulty, he became stationary in an instant. He then proceeded, in -a hurried and agitated manner, to extract from a side-pocket in his -surtout a large morocco pocket-book. This he poised suspiciously in -his hand, then eyed it with an air of extreme surprise, and was -evidently astonished at its weight. He at length opened it, and -drawing there from a huge letter sealed with red sealing-wax and tied -carefully with red tape, let it fall precisely at the feet of the -burgomaster, Superbus Von Underduk. His Excellency stooped to take it -up. But the aeronaut, still greatly discomposed, and having -apparently no farther business to detain him in Rotterdam, began at -this moment to make busy preparations for departure; and it being -necessary to discharge a portion of ballast to enable him to -reascend, the half dozen bags which he threw out, one after another, -without taking the trouble to empty their contents, tumbled, every -one of them, most unfortunately upon the back of the burgomaster, and -rolled him over and over no less than one-and-twenty times, in the -face of every man in Rotterdam. It is not to be supposed, however, -that the great Underduk suffered this impertinence on the part of the -little old man to pass off with impunity. It is said, on the -contrary, that during each and every one of his one-and twenty -circumvolutions he emitted no less than one-and-twenty distinct and -furious whiffs from his pipe, to which he held fast the whole time -with all his might, and to which he intends holding fast until the -day of his death. - -In the meantime the balloon arose like a lark, and, soaring far away -above the city, at length drifted quietly behind a cloud similar to -that from which it had so oddly emerged, and was thus lost forever to -the wondering eyes of the good citizens of Rotterdam. All attention -was now directed to the letter, the descent of which, and the -consequences attending thereupon, had proved so fatally subversive of -both person and personal dignity to his Excellency, the illustrious -Burgomaster Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk. That functionary, however, -had not failed, during his circumgyratory movements, to bestow a -thought upon the important subject of securing the packet in -question, which was seen, upon inspection, to have fallen into the -most proper hands, being actually addressed to himself and Professor -Rub-a-dub, in their official capacities of President and -Vice-President of the Rotterdam College of Astronomy. It was -accordingly opened by those dignitaries upon the spot, and found to -contain the following extraordinary, and indeed very serious, -communications. - -To their Excellencies Von Underduk and Rub-a-dub, President and -Vice-President of the States' College of Astronomers, in the city of -Rotterdam. - -"Your Excellencies may perhaps be able to remember an humble artizan, -by name Hans Pfaall, and by occupation a mender of bellows, who, with -three others, disappeared from Rotterdam, about five years ago, in a -manner which must have been considered by all parties at once sudden, -and extremely unaccountable. If, however, it so please your -Excellencies, I, the writer of this communication, am the identical -Hans Pfaall himself. It is well known to most of my fellow citizens, -that for the period of forty years I continued to occupy the little -square brick building, at the head of the alley called Sauerkraut, in -which I resided at the time of my disappearance. My ancestors have -also resided therein time out of mind -- they, as well as myself, -steadily following the respectable and indeed lucrative profession of -mending of bellows. For, to speak the truth, until of late years, -that the heads of all the people have been set agog with politics, no -better business than my own could an honest citizen of Rotterdam -either desire or deserve. Credit was good, employment was never -wanting, and on all hands there was no lack of either money or -good-will. But, as I was saying, we soon began to feel the effects of -liberty and long speeches, and radicalism, and all that sort of -thing. People who were formerly, the very best customers in the -world, had now not a moment of time to think of us at all. They had, -so they said, as much as they could do to read about the revolutions, -and keep up with the march of intellect and the spirit of the age. If -a fire wanted fanning, it could readily be fanned with a newspaper, -and as the government grew weaker, I have no doubt that leather and -iron acquired durability in proportion, for, in a very short time, -there was not a pair of bellows in all Rotterdam that ever stood in -need of a stitch or required the assistance of a hammer. This was a -state of things not to be endured. I soon grew as poor as a rat, and, -having a wife and children to provide for, my burdens at length -became intolerable, and I spent hour after hour in reflecting upon -the most convenient method of putting an end to my life. Duns, in the -meantime, left me little leisure for contemplation. My house was -literally besieged from morning till night, so that I began to rave, -and foam, and fret like a caged tiger against the bars of his -enclosure. There were three fellows in particular who worried me -beyond endurance, keeping watch continually about my door, and -threatening me with the law. Upon these three I internally vowed the -bitterest revenge, if ever I should be so happy as to get them within -my clutches; and I believe nothing in the world but the pleasure of -this anticipation prevented me from putting my plan of suicide into -immediate execution, by blowing my brains out with a blunderbuss. I -thought it best, however, to dissemble my wrath, and to treat them -with promises and fair words, until, by some good turn of fate, an -opportunity of vengeance should be afforded me. - -"One day, having given my creditors the slip, and feeling more than -usually dejected, I continued for a long time to wander about the -most obscure streets without object whatever, until at length I -chanced to stumble against the corner of a bookseller's stall. Seeing -a chair close at hand, for the use of customers, I threw myself -doggedly into it, and, hardly knowing why, opened the pages of the -first volume which came within my reach. It proved to be a small -pamphlet treatise on Speculative Astronomy, written either by -Professor Encke of Berlin or by a Frenchman of somewhat similar name. -I had some little tincture of information on matters of this nature, -and soon became more and more absorbed in the contents of the book, -reading it actually through twice before I awoke to a recollection of -what was passing around me. By this time it began to grow dark, and I -directed my steps toward home. But the treatise had made an indelible -impression on my mind, and, as I sauntered along the dusky streets, I -revolved carefully over in my memory the wild and sometimes -unintelligible reasonings of the writer. There are some particular -passages which affected my imagination in a powerful and -extraordinary manner. The longer I meditated upon these the more -intense grew the interest which had been excited within me. The -limited nature of my education in general, and more especially my -ignorance on subjects connected with natural philosophy, so far from -rendering me diffident of my own ability to comprehend what I had -read, or inducing me to mistrust the many vague notions which had -arisen in consequence, merely served as a farther stimulus to -imagination; and I was vain enough, or perhaps reasonable enough, to -doubt whether those crude ideas which, arising in ill-regulated -minds, have all the appearance, may not often in effect possess all -the force, the reality, and other inherent properties, of instinct or -intuition; whether, to proceed a step farther, profundity itself -might not, in matters of a purely speculative nature, be detected as -a legitimate source of falsity and error. In other words, I believed, -and still do believe, that truth, is frequently of its own essence, -superficial, and that, in many cases, the depth lies more in the -abysses where we seek her, than in the actual situations wherein she -may be found. Nature herself seemed to afford me corroboration of -these ideas. In the contemplation of the heavenly bodies it struck me -forcibly that I could not distinguish a star with nearly as much -precision, when I gazed on it with earnest, direct and undeviating -attention, as when I suffered my eye only to glance in its vicinity -alone. I was not, of course, at that time aware that this apparent -paradox was occasioned by the center of the visual area being less -susceptible of feeble impressions of light than the exterior portions -of the retina. This knowledge, and some of another kind, came -afterwards in the course of an eventful five years, during which I -have dropped the prejudices of my former humble situation in life, -and forgotten the bellows-mender in far different occupations. But at -the epoch of which I speak, the analogy which a casual observation of -a star offered to the conclusions I had already drawn, struck me with -the force of positive conformation, and I then finally made up my -mind to the course which I afterwards pursued. - -"It was late when I reached home, and I went immediately to bed. My -mind, however, was too much occupied to sleep, and I lay the whole -night buried in meditation. Arising early in the morning, and -contriving again to escape the vigilance of my creditors, I repaired -eagerly to the bookseller's stall, and laid out what little ready -money I possessed, in the purchase of some volumes of Mechanics and -Practical Astronomy. Having arrived at home safely with these, I -devoted every spare moment to their perusal, and soon made such -proficiency in studies of this nature as I thought sufficient for the -execution of my plan. In the intervals of this period, I made every -endeavor to conciliate the three creditors who had given me so much -annoyance. In this I finally succeeded -- partly by selling enough of -my household furniture to satisfy a moiety of their claim, and partly -by a promise of paying the balance upon completion of a little -project which I told them I had in view, and for assistance in which -I solicited their services. By these means -- for they were ignorant -men -- I found little difficulty in gaining them over to my purpose. - -"Matters being thus arranged, I contrived, by the aid of my wife and -with the greatest secrecy and caution, to dispose of what property I -had remaining, and to borrow, in small sums, under various pretences, -and without paying any attention to my future means of repayment, no -inconsiderable quantity of ready money. With the means thus accruing -I proceeded to procure at intervals, cambric muslin, very fine, in -pieces of twelve yards each; twine; a lot of the varnish of -caoutchouc; a large and deep basket of wicker-work, made to order; -and several other articles necessary in the construction and -equipment of a balloon of extraordinary dimensions. This I directed -my wife to make up as soon as possible, and gave her all requisite -information as to the particular method of proceeding. In the -meantime I worked up the twine into a net-work of sufficient -dimensions; rigged it with a hoop and the necessary cords; bought a -quadrant, a compass, a spy-glass, a common barometer with some -important modifications, and two astronomical instruments not so -generally known. I then took opportunities of conveying by night, to -a retired situation east of Rotterdam, five iron-bound casks, to -contain about fifty gallons each, and one of a larger size; six -tinned ware tubes, three inches in diameter, properly shaped, and ten -feet in length; a quantity of a particular metallic substance, or -semi-metal, which I shall not name, and a dozen demijohns of a very -common acid. The gas to be formed from these latter materials is a -gas never yet generated by any other person than myself -- or at -least never applied to any similar purpose. The secret I would make -no difficulty in disclosing, but that it of right belongs to a -citizen of Nantz, in France, by whom it was conditionally -communicated to myself. The same individual submitted to me, without -being at all aware of my intentions, a method of constructing -balloons from the membrane of a certain animal, through which -substance any escape of gas was nearly an impossibility. I found it, -however, altogether too expensive, and was not sure, upon the whole, -whether cambric muslin with a coating of gum caoutchouc, was not -equally as good. I mention this circumstance, because I think it -probable that hereafter the individual in question may attempt a -balloon ascension with the novel gas and material I have spoken of, -and I do not wish to deprive him of the honor of a very singular -invention. - -"On the spot which I intended each of the smaller casks to occupy -respectively during the inflation of the balloon, I privately dug a -hole two feet deep; the holes forming in this manner a circle -twenty-five feet in diameter. In the centre of this circle, being the -station designed for the large cask, I also dug a hole three feet in -depth. In each of the five smaller holes, I deposited a canister -containing fifty pounds, and in the larger one a keg holding one -hundred and fifty pounds, of cannon powder. These -- the keg and -canisters -- I connected in a proper manner with covered trains; and -having let into one of the canisters the end of about four feet of -slow match, I covered up the hole, and placed the cask over it, -leaving the other end of the match protruding about an inch, and -barely visible beyond the cask. I then filled up the remaining holes, -and placed the barrels over them in their destined situation. - -"Besides the articles above enumerated, I conveyed to the depot, and -there secreted, one of M. Grimm's improvements upon the apparatus for -condensation of the atmospheric air. I found this machine, however, -to require considerable alteration before it could be adapted to the -purposes to which I intended making it applicable. But, with severe -labor and unremitting perseverance, I at length met with entire -success in all my preparations. My balloon was soon completed. It -would contain more than forty thousand cubic feet of gas; would take -me up easily, I calculated, with all my implements, and, if I managed -rightly, with one hundred and seventy-five pounds of ballast into the -bargain. It had received three coats of varnish, and I found the -cambric muslin to answer all the purposes of silk itself, quite as -strong and a good deal less expensive. - -"Everything being now ready, I exacted from my wife an oath of -secrecy in relation to all my actions from the day of my first visit -to the bookseller's stall; and promising, on my part, to return as -soon as circumstances would permit, I gave her what little money I -had left, and bade her farewell. Indeed I had no fear on her account. -She was what people call a notable woman, and could manage matters in -the world without my assistance. I believe, to tell the truth, she -always looked upon me as an idle boy, a mere make-weight, good for -nothing but building castles in the air, and was rather glad to get -rid of me. It was a dark night when I bade her good-bye, and taking -with me, as aides-de-camp, the three creditors who had given me so -much trouble, we carried the balloon, with the car and accoutrements, -by a roundabout way, to the station where the other articles were -deposited. We there found them all unmolested, and I proceeded -immediately to business. - -"It was the first of April. The night, as I said before, was dark; -there was not a star to be seen; and a drizzling rain, falling at -intervals, rendered us very uncomfortable. But my chief anxiety was -concerning the balloon, which, in spite of the varnish with which it -was defended, began to grow rather heavy with the moisture; the -powder also was liable to damage. I therefore kept my three duns -working with great diligence, pounding down ice around the central -cask, and stirring the acid in the others. They did not cease, -however, importuning me with questions as to what I intended to do -with all this apparatus, and expressed much dissatisfaction at the -terrible labor I made them undergo. They could not perceive, so they -said, what good was likely to result from their getting wet to the -skin, merely to take a part in such horrible incantations. I began to -get uneasy, and worked away with all my might, for I verily believe -the idiots supposed that I had entered into a compact with the devil, -and that, in short, what I was now doing was nothing better than it -should be. I was, therefore, in great fear of their leaving me -altogether. I contrived, however, to pacify them by promises of -payment of all scores in full, as soon as I could bring the present -business to a termination. To these speeches they gave, of course, -their own interpretation; fancying, no doubt, that at all events I -should come into possession of vast quantities of ready money; and -provided I paid them all I owed, and a trifle more, in consideration -of their services, I dare say they cared very little what became of -either my soul or my carcass. - -"In about four hours and a half I found the balloon sufficiently -inflated. I attached the car, therefore, and put all my implements in -it -- not forgetting the condensing apparatus, a copious supply of -water, and a large quantity of provisions, such as pemmican, in which -much nutriment is contained in comparatively little bulk. I also -secured in the car a pair of pigeons and a cat. It was now nearly -daybreak, and I thought it high time to take my departure. Dropping a -lighted cigar on the ground, as if by accident, I took the -opportunity, in stooping to pick it up, of igniting privately the -piece of slow match, whose end, as I said before, protruded a very -little beyond the lower rim of one of the smaller casks. This -manoeuvre was totally unperceived on the part of the three duns; and, -jumping into the car, I immediately cut the single cord which held me -to the earth, and was pleased to find that I shot upward, carrying -with all ease one hundred and seventy-five pounds of leaden ballast, -and able to have carried up as many more. - -"Scarcely, however, had I attained the height of fifty yards, when, -roaring and rumbling up after me in the most horrible and tumultuous -manner, came so dense a hurricane of fire, and smoke, and sulphur, -and legs and arms, and gravel, and burning wood, and blazing metal, -that my very heart sunk within me, and I fell down in the bottom of -the car, trembling with unmitigated terror. Indeed, I now perceived -that I had entirely overdone the business, and that the main -consequences of the shock were yet to be experienced. Accordingly, in -less than a second, I felt all the blood in my body rushing to my -temples, and immediately thereupon, a concussion, which I shall never -forget, burst abruptly through the night and seemed to rip the very -firmament asunder. When I afterward had time for reflection, I did -not fail to attribute the extreme violence of the explosion, as -regarded myself, to its proper cause -- my situation directly above -it, and in the line of its greatest power. But at the time, I thought -only of preserving my life. The balloon at first collapsed, then -furiously expanded, then whirled round and round with horrible -velocity, and finally, reeling and staggering like a drunken man, -hurled me with great force over the rim of the car, and left me -dangling, at a terrific height, with my head downward, and my face -outwards, by a piece of slender cord about three feet in length, -which hung accidentally through a crevice near the bottom of the -wicker-work, and in which, as I fell, my left foot became most -providentially entangled. It is impossible -- utterly impossible -- -to form any adequate idea of the horror of my situation. I gasped -convulsively for breath -- a shudder resembling a fit of the ague -agitated every nerve and muscle of my frame -- I felt my eyes -starting from their sockets -- a horrible nausea overwhelmed me -- -and at length I fainted away. - -"How long I remained in this state it is impossible to say. It must, -however, have been no inconsiderable time, for when I partially -recovered the sense of existence, I found the day breaking, the -balloon at a prodigious height over a wilderness of ocean, and not a -trace of land to be discovered far and wide within the limits of the -vast horizon. My sensations, however, upon thus recovering, were by -no means so rife with agony as might have been anticipated. Indeed, -there was much of incipient madness in the calm survey which I began -to take of my situation. I drew up to my eyes each of my hands, one -after the other, and wondered what occurrence could have given rise -to the swelling of the veins, and the horrible blackness of the -fingernails. I afterward carefully examined my head, shaking it -repeatedly, and feeling it with minute attention, until I succeeded -in satisfying myself that it was not, as I had more than half -suspected, larger than my balloon. Then, in a knowing manner, I felt -in both my breeches pockets, and, missing therefrom a set of tablets -and a toothpick case, endeavored to account for their disappearance, -and not being able to do so, felt inexpressibly chagrined. It now -occurred to me that I suffered great uneasiness in the joint of my -left ankle, and a dim consciousness of my situation began to glimmer -through my mind. But, strange to say! I was neither astonished nor -horror-stricken. If I felt any emotion at all, it was a kind of -chuckling satisfaction at the cleverness I was about to display in -extricating myself from this dilemma; and I never, for a moment, -looked upon my ultimate safety as a question susceptible of doubt. -For a few minutes I remained wrapped in the profoundest meditation. I -have a distinct recollection of frequently compressing my lips, -putting my forefinger to the side of my nose, and making use of other -gesticulations and grimaces common to men who, at ease in their -arm-chairs, meditate upon matters of intricacy or importance. Having, -as I thought, sufficiently collected my ideas, I now, with great -caution and deliberation, put my hands behind my back, and unfastened -the large iron buckle which belonged to the waistband of my -inexpressibles. This buckle had three teeth, which, being somewhat -rusty, turned with great difficulty on their axis. I brought them, -however, after some trouble, at right angles to the body of the -buckle, and was glad to find them remain firm in that position. -Holding the instrument thus obtained within my teeth, I now proceeded -to untie the knot of my cravat. I had to rest several times before I -could accomplish this manoeuvre, but it was at length accomplished. -To one end of the cravat I then made fast the buckle, and the other -end I tied, for greater security, tightly around my wrist. Drawing -now my body upwards, with a prodigious exertion of muscular force, I -succeeded, at the very first trial, in throwing the buckle over the -car, and entangling it, as I had anticipated, in the circular rim of -the wicker-work. - -"My body was now inclined towards the side of the car, at an angle of -about forty-five degrees; but it must not be understood that I was -therefore only forty-five degrees below the perpendicular. So far -from it, I still lay nearly level with the plane of the horizon; for -the change of situation which I had acquired, had forced the bottom -of the car considerably outwards from my position, which was -accordingly one of the most imminent and deadly peril. It should be -remembered, however, that when I fell in the first instance, from the -car, if I had fallen with my face turned toward the balloon, instead -of turned outwardly from it, as it actually was; or if, in the second -place, the cord by which I was suspended had chanced to hang over the -upper edge, instead of through a crevice near the bottom of the car, --- I say it may be readily conceived that, in either of these -supposed cases, I should have been unable to accomplish even as much -as I had now accomplished, and the wonderful adventures of Hans -Pfaall would have been utterly lost to posterity, I had therefore -every reason to be grateful; although, in point of fact, I was still -too stupid to be anything at all, and hung for, perhaps, a quarter of -an hour in that extraordinary manner, without making the slightest -farther exertion whatsoever, and in a singularly tranquil state of -idiotic enjoyment. But this feeling did not fail to die rapidly away, -and thereunto succeeded horror, and dismay, and a chilling sense of -utter helplessness and ruin. In fact, the blood so long accumulating -in the vessels of my head and throat, and which had hitherto buoyed -up my spirits with madness and delirium, had now begun to retire -within their proper channels, and the distinctness which was thus -added to my perception of the danger, merely served to deprive me of -the self-possession and courage to encounter it. But this weakness -was, luckily for me, of no very long duration. In good time came to -my rescue the spirit of despair, and, with frantic cries and -struggles, I jerked my way bodily upwards, till at length, clutching -with a vise-like grip the long-desired rim, I writhed my person over -it, and fell headlong and shuddering within the car. - -"It was not until some time afterward that I recovered myself -sufficiently to attend to the ordinary cares of the balloon. I then, -however, examined it with attention, and found it, to my great -relief, uninjured. My implements were all safe, and, fortunately, I -had lost neither ballast nor provisions. Indeed, I had so well -secured them in their places, that such an accident was entirely out -of the question. Looking at my watch, I found it six o'clock. I was -still rapidly ascending, and my barometer gave a present altitude of -three and three-quarter miles. Immediately beneath me in the ocean, -lay a small black object, slightly oblong in shape, seemingly about -the size, and in every way bearing a great resemblance to one of -those childish toys called a domino. Bringing my telescope to bear -upon it, I plainly discerned it to be a British ninety four-gun ship, -close-hauled, and pitching heavily in the sea with her head to the -W.S.W. Besides this ship, I saw nothing but the ocean and the sky, -and the sun, which had long arisen. - -"It is now high time that I should explain to your Excellencies the -object of my perilous voyage. Your Excellencies will bear in mind -that distressed circumstances in Rotterdam had at length driven me to -the resolution of committing suicide. It was not, however, that to -life itself I had any, positive disgust, but that I was harassed -beyond endurance by the adventitious miseries attending my situation. -In this state of mind, wishing to live, yet wearied with life, the -treatise at the stall of the bookseller opened a resource to my -imagination. I then finally made up my mind. I determined to depart, -yet live -- to leave the world, yet continue to exist -- in short, to -drop enigmas, I resolved, let what would ensue, to force a passage, -if I could, to the moon. Now, lest I should be supposed more of a -madman than I actually am, I will detail, as well as I am able, the -considerations which led me to believe that an achievement of this -nature, although without doubt difficult, and incontestably full of -danger, was not absolutely, to a bold spirit, beyond the confines of -the possible. - -"The moon's actual distance from the earth was the first thing to be -attended to. Now, the mean or average interval between the centres of -the two planets is 59.9643 of the earth's equatorial radii, or only -about 237,000 miles. I say the mean or average interval. But it must -be borne in mind that the form of the moon's orbit being an ellipse -of eccentricity amounting to no less than 0.05484 of the major -semi-axis of the ellipse itself, and the earth's centre being -situated in its focus, if I could, in any manner, contrive to meet -the moon, as it were, in its perigee, the above mentioned distance -would be materially diminished. But, to say nothing at present of -this possibility, it was very certain that, at all events, from the -237,000 miles I would have to deduct the radius of the earth, say -4,000, and the radius of the moon, say 1080, in all 5,080, leaving an -actual interval to be traversed, under average circumstances, of -231,920 miles. Now this, I reflected, was no very extraordinary -distance. Travelling on land has been repeatedly accomplished at the -rate of thirty miles per hour, and indeed a much greater speed may be -anticipated. But even at this velocity, it would take me no more than -322 days to reach the surface of the moon. There were, however, many -particulars inducing me to believe that my average rate of travelling -might possibly very much exceed that of thirty miles per hour, and, -as these considerations did not fail to make a deep impression upon -my mind, I will mention them more fully hereafter. - -"The next point to be regarded was a matter of far greater -importance. From indications afforded by the barometer, we find that, -in ascensions from the surface of the earth we have, at the height of -1,000 feet, left below us about one-thirtieth of the entire mass of -atmospheric air, that at 10,600 we have ascended through nearly -one-third; and that at 18,000, which is not far from the elevation of -Cotopaxi, we have surmounted one-half the material, or, at all -events, one-half the ponderable, body of air incumbent upon our -globe. It is also calculated that at an altitude not exceeding the -hundredth part of the earth's diameter -- that is, not exceeding -eighty miles -- the rarefaction would be so excessive that animal -life could in no manner be sustained, and, moreover, that the most -delicate means we possess of ascertaining the presence of the -atmosphere would be inadequate to assure us of its existence. But I -did not fail to perceive that these latter calculations are founded -altogether on our experimental knowledge of the properties of air, -and the mechanical laws regulating its dilation and compression, in -what may be called, comparatively speaking, the immediate vicinity of -the earth itself; and, at the same time, it is taken for granted that -animal life is and must be essentially incapable of modification at -any given unattainable distance from the surface. Now, all such -reasoning and from such data must, of course, be simply analogical. -The greatest height ever reached by man was that of 25,000 feet, -attained in the aeronautic expedition of Messieurs Gay-Lussac and -Biot. This is a moderate altitude, even when compared with the eighty -miles in question; and I could not help thinking that the subject -admitted room for doubt and great latitude for speculation. - -"But, in point of fact, an ascension being made to any given -altitude, the ponderable quantity of air surmounted in any farther -ascension is by no means in proportion to the additional height -ascended (as may be plainly seen from what has been stated before), -but in a ratio constantly decreasing. It is therefore evident that, -ascend as high as we may, we cannot, literally speaking, arrive at a -limit beyond which no atmosphere is to be found. It must exist, I -argued; although it may exist in a state of infinite rarefaction. - -"On the other hand, I was aware that arguments have not been wanting -to prove the existence of a real and definite limit to the -atmosphere, beyond which there is absolutely no air whatsoever. But a -circumstance which has been left out of view by those who contend for -such a limit seemed to me, although no positive refutation of their -creed, still a point worthy very serious investigation. On comparing -the intervals between the successive arrivals of Encke's comet at its -perihelion, after giving credit, in the most exact manner, for all -the disturbances due to the attractions of the planets, it appears -that the periods are gradually diminishing; that is to say, the major -axis of the comet's ellipse is growing shorter, in a slow but -perfectly regular decrease. Now, this is precisely what ought to be -the case, if we suppose a resistance experienced from the comet from -an extremely rare ethereal medium pervading the regions of its orbit. -For it is evident that such a medium must, in retarding the comet's -velocity, increase its centripetal, by weakening its centrifugal -force. In other words, the sun's attraction would be constantly -attaining greater power, and the comet would be drawn nearer at every -revolution. Indeed, there is no other way of accounting for the -variation in question. But again. The real diameter of the same -comet's nebulosity is observed to contract rapidly as it approaches -the sun, and dilate with equal rapidity in its departure towards its -aphelion. Was I not justifiable in supposing with M. Valz, that this -apparent condensation of volume has its origin in the compression of -the same ethereal medium I have spoken of before, and which is only -denser in proportion to its solar vicinity? The lenticular-shaped -phenomenon, also called the zodiacal light, was a matter worthy of -attention. This radiance, so apparent in the tropics, and which -cannot be mistaken for any meteoric lustre, extends from the horizon -obliquely upward, and follows generally the direction of the sun's -equator. It appeared to me evidently in the nature of a rare -atmosphere extending from the sun outward, beyond the orbit of Venus -at least, and I believed indefinitely farther.{*2} Indeed, this -medium I could not suppose confined to the path of the comet's -ellipse, or to the immediate neighborhood of the sun. It was easy, on -the contrary, to imagine it pervading the entire regions of our -planetary system, condensed into what we call atmosphere at the -planets themselves, and perhaps at some of them modified by -considerations, so to speak, purely geological. - -Having adopted this view of the subject, I had little further -hesitation. Granting that on my passage I should meet with atmosphere -essentially the same as at the surface of the earth, I conceived -that, by means of the very ingenious apparatus of M. Grimm, I should -readily be enabled to condense it in sufficient quantity for the -purposes of respiration. This would remove the chief obstacle in a -journey to the moon. I had indeed spent some money and great labor in -adapting the apparatus to the object intended, and confidently looked -forward to its successful application, if I could manage to complete -the voyage within any reasonable period. This brings me back to the -rate at which it might be possible to travel. - -"It is true that balloons, in the first stage of their ascensions -from the earth, are known to rise with a velocity comparatively -moderate. Now, the power of elevation lies altogether in the superior -lightness of the gas in the balloon compared with the atmospheric -air; and, at first sight, it does not appear probable that, as the -balloon acquires altitude, and consequently arrives successively in -atmospheric strata of densities rapidly diminishing -- I say, it does -not appear at all reasonable that, in this its progress upwards, the -original velocity should be accelerated. On the other hand, I was not -aware that, in any recorded ascension, a diminution was apparent in -the absolute rate of ascent; although such should have been the case, -if on account of nothing else, on account of the escape of gas -through balloons ill-constructed, and varnished with no better -material than the ordinary varnish. It seemed, therefore, that the -effect of such escape was only sufficient to counterbalance the -effect of some accelerating power. I now considered that, provided in -my passage I found the medium I had imagined, and provided that it -should prove to be actually and essentially what we denominate -atmospheric air, it could make comparatively little difference at -what extreme state of rarefaction I should discover it -- that is to -say, in regard to my power of ascending -- for the gas in the balloon -would not only be itself subject to rarefaction partially similar (in -proportion to the occurrence of which, I could suffer an escape of so -much as would be requisite to prevent explosion), but, being what it -was, would, at all events, continue specifically lighter than any -compound whatever of mere nitrogen and oxygen. In the meantime, the -force of gravitation would be constantly diminishing, in proportion -to the squares of the distances, and thus, with a velocity -prodigiously accelerating, I should at length arrive in those distant -regions where the force of the earth's attraction would be superseded -by that of the moon. In accordance with these ideas, I did not think -it worth while to encumber myself with more provisions than would be -sufficient for a period of forty days. - -"There was still, however, another difficulty, which occasioned me -some little disquietude. It has been observed, that, in balloon -ascensions to any considerable height, besides the pain attending -respiration, great uneasiness is experienced about the head and body, -often accompanied with bleeding at the nose, and other symptoms of an -alarming kind, and growing more and more inconvenient in proportion -to the altitude attained.{*3} This was a reflection of a nature -somewhat startling. Was it not probable that these symptoms would -increase indefinitely, or at least until terminated by death itself? -I finally thought not. Their origin was to be looked for in the -progressive removal of the customary atmospheric pressure upon the -surface of the body, and consequent distention of the superficial -blood-vessels -- not in any positive disorganization of the animal -system, as in the case of difficulty in breathing, where the -atmospheric density is chemically insufficient for the due renovation -of blood in a ventricle of the heart. Unless for default of this -renovation, I could see no reason, therefore, why life could not be -sustained even in a vacuum; for the expansion and compression of -chest, commonly called breathing, is action purely muscular, and the -cause, not the effect, of respiration. In a word, I conceived that, -as the body should become habituated to the want of atmospheric -pressure, the sensations of pain would gradually diminish -- and to -endure them while they continued, I relied with confidence upon the -iron hardihood of my constitution. - -"Thus, may it please your Excellencies, I have detailed some, though -by no means all, the considerations which led me to form the project -of a lunar voyage. I shall now proceed to lay before you the result -of an attempt so apparently audacious in conception, and, at all -events, so utterly unparalleled in the annals of mankind. - -"Having attained the altitude before mentioned, that is to say three -miles and three-quarters, I threw out from the car a quantity of -feathers, and found that I still ascended with sufficient rapidity; -there was, therefore, no necessity for discharging any ballast. I was -glad of this, for I wished to retain with me as much weight as I -could carry, for reasons which will be explained in the sequel. I as -yet suffered no bodily inconvenience, breathing with great freedom, -and feeling no pain whatever in the head. The cat was lying very -demurely upon my coat, which I had taken off, and eyeing the pigeons -with an air of nonchalance. These latter being tied by the leg, to -prevent their escape, were busily employed in picking up some grains -of rice scattered for them in the bottom of the car. - -"At twenty minutes past six o'clock, the barometer showed an -elevation of 26,400 feet, or five miles to a fraction. The prospect -seemed unbounded. Indeed, it is very easily calculated by means of -spherical geometry, what a great extent of the earth's area I beheld. -The convex surface of any segment of a sphere is, to the entire -surface of the sphere itself, as the versed sine of the segment to -the diameter of the sphere. Now, in my case, the versed sine -- that -is to say, the thickness of the segment beneath me -- was about equal -to my elevation, or the elevation of the point of sight above the -surface. "As five miles, then, to eight thousand," would express the -proportion of the earth's area seen by me. In other words, I beheld -as much as a sixteen-hundredth part of the whole surface of the -globe. The sea appeared unruffled as a mirror, although, by means of -the spy-glass, I could perceive it to be in a state of violent -agitation. The ship was no longer visible, having drifted away, -apparently to the eastward. I now began to experience, at intervals, -severe pain in the head, especially about the ears -- still, however, -breathing with tolerable freedom. The cat and pigeons seemed to -suffer no inconvenience whatsoever. - -"At twenty minutes before seven, the balloon entered a long series of -dense cloud, which put me to great trouble, by damaging my condensing -apparatus and wetting me to the skin. This was, to be sure, a -singular recontre, for I had not believed it possible that a cloud of -this nature could be sustained at so great an elevation. I thought it -best, however, to throw out two five-pound pieces of ballast, -reserving still a weight of one hundred and sixty-five pounds. Upon -so doing, I soon rose above the difficulty, and perceived -immediately, that I had obtained a great increase in my rate of -ascent. In a few seconds after my leaving the cloud, a flash of vivid -lightning shot from one end of it to the other, and caused it to -kindle up, throughout its vast extent, like a mass of ignited and -glowing charcoal. This, it must be remembered, was in the broad light -of day. No fancy may picture the sublimity which might have been -exhibited by a similar phenomenon taking place amid the darkness of -the night. Hell itself might have been found a fitting image. Even as -it was, my hair stood on end, while I gazed afar down within the -yawning abysses, letting imagination descend, as it were, and stalk -about in the strange vaulted halls, and ruddy gulfs, and red ghastly -chasms of the hideous and unfathomable fire. I had indeed made a -narrow escape. Had the balloon remained a very short while longer -within the cloud -- that is to say -- had not the inconvenience of -getting wet, determined me to discharge the ballast, inevitable ruin -would have been the consequence. Such perils, although little -considered, are perhaps the greatest which must be encountered in -balloons. I had by this time, however, attained too great an -elevation to be any longer uneasy on this head. - -"I was now rising rapidly, and by seven o'clock the barometer -indicated an altitude of no less than nine miles and a half. I began -to find great difficulty in drawing my breath. My head, too, was -excessively painful; and, having felt for some time a moisture about -my cheeks, I at length discovered it to be blood, which was oozing -quite fast from the drums of my ears. My eyes, also, gave me great -uneasiness. Upon passing the hand over them they seemed to have -protruded from their sockets in no inconsiderable degree; and all -objects in the car, and even the balloon itself, appeared distorted -to my vision. These symptoms were more than I had expected, and -occasioned me some alarm. At this juncture, very imprudently, and -without consideration, I threw out from the car three five-pound -pieces of ballast. The accelerated rate of ascent thus obtained, -carried me too rapidly, and without sufficient gradation, into a -highly rarefied stratum of the atmosphere, and the result had nearly -proved fatal to my expedition and to myself. I was suddenly seized -with a spasm which lasted for more than five minutes, and even when -this, in a measure, ceased, I could catch my breath only at long -intervals, and in a gasping manner -- bleeding all the while -copiously at the nose and ears, and even slightly at the eyes. The -pigeons appeared distressed in the extreme, and struggled to escape; -while the cat mewed piteously, and, with her tongue hanging out of -her mouth, staggered to and fro in the car as if under the influence -of poison. I now too late discovered the great rashness of which I -had been guilty in discharging the ballast, and my agitation was -excessive. I anticipated nothing less than death, and death in a few -minutes. The physical suffering I underwent contributed also to -render me nearly incapable of making any exertion for the -preservation of my life. I had, indeed, little power of reflection -left, and the violence of the pain in my head seemed to be greatly on -the increase. Thus I found that my senses would shortly give way -altogether, and I had already clutched one of the valve ropes with -the view of attempting a descent, when the recollection of the trick -I had played the three creditors, and the possible consequences to -myself, should I return, operated to deter me for the moment. I lay -down in the bottom of the car, and endeavored to collect my -faculties. In this I so far succeeded as to determine upon the -experiment of losing blood. Having no lancet, however, I was -constrained to perform the operation in the best manner I was able, -and finally succeeded in opening a vein in my right arm, with the -blade of my penknife. The blood had hardly commenced flowing when I -experienced a sensible relief, and by the time I had lost about half -a moderate basin full, most of the worst symptoms had abandoned me -entirely. I nevertheless did not think it expedient to attempt -getting on my feet immediately; but, having tied up my arm as well as -I could, I lay still for about a quarter of an hour. At the end of -this time I arose, and found myself freer from absolute pain of any -kind than I had been during the last hour and a quarter of my -ascension. The difficulty of breathing, however, was diminished in a -very slight degree, and I found that it would soon be positively -necessary to make use of my condenser. In the meantime, looking -toward the cat, who was again snugly stowed away upon my coat, I -discovered to my infinite surprise, that she had taken the -opportunity of my indisposition to bring into light a litter of three -little kittens. This was an addition to the number of passengers on -my part altogether unexpected; but I was pleased at the occurrence. -It would afford me a chance of bringing to a kind of test the truth -of a surmise, which, more than anything else, had influenced me in -attempting this ascension. I had imagined that the habitual endurance -of the atmospheric pressure at the surface of the earth was the -cause, or nearly so, of the pain attending animal existence at a -distance above the surface. Should the kittens be found to suffer -uneasiness in an equal degree with their mother, I must consider my -theory in fault, but a failure to do so I should look upon as a -strong confirmation of my idea. - -"By eight o'clock I had actually attained an elevation of seventeen -miles above the surface of the earth. Thus it seemed to me evident -that my rate of ascent was not only on the increase, but that the -progression would have been apparent in a slight degree even had I -not discharged the ballast which I did. The pains in my head and ears -returned, at intervals, with violence, and I still continued to bleed -occasionally at the nose; but, upon the whole, I suffered much less -than might have been expected. I breathed, however, at every moment, -with more and more difficulty, and each inhalation was attended with -a troublesome spasmodic action of the chest. I now unpacked the -condensing apparatus, and got it ready for immediate use. - -"The view of the earth, at this period of my ascension, was beautiful -indeed. To the westward, the northward, and the southward, as far as -I could see, lay a boundless sheet of apparently unruffled ocean, -which every moment gained a deeper and a deeper tint of blue and -began already to assume a slight appearance of convexity. At a vast -distance to the eastward, although perfectly discernible, extended -the islands of Great Britain, the entire Atlantic coasts of France -and Spain, with a small portion of the northern part of the continent -of Africa. Of individual edifices not a trace could be discovered, -and the proudest cities of mankind had utterly faded away from the -face of the earth. From the rock of Gibraltar, now dwindled into a -dim speck, the dark Mediterranean sea, dotted with shining islands as -the heaven is dotted with stars, spread itself out to the eastward as -far as my vision extended, until its entire mass of waters seemed at -length to tumble headlong over the abyss of the horizon, and I found -myself listening on tiptoe for the echoes of the mighty cataract. -Overhead, the sky was of a jetty black, and the stars were -brilliantly visible. - -"The pigeons about this time seeming to undergo much suffering, I -determined upon giving them their liberty. I first untied one of -them, a beautiful gray-mottled pigeon, and placed him upon the rim of -the wicker-work. He appeared extremely uneasy, looking anxiously -around him, fluttering his wings, and making a loud cooing noise, but -could not be persuaded to trust himself from off the car. I took him -up at last, and threw him to about half a dozen yards from the -balloon. He made, however, no attempt to descend as I had expected, -but struggled with great vehemence to get back, uttering at the same -time very shrill and piercing cries. He at length succeeded in -regaining his former station on the rim, but had hardly done so when -his head dropped upon his breast, and he fell dead within the car. -The other one did not prove so unfortunate. To prevent his following -the example of his companion, and accomplishing a return, I threw him -downward with all my force, and was pleased to find him continue his -descent, with great velocity, making use of his wings with ease, and -in a perfectly natural manner. In a very short time he was out of -sight, and I have no doubt he reached home in safety. Puss, who -seemed in a great measure recovered from her illness, now made a -hearty meal of the dead bird and then went to sleep with much -apparent satisfaction. Her kittens were quite lively, and so far -evinced not the slightest sign of any uneasiness whatever. - -"At a quarter-past eight, being no longer able to draw breath without -the most intolerable pain, I proceeded forthwith to adjust around the -car the apparatus belonging to the condenser. This apparatus will -require some little explanation, and your Excellencies will please to -bear in mind that my object, in the first place, was to surround -myself and cat entirely with a barricade against the highly rarefied -atmosphere in which I was existing, with the intention of introducing -within this barricade, by means of my condenser, a quantity of this -same atmosphere sufficiently condensed for the purposes of -respiration. With this object in view I had prepared a very strong -perfectly air-tight, but flexible gum-elastic bag. In this bag, which -was of sufficient dimensions, the entire car was in a manner placed. -That is to say, it (the bag) was drawn over the whole bottom of the -car, up its sides, and so on, along the outside of the ropes, to the -upper rim or hoop where the net-work is attached. Having pulled the -bag up in this way, and formed a complete enclosure on all sides, and -at bottom, it was now necessary to fasten up its top or mouth, by -passing its material over the hoop of the net-work -- in other words, -between the net-work and the hoop. But if the net-work were separated -from the hoop to admit this passage, what was to sustain the car in -the meantime? Now the net-work was not permanently fastened to the -hoop, but attached by a series of running loops or nooses. I -therefore undid only a few of these loops at one time, leaving the -car suspended by the remainder. Having thus inserted a portion of the -cloth forming the upper part of the bag, I refastened the loops -- -not to the hoop, for that would have been impossible, since the cloth -now intervened -- but to a series of large buttons, affixed to the -cloth itself, about three feet below the mouth of the bag, the -intervals between the buttons having been made to correspond to the -intervals between the loops. This done, a few more of the loops were -unfastened from the rim, a farther portion of the cloth introduced, -and the disengaged loops then connected with their proper buttons. In -this way it was possible to insert the whole upper part of the bag -between the net-work and the hoop. It is evident that the hoop would -now drop down within the car, while the whole weight of the car -itself, with all its contents, would be held up merely by the -strength of the buttons. This, at first sight, would seem an -inadequate dependence; but it was by no means so, for the buttons -were not only very strong in themselves, but so close together that a -very slight portion of the whole weight was supported by any one of -them. Indeed, had the car and contents been three times heavier than -they were, I should not have been at all uneasy. I now raised up the -hoop again within the covering of gum-elastic, and propped it at -nearly its former height by means of three light poles prepared for -the occasion. This was done, of course, to keep the bag distended at -the top, and to preserve the lower part of the net-work in its proper -situation. All that now remained was to fasten up the mouth of the -enclosure; and this was readily accomplished by gathering the folds -of the material together, and twisting them up very tightly on the -inside by means of a kind of stationary tourniquet. - -"In the sides of the covering thus adjusted round the car, had been -inserted three circular panes of thick but clear glass, through which -I could see without difficulty around me in every horizontal -direction. In that portion of the cloth forming the bottom, was -likewise, a fourth window, of the same kind, and corresponding with a -small aperture in the floor of the car itself. This enabled me to see -perpendicularly down, but having found it impossible to place any -similar contrivance overhead, on account of the peculiar manner of -closing up the opening there, and the consequent wrinkles in the -cloth, I could expect to see no objects situated directly in my -zenith. This, of course, was a matter of little consequence; for had -I even been able to place a window at top, the balloon itself would -have prevented my making any use of it. - -"About a foot below one of the side windows was a circular opening, -eight inches in diameter, and fitted with a brass rim adapted in its -inner edge to the windings of a screw. In this rim was screwed the -large tube of the condenser, the body of the machine being, of -course, within the chamber of gum-elastic. Through this tube a -quantity of the rare atmosphere circumjacent being drawn by means of -a vacuum created in the body of the machine, was thence discharged, -in a state of condensation, to mingle with the thin air already in -the chamber. This operation being repeated several times, at length -filled the chamber with atmosphere proper for all the purposes of -respiration. But in so confined a space it would, in a short time, -necessarily become foul, and unfit for use from frequent contact with -the lungs. It was then ejected by a small valve at the bottom of the -car -- the dense air readily sinking into the thinner atmosphere -below. To avoid the inconvenience of making a total vacuum at any -moment within the chamber, this purification was never accomplished -all at once, but in a gradual manner -- the valve being opened only -for a few seconds, then closed again, until one or two strokes from -the pump of the condenser had supplied the place of the atmosphere -ejected. For the sake of experiment I had put the cat and kittens in -a small basket, and suspended it outside the car to a button at the -bottom, close by the valve, through which I could feed them at any -moment when necessary. I did this at some little risk, and before -closing the mouth of the chamber, by reaching under the car with one -of the poles before mentioned to which a hook had been attached. - -"By the time I had fully completed these arrangements and filled the -chamber as explained, it wanted only ten minutes of nine o'clock. -During the whole period of my being thus employed, I endured the most -terrible distress from difficulty of respiration, and bitterly did I -repent the negligence or rather fool-hardiness, of which I had been -guilty, of putting off to the last moment a matter of so much -importance. But having at length accomplished it, I soon began to -reap the benefit of my invention. Once again I breathed with perfect -freedom and ease -- and indeed why should I not? I was also agreeably -surprised to find myself, in a great measure, relieved from the -violent pains which had hitherto tormented me. A slight headache, -accompanied with a sensation of fulness or distention about the -wrists, the ankles, and the throat, was nearly all of which I had now -to complain. Thus it seemed evident that a greater part of the -uneasiness attending the removal of atmospheric pressure had actually -worn off, as I had expected, and that much of the pain endured for -the last two hours should have been attributed altogether to the -effects of a deficient respiration. - -"At twenty minutes before nine o'clock -- that is to say, a short -time prior to my closing up the mouth of the chamber, the mercury -attained its limit, or ran down, in the barometer, which, as I -mentioned before, was one of an extended construction. It then -indicated an altitude on my part of 132,000 feet, or five-and-twenty -miles, and I consequently surveyed at that time an extent of the -earth's area amounting to no less than the three -hundred-and-twentieth part of its entire superficies. At nine o'clock -I had again lost sight of land to the eastward, but not before I -became aware that the balloon was drifting rapidly to the N. N. W. -The convexity of the ocean beneath me was very evident indeed, -although my view was often interrupted by the masses of cloud which -floated to and fro. I observed now that even the lightest vapors -never rose to more than ten miles above the level of the sea. - -"At half past nine I tried the experiment of throwing out a handful -of feathers through the valve. They did not float as I had expected; -but dropped down perpendicularly, like a bullet, en masse, and with -the greatest velocity -- being out of sight in a very few seconds. I -did not at first know what to make of this extraordinary phenomenon; -not being able to believe that my rate of ascent had, of a sudden, -met with so prodigious an acceleration. But it soon occurred to me -that the atmosphere was now far too rare to sustain even the -feathers; that they actually fell, as they appeared to do, with great -rapidity; and that I had been surprised by the united velocities of -their descent and my own elevation. - -"By ten o'clock I found that I had very little to occupy my immediate -attention. Affairs went swimmingly, and I believed the balloon to be -going upward with a speed increasing momently although I had no -longer any means of ascertaining the progression of the increase. I -suffered no pain or uneasiness of any kind, and enjoyed better -spirits than I had at any period since my departure from Rotterdam, -busying myself now in examining the state of my various apparatus, -and now in regenerating the atmosphere within the chamber. This -latter point I determined to attend to at regular intervals of forty -minutes, more on account of the preservation of my health, than from -so frequent a renovation being absolutely necessary. In the meanwhile -I could not help making anticipations. Fancy revelled in the wild and -dreamy regions of the moon. Imagination, feeling herself for once -unshackled, roamed at will among the ever-changing wonders of a -shadowy and unstable land. Now there were boary and time-honored -forests, and craggy precipices, and waterfalls tumbling with a loud -noise into abysses without a bottom. Then I came suddenly into still -noonday solitudes, where no wind of heaven ever intruded, and where -vast meadows of poppies, and slender, lily-looking flowers spread -themselves out a weary distance, all silent and motionless forever. -Then again I journeyed far down away into another country where it -was all one dim and vague lake, with a boundary line of clouds. And -out of this melancholy water arose a forest of tall eastern trees, -like a wilderness of dreams. And I have in mind that the shadows of -the trees which fell upon the lake remained not on the surface where -they fell, but sunk slowly and steadily down, and commingled with the -waves, while from the trunks of the trees other shadows were -continually coming out, and taking the place of their brothers thus -entombed. "This then," I said thoughtfully, "is the very reason why -the waters of this lake grow blacker with age, and more melancholy as -the hours run on." But fancies such as these were not the sole -possessors of my brain. Horrors of a nature most stern and most -appalling would too frequently obtrude themselves upon my mind, and -shake the innermost depths of my soul with the bare supposition of -their possibility. Yet I would not suffer my thoughts for any length -of time to dwell upon these latter speculations, rightly judging the -real and palpable dangers of the voyage sufficient for my undivided -attention. - -"At five o'clock, p.m., being engaged in regenerating the atmosphere -within the chamber, I took that opportunity of observing the cat and -kittens through the valve. The cat herself appeared to suffer again -very much, and I had no hesitation in attributing her uneasiness -chiefly to a difficulty in breathing; but my experiment with the -kittens had resulted very strangely. I had expected, of course, to -see them betray a sense of pain, although in a less degree than their -mother, and this would have been sufficient to confirm my opinion -concerning the habitual endurance of atmospheric pressure. But I was -not prepared to find them, upon close examination, evidently enjoying -a high degree of health, breathing with the greatest ease and perfect -regularity, and evincing not the slightest sign of any uneasiness -whatever. I could only account for all this by extending my theory, -and supposing that the highly rarefied atmosphere around might -perhaps not be, as I had taken for granted, chemically insufficient -for the purposes of life, and that a person born in such a medium -might, possibly, be unaware of any inconvenience attending its -inhalation, while, upon removal to the denser strata near the earth, -he might endure tortures of a similar nature to those I had so lately -experienced. It has since been to me a matter of deep regret that an -awkward accident, at this time, occasioned me the loss of my little -family of cats, and deprived me of the insight into this matter which -a continued experiment might have afforded. In passing my hand -through the valve, with a cup of water for the old puss, the sleeves -of my shirt became entangled in the loop which sustained the basket, -and thus, in a moment, loosened it from the bottom. Had the whole -actually vanished into air, it could not have shot from my sight in a -more abrupt and instantaneous manner. Positively, there could not -have intervened the tenth part of a second between the disengagement -of the basket and its absolute and total disappearance with all that -it contained. My good wishes followed it to the earth, but of course, -I had no hope that either cat or kittens would ever live to tell the -tale of their misfortune. - -"At six o'clock, I perceived a great portion of the earth's visible -area to the eastward involved in thick shadow, which continued to -advance with great rapidity, until, at five minutes before seven, the -whole surface in view was enveloped in the darkness of night. It was -not, however, until long after this time that the rays of the setting -sun ceased to illumine the balloon; and this circumstance, although -of course fully anticipated, did not fail to give me an infinite deal -of pleasure. It was evident that, in the morning, I should behold the -rising luminary many hours at least before the citizens of Rotterdam, -in spite of their situation so much farther to the eastward, and -thus, day after day, in proportion to the height ascended, would I -enjoy the light of the sun for a longer and a longer period. I now -determined to keep a journal of my passage, reckoning the days from -one to twenty-four hours continuously, without taking into -consideration the intervals of darkness. - -"At ten o'clock, feeling sleepy, I determined to lie down for the -rest of the night; but here a difficulty presented itself, which, -obvious as it may appear, had escaped my attention up to the very -moment of which I am now speaking. If I went to sleep as I proposed, -how could the atmosphere in the chamber be regenerated in the -interim? To breathe it for more than an hour, at the farthest, would -be a matter of impossibility, or, if even this term could be extended -to an hour and a quarter, the most ruinous consequences might ensue. -The consideration of this dilemma gave me no little disquietude; and -it will hardly be believed, that, after the dangers I had undergone, -I should look upon this business in so serious a light, as to give up -all hope of accomplishing my ultimate design, and finally make up my -mind to the necessity of a descent. But this hesitation was only -momentary. I reflected that man is the veriest slave of custom, and -that many points in the routine of his existence are deemed -essentially important, which are only so at all by his having -rendered them habitual. It was very certain that I could not do -without sleep; but I might easily bring myself to feel no -inconvenience from being awakened at intervals of an hour during the -whole period of my repose. It would require but five minutes at most -to regenerate the atmosphere in the fullest manner, and the only real -difficulty was to contrive a method of arousing myself at the proper -moment for so doing. But this was a question which, I am willing to -confess, occasioned me no little trouble in its solution. To be sure, -I had heard of the student who, to prevent his falling asleep over -his books, held in one hand a ball of copper, the din of whose -descent into a basin of the same metal on the floor beside his chair, -served effectually to startle him up, if, at any moment, he should be -overcome with drowsiness. My own case, however, was very different -indeed, and left me no room for any similar idea; for I did not wish -to keep awake, but to be aroused from slumber at regular intervals of -time. I at length hit upon the following expedient, which, simple as -it may seem, was hailed by me, at the moment of discovery, as an -invention fully equal to that of the telescope, the steam-engine, or -the art of printing itself. - -"It is necessary to premise, that the balloon, at the elevation now -attained, continued its course upward with an even and undeviating -ascent, and the car consequently followed with a steadiness so -perfect that it would have been impossible to detect in it the -slightest vacillation whatever. This circumstance favored me greatly -in the project I now determined to adopt. My supply of water had been -put on board in kegs containing five gallons each, and ranged very -securely around the interior of the car. I unfastened one of these, -and taking two ropes tied them tightly across the rim of the -wicker-work from one side to the other; placing them about a foot -apart and parallel so as to form a kind of shelf, upon which I placed -the keg, and steadied it in a horizontal position. About eight inches -immediately below these ropes, and four feet from the bottom of the -car I fastened another shelf -- but made of thin plank, being the -only similar piece of wood I had. Upon this latter shelf, and exactly -beneath one of the rims of the keg, a small earthern pitcher was -deposited. I now bored a hole in the end of the keg over the pitcher, -and fitted in a plug of soft wood, cut in a tapering or conical -shape. This plug I pushed in or pulled out, as might happen, until, -after a few experiments, it arrived at that exact degree of -tightness, at which the water, oozing from the hole, and falling into -the pitcher below, would fill the latter to the brim in the period of -sixty minutes. This, of course, was a matter briefly and easily -ascertained, by noticing the proportion of the pitcher filled in any -given time. Having arranged all this, the rest of the plan is -obvious. My bed was so contrived upon the floor of the car, as to -bring my head, in lying down, immediately below the mouth of the -pitcher. It was evident, that, at the expiration of an hour, the -pitcher, getting full, would be forced to run over, and to run over -at the mouth, which was somewhat lower than the rim. It was also -evident, that the water thus falling from a height of more than four -feet, could not do otherwise than fall upon my face, and that the -sure consequences would be, to waken me up instantaneously, even from -the soundest slumber in the world. - -"It was fully eleven by the time I had completed these arrangements, -and I immediately betook myself to bed, with full confidence in the -efficiency of my invention. Nor in this matter was I disappointed. -Punctually every sixty minutes was I aroused by my trusty -chronometer, when, having emptied the pitcher into the bung-hole of -the keg, and performed the duties of the condenser, I retired again -to bed. These regular interruptions to my slumber caused me even less -discomfort than I had anticipated; and when I finally arose for the -day, it was seven o'clock, and the sun had attained many degrees -above the line of my horizon. - -"April 3d. I found the balloon at an immense height indeed, and the -earth's apparent convexity increased in a material degree. Below me -in the ocean lay a cluster of black specks, which undoubtedly were -islands. Far away to the northward I perceived a thin, white, and -exceedingly brilliant line, or streak, on the edge of the horizon, -and I had no hesitation in supposing it to be the southern disk of -the ices of the Polar Sea. My curiosity was greatly excited, for I -had hopes of passing on much farther to the north, and might -possibly, at some period, find myself placed directly above the Pole -itself. I now lamented that my great elevation would, in this case, -prevent my taking as accurate a survey as I could wish. Much, -however, might be ascertained. Nothing else of an extraordinary -nature occurred during the day. My apparatus all continued in good -order, and the balloon still ascended without any perceptible -vacillation. The cold was intense, and obliged me to wrap up closely -in an overcoat. When darkness came over the earth, I betook myself to -bed, although it was for many hours afterward broad daylight all -around my immediate situation. The water-clock was punctual in its -duty, and I slept until next morning soundly, with the exception of -the periodical interruption. - -"April 4th. Arose in good health and spirits, and was astonished at -the singular change which had taken place in the appearance of the -sea. It had lost, in a great measure, the deep tint of blue it had -hitherto worn, being now of a grayish-white, and of a lustre dazzling -to the eye. The islands were no longer visible; whether they had -passed down the horizon to the southeast, or whether my increasing -elevation had left them out of sight, it is impossible to say. I was -inclined, however, to the latter opinion. The rim of ice to the -northward was growing more and more apparent. Cold by no means so -intense. Nothing of importance occurred, and I passed the day in -reading, having taken care to supply myself with books. - -"April 5th. Beheld the singular phenomenon of the sun rising while -nearly the whole visible surface of the earth continued to be -involved in darkness. In time, however, the light spread itself over -all, and I again saw the line of ice to the northward. It was now -very distinct, and appeared of a much darker hue than the waters of -the ocean. I was evidently approaching it, and with great rapidity. -Fancied I could again distinguish a strip of land to the eastward, -and one also to the westward, but could not be certain. Weather -moderate. Nothing of any consequence happened during the day. Went -early to bed. - -"April 6th. Was surprised at finding the rim of ice at a very -moderate distance, and an immense field of the same material -stretching away off to the horizon in the north. It was evident that -if the balloon held its present course, it would soon arrive above -the Frozen Ocean, and I had now little doubt of ultimately seeing the -Pole. During the whole of the day I continued to near the ice. Toward -night the limits of my horizon very suddenly and materially -increased, owing undoubtedly to the earth's form being that of an -oblate spheroid, and my arriving above the flattened regions in the -vicinity of the Arctic circle. When darkness at length overtook me, I -went to bed in great anxiety, fearing to pass over the object of so -much curiosity when I should have no opportunity of observing it. - -"April 7th. Arose early, and, to my great joy, at length beheld what -there could be no hesitation in supposing the northern Pole itself. -It was there, beyond a doubt, and immediately beneath my feet; but, -alas! I had now ascended to so vast a distance, that nothing could -with accuracy be discerned. Indeed, to judge from the progression of -the numbers indicating my various altitudes, respectively, at -different periods, between six A.M. on the second of April, and -twenty minutes before nine A.M. of the same day (at which time the -barometer ran down), it might be fairly inferred that the balloon had -now, at four o'clock in the morning of April the seventh, reached a -height of not less, certainly, than 7,254 miles above the surface of -the sea. This elevation may appear immense, but the estimate upon -which it is calculated gave a result in all probability far inferior -to the truth. At all events I undoubtedly beheld the whole of the -earth's major diameter; the entire northern hemisphere lay beneath me -like a chart orthographically projected: and the great circle of the -equator itself formed the boundary line of my horizon. Your -Excellencies may, however, readily imagine that the confined regions -hitherto unexplored within the limits of the Arctic circle, although -situated directly beneath me, and therefore seen without any -appearance of being foreshortened, were still, in themselves, -comparatively too diminutive, and at too great a distance from the -point of sight, to admit of any very accurate examination. -Nevertheless, what could be seen was of a nature singular and -exciting. Northwardly from that huge rim before mentioned, and which, -with slight qualification, may be called the limit of human discovery -in these regions, one unbroken, or nearly unbroken, sheet of ice -continues to extend. In the first few degrees of this its progress, -its surface is very sensibly flattened, farther on depressed into a -plane, and finally, becoming not a little concave, it terminates, at -the Pole itself, in a circular centre, sharply defined, whose -apparent diameter subtended at the balloon an angle of about -sixty-five seconds, and whose dusky hue, varying in intensity, was, -at all times, darker than any other spot upon the visible hemisphere, -and occasionally deepened into the most absolute and impenetrable -blackness. Farther than this, little could be ascertained. By twelve -o'clock the circular centre had materially decreased in -circumference, and by seven P.M. I lost sight of it entirely; the -balloon passing over the western limb of the ice, and floating away -rapidly in the direction of the equator. - -"April 8th. Found a sensible diminution in the earth's apparent -diameter, besides a material alteration in its general color and -appearance. The whole visible area partook in different degrees of a -tint of pale yellow, and in some portions had acquired a brilliancy -even painful to the eye. My view downward was also considerably -impeded by the dense atmosphere in the vicinity of the surface being -loaded with clouds, between whose masses I could only now and then -obtain a glimpse of the earth itself. This difficulty of direct -vision had troubled me more or less for the last forty-eight hours; -but my present enormous elevation brought closer together, as it -were, the floating bodies of vapor, and the inconvenience became, of -course, more and more palpable in proportion to my ascent. -Nevertheless, I could easily perceive that the balloon now hovered -above the range of great lakes in the continent of North America, and -was holding a course, due south, which would bring me to the tropics. -This circumstance did not fail to give me the most heartful -satisfaction, and I hailed it as a happy omen of ultimate success. -Indeed, the direction I had hitherto taken, had filled me with -uneasiness; for it was evident that, had I continued it much longer, -there would have been no possibility of my arriving at the moon at -all, whose orbit is inclined to the ecliptic at only the small angle -of 5 degrees 8' 48". - -"April 9th. To-day the earth's diameter was greatly diminished, and -the color of the surface assumed hourly a deeper tint of yellow. The -balloon kept steadily on her course to the southward, and arrived, at -nine P.M., over the northern edge of the Mexican Gulf. - -"April 10th. I was suddenly aroused from slumber, about five o'clock -this morning, by a loud, crackling, and terrific sound, for which I -could in no manner account. It was of very brief duration, but, while -it lasted resembled nothing in the world of which I had any previous -experience. It is needless to say that I became excessively alarmed, -having, in the first instance, attributed the noise to the bursting -of the balloon. I examined all my apparatus, however, with great -attention, and could discover nothing out of order. Spent a great -part of the day in meditating upon an occurrence so extraordinary, -but could find no means whatever of accounting for it. Went to bed -dissatisfied, and in a state of great anxiety and agitation. - -"April 11th. Found a startling diminution in the apparent diameter of -the earth, and a considerable increase, now observable for the first -time, in that of the moon itself, which wanted only a few days of -being full. It now required long and excessive labor to condense -within the chamber sufficient atmospheric air for the sustenance of -life. - -"April 12th. A singular alteration took place in regard to the -direction of the balloon, and although fully anticipated, afforded me -the most unequivocal delight. Having reached, in its former course, -about the twentieth parallel of southern latitude, it turned off -suddenly, at an acute angle, to the eastward, and thus proceeded -throughout the day, keeping nearly, if not altogether, in the exact -plane of the lunar elipse. What was worthy of remark, a very -perceptible vacillation in the car was a consequence of this change -of route -- a vacillation which prevailed, in a more or less degree, -for a period of many hours. - -"April 13th. Was again very much alarmed by a repetition of the loud, -crackling noise which terrified me on the tenth. Thought long upon -the subject, but was unable to form any satisfactory conclusion. -Great decrease in the earth's apparent diameter, which now subtended -from the balloon an angle of very little more than twenty-five -degrees. The moon could not be seen at all, being nearly in my -zenith. I still continued in the plane of the elipse, but made little -progress to the eastward. - -"April 14th. Extremely rapid decrease in the diameter of the earth. -To-day I became strongly impressed with the idea, that the balloon -was now actually running up the line of apsides to the point of -perigee- in other words, holding the direct course which would bring -it immediately to the moon in that part of its orbit the nearest to -the earth. The moon iself was directly overhead, and consequently -hidden from my view. Great and long-continued labor necessary for the -condensation of the atmosphere. - -"April 15th. Not even the outlines of continents and seas could now -be traced upon the earth with anything approaching distinctness. -About twelve o'clock I became aware, for the third time, of that -appalling sound which had so astonished me before. It now, however, -continued for some moments, and gathered intensity as it continued. -At length, while, stupefied and terror-stricken, I stood in -expectation of I knew not what hideous destruction, the car vibrated -with excessive violence, and a gigantic and flaming mass of some -material which I could not distinguish, came with a voice of a -thousand thunders, roaring and booming by the balloon. When my fears -and astonishment had in some degree subsided, I had little difficulty -in supposing it to be some mighty volcanic fragment ejected from that -world to which I was so rapidly approaching, and, in all probability, -one of that singular class of substances occasionally picked up on -the earth, and termed meteoric stones for want of a better -appellation. - -"April 16th. To-day, looking upward as well as I could, through each -of the side windows alternately, I beheld, to my great delight, a -very small portion of the moon's disk protruding, as it were, on all -sides beyond the huge circumference of the balloon. My agitation was -extreme; for I had now little doubt of soon reaching the end of my -perilous voyage. Indeed, the labor now required by the condenser had -increased to a most oppressive degree, and allowed me scarcely any -respite from exertion. Sleep was a matter nearly out of the question. -I became quite ill, and my frame trembled with exhaustion. It was -impossible that human nature could endure this state of intense -suffering much longer. During the now brief interval of darkness a -meteoric stone again passed in my vicinity, and the frequency of -these phenomena began to occasion me much apprehension. - -"April 17th. This morning proved an epoch in my voyage. It will be -remembered that, on the thirteenth, the earth subtended an angular -breadth of twenty-five degrees. On the fourteenth this had greatly -diminished; on the fifteenth a still more remarkable decrease was -observable; and, on retiring on the night of the sixteenth, I had -noticed an angle of no more than about seven degrees and fifteen -minutes. What, therefore, must have been my amazement, on awakening -from a brief and disturbed slumber, on the morning of this day, the -seventeenth, at finding the surface beneath me so suddenly and -wonderfully augmented in volume, as to subtend no less than -thirty-nine degrees in apparent angular diameter! I was -thunderstruck! No words can give any adequate idea of the extreme, -the absolute horror and astonishment, with which I was seized -possessed, and altogether overwhelmed. My knees tottered beneath me --- my teeth chattered -- my hair started up on end. "The balloon, -then, had actually burst!" These were the first tumultuous ideas that -hurried through my mind: "The balloon had positively burst! -- I was -falling -- falling with the most impetuous, the most unparalleled -velocity! To judge by the immense distance already so quickly passed -over, it could not be more than ten minutes, at the farthest, before -I should meet the surface of the earth, and be hurled into -annihilation!" But at length reflection came to my relief. I paused; -I considered; and I began to doubt. The matter was impossible. I -could not in any reason have so rapidly come down. Besides, although -I was evidently approaching the surface below me, it was with a speed -by no means commensurate with the velocity I had at first so horribly -conceived. This consideration served to calm the perturbation of my -mind, and I finally succeeded in regarding the phenomenon in its -proper point of view. In fact, amazement must have fairly deprived me -of my senses, when I could not see the vast difference, in -appearance, between the surface below me, and the surface of my -mother earth. The latter was indeed over my head, and completely -hidden by the balloon, while the moon -- the moon itself in all its -glory -- lay beneath me, and at my feet. - -"The stupor and surprise produced in my mind by this extraordinary -change in the posture of affairs was perhaps, after all, that part of -the adventure least susceptible of explanation. For the -bouleversement in itself was not only natural and inevitable, but had -been long actually anticipated as a circumstance to be expected -whenever I should arrive at that exact point of my voyage where the -attraction of the planet should be superseded by the attraction of -the satellite -- or, more precisely, where the gravitation of the -balloon toward the earth should be less powerful than its gravitation -toward the moon. To be sure I arose from a sound slumber, with all my -senses in confusion, to the contemplation of a very startling -phenomenon, and one which, although expected, was not expected at the -moment. The revolution itself must, of course, have taken place in an -easy and gradual manner, and it is by no means clear that, had I even -been awake at the time of the occurrence, I should have been made -aware of it by any internal evidence of an inversion -- that is to -say, by any inconvenience or disarrangement, either about my person -or about my apparatus. - -"It is almost needless to say that, upon coming to a due sense of my -situation, and emerging from the terror which had absorbed every -faculty of my soul, my attention was, in the first place, wholly -directed to the contemplation of the general physical appearance of -the moon. It lay beneath me like a chart -- and although I judged it -to be still at no inconsiderable distance, the indentures of its -surface were defined to my vision with a most striking and altogether -unaccountable distinctness. The entire absence of ocean or sea, and -indeed of any lake or river, or body of water whatsoever, struck me, -at first glance, as the most extraordinary feature in its geological -condition. Yet, strange to say, I beheld vast level regions of a -character decidedly alluvial, although by far the greater portion of -the hemisphere in sight was covered with innumerable volcanic -mountains, conical in shape, and having more the appearance of -artificial than of natural protuberance. The highest among them does -not exceed three and three-quarter miles in perpendicular elevation; -but a map of the volcanic districts of the Campi Phlegraei would -afford to your Excellencies a better idea of their general surface -than any unworthy description I might think proper to attempt. The -greater part of them were in a state of evident eruption, and gave me -fearfully to understand their fury and their power, by the repeated -thunders of the miscalled meteoric stones, which now rushed upward by -the balloon with a frequency more and more appalling. - -"April 18th. To-day I found an enormous increase in the moon's -apparent bulk -- and the evidently accelerated velocity of my descent -began to fill me with alarm. It will be remembered, that, in the -earliest stage of my speculations upon the possibility of a passage -to the moon, the existence, in its vicinity, of an atmosphere, dense -in proportion to the bulk of the planet, had entered largely into my -calculations; this too in spite of many theories to the contrary, -and, it may be added, in spite of a general disbelief in the -existence of any lunar atmosphere at all. But, in addition to what I -have already urged in regard to Encke's comet and the zodiacal light, -I had been strengthened in my opinion by certain observations of Mr. -Schroeter, of Lilienthal. He observed the moon when two days and a -half old, in the evening soon after sunset, before the dark part was -visible, and continued to watch it until it became visible. The two -cusps appeared tapering in a very sharp faint prolongation, each -exhibiting its farthest extremity faintly illuminated by the solar -rays, before any part of the dark hemisphere was visible. Soon -afterward, the whole dark limb became illuminated. This prolongation -of the cusps beyond the semicircle, I thought, must have arisen from -the refraction of the sun's rays by the moon's atmosphere. I -computed, also, the height of the atmosphere (which could refract -light enough into its dark hemisphere to produce a twilight more -luminous than the light reflected from the earth when the moon is -about 32 degrees from the new) to be 1,356 Paris feet; in this view, -I supposed the greatest height capable of refracting the solar ray, -to be 5,376 feet. My ideas on this topic had also received -confirmation by a passage in the eighty-second volume of the -Philosophical Transactions, in which it is stated that at an -occultation of Jupiter's satellites, the third disappeared after -having been about 1" or 2" of time indistinct, and the fourth became -indiscernible near the limb.{*4} - -"Cassini frequently observed Saturn, Jupiter, and the fixed stars, -when approaching the moon to occultation, to have their circular -figure changed into an oval one; and, in other occultations, he found -no alteration of figure at all. Hence it might be supposed, that at -some times and not at others, there is a dense matter encompassing -the moon wherein the rays of the stars are refracted. - -"Upon the resistance or, more properly, upon the support of an -atmosphere, existing in the state of density imagined, I had, of -course, entirely depended for the safety of my ultimate descent. -Should I then, after all, prove to have been mistaken, I had in -consequence nothing better to expect, as a finale to my adventure, -than being dashed into atoms against the rugged surface of the -satellite. And, indeed, I had now every reason to be terrified. My -distance from the moon was comparatively trifling, while the labor -required by the condenser was diminished not at all, and I could -discover no indication whatever of a decreasing rarity in the air. - -"April 19th. This morning, to my great joy, about nine o'clock, the -surface of the moon being frightfully near, and my apprehensions -excited to the utmost, the pump of my condenser at length gave -evident tokens of an alteration in the atmosphere. By ten, I had -reason to believe its density considerably increased. By eleven, very -little labor was necessary at the apparatus; and at twelve o'clock, -with some hesitation, I ventured to unscrew the tourniquet, when, -finding no inconvenience from having done so, I finally threw open -the gum-elastic chamber, and unrigged it from around the car. As -might have been expected, spasms and violent headache were the -immediate consequences of an experiment so precipitate and full of -danger. But these and other difficulties attending respiration, as -they were by no means so great as to put me in peril of my life, I -determined to endure as I best could, in consideration of my leaving -them behind me momently in my approach to the denser strata near the -moon. This approach, however, was still impetuous in the extreme; and -it soon became alarmingly certain that, although I had probably not -been deceived in the expectation of an atmosphere dense in proportion -to the mass of the satellite, still I had been wrong in supposing -this density, even at the surface, at all adequate to the support of -the great weight contained in the car of my balloon. Yet this should -have been the case, and in an equal degree as at the surface of the -earth, the actual gravity of bodies at either planet supposed in the -ratio of the atmospheric condensation. That it was not the case, -however, my precipitous downfall gave testimony enough; why it was -not so, can only be explained by a reference to those possible -geological disturbances to which I have formerly alluded. At all -events I was now close upon the planet, and coming down with the most -terrible impetuosity. I lost not a moment, accordingly, in throwing -overboard first my ballast, then my water-kegs, then my condensing -apparatus and gum-elastic chamber, and finally every article within -the car. But it was all to no purpose. I still fell with horrible -rapidity, and was now not more than half a mile from the surface. As -a last resource, therefore, having got rid of my coat, hat, and -boots, I cut loose from the balloon the car itself, which was of no -inconsiderable weight, and thus, clinging with both hands to the -net-work, I had barely time to observe that the whole country, as far -as the eye could reach, was thickly interspersed with diminutive -habitations, ere I tumbled headlong into the very heart of a -fantastical-looking city, and into the middle of a vast crowd of ugly -little people, who none of them uttered a single syllable, or gave -themselves the least trouble to render me assistance, but stood, like -a parcel of idiots, grinning in a ludicrous manner, and eyeing me and -my balloon askant, with their arms set a-kimbo. I turned from them in -contempt, and, gazing upward at the earth so lately left, and left -perhaps for ever, beheld it like a huge, dull, copper shield, about -two degrees in diameter, fixed immovably in the heavens overhead, and -tipped on one of its edges with a crescent border of the most -brilliant gold. No traces of land or water could be discovered, and -the whole was clouded with variable spots, and belted with tropical -and equatorial zones. - -"Thus, may it please your Excellencies, after a series of great -anxieties, unheard of dangers, and unparalleled escapes, I had, at -length, on the nineteenth day of my departure from Rotterdam, arrived -in safety at the conclusion of a voyage undoubtedly the most -extraordinary, and the most momentous, ever accomplished, undertaken, -or conceived by any denizen of earth. But my adventures yet remain to -be related. And indeed your Excellencies may well imagine that, after -a residence of five years upon a planet not only deeply interesting -in its own peculiar character, but rendered doubly so by its intimate -connection, in capacity of satellite, with the world inhabited by -man, I may have intelligence for the private ear of the States' -College of Astronomers of far more importance than the details, -however wonderful, of the mere voyage which so happily concluded. -This is, in fact, the case. I have much -- very much which it would -give me the greatest pleasure to communicate. I have much to say of -the climate of the planet; of its wonderful alternations of heat and -cold, of unmitigated and burning sunshine for one fortnight, and more -than polar frigidity for the next; of a constant transfer of -moisture, by distillation like that in vacuo, from the point beneath -the sun to the point the farthest from it; of a variable zone of -running water, of the people themselves; of their manners, customs, -and political institutions; of their peculiar physical construction; -of their ugliness; of their want of ears, those useless appendages in -an atmosphere so peculiarly modified; of their consequent ignorance -of the use and properties of speech; of their substitute for speech -in a singular method of inter-communication; of the incomprehensible -connection between each particular individual in the moon with some -particular individual on the earth -- a connection analogous with, -and depending upon, that of the orbs of the planet and the -satellites, and by means of which the lives and destinies of the -inhabitants of the one are interwoven with the lives and destinies of -the inhabitants of the other; and above all, if it so please your -Excellencies -- above all, of those dark and hideous mysteries which -lie in the outer regions of the moon -- regions which, owing to the -almost miraculous accordance of the satellite's rotation on its own -axis with its sidereal revolution about the earth, have never yet -been turned, and, by God's mercy, never shall be turned, to the -scrutiny of the telescopes of man. All this, and more- much more -- -would I most willingly detail. But, to be brief, I must have my -reward. I am pining for a return to my family and to my home, and as -the price of any farther communication on my part -- in consideration -of the light which I have it in my power to throw upon many very -important branches of physical and metaphysical science -- I must -solicit, through the influence of your honorable body, a pardon for -the crime of which I have been guilty in the death of the creditors -upon my departure from Rotterdam. This, then, is the object of the -present paper. Its bearer, an inhabitant of the moon, whom I have -prevailed upon, and properly instructed, to be my messenger to the -earth, will await your Excellencies' pleasure, and return to me with -the pardon in question, if it can, in any manner, be obtained. - -"I have the honor to be, etc., your Excellencies' very humble -servant, - -HANS PFAALL." - -Upon finishing the perusal of this very extraordinary document, -Professor Rub-a-dub, it is said, dropped his pipe upon the ground in -the extremity of his surprise, and Mynheer Superbus Von Underduk -having taken off his spectacles, wiped them, and deposited them in -his pocket, so far forgot both himself and his dignity, as to turn -round three times upon his heel in the quintessence of astonishment -and admiration. There was no doubt about the matter -- the pardon -should be obtained. So at least swore, with a round oath, Professor -Rub-a-dub, and so finally thought the illustrious Von Underduk, as he -took the arm of his brother in science, and without saying a word, -began to make the best of his way home to deliberate upon the -measures to be adopted. Having reached the door, however, of the -burgomaster's dwelling, the professor ventured to suggest that as the -messenger had thought proper to disappear -- no doubt frightened to -death by the savage appearance of the burghers of Rotterdam -- the -pardon would be of little use, as no one but a man of the moon would -undertake a voyage to so vast a distance. To the truth of this -observation the burgomaster assented, and the matter was therefore at -an end. Not so, however, rumors and speculations. The letter, having -been published, gave rise to a variety of gossip and opinion. Some of -the over-wise even made themselves ridiculous by decrying the whole -business; as nothing better than a hoax. But hoax, with these sort of -people, is, I believe, a general term for all matters above their -comprehension. For my part, I cannot conceive upon what data they -have founded such an accusation. Let us see what they say: - -Imprimus. That certain wags in Rotterdam have certain especial -antipathies to certain burgomasters and astronomers. - -Don't understand at all. - -Secondly. That an odd little dwarf and bottle conjurer, both of whose -ears, for some misdemeanor, have been cut off close to his head, has -been missing for several days from the neighboring city of Bruges. - -Well -- what of that? - -Thirdly. That the newspapers which were stuck all over the little -balloon were newspapers of Holland, and therefore could not have been -made in the moon. They were dirty papers -- very dirty -- and Gluck, -the printer, would take his Bible oath to their having been printed -in Rotterdam. - -He was mistaken -- undoubtedly -- mistaken. - -Fourthly, That Hans Pfaall himself, the druken villain, and the three -very idle gentlemen styled his creditors, were all seen, no longer -than two or three days ago, in a tippling house in the suburbs, -having just returned, with money in their pockets, from a trip beyond -the sea. - -Don't believe it -- don't believe a word of it. - -Lastly. That it is an opinion very generally received, or which ought -to be generally received, that the College of Astronomers in the city -of Rotterdam, as well as other colleges in all other parts of the -world, -- not to mention colleges and astronomers in general, -- are, -to say the least of the matter, not a whit better, nor greater, nor -wiser than they ought to be. - -~~~ End of Text ~~~ - -Notes to Hans Pfaal - -{*1} NOTE--Strictly speaking, there is but little similarity between -the above sketchy trifle and the celebrated "Moon-Story" of Mr. -Locke; but as both have the character of _hoaxes _(although the one -is in a tone of banter, the other of downright earnest), and as both -hoaxes are on the same subject, the moon--moreover, as both attempt -to give plausibility by scientific detail--the author of "Hans -Pfaall" thinks it necessary to say, in _self-defence, _that his own -_jeu d'esprit _was published in the "Southern Literary Messenger" -about three weeks before the commencement of Mr. L's in the "New York -Sun." Fancying a likeness which, perhaps, does not exist, some of the -New York papers copied "Hans Pfaall," and collated it with the -"Moon-Hoax," by way of detecting the writer of the one in the writer -of the other. - -As many more persons were actually gulled by the "Moon-Hoax" than -would be willing to acknowledge the fact, it may here afford some -little amusement to show why no one should have been deceived-to -point out those particulars of the story which should have been -sufficient to establish its real character. Indeed, however rich the -imagination displayed in this ingenious fiction, it wanted much of -the force which might have been given it by a more scrupulous -attention to facts and to general analogy. That the public were -misled, even for an instant, merely proves the gross ignorance which -is so generally prevalent upon subjects of an astronomical nature. - -The moon's distance from the earth is, in round numbers, 240,000 -miles. If we desire to ascertain how near, apparently, a lens would -bring the satellite (or any distant object), we, of course, have but -to divide the distance by the magnifying or, more strictly, by the -space-penetrating power of the glass. Mr. L. makes his lens have a -power of 42,000 times. By this divide 240,000 (the moon's real -distance), and we have five miles and five sevenths, as the apparent -distance. No animal at all could be seen so far; much less the minute -points particularized in the story. Mr. L. speaks about Sir John -Herschel's perceiving flowers (the Papaver rheas, etc.), and even -detecting the color and the shape of the eyes of small birds. Shortly -before, too, he has himself observed that the lens would not render -perceptible objects of less than eighteen inches in diameter; but -even this, as I have said, is giving the glass by far too great -power. It may be observed, in passing, that this prodigious glass is -said to have been molded at the glasshouse of Messrs. Hartley and -Grant, in Dumbarton; but Messrs. H. and G.'s establishment had ceased -operations for many years previous to the publication of the hoax. - -On page 13, pamphlet edition, speaking of "a hairy veil" over the -eyes of a species of bison, the author says: "It immediately occurred -to the acute mind of Dr. Herschel that this was a providential -contrivance to protect the eyes of the animal from the great extremes -of light and darkness to which all the inhabitants of our side of the -moon are periodically subjected." But this cannot be thought a very -"acute" observation of the Doctor's. The inhabitants of our side of -the moon have, evidently, no darkness at all, so there can be nothing -of the "extremes" mentioned. In the absence of the sun they have a -light from the earth equal to that of thirteen full unclouded moons. - -The topography throughout, even when professing to accord with -Blunt's Lunar Chart, is entirely at variance with that or any other -lunar chart, and even grossly at variance with itself. The points of -the compass, too, are in inextricable confusion; the writer appearing -to be ignorant that, on a lunar map, these are not in accordance with -terrestrial points; the east being to the left, etc. - -Deceived, perhaps, by the vague titles, Mare Nubium, Mare -Tranquillitatis, Mare Faecunditatis, etc., given to the dark spots by -former astronomers, Mr. L. has entered into details regarding oceans -and other large bodies of water in the moon; whereas there is no -astronomical point more positively ascertained than that no such -bodies exist there. In examining the boundary between light and -darkness (in the crescent or gibbous moon) where this boundary -crosses any of the dark places, the line of division is found to be -rough and jagged; but, were these dark places liquid, it would -evidently be even. - -The description of the wings of the man-bat, on page 21, is but a -literal copy of Peter Wilkins' account of the wings of his flying -islanders. This simple fact should have induced suspicion, at least, -it might be thought. - -On page 23, we have the following: "What a prodigious influence must -our thirteen times larger globe have exercised upon this satellite -when an embryo in the womb of time, the passive subject of chemical -affinity!" This is very fine; but it should be observed that no -astronomer would have made such remark, especially to any journal of -Science; for the earth, in the sense intended, is not only thirteen, -but forty-nine times larger than the moon. A similar objection -applies to the whole of the concluding pages, where, by way of -introduction to some discoveries in Saturn, the philosophical -correspondent enters into a minute schoolboy account of that planet --- this to the "Edinburgh journal of Science!" - -But there is one point, in particular, which should have betrayed the -fiction. Let us imagine the power actually possessed of seeing -animals upon the moon's surface -- what would first arrest the -attention of an observer from the earth? Certainly neither their -shape, size, nor any other such peculiarity, so soon as their -remarkable _situation_. They would appear to be walking, with heels -up and head down, in the manner of flies on a ceiling. The _real_ -observer would have uttered an instant ejaculation of surprise -(however prepared by previous knowledge) at the singularity of their -position; the _fictitious_ observer has not even mentioned the -subject, but speaks of seeing the entire bodies of such creatures, -when it is demonstrable that he could have seen only the diameter of -their heads! - -It might as well be remarked, in conclusion, that the size, and -particularly the powers of the man-bats (for example, their ability -to fly in so rare an atmosphere--if, indeed, the moon have any), with -most of the other fancies in regard to animal and vegetable -existence, are at variance, generally, with all analogical reasoning -on these themes; and that analogy here will often amount to -conclusive demonstration. It is, perhaps, scarcely necessary to add, -that all the suggestions attributed to Brewster and Herschel, in the -beginning of the article, about "a transfusion of artificial light -through the focal object of vision," etc., etc., belong to that -species of figurative writing which comes, most properly, under the -denomination of rigmarole. - -There is a real and very definite limit to optical discovery among -the stars--a limit whose nature need only be stated to be understood. -If, indeed, the casting of large lenses were all that is required, -man's ingenuity would ultimately prove equal to the task, and we -might have them of any size demanded. But, unhappily, in proportion -to the increase of size in the lens, and consequently of -space-penetrating power, is the diminution of light from the object, -by diffusion of its rays. And for this evil there is no remedy within -human ability; for an object is seen by means of that light alone -which proceeds from itself, whether direct or reflected. Thus the -only "artificial" light which could avail Mr. Locke, would be some -artificial light which he should be able to throw-not upon the "focal -object of vision," but upon the real object to be viewed-to wit: upon -the moon. It has been easily calculated that, when the light -proceeding from a star becomes so diffused as to be as weak as the -natural light proceeding from the whole of the stars, in a clear and -moonless night, then the star is no longer visible for any practical -purpose. - -The Earl of Ross's telescope, lately constructed in England, has a -_speculum_ with a reflecting surface of 4,071 square inches; the -Herschel telescope having one of only 1,811. The metal of the Earl of -Ross's is 6 feet diameter; it is 5 1/2 inches thick at the edges, and -5 at the centre. The weight is 3 tons. The focal length is 50 feet. - -I have lately read a singular and somewhat ingenious little book, -whose title-page runs thus: "L'Homme dans la lvne ou le Voyage -Chimerique fait au Monde de la Lvne, nouuellement decouuert par -Dominique Gonzales, Aduanturier Espagnol, autremét dit le Courier -volant. Mis en notre langve par J. B. D. A. Paris, chez Francois -Piot, pres la Fontaine de Saint Benoist. Et chez J. Goignard, au -premier pilier de la grand'salle du Palais, proche les Consultations, -MDCXLVII." Pp. 76. - -The writer professes to have translated his work from the English of -one Mr. D'Avisson (Davidson?) although there is a terrible ambiguity -in the statement. "J' en ai eu," says he "l'original de Monsieur -D'Avisson, medecin des mieux versez qui soient aujourd'huy dans la -cònoissance des Belles Lettres, et sur tout de la Philosophic -Naturelle. Je lui ai cette obligation entre les autres, de m' auoir -non seulement mis en main cc Livre en anglois, mais encore le -Manuscrit du Sieur Thomas D'Anan, gentilhomme Eccossois, -recommandable pour sa vertu, sur la version duquel j' advoue que j' -ay tiré le plan de la mienne." - -After some irrelevant adventures, much in the manner of Gil Blas, and -which occupy the first thirty pages, the author relates that, being -ill during a sea voyage, the crew abandoned him, together with a -negro servant, on the island of St. Helena. To increase the chances -of obtaining food, the two separate, and live as far apart as -possible. This brings about a training of birds, to serve the purpose -of carrier-pigeons between them. By and by these are taught to carry -parcels of some weight-and this weight is gradually increased. At -length the idea is entertained of uniting the force of a great number -of the birds, with a view to raising the author himself. A machine is -contrived for the purpose, and we have a minute description of it, -which is materially helped out by a steel engraving. Here we perceive -the Signor Gonzales, with point ruffles and a huge periwig, seated -astride something which resembles very closely a broomstick, and -borne aloft by a multitude of wild swans _(ganzas) _who had strings -reaching from their tails to the machine. - -The main event detailed in the Signor's narrative depends upon a very -important fact, of which the reader is kept in ignorance until near -the end of the book. The _ganzas, _with whom he had become so -familiar, were not really denizens of St. Helena, but of the moon. -Thence it had been their custom, time out of mind, to migrate -annually to some portion of the earth. In proper season, of course, -they would return home; and the author, happening, one day, to -require their services for a short voyage, is unexpectedly carried -straight tip, and in a very brief period arrives at the satellite. -Here he finds, among other odd things, that the people enjoy extreme -happiness; that they have no _law; _that they die without pain; that -they are from ten to thirty feet in height; that they live five -thousand years; that they have an emperor called Irdonozur; and that -they can jump sixty feet high, when, being out of the gravitating -influence, they fly about with fans. - -I cannot forbear giving a specimen of the general _philosophy _of the -volume. - -"I must not forget here, that the stars appeared only on that side of -the globe turned toward the moon, and that the closer they were to it -the larger they seemed. I have also me and the earth. As to the -stars, _since there was no night where I was, they always had the -same appearance; not brilliant, as usual, but pale, and very nearly -like the moon of a morning. _But few of them were visible, and these -ten times larger (as well as I could judge) than they seem to the -inhabitants of the earth. The moon, which wanted two days of being -full, was of a terrible bigness. - - "I must not forget here, that the stars appeared only on that side -of the globe turned toward the moon, and that the closer they were to -it the larger they seemed. I have also to inform you that, whether it -was calm weather or stormy, I found myself _always immediately -between the moon and the earth._ I_ _was convinced of this for two -reasons-because my birds always flew in a straight line; and because -whenever we attempted to rest, _we were carried insensibly around the -globe of the earth. _For I admit the opinion of Copernicus, who -maintains that it never ceases to revolve _from the east to the west, -_not upon the poles of the Equinoctial, commonly called the poles of -the world, but upon those of the Zodiac, a question of which I -propose to speak more at length here-after, when I shall have leisure -to refresh my memory in regard to the astrology which I learned at -Salamanca when young, and have since forgotten." - -Notwithstanding the blunders italicized, the book is not without some -claim to attention, as affording a naive specimen of the current -astronomical notions of the time. One of these assumed, that the -"gravitating power" extended but a short distance from the earth's -surface, and, accordingly, we find our voyager "carried insensibly -around the globe," etc. - -There have been other "voyages to the moon," but none of higher merit -than the one just mentioned. That of Bergerac is utterly meaningless. -In the third volume of the "American Quarterly Review" will be found -quite an elaborate criticism upon a certain "journey" of the kind in -question--a criticism in which it is difficult to say whether the -critic most exposes the stupidity of the book, or his own absurd -ignorance of astronomy. I forget the title of the work; but the -_means _of the voyage are more deplorably ill conceived than are even -the _ganzas _of our friend the Signor Gonzales. The adventurer, in -digging the earth, happens to discover a peculiar metal for which the -moon has a strong attraction, and straightway constructs of it a box, -which, when cast loose from its terrestrial fastenings, flies with -him, forthwith, to the satellite. The "Flight of Thomas O'Rourke," is -a _jeu d' esprit _not altogether contemptible, and has been -translated into German. Thomas, the hero, was, in fact, the -gamekeeper of an Irish peer, whose eccentricities gave rise to the -tale. The "flight" is made on an eagle's back, from Hungry Hill, a -lofty mountain at the end of Bantry Bay. - -In these various _brochures _the aim is always satirical; the theme -being a description of Lunarian customs as compared with ours. In -none is there any effort at _plausibility _in the details of the -voyage itself. The writers seem, in each instance, to be utterly -uninformed in respect to astronomy. In "Hans Pfaall" the design is -original, inasmuch as regards an attempt at _verisimilitude, _in the -application of scientific principles (so far as the whimsical nature -of the subject would permit), to the actual passage between the earth -and the moon. - -{*2} The zodiacal light is probably what the ancients called Trabes. -Emicant Trabes quos docos vocant. -- Pliny, lib. 2, p. 26. - -{*3} Since the original publication of Hans Pfaall, I find that Mr. -Green, of Nassau balloon notoriety, and other late aeronauts, deny -the assertions of Humboldt, in this respect, and speak of a -decreasing inconvenience, -- precisely in accordance with the theory -here urged in a mere spirit of banter. - -{*4} Havelius writes that he has several times found, in skies -perfectly clear, when even stars of the sixth and seventh magnitude -were conspicuous, that, at the same altitude of the moon, at the same -elongation from the earth, and with one and the same excellent -telescope, the moon and its maculae did not appear equally lucid at -all times. From the circumstances of the observation, it is evident -that the cause of this phenomenon is not either in our air, in the -tube, in the moon, or in the eye of the spectator, but must be looked -for in something (an atmosphere?) existing about the moon. - - -====== - - - THE GOLD-BUG - - What ho! what ho! this fellow is dancing mad! - - He hath been bitten by the Tarantula. - - _--All in the Wrong._ - - MANY years ago, I contracted an intimacy with a Mr. William -Legrand. He was of an ancient Huguenot family, and had once been -wealthy; but a series of misfortunes had reduced him to want. To -avoid the mortification consequent upon his disasters, he left New -Orleans, the city of his forefathers, and took up his residence at -Sullivan's Island, near Charleston, South Carolina. This Island is a -very singular one. It consists of little else than the sea sand, and -is about three miles long. Its breadth at no point exceeds a quarter -of a mile. It is separated from the main land by a scarcely -perceptible creek, oozing its way through a wilderness of reeds and -slime, a favorite resort of the marsh hen. The vegetation, as might -be supposed, is scant, or at least dwarfish. No trees of any -magnitude are to be seen. Near the western extremity, where Fort -Moultrie stands, and where are some miserable frame buildings, -tenanted, during summer, by the fugitives from Charleston dust and -fever, may be found, indeed, the bristly palmetto; but the whole -island, with the exception of this western point, and a line of hard, -white beach on the seacoast, is covered with a dense undergrowth of -the sweet myrtle, so much prized by the horticulturists of England. -The shrub here often attains the height of fifteen or twenty feet, -and forms an almost impenetrable coppice, burthening the air with its -fragrance. - - In the inmost recesses of this coppice, not far from the eastern -or more remote end of the island, Legrand had built himself a small -hut, which he occupied when I first, by mere accident, made his -acquaintance. This soon ripened into friendship - for there was much -in the recluse to excite interest and esteem. I found him well -educated, with unusual powers of mind, but infected with misanthropy, -and subject to perverse moods of alternate enthusiasm and melancholy. -He had with him many books, but rarely employed them. His chief -amusements were gunning and fishing, or sauntering along the beach -and through the myrtles, in quest of shells or entomological -specimens; - his collection of the latter might have been envied by a -Swammerdamm. In these excursions he was usually accompanied by an old -negro, called Jupiter, who had been manumitted before the reverses of -the family, but who could be induced, neither by threats nor by -promises, to abandon what he considered his right of attendance upon -the footsteps of his young "Massa Will." It is not improbable that -the relatives of Legrand, conceiving him to be somewhat unsettled in -intellect, had contrived to instil this obstinacy into Jupiter, with -a view to the supervision and guardianship of the wanderer. - - The winters in the latitude of Sullivan's Island are seldom very -severe, and in the fall of the year it is a rare event indeed when a -fire is considered necessary. About the middle of October, 18-, there -occurred, however, a day of remarkable chilliness. Just before sunset -I scrambled my way through the evergreens to the hut of my friend, -whom I had not visited for several weeks - my residence being, at -that time, in Charleston, a distance of nine miles from the Island, -while the facilities of passage and re-passage were very far behind -those of the present day. Upon reaching the hut I rapped, as was my -custom, and getting no reply, sought for the key where I knew it was -secreted, unlocked the door and went in. A fine fire was blazing upon -the hearth. It was a novelty, and by no means an ungrateful one. I -threw off an overcoat, took an arm-chair by the crackling -logs, and awaited patiently the arrival of my hosts. - - Soon after dark they arrived, and gave me a most cordial welcome. -Jupiter, grinning from ear to ear, bustled about to prepare some -marsh-hens for supper. Legrand was in one of his fits - how else -shall I term them? - of enthusiasm. He had found an unknown bivalve, -forming a new genus, and, more than this, he had hunted down and -secured, with Jupiter's assistance, a scarabæus which he believed to -be totally new, but in respect to which he wished to have my opinion -on the morrow. - - "And why not to-night?" I asked, rubbing my hands over the blaze, -and wishing the whole tribe of scarabæi at the devil. - - "Ah, if I had only known you were here!" said Legrand, "but it's -so long since I saw you; and how could I foresee that you would pay -me a visit this very night of all others? As I was coming home I met -Lieutenant G--, from the fort, and, very foolishly, I lent him the -bug; so it will be impossible for you to see it until the morning. -Stay here to-night, and I will send Jup down for it at sunrise. It is -the loveliest thing in creation!" - - "What? - sunrise?" - - "Nonsense! no! - the bug. It is of a brilliant gold color - about -the size of a large hickory-nut - with two jet black spots near one -extremity of the back, and another, somewhat longer, at the other. -The antennæ are - " - - "Dey aint no tin in him, Massa Will, I keep a tellin on you," -here interrupted Jupiter; "de bug is a goole bug, solid, ebery bit of -him, inside and all, sep him wing - neber feel half so hebby a bug in -my life." - - "Well, suppose it is, Jup," replied Legrand, somewhat more -earnestly, it seemed to me, than the case demanded, "is that any -reason for your letting the birds burn? The color" - here he turned -to me - "is really almost enough to warrant Jupiter's idea. You never -saw a more brilliant metallic lustre than the scales emit - but of -this you cannot judge till tomorrow. In the mean time I can give you -some idea of the shape." Saying this, he seated himself at a small -table, on which were a pen and ink, but no paper. He looked for some -in a drawer, but found none. - - "Never mind," said he at length, "this will answer;" and he -drew from his waistcoat pocket a scrap of what I took to be very -dirty foolscap, and made upon it a rough drawing with the pen. While -he did this, I retained my seat by the fire, for I was still chilly. -When the design was complete, he handed it to me without rising. As I -received it, a loud growl was heard, succeeded by a scratching at the -door. Jupiter opened it, and a large Newfoundland, belonging to -Legrand, rushed in, leaped upon my shoulders, and loaded me with -caresses; for I had shown him much attention during previous visits. -When his gambols were over, I looked at the paper, and, to speak the -truth, found myself not a little puzzled at what my friend had -depicted. - - "Well!" I said, after contemplating it for some minutes, "this is -a strange scarabæus, I must confess: new to me: never saw anything -like it before - unless it was a skull, or a death's-head - which it -more nearly resembles than anything else that has come under my -observation." - - "A death's-head!" echoed Legrand -"Oh - yes - well, it has -something of that appearance upon paper, no doubt. The two upper -black spots look like eyes, eh? and the longer one at the bottom like -a mouth - and then the shape of the whole is oval." - - "Perhaps so," said I; "but, Legrand, I fear you are no artist. I -must wait until I see the beetle itself, if I am to form any idea of -its personal appearance." - - "Well, I don't know," said he, a little nettled, "I draw -tolerably - should do it at least - have had good masters, and -flatter myself that I am not quite a blockhead." - - "But, my dear fellow, you are joking then," said I, "this is a -very passable skull - indeed, I may say that it is a very excellent -skull, according to the vulgar notions about such specimens of -physiology - and your scarabæus must be the queerest scarabæus in the -world if it resembles it. Why, we may get up a very thrilling bit of -superstition upon this hint. I presume you will call the bug -scarabæus caput hominis, or something of that kind - there are many -similar titles in the Natural Histories. But where are the antennæ -you spoke of?" - - "The antennæ!" said Legrand, who seemed to be getting -unaccountably warm upon the subject; "I am sure you must see the -antennæ. I made them as distinct as they are in the original insect, -and I presume that is sufficient." - - "Well, well," I said, "perhaps you have - still I don't see -them;" and I handed him the paper without additional remark, not -wishing to ruffle his temper; but I was much surprised at the turn -affairs had taken; his ill humor puzzled me - and, as for the drawing -of the beetle, there were positively no antennæ visible, and the -whole did bear a very close resemblance to the ordinary cuts of a -death's-head. - - He received the paper very peevishly, and was about to crumple -it, apparently to throw it in the fire, when a casual glance at the -design seemed suddenly to rivet his attention. In an instant his face -grew violently red - in another as excessively pale. For some minutes -he continued to scrutinize the drawing minutely where he sat. At -length he arose, took a candle from the table, and proceeded to seat -himself upon a sea-chest in the farthest corner of the room. Here -again he made an anxious examination of the paper; turning it in all -directions. He said nothing, however, and his conduct greatly -astonished me; yet I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing -moodiness of his temper by any comment. Presently he took from his -coat pocket a wallet, placed the paper carefully in it, and deposited -both in a writing-desk, which he locked. He now grew more composed in -his demeanor; but his original air of enthusiasm had quite -disappeared. Yet he seemed not so much sulky as abstracted. As the -evening wore away he became more and more absorbed in reverie, from -which no sallies of mine could arouse him. It had been my intention -to pass the night at the hut, as I had frequently done before, but, -seeing my host in this mood, I deemed it proper to take leave. He did -not press me to remain, but, as I departed, he shook my hand with -even more than his usual cordiality. - - It was about a month after this (and during the interval I had -seen nothing of Legrand) when I received a visit, at Charleston, from -his man, Jupiter. I had never seen the good old negro look so -dispirited, and I feared that some serious disaster had befallen my -friend. - - "Well, Jup," said I, "what is the matter now? - how is your -master?" - - "Why, to speak de troof, massa, him not so berry well as mought -be." - - "Not well! I am truly sorry to hear it. What does he complain -of?" - - "Dar! dat's it! - him neber plain of notin - but him berry sick -for all dat." - - "Very sick, Jupiter! - why didn't you say so at once? Is he -confined to bed?" - - "No, dat he aint! - he aint find nowhar - dat's just whar de shoe -pinch - my mind is got to be berry hebby bout poor Massa Will." - - "Jupiter, I should like to understand what it is you are talking -about. You say your master is sick. Hasn't he told you what ails -him?" - - "Why, massa, taint worf while for to git mad about de matter - -Massa Will say noffin at all aint de matter wid him - but den what -make him go about looking dis here way, wid he head down and he -soldiers up, and as white as a gose? And den he keep a syphon all de -time - " - - "Keeps a what, Jupiter?" - - "Keeps a syphon wid de figgurs on de slate - de queerest figgurs -I ebber did see. Ise gittin to be skeered, I tell you. Hab for to -keep mighty tight eye pon him noovers. Todder day he gib me slip fore -de sun up and was gone de whole ob de blessed day. I had a big stick -ready cut for to gib him deuced good beating when he did come - but -Ise sich a fool dat I hadn't de heart arter all - he look so berry -poorly." - - "Eh? - what? - ah yes! - upon the whole I think you had better -not be too severe with the poor fellow - don't flog him, Jupiter - he -can't very well stand it - but can you form no idea of what has -occasioned this illness, or rather this change of conduct? Has -anything unpleasant happened since I saw you?" - - "No, massa, dey aint bin noffin unpleasant since den - 'twas fore -den I'm feared - 'twas de berry day you was dare." - - "How? what do you mean?" - - "Why, massa, I mean de bug - dare now." - - "The what?" - - "De bug, - I'm berry sartain dat Massa Will bin bit somewhere -bout de head by dat goole-bug." - - "And what cause have you, Jupiter, for such a supposition?" - - "Claws enuff, massa, and mouth too. I nebber did see sick a -deuced bug - he kick and he bite ebery ting what cum near him. Massa -Will cotch him fuss, but had for to let him go gin mighty quick, I -tell you - den was de time he must ha got de bite. I did n't like de -look oh de bug mouff, myself, no how, so I would n't take hold ob him -wid my finger, but I cotch him wid a piece ob paper dat I found. I -rap him up in de paper and stuff piece ob it in he mouff - dat was de -way." - - "And you think, then, that your master was really bitten by the -beetle, and that the bite made him sick?" - - "I do n't tink noffin about it - I nose it. What make him dream -bout de goole so much, if taint cause he bit by de goole-bug? Ise -heerd bout dem goole-bugs fore dis." - - "But how do you know he dreams about gold?" - - "How I know? why cause he talk about it in he sleep - dat's how I -nose." - - "Well, Jup, perhaps you are right; but to what fortunate -circumstance am I to attribute the honor of a visit from you to-day?" - - "What de matter, massa?" - - "Did you bring any message from Mr. Legrand " - - "No, massa, I bring dis here pissel;" and here Jupiter handed me -a note which ran thus: - - MY DEAR -- - - Why have I not seen you for so long a time? I hope you have not -been so foolish as to take offence at any little _brusquerie_ of -mine; but no, that is improbable. Since I saw you I have had great -cause for anxiety. I have something to tell you, yet scarcely know -how to tell it, or whether I should tell it at all. - - I have not been quite well for some days past, and poor old Jup -annoys me, almost beyond endurance, by his well-meant attentions -Would you believe it? - he had prepared a huge stick, the other day, -with which to chastise me for giving him the slip, and spending the -day, _solus_, among the hills on the main land. I verily believe that -my ill looks alone saved me a flogging. - - I have made no addition to my cabinet since we met. - - If you can, in any way, make it convenient, come over with -Jupiter. _Do_ come. I wish to see you to-_night_, upon business of -importance. I assure you that it is of the _highest_ importance. - - Ever yours, WILLIAM LEGRAND. - - There was something in the tone of this note which gave me great -uneasiness. Its whole style differed materially from that of Legrand. -What could he be dreaming of? What new crotchet possessed his -excitable brain? What "business of the highest importance" could he -possibly have to transact? Jupiter's account of him boded no good. I -dreaded lest the continued pressure of misfortune had, at length, -fairly unsettled the reason of my friend. Without a moment's -hesitation, therefore, I prepared to accompany the negro. - - Upon reaching the wharf, I noticed a scythe and three spades, all -apparently new, lying in the bottom of the boat in which we were to -embark. - - "What is the meaning of all this, Jup?" I inquired. - - "Him syfe, massa, and spade." - - "Very true; but what are they doing here?" - - "Him de syfe and de spade what Massa Will sis pon my buying for -him in de town, and de debbils own lot of money I had to gib for em." - - "But what, in the name of all that is mysterious, is your 'Massa -Will' going to do with scythes and spades?" - - "Dat's more dan I know, and debbil take me if I don't blieve 'tis -more dan he know, too. But it's all cum ob do bug." - - Finding that no satisfaction was to be obtained of Jupiter, whose -whole intellect seemed to be absorbed by "de bug," I now stepped into -the boat and made sail. With a fair and strong breeze we soon ran -into the little cove to the northward of Fort Moultrie, and a walk of -some two miles brought us to the hut. It was about three in the -afternoon when we arrived. Legrand had been awaiting us in eager -expectation. He grasped my hand with a nervous empressement which -alarmed me and strengthened the suspicions already entertained. His -countenance was pale even to ghastliness, and his deep-set eyes -glared with unnatural lustre. After some inquiries respecting his -health, I asked him, not knowing what better to say, if he had yet -obtained the scarabæus from Lieutenant G --. - - "Oh, yes," he replied, coloring violently, "I got it from him the -next morning. Nothing should tempt me to part with that scarabæus. Do -you know that Jupiter is quite right about it?" - - "In what way?" I asked, with a sad foreboding at heart. - - "In supposing it to be a bug of real gold." He said this with an -air of profound seriousness, and I felt inexpressibly shocked. - - "This bug is to make my fortune," he continued, with a triumphant -smile, "to reinstate me in my family possessions. Is it any wonder, -then, that I prize it? Since Fortune has thought fit to bestow it -upon me, I have only to use it properly and I shall arrive at the -gold of which it is the index. Jupiter; bring me that scarabæus!" - - "What! de bug, massa? I'd rudder not go fer trubble dat bug - you -mus git him for your own self." Hereupon Legrand arose, with a grave -and stately air, and brought me the beetle from a glass case in which -it was enclosed. It was a beautiful scarabæus, and, at that time, -unknown to naturalists - of course a great prize in a scientific -point of view. There were two round, black spots near one extremity -of the back, and a long one near the other. The scales were -exceedingly hard and glossy, with all the appearance of burnished -gold. The weight of the insect was very remarkable, and, taking all -things into consideration, I could hardly blame Jupiter for his -opinion respecting it; but what to make of Legrand's concordance with -that opinion, I could not, for the life of me, tell. - - "I sent for you," said he, in a grandiloquent tone, when I had -completed my examination of the beetle, "I sent for you, that I might -have your counsel and assistance in furthering the views of Fate and -of the bug" - - - "My dear Legrand," I cried, interrupting him, "you are certainly -unwell, and had better use some little precautions. You shall go to -bed, and I will remain with you a few days, until you get over this. -You are feverish and" - - - "Feel my pulse," said he. - - I felt it, and, to say the truth, found not the slightest -indication of fever. - - "But you may be ill and yet have no fever. Allow me this once to -prescribe for you. In the first place, go to bed. In the next" - - - "You are mistaken," he interposed, "I am as well as I can expect -to be under the excitement which I suffer. If you really wish me -well, you will relieve this excitement." - - "And how is this to be done?" - - "Very easily. Jupiter and myself are going upon an expedition -into the hills, upon the main land, and, in this expedition we shall -need the aid of some person in whom we can confide. You are the only -one we can trust. Whether we succeed or fail, the excitement which -you now perceive in me will be equally allayed." - - "I am anxious to oblige you in any way," I replied; "but do you -mean to say that this infernal beetle has any connection with your -expedition into the hills?" - - "It has." - - "Then, Legrand, I can become a party to no such absurd -proceeding." - - "I am sorry - very sorry - for we shall have to try it by -ourselves." - - "Try it by yourselves! The man is surely mad! - but stay! - how -long do you propose to be absent?" - - "Probably all night. We shall start immediately, and be back, at -all events, by sunrise." - - "And will you promise me, upon your honor, that when this freak -of yours is over, and the bug business (good God!) settled to your -satisfaction, you will then return home and follow my advice -implicitly, as that of your physician?" - - "Yes; I promise; and now let us be off, for we have no time to -lose." - - With a heavy heart I accompanied my friend. We started about four -o'clock - Legrand, Jupiter, the dog, and myself. Jupiter had with him -the scythe and spades - the whole of which he insisted upon carrying -- more through fear, it seemed to me, of trusting either of the -implements within reach of his master, than from any excess of -industry or complaisance. His demeanor was dogged in the extreme, and -"dat deuced bug" were the sole words which escaped his lips during -the journey. For my own part, I had charge of a couple of dark -lanterns, while Legrand contented himself with the scarabæus, which -he carried attached to the end of a bit of whip-cord; twirling it to -and fro, with the air of a conjuror, as he went. When I observed this -last, plain evidence of my friend's aberration of mind, I could -scarcely refrain from tears. I thought it best, however, to humor his -fancy, at least for the present, or until I could adopt some more -energetic measures with a chance of success. In the mean time I -endeavored, but all in vain, to sound him in regard to the object of -the expedition. Having succeeded in inducing me to accompany him, he -seemed unwilling to hold conversation upon any topic of minor -importance, and to all my questions vouchsafed no other reply than -"we shall see!" - - We crossed the creek at the head of the island by means of a -skiff; and, ascending the high grounds on the shore of the main land, -proceeded in a northwesterly direction, through a tract of country -excessively wild and desolate, where no trace of a human footstep was -to be seen. Legrand led the way with decision; pausing only for an -instant, here and there, to consult what appeared to be certain -landmarks of his own contrivance upon a former occasion. - - In this manner we journeyed for about two hours, and the sun was -just setting when we entered a region infinitely more dreary than any -yet seen. It was a species of table land, near the summit of an -almost inaccessible hill, densely wooded from base to pinnacle, and -interspersed with huge crags that appeared to lie loosely upon the -soil, and in many cases were prevented from precipitating themselves -into the valleys below, merely by the support of the trees against -which they reclined. Deep ravines, in various directions, gave an air -of still sterner solemnity to the scene. - - The natural platform to which we had clambered was thickly -overgrown with brambles, through which we soon discovered that it -would have been impossible to force our way but for the scythe; and -Jupiter, by direction of his master, proceeded to clear for us a path -to the foot of an enormously tall tulip-tree, which stood, with some -eight or ten oaks, upon the level, and far surpassed them all, and -all other trees which I had then ever seen, in the beauty of its -foliage and form, in the wide spread of its branches, and in the -general majesty of its appearance. When we reached this tree, Legrand -turned to Jupiter, and asked him if he thought he could climb it. The -old man seemed a little staggered by the question, and for some -moments made no reply. At length he approached the huge trunk, walked -slowly around it, and examined it with minute attention. When he had -completed his scrutiny, he merely said, - - "Yes, massa, Jup climb any tree he ebber see in he life." - - "Then up with you as soon as possible, for it will soon be too -dark to see what we are about." - - "How far mus go up, massa?" inquired Jupiter. - - "Get up the main trunk first, and then I will tell you which way -to go - and here - stop! take this beetle with you." - - "De bug, Massa Will! - de goole bug!" cried the negro, drawing -back in dismay - "what for mus tote de bug way up de tree? - d-n if I -do!" - - "If you are afraid, Jup, a great big negro like you, to take hold -of a harmless little dead beetle, why you can carry it up by this -string - but, if you do not take it up with you in some way, I shall -be under the necessity of breaking your head with this shovel." - - "What de matter now, massa?" said Jup, evidently shamed into -compliance; "always want for to raise fuss wid old nigger. Was only -funnin any how. Me feered de bug! what I keer for de bug?" Here he -took cautiously hold of the extreme end of the string, and, -maintaining the insect as far from his person as circumstances would -permit, prepared to ascend the tree. - - In youth, the tulip-tree, or Liriodendron Tulipferum, the most -magnificent of American foresters, has a trunk peculiarly smooth, and -often rises to a great height without lateral branches; but, in its -riper age, the bark becomes gnarled and uneven, while many short -limbs make their appearance on the stem. Thus the difficulty of -ascension, in the present case, lay more in semblance than in -reality. Embracing the huge cylinder, as closely as possible, with -his arms and knees, seizing with his hands some projections, and -resting his naked toes upon others, Jupiter, after one or two narrow -escapes from falling, at length wriggled himself into the first great -fork, and seemed to consider the whole business as virtually -accomplished. The risk of the achievement was, in fact, now over, -although the climber was some sixty or seventy feet from the ground. - - "Which way mus go now, Massa Will?" he asked. - - "Keep up the largest branch - the one on this side," said -Legrand. The negro obeyed him promptly, and apparently with but -little trouble; ascending higher and higher, until no glimpse of his -squat figure could be obtained through the dense foliage which -enveloped it. Presently his voice was heard in a sort of halloo. - - "How much fudder is got for go?" - - "How high up are you?" asked Legrand. - - "Ebber so fur," replied the negro; "can see de sky fru de top ob -de tree." - - "Never mind the sky, but attend to what I say. Look down the -trunk and count the limbs below you on this side. How many limbs have -you passed?" - - "One, two, tree, four, fibe - I done pass fibe big limb, massa, -pon dis side." - - "Then go one limb higher." - - In a few minutes the voice was heard again, announcing that the -seventh limb was attained. - - "Now, Jup," cried Legrand, evidently much excited, "I want you to -work your way out upon that limb as far as you can. If you see -anything strange, let me know." By this time what little doubt I -might have entertained of my poor friend's insanity, was put finally -at rest. I had no alternative but to conclude him stricken with -lunacy, and I became seriously anxious about getting him home. While -I was pondering upon what was best to be done, Jupiter's voice was -again heard. - - "Mos feerd for to ventur pon dis limb berry far - tis dead limb -putty much all de way." - - "Did you say it was a dead limb, Jupiter?" cried Legrand in a -quavering voice. - - "Yes, massa, him dead as de door-nail - done up for sartain - -done departed dis here life." - - "What in the name heaven shall I do?" asked Legrand, seemingly in -the greatest distress. "Do!" said I, glad of an opportunity to -interpose a word, "why come home and go to bed. Come now! - that's a -fine fellow. It's getting late, and, besides, you remember your -promise." - - "Jupiter," cried he, without heeding me in the least, "do you -hear me?" - - "Yes, Massa Will, hear you ebber so plain." - - "Try the wood well, then, with your knife, and see if you think -it very rotten." - - "Him rotten, massa, sure nuff," replied the negro in a few -moments, "but not so berry rotten as mought be. Mought ventur out -leetle way pon de limb by myself, dat's true." - - "By yourself! - what do you mean?" - - "Why I mean de bug. 'Tis berry hebby bug. Spose I drop him down -fuss, and den de limb won't break wid just de weight ob one nigger." - - "You infernal scoundrel!" cried Legrand, apparently much -relieved, "what do you mean by telling me such nonsense as that? As -sure as you drop that beetle I'll break your neck. Look here, -Jupiter, do you hear me?" - - "Yes, massa, needn't hollo at poor nigger dat style." - - "Well! now listen! - if you will venture out on the limb as far -as you think safe, and not let go the beetle, I'll make you a present -of a silver dollar as soon as you get down." - - "I'm gwine, Massa Will - deed I is," replied the negro very -promptly - "mos out to the eend now." - - "Out to the end!" here fairly screamed Legrand, "do you say you -are out to the end of that limb?" - - "Soon be to de eend, massa, - o-o-o-o-oh! Lor-gol-a-marcy! what -is dis here pon de tree?" - - "Well!" cried Legrand, highly delighted, "what is it?" - - "Why taint noffin but a skull - somebody bin lef him head up de -tree, and de crows done gobble ebery bit ob de meat off." - - "A skull, you say! - very well! - how is it fastened to the limb? -- what holds it on?" - - "Sure nuff, massa; mus look. Why dis berry curous sarcumstance, -pon my word - dare's a great big nail in de skull, what fastens ob it -on to de tree." - - "Well now, Jupiter, do exactly as I tell you - do you hear?" - - "Yes, massa." - - "Pay attention, then! - find the left eye of the skull." - - "Hum! hoo! dat's good! why dare aint no eye lef at all." - - "Curse your stupidity! do you know your right hand from your -left?" - - "Yes, I nose dat - nose all bout dat - tis my lef hand what I -chops de wood wid." - - "To be sure! you are left-handed; and your left. eye is on the -same side as your left hand. Now, I suppose, you can find the left -eye of the skull, or the place where the left eye has been. Have you -found it?" - - Here was a long pause. At length the negro asked, - - "Is de lef eye of de skull pon de same side as de lef hand of de -skull, too? - cause de skull aint got not a bit ob a hand at all - -nebber mind! I got de lef eye now - here de lef eye! what mus do wid -it?" - - "Let the beetle drop through it, as far as the string will reach -- but be careful and not let go your hold of the string." - - "All dat done, Massa Will; mighty easy ting for to put de bug fru -de hole - look out for him dare below!" - - During this colloquy no portion of Jupiter's person could be -seen; but the beetle, which he had suffered to descend, was now -visible at the end of the string, and glistened, like a globe of -burnished gold, in the last rays of the setting sun, some of which -still faintly illumined the eminence upon which we stood. The -scarabæus hung quite clear of any branches, and, if allowed to fall, -would have fallen at our feet. Legrand immediately took the scythe, -and cleared with it a circular space, three or four yards in -diameter, just beneath the insect, and, having accomplished this, -ordered Jupiter to let go the string and come down from the tree. - - Driving a peg, with great nicety, into the ground, at the precise -spot where the beetle fell, my friend now produced from his pocket a -tape measure. Fastening one end of this at that point of the trunk, -of the tree which was nearest the peg, he unrolled it till it reached -the peg, and thence farther unrolled it, in the direction already -established by the two points of the tree and the peg, for the -distance of fifty feet - Jupiter clearing away the brambles with the -scythe. At the spot thus attained a second peg was driven, and about -this, as a centre, a rude circle, about four feet in diameter, -described. Taking now a spade himself, and giving one to Jupiter and -one to me, Legrand begged us to set about digging as quickly as -possible. - - To speak the truth, I had no especial relish for such amusement -at any time, and, at that particular moment, would most willingly -have declined it; for the night was coming on, and I felt much -fatigued with the exercise already taken; but I saw no mode of -escape, and was fearful of disturbing my poor friend's equanimity by -a refusal. Could I have depended, indeed, upon Jupiter's aid, I would -have had no hesitation in attempting to get the lunatic home by -force; but I was too well assured of the old negro's disposition, to -hope that he would assist me, under any circumstances, in a personal -contest with his master. I made no doubt that the latter had been -infected with some of the innumerable Southern superstitions about -money buried, and that his phantasy had received confirmation by the -finding of the scarabæus, or, perhaps, by Jupiter's obstinacy in -maintaining it to be "a bug of real gold." A mind disposed to lunacy -would readily be led away by such suggestions - especially if chiming -in with favorite preconceived ideas - and then I called to mind the -poor fellow's speech about the beetle's being "the index of his -fortune." Upon the whole, I was sadly vexed and puzzled, but, at -length, I concluded to make a virtue of necessity - to dig with a -good will, and thus the sooner to convince the visionary, by ocular -demonstration, of the fallacy of the opinions he entertained. - - The lanterns having been lit, we all fell to work with a zeal -worthy a more rational cause; and, as the glare fell upon our persons -and implements, I could not help thinking how picturesque a group we -composed, and how strange and suspicious our labors must have -appeared to any interloper who, by chance, might have stumbled upon -our whereabouts. - - We dug very steadily for two hours. Little was said; and our -chief embarrassment lay in the yelpings of the dog, who took -exceeding interest in our proceedings. He, at length, became so -obstreperous that we grew fearful of his giving the alarm to some -stragglers in the vicinity; - or, rather, this was the apprehension -of Legrand; - for myself, I should have rejoiced at any interruption -which might have enabled me to get the wanderer home. The noise was, -at length, very effectually silenced by Jupiter, who, getting out of -the hole with a dogged air of deliberation, tied the brute's mouth up -with one of his suspenders, and then returned, with a grave chuckle, -to his task. - - When the time mentioned had expired, we had reached a depth of -five feet, and yet no signs of any treasure became manifest. A -general pause ensued, and I began to hope that the farce was at an -end. Legrand, however, although evidently much disconcerted, wiped -his brow thoughtfully and recommenced. We had excavated the entire -circle of four feet diameter, and now we slightly enlarged the limit, -and went to the farther depth of two feet. Still nothing appeared. -The gold-seeker, whom I sincerely pitied, at length clambered from -the pit, with the bitterest disappointment imprinted upon every -feature, and proceeded, slowly and reluctantly, to put on his coat, -which he had thrown off at the beginning of his labor. In the mean -time I made no remark. Jupiter, at a signal from his master, began to -gather up his tools. This done, and the dog having been unmuzzled, we -turned in profound silence towards home. - - We had taken, perhaps, a dozen steps in this direction, when, -with a loud oath, Legrand strode up to Jupiter, and seized him by the -collar. The astonished negro opened his eyes and mouth to the fullest -extent, let fall the spades, and fell upon his knees. - - "You scoundrel," said Legrand, hissing out the syllables from -between his clenched teeth - "you infernal black villain! - speak, I -tell you! - answer me this instant, without prevarication! - which - -which is your left eye?" - - "Oh, my golly, Massa Will! aint dis here my lef eye for sartain?" -roared the terrified Jupiter, placing his hand upon his right organ -of vision, and holding it there with a desperate pertinacity, as if -in immediate dread of his master's attempt at a gouge. - - "I thought so! - I knew it! hurrah!" vociferated Legrand, letting -the negro go, and executing a series of curvets and caracols, much to -the astonishment of his valet, who, arising from his knees, looked, -mutely, from his master to myself, and then from myself to his -master. - - "Come! we must go back," said the latter, "the game's not up -yet;" and he again led the way to the tulip-tree. - - "Jupiter," said he, when we reached its foot, "come here! was the -skull nailed to the limb with the face outwards, or with the face to -the limb?" - - "De face was out, massa, so dat de crows could get at de eyes -good, widout any trouble." - - "Well, then, was it this eye or that through which you dropped -the beetle?" - here Legrand touched each of Jupiter's eyes. - - "Twas dis eye, massa - de lef eye - jis as you tell me," and here -it was his right eye that the negro indicated. - - "That will do - must try it again." - - Here my friend, about whose madness I now saw, or fancied that I -saw, certain indications of method, removed the peg which marked the -spot where the beetle fell, to a spot about three inches to the -westward of its former position. Taking, now, the tape measure from -the nearest point of the trunk to the peg, as before, and continuing -the extension in a straight line to the distance of fifty feet, a -spot was indicated, removed, by several yards, from the point at -which we had been digging. - - Around the new position a circle, somewhat larger than in the -former instance, was now described, and we again set to work with the -spades. I was dreadfully weary, but, scarcely understanding what had -occasioned the change in my thoughts, I felt no longer any great -aversion from the labor imposed. I had become most unaccountably -interested - nay, even excited. Perhaps there was something, amid all -the extravagant demeanor of Legrand - some air of forethought, or of -deliberation, which impressed me. I dug eagerly, and now and then -caught myself actually looking, with something that very much -resembled expectation, for the fancied treasure, the vision of which -had demented my unfortunate companion. At a period when such vagaries -of thought most fully possessed me, and when we had been at work -perhaps an hour and a half, we were again interrupted by the violent -howlings of the dog. His uneasiness, in the first instance, had been, -evidently, but the result of playfulness or caprice, but he now -assumed a bitter and serious tone. Upon Jupiter's again attempting to -muzzle him, he made furious resistance, and, leaping into the hole, -tore up the mould frantically with his claws. In a few seconds he had -uncovered a mass of human bones, forming two complete skeletons, -intermingled with several buttons of metal, and what appeared to be -the dust of decayed woollen. One or two strokes of a spade upturned -the blade of a large Spanish knife, and, as we dug farther, three or -four loose pieces of gold and silver coin came to light. - - At sight of these the joy of Jupiter could scarcely be -restrained, but the countenance of his master wore an air of extreme -disappointment He urged us, however, to continue our exertions, and -the words were hardly uttered when I stumbled and fell forward, -having caught the toe of my boot in a large ring of iron that lay -half buried in the loose earth. - - We now worked in earnest, and never did I pass ten minutes of -more intense excitement. During this interval we had fairly unearthed -an oblong chest of wood, which, from its perfect preservation and -wonderful hardness, had plainly been subjected to some mineralizing -process - perhaps that of the Bi-chloride of Mercury. This box was -three feet and a half long, three feet broad, and two and a half feet -deep. It was firmly secured by bands of wrought iron, riveted, and -forming a kind of open trelliswork over the whole. On each side of -the chest, near the top, were three rings of iron - six in all - by -means of which a firm hold could be obtained by six persons. Our -utmost united endeavors served only to disturb the coffer very -slightly in its bed. We at once saw the impossibility of removing so -great a weight. Luckily, the sole fastenings of the lid consisted of -two sliding bolts. These we drew back - trembling and panting with -anxiety. In an instant, a treasure of incalculable value lay gleaming -before us. As the rays of the lanterns fell within the pit, there -flashed upwards a glow and a glare, from a confused heap of gold and -of jewels, that absolutely dazzled our eyes. - - I shall not pretend to describe the feelings with which I gazed. -Amazement was, of course, predominant. Legrand appeared exhausted -with excitement, and spoke very few words. Jupiter's -countenance wore, for some minutes, as deadly a pallor as it is -possible, in nature of things, for any negro's visage to assume. He -seemed stupified - thunderstricken. Presently he fell upon his knees -in the pit, and, burying his naked arms up to the elbows in gold, let -them there remain, as if enjoying the luxury of a bath. At length, -with a deep sigh, he exclaimed, as if in a soliloquy, - - "And dis all cum ob de goole-bug! de putty goole bug! de poor -little goole-bug, what I boosed in dat sabage kind ob style! Aint you -shamed ob yourself, nigger? - answer me dat!" - - It became necessary, at last, that I should arouse both master -and valet to the expediency of removing the treasure. It was growing -late, and it behooved us to make exertion, that we might get every -thing housed before daylight. It was difficult to say what should be -done, and much time was spent in deliberation - so confused were the -ideas of all. We, finally, lightened the box by removing two thirds -of its contents, when we were enabled, with some trouble, to raise it -from the hole. The articles taken out were deposited among the -brambles, and the dog left to guard them, with strict orders from -Jupiter neither, upon any pretence, to stir from the spot, nor to -open his mouth until our return. We then hurriedly made for home with -the chest; reaching the hut in safety, but after excessive toil, at -one o'clock in the morning. Worn out as we were, it was not in human -nature to do more immediately. We rested until two, and had supper; -starting for the hills immediately afterwards, armed with three stout -sacks, which, by good luck, were upon the premises. A little before -four we arrived at the pit, divided the remainder of the booty, as -equally as might be, among us, and, leaving the holes unfilled, again -set out for the hut, at which, for the second time, we deposited our -golden burthens, just as the first faint streaks of the dawn gleamed -from over the tree-tops in the East. - - We were now thoroughly broken down; but the intense excitement of -the time denied us repose. After an unquiet slumber of some three or -four hours' duration, we arose, as if by preconcert, to make -examination of our treasure. - - The chest had been full to the brim, and we spent the whole day, -and the greater part of the next night, in a scrutiny of its -contents. There had been nothing like order or arrangement. Every -thing had been heaped in promiscuously. Having assorted all with -care, we found ourselves possessed of even vaster wealth than we had -at first supposed. In coin there was rather more than four hundred -and fifty thousand dollars - estimating the value of the pieces, as -accurately as we could, by the tables of the period. There was not a -particle of silver. All was gold of antique date and of great variety -- French, Spanish, and German money, with a few English guineas, and -some counters, of which we had never seen specimens before. There -were several very large and heavy coins, so worn that we could make -nothing of their inscriptions. There was no American money. The value -of the jewels we found more difficulty in estimating. There were -diamonds - some of them exceedingly large and fine - a hundred and -ten in all, and not one of them small; eighteen rubies of remarkable -brilliancy; - three hundred and ten emeralds, all very beautiful; and -twenty-one sapphires, with an opal. These stones had all been broken -from their settings and thrown loose in the chest. The settings -themselves, which we picked out from among the other gold, appeared -to have been beaten up with hammers, as if to prevent identification. -Besides all this, there was a vast quantity of solid gold ornaments; -- nearly two hundred massive finger and earrings; - rich chains - -thirty of these, if I remember; - eighty-three very large and heavy -crucifixes; - five gold censers of great value; - a prodigious golden -punch bowl, ornamented with richly chased vine-leaves and -Bacchanalian figures; with two sword-handles exquisitely embossed, -and many other smaller articles which I cannot recollect. The weight -of these valuables exceeded three hundred and fifty pounds -avoirdupois; and in this estimate I have not included one hundred and -ninety-seven superb gold watches; three of the number being worth -each five hundred dollars, if one. Many of them were very old, and as -time keepers valueless; the works having suffered, more or less, from -corrosion - but all were richly jewelled and in cases of great worth. -We estimated the entire contents of the chest, that night, at a -million and a half of dollars; and upon the subsequent disposal of -the trinkets and jewels (a few being retained for our own -use), it was found that we had greatly undervalued the treasure. -When, at length, we had concluded our examination, and the intense -excitement of the time had, in some measure, subsided, Legrand, who -saw that I was dying with impatience for a solution of this most -extraordinary riddle, entered into a full detail of all the -circumstances connected with it. - - "You remember;" said he, "the night when I handed you the rough -sketch I had made of the scarabæus. You recollect also, that I became -quite vexed at you for insisting that my drawing resembled a -death's-head. When you first made this assertion I thought you were -jesting; but afterwards I called to mind the peculiar spots on the -back of the insect, and admitted to myself that your remark had some -little foundation in fact. Still, the sneer at my graphic powers -irritated me - for I am considered a good artist - and, therefore, -when you handed me the scrap of parchment, I was about to crumple it -up and throw it angrily into the fire." - - "The scrap of paper, you mean," said I. - - "No; it had much of the appearance of paper, and at first I -supposed it to be such, but when I came to draw upon it, I discovered -it, at once, to be a piece of very thin parchment. It was quite -dirty, you remember. Well, as I was in the very act of crumpling it -up, my glance fell upon the sketch at which you had been looking, and -you may imagine my astonishment when I perceived, in fact, the figure -of a death's-head just where, it seemed to me, I had made the drawing -of the beetle. For a moment I was too much amazed to think with -accuracy. I knew that my design was very different in detail from -this - although there was a certain similarity in general outline. -Presently I took a candle, and seating myself at the other end of the -room, proceeded to scrutinize the parchment more closely. Upon -turning it over, I saw my own sketch upon the reverse, just as I had -made it. My first idea, now, was mere surprise at the really -remarkable similarity of outline - at the singular coincidence -involved in the fact, that unknown to me, there should have been a -skull upon the other side of the parchment, immediately beneath my -figure of the scarabæus, and that this skull, not only in outline, -but in size, should so closely resemble my drawing. I say -the singularity of this coincidence absolutely stupified me for a -time. This is the usual effect of such coincidences. The mind -struggles to establish a connexion - a sequence of cause and effect - -and, being unable to do so, suffers a species of temporary paralysis. -But, when I recovered from this stupor, there dawned upon me -gradually a conviction which startled me even far more than the -coincidence. I began distinctly, positively, to remember that there -had been no drawing upon the parchment when I made my sketch of the -scarabæus. I became perfectly certain of this; for I recollected -turning up first one side and then the other, in search of the -cleanest spot. Had the skull been then there, of course I could not -have failed to notice it. Here was indeed a mystery which I felt it -impossible to explain; but, even at that early moment, there seemed -to glimmer, faintly, within the most remote and secret chambers of my -intellect, a glow-worm-like conception of that truth which last -night's adventure brought to so magnificent a demonstration. I arose -at once, and putting the parchment securely away, dismissed all -farther reflection until I should be alone. - - "When you had gone, and when Jupiter was fast asleep, I betook -myself to a more methodical investigation of the affair. In the first -place I considered the manner in which the parchment had come into my -possession. The spot where we discovered the scarabaeus was on the -coast of the main land, about a mile eastward of the island, and but -a short distance above high water mark. Upon my taking hold of it, it -gave me a sharp bite, which caused me to let it drop. Jupiter, with -his accustomed caution, before seizing the insect, which had flown -towards him, looked about him for a leaf, or something of that -nature, by which to take hold of it. It was at this moment that his -eyes, and mine also, fell upon the scrap of parchment, which I then -supposed to be paper. It was lying half buried in the sand, a corner -sticking up. Near the spot where we found it, I observed the remnants -of the hull of what appeared to have been a ship's long boat. The -wreck seemed to have been there for a very great while; for the -resemblance to boat timbers could scarcely be traced. - - "Well, Jupiter picked up the parchment, wrapped the beetle in it, -and gave it to me. Soon afterwards we turned to go home, and on the -way met Lieutenant G-. I showed him the insect, and he begged me to -let him take it to the fort. Upon my consenting, he thrust it -forthwith into his waistcoat pocket, without the parchment in which -it had been wrapped, and which I had continued to hold in my hand -during his inspection. Perhaps he dreaded my changing my mind, and -thought it best to make sure of the prize at once - you know how -enthusiastic he is on all subjects connected with Natural History. At -the same time, without being conscious of it, I must have deposited -the parchment in my own pocket. - - "You remember that when I went to the table, for the purpose of -making a sketch of the beetle, I found no paper where it was usually -kept. I looked in the drawer, and found none there. I searched my -pockets, hoping to find an old letter, when my hand fell upon the -parchment. I thus detail the precise mode in which it came into my -possession; for the circumstances impressed me with peculiar force. - - "No doubt you will think me fanciful - but I had already -established a kind of connexion. I had put together two links of a -great chain. There was a boat lying upon a sea-coast, and not far -from the boat was a parchment - not a paper - with a skull depicted -upon it. You will, of course, ask 'where is the connexion?' I reply -that the skull, or death's-head, is the well-known emblem of the -pirate. The flag of the death's head is hoisted in all engagements. - - "I have said that the scrap was parchment, and not paper. -Parchment is durable - almost imperishable. Matters of little moment -are rarely consigned to parchment; since, for the mere ordinary -purposes of drawing or writing, it is not nearly so well adapted as -paper. This reflection suggested some meaning - some relevancy - in -the death's-head. I did not fail to observe, also, the form of the -parchment. Although one of its corners had been, by some accident, -destroyed, it could be seen that the original form was oblong. It was -just such a slip, indeed, as might have been chosen for a memorandum -- for a record of something to be long remembered and carefully -preserved." - - "But," I interposed, "you say that the skull was not upon the -parchment when you made the drawing of the beetle. How then do you -trace any connexion between the boat and the skull - since this -latter, according to your own admission, must have been designed (God -only knows how or by whom) at some period subsequent to your -sketching the scarabæus?" - - "Ah, hereupon turns the whole mystery; although the secret, at -this point, I had comparatively little difficulty in solving. My -steps were sure, and could afford but a single result. I reasoned, -for example, thus: When I drew the scarabæus, there was no skull -apparent upon the parchment. When I had completed the drawing I gave -it to you, and observed you narrowly until you returned it. You, -therefore, did not design the skull, and no one else was present to -do it. Then it was not done by human agency. And nevertheless it was -done. "At this stage of my reflections I endeavored to remember, and -did remember, with entire distinctness, every incident which occurred -about the period in question. The weather was chilly (oh rare and -happy accident!), and a fire was blazing upon the hearth. I was -heated with exercise and sat near the table. You, however, had drawn -a chair close to the chimney. Just as I placed the parchment in your -hand, and as you were in the act of in. inspecting it, Wolf, the -Newfoundland, entered, and leaped upon your shoulders. With your left -hand you caressed him and kept him off, while your right, holding the -parchment, was permitted to fall listlessly between your knees, and -in close proximity to the fire. At one moment I thought the blaze had -caught it, and was about to caution you, but, before I could speak, -you had withdrawn it, and were engaged in its examination. When I -considered all these particulars, I doubted not for a moment that -heat had been the agent in bringing to light, upon the parchment, the -skull which I saw designed upon it. You are well aware that chemical -preparations exist, and have existed time out of mind, by means of -which it is possible to write upon either paper or vellum, so that -the characters shall become visible only when subjected to the action -of fire. Zaffre, digested in aqua regia, and diluted with four times -its weight of water, is sometimes employed; a green tint results. The -regulus of cobalt, dissolved in spirit of nitre, gives a red. These -colors disappear at longer or shorter intervals after the material -written upon cools, but again become apparent upon the -re-application of heat. - - "I now scrutinized the death's-head with care. Its outer edges - -the edges of the drawing nearest the edge of the vellum - were far -more distinct than the others. It was clear that the action of the -caloric had been imperfect or unequal. I immediately kindled a fire, -and subjected every portion of the parchment to a glowing heat. At -first, the only effect was the strengthening of the faint lines in -the skull; but, upon persevering in the experiment, there became -visible, at the corner of the slip, diagonally opposite to the spot -in which the death's-head was delineated, the figure of what I at -first supposed to be a goat. A closer scrutiny, however, satisfied me -that it was intended for a kid." - - "Ha! ha!" said I, "to be sure I have no right to laugh at you - a -million and a half of money is too serious a matter for mirth - but -you are not about to establish a third link in your chain - you will -not find any especial connexion between your pirates and a goat - -pirates, you know, have nothing to do with goats; they appertain to -the farming interest." - - "But I have just said that the figure was not that of a goat." - - "Well, a kid then - pretty much the same thing." - - "Pretty much, but not altogether," said Legrand. "You may have -heard of one Captain Kidd. I at once looked upon the figure of the -animal as a kind of punning or hieroglyphical signature. I say -signature; because its position upon the vellum suggested this idea. -The death's-head at the corner diagonally opposite, had, in the same -manner, the air of a stamp, or seal. But I was sorely put out by the -absence of all else - of the body to my imagined instrument - of the -text for my context." - - "I presume you expected to find a letter between the stamp and -the signature." - - "Something of that kind. The fact is, I felt irresistibly -impressed with a presentiment of some vast good fortune impending. I -can scarcely say why. Perhaps, after all, it was rather a desire than -an actual belief; - but do you know that Jupiter's silly words, about -the bug being of solid gold, had a remarkable effect upon my fancy? -And then the series of accidents and coincidences - these were so -very extraordinary. Do you observe how mere an accident it was that -these events should have occurred upon the sole day of all the year -in which it has been, or may be, sufficiently cool for fire, and that -without the fire, or without the intervention of the dog at the -precise moment in which he appeared, I should never have become aware -of the death's-head, and so never the possessor of the treasure?" - - "But proceed - I am all impatience." - - "Well; you have heard, of course, the many stories current - the -thousand vague rumors afloat about money buried, somewhere upon the -Atlantic coast, by Kidd and his associates. These rumors must have -had some foundation in fact. And that the rumors have existed so long -and so continuous, could have resulted, it appeared to me, only from -the circumstance of the buried treasure still remaining entombed. Had -Kidd concealed his plunder for a time, and afterwards reclaimed it, -the rumors would scarcely have reached us in their present unvarying -form. You will observe that the stories told are all about -money-seekers, not about money-finders. Had the pirate recovered his -money, there the affair would have dropped. It seemed to me that some -accident - say the loss of a memorandum indicating its locality - had -deprived him of the means of recovering it, and that this accident -had become known to his followers, who otherwise might never have -heard that treasure had been concealed at all, and who, busying -themselves in vain, because unguided attempts, to regain it, had -given first birth, and then universal currency, to the reports which -are now so common. Have you ever heard of any important treasure -being unearthed along the coast?" - - "Never." - - "But that Kidd's accumulations were immense, is well known. I -took it for granted, therefore, that the earth still held them; and -you will scarcely be surprised when I tell you that I felt a hope, -nearly amounting to certainty, that the parchment so strangely found, -involved a lost record of the place of deposit." - - "But how did you proceed?" - - "I held the vellum again to the fire, after increasing the heat; -but nothing appeared. I now thought it possible that the coating of -dirt might have something to do with the failure; so I carefully -rinsed the parchment by pouring warm water over it, and, -having done this, I placed it in a tin pan, with the skull downwards, -and put the pan upon a furnace of lighted charcoal. In a few minutes, -the pan having become thoroughly heated, I removed the slip, and, to -my inexpressible joy, found it spotted, in several places, with what -appeared to be figures arranged in lines. Again I placed it in the -pan, and suffered it to remain another minute. Upon taking it off, -the whole was just as you see it now." Here Legrand, having re-heated -the parchment, submitted it to my inspection. The following -characters were rudely traced, in a red tint, between the -death's-head and the goat: - -"53‡‡†305))6*;4826)4‡)4‡;806*;48‡8¶60))85;1-(;:*8-83(88)5*‡ - -;46(;88*96*?;8)*‡(;485);5*†2:*‡(;4956*2(5*- 4)8¶8*;40692 - -85);)6†8)4;1(‡9;48081;8:8‡1;48†85;4)485†528806*81(‡9;48; - -(88;4(‡?34;48)4‡;161;:188;‡?;" - - "But," said I, returning him the slip, "I am as much in the dark -as ever. Were all the jewels of Golconda awaiting me upon my solution -of this enigma, I am quite sure that I should be unable to earn -them." - - "And yet," said Legrand, "the solution is by no means so -difficult as you might be lead to imagine from the first hasty -inspection of the characters. These characters, as any one might -readily guess, form a cipher - that is to say, they convey a meaning; -but then, from what is known of Kidd, I could not suppose him capable -of constructing any of the more abstruse cryptographs. I made up my -mind, at once, that this was of a simple species - such, however, as -would appear, to the crude intellect of the sailor, absolutely -insoluble without the key." - - "And you really solved it?" - - "Readily; I have solved others of an abstruseness ten thousand -times greater. Circumstances, and a certain bias of mind, have led me -to take interest in such riddles, and it may well be doubted whether -human ingenuity can construct an enigma of the kind which human -ingenuity may not, by proper application, resolve. In fact, having -once established connected and legible characters, I scarcely gave a -thought to the mere difficulty of developing their import. - - "In the present case - indeed in all cases of secret writing - -the first question regards the language of the cipher; for the -principles of solution, so far, especially, as the more simple -ciphers are concerned, depend upon, and are varied by, the genius of -the particular idiom. In general, there is no alternative but -experiment (directed by probabilities) of every tongue known to him -who attempts the solution, until the true one be attained. But, with -the cipher now before us, all difficulty was removed by the -signature. The pun upon the word 'Kidd' is appreciable in no other -language than the English. But for this consideration I should have -begun my attempts with the Spanish and French, as the tongues in -which a secret of this kind would most naturally have been written by -a pirate of the Spanish main. As it was, I assumed the cryptograph to -be English. - - "You observe there are no divisions between the words. Had there -been divisions, the task would have been comparatively easy. In such -case I should have commenced with a collation and analysis of the -shorter words, and, had a word of a single letter occurred, as is -most likely, (a or I, for example,) I should have considered the -solution as assured. But, there being no division, my first step was -to ascertain the predominant letters, as well as the least frequent. -Counting all, I constructed a table, thus: - - Of the character 8 there are 33. - - ; " 26. - - 4 " 19. - - ‡ ) " 16. - - * " 13. - - 5 " 12. - - 6 " 11. - - † 1 " 8. - - 0 " 6. - - 9 2 " 5. - - : 3 " 4. - - ? " 3. - - ¶ " 2. - - -. " 1. - - "Now, in English, the letter which most frequently occurs is e. -Afterwards, succession runs thus: _a o i d h n r s t u y c f g l m w -b k p q x z_. _E_ predominates so remarkably that an individual -sentence of any length is rarely seen, in which it is not the -prevailing character. - - "Here, then, we leave, in the very beginning, the groundwork for -something more than a mere guess. The general use which may be made -of the table is obvious - but, in this particular cipher, we shall -only very partially require its aid. As our predominant character is -8, we will commence by assuming it as the _e_ of the natural -alphabet. To verify the supposition, let us observe if the 8 be seen -often in couples - for _e_ is doubled with great frequency in English -- in such words, for example, as 'meet,' '.fleet,' 'speed,' 'seen,' -been,' 'agree,' &c. In the present instance we see it doubled no less -than five times, although the cryptograph is brief. - - "Let us assume 8, then, as _e_. Now, of all _words_ in the -language, 'the' is most usual; let us see, therefore, whether there -are not repetitions of any three characters, in the same order of -collocation, the last of them being 8. If we discover repetitions of -such letters, so arranged, they will most probably represent the word -'the.' Upon inspection, we find no less than seven such arrangements, -the characters being ;48. We may, therefore, assume that ; represents -_t_, 4 represents _h_, and 8 represents _e_ - the last being now well -confirmed. Thus a great step has been taken. - - "But, having established a single word, we are enabled to -establish a vastly important point; that is to say, several -commencements and terminations of other words. Let us refer, for -example, to the last instance but one, in which the combination ;48 -occurs - not far from the end of the cipher. We know that the ; -immediately ensuing is the commencement of a word, and, of the six -characters succeeding this 'the,' we are cognizant of no less than -five. Let us set these characters down, thus, by the letters we know -them to represent, leaving a space for the unknown - - -t eeth. - - "Here we are enabled, at once, to discard the 'th,' as forming no -portion of the word commencing with the first t; since, by experiment -of the entire alphabet for a letter adapted to the vacancy, we -perceive that no word can be formed of which this _th_ can be a part. -We are thus narrowed into - -t ee, - -and, going through the alphabet, if necessary, as before, we arrive -at the word 'tree,' as the sole possible reading. We thus gain -another letter, _r_, represented by (, with the words 'the tree' in -juxtaposition. - - "Looking beyond these words, for a short distance, we again see -the combination ;48, and employ it by way of _termination_ to what -immediately precedes. We have thus this arrangement: - -the tree ;4(‡?34 the, - -or, substituting the natural letters, where known, it reads thus: - -the tree thr‡?3h the. - - "Now, if, in place of the unknown characters, we leave blank -spaces, or substitute dots, we read thus: - -the tree thr...h the, - -when the word '_through_' makes itself evident at once. But this -discovery gives us three new letters, _o_, _u_ and _g_, represented -by ‡ ? and 3. - - "Looking now, narrowly, through the cipher for combinations of -known characters, we find, not very far from the beginning, this -arrangement, - -83(88, or egree, - -which, plainly, is the conclusion of the word 'degree,' and gives us -another letter, _d_, represented by †. - - "Four letters beyond the word 'degree,' we perceive the -combination - -;46(;88. - - "Translating the known characters, and representing the unknown -by dots, as before, we read thus: th rtee. an arrangement immediately -suggestive of the word 'thirteen,' and again furnishing us with two -new characters, _i_ and _n_, represented by 6 and *. - - "Referring, now, to the beginning of the cryptograph, we find the -combination, - -53‡‡†. - - "Translating, as before, we obtain - -good, - -which assures us that the first letter is _A_, and that the first two -words are 'A good.' - - "It is now time that we arrange our key, as far as discovered, in -a tabular form, to avoid confusion. It will stand thus: - - 5 represents a - - † " d - - 8 " e - - 3 " g - - 4 " h - - 6 " i - - * " n - - ‡ " o - - ( " r - - ; " t - - "We have, therefore, no less than ten of the most important -letters represented, and it will be unnecessary to proceed with the -details of the solution. I have said enough to convince you that -ciphers of this nature are readily soluble, and to give you some -insight into the rationale of their development. But be assured that -the specimen before us appertains to the very simplest species of -cryptograph. It now only remains to give you the full translation of -the characters upon the parchment, as unriddled. Here it is: - - " '_A good glass in the bishop's hostel in the devil's seat -forty-one degrees and thirteen minutes northeast and by north main -branch seventh limb east side shoot from the left eye of the -death's-head a bee line from the tree through the shot fifty feet -out_.' " - - "But," said I, "the enigma seems still in as bad a condition as -ever. How is it possible to extort a meaning from all this jargon -about 'devil's seats,' 'death's heads,' and 'bishop's hotels?' " - - "I confess," replied Legrand, "that the matter still wears a -serious aspect, when regarded with a casual glance. My first endeavor -was to divide the sentence into the natural division intended by the -cryptographist." - - "You mean, to punctuate it?" - - "Something of that kind." - - "But how was it possible to effect this?" - - "I reflected that it had been a point with the writer to run his -words together without division, so as to increase the difficulty of -solution. Now, a not over-acute man, in pursuing such an object would -be nearly certain to overdo the matter. When, in the course of his -composition, he arrived at a break in his subject which would -naturally require a pause, or a point, he would be exceedingly apt to -run his characters, at this place, more than usually close together. -If you will observe the MS., in the present instance, you will easily -detect five such cases of unusual crowding. Acting upon this hint, I -made the division thus: 'A good glass in the Bishop's hostel in the -Devil's seat - forty-one degrees and thirteen minutes - northeast and -by north - main branch seventh limb east side - shoot from the left -eye of the death's-head - a bee-line from the tree through the shot -fifty feet out.' " - - "Even this division," said I, "leaves me still in the dark." - - "It left me also in the dark," replied Legrand, "for a few days; -during which I made diligent inquiry, in the neighborhood of -Sullivan's Island, for any building which went by the name of the -'Bishop's Hotel;' for, of course, I dropped the obsolete word -'hostel.' Gaining no information on the subject, I was on the point -of extending my sphere of search, and proceeding in a more systematic -manner, when, one morning, it entered into my head, quite suddenly, -that this 'Bishop's Hostel' might have some reference to an old -family, of the name of Bessop, which, time out of mind, had held -possession of an ancient manor-house, about four miles to the -northward of the Island. I accordingly went over to the plantation, -and re-instituted my inquiries among the older negroes of the place. -At length one of the most aged of the women said that she had heard -of such a place as Bessop's Castle, and thought that she could guide -me to it, but that it was not a castle nor a tavern, but a high rock. - - "I offered to pay her well for her trouble, and, after some -demur, she consented to accompany me to the spot. We found it without -much difficulty, when, dismissing her, I proceeded to examine the -place. The 'castle' consisted of an irregular assemblage of cliffs -and rocks - one of the latter being quite remarkable for its height -as well as for its insulated and artificial appearance I clambered to -its apex, and then felt much at a loss as to what should be next -done. - - "While I was busied in reflection, my eyes fell upon a narrow -ledge in the eastern face of the rock, perhaps a yard below the -summit upon which I stood. This ledge projected about eighteen -inches, and was not more than a foot wide, while a niche in the cliff -just above it, gave it a rude resemblance to one of the hollow-backed -chairs used by our ancestors. I made no doubt that here was the -'devil's seat' alluded to in the MS., and now I seemed to grasp the -full secret of the riddle. - - "The 'good glass,' I knew, could have reference to nothing but a -telescope; for the word 'glass' is rarely employed in any other sense -by seamen. Now here, I at once saw, was a telescope to be used, and a -definite point of view, admitting no variation, from which to use it. -Nor did I hesitate to believe that the phrases, "forty-one degrees -and thirteen minutes,' and 'northeast and by north,' were intended as -directions for the levelling of the glass. Greatly excited by these -discoveries, I hurried home, procured a telescope, and returned to -the rock. - - "I let myself down to the ledge, and found that it was impossible -to retain a seat upon it except in one particular position. This fact -confirmed my preconceived idea. I proceeded to use the glass. Of -course, the 'forty-one degrees and thirteen minutes' could allude to -nothing but elevation above the visible horizon, since the horizontal -direction was clearly indicated by the words, 'northeast and by -north.' This latter direction I at once established by means of a -pocket-compass; then, pointing the glass as nearly at an angle of -forty-one degrees of elevation as I could do it by guess, I moved it -cautiously up or down, until my attention was arrested by a circular -rift or opening in the foliage of a large tree that overtopped its -fellows in the distance. In the centre of this rift I perceived a -white spot, but could not, at first, distinguish what it was. -Adjusting the focus of the telescope, I again looked, and now made it -out to be a human skull. - - "Upon this discovery I was so sanguine as to consider the enigma -solved; for the phrase 'main branch, seventh limb, east side,' could -refer only to the position of the skull upon the tree, while 'shoot -from the left eye of the death's head' admitted, also, of but one -interpretation, in regard to a search for buried treasure. I -perceived that the design was to drop a bullet from the left eye of -the skull, and that a bee-line, or, in other words, a straight line, -drawn from the nearest point of the trunk through 'the shot,' (or the -spot where the bullet fell,) and thence extended to a distance of -fifty feet, would indicate a definite point - and beneath this point -I thought it at least possible that a deposit of value lay -concealed." - - "All this," I said, "is exceedingly clear, and, although -ingenious, still simple and explicit. When you left the Bishop's -Hotel, what then?" - - "Why, having carefully taken the bearings of the tree, I turned -homewards. The instant that I left 'the devil's seat,' however, the -circular rift vanished; nor could I get a glimpse of it afterwards, -turn as I would. What seems to me the chief ingenuity in this whole -business, is the fact (for repeated experiment has convinced me it is -a fact) that the circular opening in question is visible from no -other attainable point of view than that afforded by the narrow ledge -upon the face of the rock. - - "In this expedition to the 'Bishop's Hotel' I had been attended -by Jupiter, who had, no doubt, observed, for some weeks past, the -abstraction of my demeanor, and took especial care not to leave me -alone. But, on the next day, getting up very early, I contrived to -give him the slip, and went into the hills in search of the tree. -After much toil I found it. When I came home at night my valet -proposed to give me a flogging. With the rest of the adventure I -believe you are as well acquainted as myself." - - "I suppose," said I, "you missed the spot, in the first attempt -at digging, through Jupiter's stupidity in letting the bug fall -through the right instead of through the left eye of the skull." - - "Precisely. This mistake made a difference of about two inches -and a half in the 'shot' - that is to say, in the position of the peg -nearest the tree; and had the treasure been beneath the 'shot,' the -error would have been of little moment; but 'the shot,' together with -the nearest point of the tree, were merely two points for the -establishment of a line of direction; of course the error, however -trivial in the beginning, increased as we proceeded with the line, -and by the time we had gone fifty feet, threw us quite off the scent. -But for my deep-seated impressions that treasure was here somewhere -actually buried, we might have had all our labor in vain." - - "But your grandiloquence, and your conduct in swinging the beetle -- how excessively odd! I was sure you were mad. And why did you -insist upon letting fall the bug, instead of a bullet, from the -skull?" - - "Why, to be frank, I felt somewhat annoyed by your evident -suspicions touching my sanity, and so resolved to punish you quietly, -in my own way, by a little bit of sober mystification. For this -reason I swung the beetle, and for this reason I let it fall it from -the tree. An observation of yours about its great weight suggested -the latter idea." - - "Yes, I perceive; and now there is only one point which puzzles -me. What are we to make of the skeletons found in the hole?" - - "That is a question I am no more able to answer than yourself. -There seems, however, only one plausible way of accounting for them - -and yet it is dreadful to believe in such atrocity as my suggestion -would imply. It is clear that Kidd - if Kidd indeed secreted this -treasure, which I doubt not - it is clear that he must have had -assistance in the labor. But this labor concluded, he may have -thought it expedient to remove all participants in his secret. -Perhaps a couple of blows with a mattock were sufficient, while his -coadjutors were busy in the pit; perhaps it required a dozen - who -shall tell?" - -_ - -_ - -~~~ End of Text ~~~ - -========== - - - FOUR BEASTS IN ONE - - THE HOMO-CAMELEOPARD - - Chacun a ses vertus. - --_Crebillon's Xerxes._ - -ANTIOCHUS EPIPHANES is very generally looked upon as the Gog of the -prophet Ezekiel. This honor is, however, more properly attributable -to Cambyses, the son of Cyrus. And, indeed, the character of the -Syrian monarch does by no means stand in need of any adventitious -embellishment. His accession to the throne, or rather his usurpation -of the sovereignty, a hundred and seventy-one years before the coming -of Christ; his attempt to plunder the temple of Diana at Ephesus; his -implacable hostility to the Jews; his pollution of the Holy of -Holies; and his miserable death at Taba, after a tumultuous reign of -eleven years, are circumstances of a prominent kind, and therefore -more generally noticed by the historians of his time than the -impious, dastardly, cruel, silly, and whimsical achievements which -make up the sum total of his private life and reputation. - -Let us suppose, gentle reader, that it is now the year of the world -three thousand eight hundred and thirty, and let us, for a few -minutes, imagine ourselves at that most grotesque habitation of man, -the remarkable city of Antioch. To be sure there were, in Syria and -other countries, sixteen cities of that appellation, besides the one -to which I more particularly allude. But ours is that which went by -the name of Antiochia Epidaphne, from its vicinity to the little -village of Daphne, where stood a temple to that divinity. It was -built (although about this matter there is some dispute) by Seleucus -Nicanor, the first king of the country after Alexander the Great, in -memory of his father Antiochus, and became immediately the residence -of the Syrian monarchy. In the flourishing times of the Roman Empire, -it was the ordinary station of the prefect of the eastern provinces; -and many of the emperors of the queen city (among whom may be -mentioned, especially, Verus and Valens) spent here the greater part -of their time. But I perceive we have arrived at the city itself. Let -us ascend this battlement, and throw our eyes upon the town and -neighboring country. - -"What broad and rapid river is that which forces its way, with -innumerable falls, through the mountainous wilderness, and finally -through the wilderness of buildings?" - -That is the Orontes, and it is the only water in sight, with the -exception of the Mediterranean, which stretches, like a broad mirror, -about twelve miles off to the southward. Every one has seen the -Mediterranean; but let me tell you, there are few who have had a peep -at Antioch. By few, I mean, few who, like you and me, have had, at -the same time, the advantages of a modern education. Therefore cease -to regard that sea, and give your whole attention to the mass of -houses that lie beneath us. You will remember that it is now the year -of the world three thousand eight hundred and thirty. Were it later --- for example, were it the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and -forty-five, we should be deprived of this extraordinary spectacle. In -the nineteenth century Antioch is -- that is to say, Antioch will be --- in a lamentable state of decay. It will have been, by that time, -totally destroyed, at three different periods, by three successive -earthquakes. Indeed, to say the truth, what little of its former self -may then remain, will be found in so desolate and ruinous a state -that the patriarch shall have removed his residence to Damascus. This -is well. I see you profit by my advice, and are making the most of -your time in inspecting the premises -- in - --satisfying your eyes - -With the memorials and the things of fame - -That most renown this city.- - -I beg pardon; I had forgotten that Shakespeare will not flourish for -seventeen hundred and fifty years to come. But does not the -appearance of Epidaphne justify me in calling it grotesque? - -"It is well fortified; and in this respect is as much indebted to -nature as to art." - -Very true. - -"There are a prodigious number of stately palaces." - -There are. - -"And the numerous temples, sumptuous and magnificent, may bear -comparison with the most lauded of antiquity." - -All this I must acknowledge. Still there is an infinity of mud huts, -and abominable hovels. We cannot help perceiving abundance of filth -in every kennel, and, were it not for the over-powering fumes of -idolatrous incense, I have no doubt we should find a most intolerable -stench. Did you ever behold streets so insufferably narrow, or houses -so miraculously tall? What gloom their shadows cast upon the ground! -It is well the swinging lamps in those endless colonnades are kept -burning throughout the day; we should otherwise have the darkness of -Egypt in the time of her desolation. - -"It is certainly a strange place! What is the meaning of yonder -singular building? See! it towers above all others, and lies to the -eastward of what I take to be the royal palace." - -That is the new Temple of the Sun, who is adored in Syria under the -title of Elah Gabalah. Hereafter a very notorious Roman Emperor will -institute this worship in Rome, and thence derive a cognomen, -Heliogabalus. I dare say you would like to take a peep at the -divinity of the temple. You need not look up at the heavens; his -Sunship is not there -- at least not the Sunship adored by the -Syrians. That deity will be found in the interior of yonder building. -He is worshipped under the figure of a large stone pillar terminating -at the summit in a cone or pyramid, whereby is denoted Fire. - -"Hark -- behold! -- who can those ridiculous beings be, half naked, -with their faces painted, shouting and gesticulating to the rabble?" - -Some few are mountebanks. Others more particularly belong to the race -of philosophers. The greatest portion, however -- those especially -who belabor the populace with clubs -- are the principal courtiers of -the palace, executing as in duty bound, some laudable comicality of -the king's. - -"But what have we here? Heavens! the town is swarming with wild -beasts! How terrible a spectacle! -- how dangerous a peculiarity!" - -Terrible, if you please; but not in the least degree dangerous. Each -animal if you will take the pains to observe, is following, very -quietly, in the wake of its master. Some few, to be sure, are led -with a rope about the neck, but these are chiefly the lesser or timid -species. The lion, the tiger, and the leopard are entirely without -restraint. They have been trained without difficulty to their present -profession, and attend upon their respective owners in the capacity -of valets-de-chambre. It is true, there are occasions when Nature -asserts her violated dominions; -- but then the devouring of a -man-at-arms, or the throttling of a consecrated bull, is a -circumstance of too little moment to be more than hinted at in -Epidaphne. - -"But what extraordinary tumult do I hear? Surely this is a loud noise -even for Antioch! It argues some commotion of unusual interest." - -Yes -- undoubtedly. The king has ordered some novel spectacle -- some -gladiatorial exhibition at the hippodrome -- or perhaps the massacre -of the Scythian prisoners -- or the conflagration of his new palace --- or the tearing down of a handsome temple -- or, indeed, a bonfire -of a few Jews. The uproar increases. Shouts of laughter ascend the -skies. The air becomes dissonant with wind instruments, and horrible -with clamor of a million throats. Let us descend, for the love of -fun, and see what is going on! This way -- be careful! Here we are in -the principal street, which is called the street of Timarchus. The -sea of people is coming this way, and we shall find a difficulty in -stemming the tide. They are pouring through the alley of Heraclides, -which leads directly from the palace; -- therefore the king is most -probably among the rioters. Yes; -- I hear the shouts of the herald -proclaiming his approach in the pompous phraseology of the East. We -shall have a glimpse of his person as he passes by the temple of -Ashimah. Let us ensconce ourselves in the vestibule of the sanctuary; -he will be here anon. In the meantime let us survey this image. What -is it? Oh! it is the god Ashimah in proper person. You perceive, -however, that he is neither a lamb, nor a goat, nor a satyr, neither -has he much resemblance to the Pan of the Arcadians. Yet all these -appearances have been given -- I beg pardon -- will be given -- by -the learned of future ages, to the Ashimah of the Syrians. Put on -your spectacles, and tell me what it is. What is it? - -"Bless me! it is an ape!" - -True -- a baboon; but by no means the less a deity. His name is a -derivation of the Greek Simia -- what great fools are antiquarians! -But see! -- see! -- yonder scampers a ragged little urchin. Where is -he going? What is he bawling about? What does he say? Oh! he says the -king is coming in triumph; that he is dressed in state; that he has -just finished putting to death, with his own hand, a thousand chained -Israelitish prisoners! For this exploit the ragamuffin is lauding him -to the skies. Hark! here comes a troop of a similar description. They -have made a Latin hymn upon the valor of the king, and are singing it -as they go: - -Mille, mille, mille, - -Mille, mille, mille, - -Decollavimus, unus homo! - -Mille, mille, mille, mille, decollavimus! - -Mille, mille, mille, - -Vivat qui mille mille occidit! - -Tantum vini habet nemo - -Quantum sanguinis effudit!{*1} - -Which may be thus paraphrased: - -A thousand, a thousand, a thousand, - -A thousand, a thousand, a thousand, - -We, with one warrior, have slain! - -A thousand, a thousand, a thousand, a thousand. - -Sing a thousand over again! - -Soho! -- let us sing - -Long life to our king, - -Who knocked over a thousand so fine! - -Soho! -- let us roar, - -He has given us more - -Red gallons of gore - -Than all Syria can furnish of wine! - -"Do you hear that flourish of trumpets?" - -Yes: the king is coming! See! the people are aghast with admiration, -and lift up their eyes to the heavens in reverence. He comes; -- he -is coming; -- there he is! - -"Who? -- where? -- the king? -- do not behold him -- cannot say that -I perceive him." - -Then you must be blind. - -"Very possible. Still I see nothing but a tumultuous mob of idiots -and madmen, who are busy in prostrating themselves before a gigantic -cameleopard, and endeavoring to obtain a kiss of the animal's hoofs. -See! the beast has very justly kicked one of the rabble over -- and -another -- and another -- and another. Indeed, I cannot help admiring -the animal for the excellent use he is making of his feet." - -Rabble, indeed! -- why these are the noble and free citizens of -Epidaphne! Beasts, did you say? -- take care that you are not -overheard. Do you not perceive that the animal has the visage of a -man? Why, my dear sir, that cameleopard is no other than Antiochus -Epiphanes, Antiochus the Illustrious, King of Syria, and the most -potent of all the autocrats of the East! It is true, that he is -entitled, at times, Antiochus Epimanes -- Antiochus the madman -- but -that is because all people have not the capacity to appreciate his -merits. It is also certain that he is at present ensconced in the -hide of a beast, and is doing his best to play the part of a -cameleopard; but this is done for the better sustaining his dignity -as king. Besides, the monarch is of gigantic stature, and the dress -is therefore neither unbecoming nor over large. We may, however, -presume he would not have adopted it but for some occasion of -especial state. Such, you will allow, is the massacre of a thousand -Jews. With how superior a dignity the monarch perambulates on all -fours! His tail, you perceive, is held aloft by his two principal -concubines, Elline and Argelais; and his whole appearance would be -infinitely prepossessing, were it not for the protuberance of his -eyes, which will certainly start out of his head, and the queer color -of his face, which has become nondescript from the quantity of wine -he has swallowed. Let us follow him to the hippodrome, whither he is -proceeding, and listen to the song of triumph which he is commencing: - -Who is king but Epiphanes? - -Say -- do you know? - -Who is king but Epiphanes? - -Bravo! -- bravo! - -There is none but Epiphanes, - -No -- there is none: - -So tear down the temples, - -And put out the sun! - -Well and strenuously sung! The populace are hailing him 'Prince of -Poets,' as well as 'Glory of the East,' 'Delight of the Universe,' -and 'Most Remarkable of Cameleopards.' They have encored his -effusion, and do you hear? -- he is singing it over again. When he -arrives at the hippodrome, he will be crowned with the poetic wreath, -in anticipation of his victory at the approaching Olympics. - -"But, good Jupiter! what is the matter in the crowd behind us?" - -Behind us, did you say? -- oh! ah! -- I perceive. My friend, it is -well that you spoke in time. Let us get into a place of safety as -soon as possible. Here! -- let us conceal ourselves in the arch of -this aqueduct, and I will inform you presently of the origin of the -commotion. It has turned out as I have been anticipating. The -singular appearance of the cameleopard and the head of a man, has, it -seems, given offence to the notions of propriety entertained, in -general, by the wild animals domesticated in the city. A mutiny has -been the result; and, as is usual upon such occasions, all human -efforts will be of no avail in quelling the mob. Several of the -Syrians have already been devoured; but the general voice of the -four-footed patriots seems to be for eating up the cameleopard. 'The -Prince of Poets,' therefore, is upon his hinder legs, running for his -life. His courtiers have left him in the lurch, and his concubines -have followed so excellent an example. 'Delight of the Universe,' -thou art in a sad predicament! 'Glory of the East,' thou art in -danger of mastication! Therefore never regard so piteously thy tail; -it will undoubtedly be draggled in the mud, and for this there is no -help. Look not behind thee, then, at its unavoidable degradation; but -take courage, ply thy legs with vigor, and scud for the hippodrome! -Remember that thou art Antiochus Epiphanes. Antiochus the -Illustrious! -- also 'Prince of Poets,' 'Glory of the East,' 'Delight -of the Universe,' and 'Most Remarkable of Cameleopards!' Heavens! -what a power of speed thou art displaying! What a capacity for -leg-bail thou art developing! Run, Prince! -- Bravo, Epiphanes! Well -done, Cameleopard! -- Glorious Antiochus! -- He runs! -- he leaps! -- -he flies! Like an arrow from a catapult he approaches the hippodrome! -He leaps! -- he shrieks! -- he is there! This is well; for hadst -thou, 'Glory of the East,' been half a second longer in reaching the -gates of the Amphitheatre, there is not a bear's cub in Epidaphne -that would not have had a nibble at thy carcase. Let us be off -- let -us take our departure! -- for we shall find our delicate modern ears -unable to endure the vast uproar which is about to commence in -celebration of the king's escape! Listen! it has already commenced. -See! -- the whole town is topsy-turvy. - -"Surely this is the most populous city of the East! What a wilderness -of people! what a jumble of all ranks and ages! what a multiplicity -of sects and nations! what a variety of costumes! what a Babel of -languages! what a screaming of beasts! what a tinkling of -instruments! what a parcel of philosophers!" - -Come let us be off. - -"Stay a moment! I see a vast hubbub in the hippodrome; what is the -meaning of it, I beseech you?" - -That? -- oh, nothing! The noble and free citizens of Epidaphne being, -as they declare, well satisfied of the faith, valor, wisdom, and -divinity of their king, and having, moreover, been eye-witnesses of -his late superhuman agility, do think it no more than their duty to -invest his brows (in addition to the poetic crown) with the wreath of -victory in the footrace -- a wreath which it is evident he must -obtain at the celebration of the next Olympiad, and which, therefore, -they now give him in advance. - -~~~ End of Text ~~~ - -Footnotes -- Four Beasts - -{*1} Flavius Vospicus says, that the hymn here introduced was sung by -the rabble upon the occasion of Aurelian, in the Sarmatic war, having -slain, with his own hand, nine hundred and fifty of the enemy. - - -========== - - - THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE - -What song the Syrens sang, or what name Achilles assumed when he hid -himself among women, although puzzling questions, are not beyond -_all_ conjecture. - - --_Sir Thomas Browne._ - - -The mental features discoursed of as the analytical, are, in -themselves, but little susceptible of analysis. We appreciate them -only in their effects. We know of them, among other things, that they -are always to their possessor, when inordinately possessed, a source -of the liveliest enjoyment. As the strong man exults in his physical -ability, delighting in such exercises as call his muscles into -action, so glories the analyst in that moral activity which -_disentangles._ He derives pleasure from even the most trivial -occupations bringing his talent into play. He is fond of enigmas, of -conundrums, of hieroglyphics; exhibiting in his solutions of each a -degree of _acumen_ which appears to the ordinary apprehension -præternatural. His results, brought about by the very soul and -essence of method, have, in truth, the whole air of intuition. - -The faculty of re-solution is possibly much invigorated by -mathematical study, and especially by that highest branch of it -which, unjustly, and merely on account of its retrograde operations, -has been called, as if _par excellence_, analysis. Yet to calculate -is not in itself to analyse. A chess-player, for example, does the -one without effort at the other. It follows that the game of chess, -in its effects upon mental character, is greatly misunderstood. I am -not now writing a treatise, but simply prefacing a somewhat peculiar -narrative by observations very much at random; I will, therefore, -take occasion to assert that the higher powers of the reflective -intellect are more decidedly and more usefully tasked by the -unostentatious game of draughts than by a the elaborate frivolity of -chess. In this latter, where the pieces have different and _bizarre_ -motions, with various and variable values, what is only complex is -mistaken (a not unusual error) for what is profound. The _attention_ -is here called powerfully into play. If it flag for an instant, an -oversight is committed resulting in injury or defeat. The possible -moves being not only manifold but involute, the chances of such -oversights are multiplied; and in nine cases out of ten it is the -more concentrative rather than the more acute player who conquers. In -draughts, on the contrary, where the moves are _unique_ and have but -little variation, the probabilities of inadvertence are diminished, -and the mere attention being left comparatively unemployed, what -advantages are obtained by either party are obtained by superior -_acumen_. To be less abstract - Let us suppose a game of draughts -where the pieces are reduced to four kings, and where, of course, no -oversight is to be expected. It is obvious that here the victory can -be decided (the players being at all equal) only by some _recherché_ -movement, the result of some strong exertion of the intellect. -Deprived of ordinary resources, the analyst throws himself into the -spirit of his opponent, identifies himself therewith, and not -unfrequently sees thus, at a glance, the sole methods (sometime -indeed absurdly simple ones) by which he may seduce into error or -hurry into miscalculation. - -Whist has long been noted for its influence upon what is termed the -calculating power; and men of the highest order of intellect have -been known to take an apparently unaccountable delight in it, while -eschewing chess as frivolous. Beyond doubt there is nothing of a -similar nature so greatly tasking the faculty of analysis. The best -chess-player in Christendom _may_ be little more than the best player -of chess; but proficiency in whist implies capacity for success in -all those more important undertakings where mind struggles with mind. -When I say proficiency, I mean that perfection in the game which -includes a comprehension of _all_ the sources whence legitimate -advantage may be derived. These are not only manifold but multiform, -and lie frequently among recesses of thought altogether inaccessible -to the ordinary understanding. To observe attentively is to remember -distinctly; and, so far, the concentrative chess-player will do very -well at whist; while the rules of Hoyle (themselves based upon the -mere mechanism of the game) are sufficiently and generally -comprehensible. Thus to have a retentive memory, and to proceed by -"the book," are points commonly regarded as the sum total of good -playing. But it is in matters beyond the limits of mere rule that the -skill of the analyst is evinced. He makes, in silence, a host of -observations and inferences. So, perhaps, do his companions; and the -difference in the extent of the information obtained, lies not so -much in the validity of the inference as in the quality of the -observation. The necessary knowledge is that of _what_ to observe. -Our player confines himself not at all; nor, because the game is the -object, does he reject deductions from things external to the game. -He examines the countenance of his partner, comparing it carefully -with that of each of his opponents. He considers the mode of -assorting the cards in each hand; often counting trump by trump, and -honor by honor, through the glances bestowed by their holders upon -each. He notes every variation of face as the play progresses, -gathering a fund of thought from the differences in the expression of -certainty, of surprise, of triumph, or of chagrin. From the manner of -gathering up a trick he judges whether the person taking it can make -another in the suit. He recognises what is played through feint, by -the air with which it is thrown upon the table. A casual or -inadvertent word; the accidental dropping or turning of a card, with -the accompanying anxiety or carelessness in regard to its -concealment; the counting of the tricks, with the order of their -arrangement; embarrassment, hesitation, eagerness or trepidation - -all afford, to his apparently intuitive perception, indications of -the true state of affairs. The first two or three rounds having been -played, he is in full possession of the contents of each hand, and -thenceforward puts down his cards with as absolute a precision of -purpose as if the rest of the party had turned outward the faces of -their own. - -The analytical power should not be confounded with ample ingenuity; -for while the analyst is necessarily ingenious, the ingenious man is -often remarkably incapable of analysis. The constructive or combining -power, by which ingenuity is usually manifested, and to which the -phrenologists (I believe erroneously) have assigned a separate organ, -supposing it a primitive faculty, has been so frequently seen in -those whose intellect bordered otherwise upon idiocy, as to have -attracted general observation among writers on morals. Between -ingenuity and the analytic ability there exists a difference far -greater, indeed, than that between the fancy and the imagination, but -of a character very strictly analogous. It will be found, in fact, -that the ingenious are always fanciful, and the _truly_ imaginative -never otherwise than analytic. - -The narrative which follows will appear to the reader somewhat in the -light of a commentary upon the propositions just advanced. - -Residing in Paris during the spring and part of the summer of 18--, I -there became acquainted with a Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin. This young -gentleman was of an excellent - indeed of an illustrious family, but, -by a variety of untoward events, had been reduced to such poverty -that the energy of his character succumbed beneath it, and he ceased -to bestir himself in the world, or to care for the retrieval of his -fortunes. By courtesy of his creditors, there still remained in his -possession a small remnant of his patrimony; and, upon the income -arising from this, he managed, by means of a rigorous economy, to -procure the necessaries of life, without troubling himself about its -superfluities. Books, indeed, were his sole luxuries, and in Paris -these are easily obtained. - -Our first meeting was at an obscure library in the Rue Montmartre, -where the accident of our both being in search of the same very rare -and very remarkable volume, brought us into closer communion. We saw -each other again and again. I was deeply interested in the little -family history which he detailed to me with all that candor which a -Frenchman indulges whenever mere self is his theme. I was astonished, -too, at the vast extent of his reading; and, above all, I felt my -soul enkindled within me by the wild fervor, and the vivid freshness -of his imagination. Seeking in Paris the objects I then sought, I -felt that the societyof such a man would be to me a treasure beyond -price; and this feeling I frankly confided to him. It was at length -arranged that we should live together during my stay in the city; and -as my worldly circumstances were somewhat less embarrassed than his -own, I was permitted to be at the expense of renting, and furnishing -in a style which suited the rather fantastic gloom of our common -temper, a time-eaten and grotesque mansion, long deserted through -superstitions into which we did not inquire, and tottering to its -fall in a retired and desolate portion of the Faubourg St. Germain. - -Had the routine of our life at this place been known to the world, we -should have been regarded as madmen - although, perhaps, as madmen of -a harmless nature. Our seclusion was perfect. We admitted no -visitors. Indeed the locality of our retirement had been carefully -kept a secret from my own former associates; and it had been many -years since Dupin had ceased to know or be known in Paris. We existed -within ourselves alone. - -It was a freak of fancy in my friend (for what else shall I call it?) -to be enamored of the Night for her own sake; and into this -_bizarrerie_, as into all his others, I quietly fell; giving myself -up to his wild whims with a perfect _abandon_. The sable divinity -would not herself dwell with us always; but we could counterfeit her -presence. At the first dawn of the morning we closed all the messy -shutters of our old building; lighting a couple of tapers which, -strongly perfumed, threw out only the ghastliest and feeblest of -rays. By the aid of these we then busied our souls in dreams - -reading, writing, or conversing, until warned by the clock of the -advent of the true Darkness. Then we sallied forth into the streets -arm in arm, continuing the topics of the day, or roaming far and wide -until a late hour, seeking, amid the wild lights and shadows of the -populous city, that infinity of mental excitement which quiet -observation can afford. - -At such times I could not help remarking and admiring (although from -his rich ideality I had been prepared to expect it) a peculiar -analytic ability in Dupin. He seemed, too, to take an eager delight -in its exercise - if not exactly in its display - and did not -hesitate to confess the pleasure thus derived. He boastedto me, with -a low chuckling laugh, that most men, in respect to himself, wore -windows in their bosoms, and was wont to follow up such assertions by -direct and very startling proofs of his intimate knowledge of my own. -His manner at these moments was frigid and abstract; his eyes were -vacant in expression; while his voice, usually a rich tenor, rose -into a treble which would have sounded petulantly but for the -deliberateness and entire distinctness of the enunciation. Observing -him in these moods, I often dwelt meditatively upon the old -philosophy of the Bi-Part Soul, and amused myself with the fancy of a -double Dupin - the creative and the resolvent. - -Let it not be supposed, from what I have just said, that I am -detailing any mystery, or penning any romance. What I have described -in the Frenchman, was merely the result of an excited, or perhaps of -a diseased intelligence. But of the character of his remarks at the -periods in question an example will best convey the idea. - -We were strolling one night down a long dirty street in the vicinity -of the Palais Royal. Being both, apparently, occupied with thought, -neither of us had spoken a syllable for fifteen minutes at least. All -at once Dupin broke forth with these words: - -"He is a very little fellow, that's true, and would do better for the -_Théâtre des Variétés_." - -"There can be no doubt of that," I replied unwittingly, and not at -first observing (so much had I been absorbed in reflection) the -extraordinary manner in which the speaker had chimed in with my -meditations. In an instant afterward I recollected myself, and my -astonishment was profound. - -"Dupin," said I, gravely, "this is beyond my comprehension. I do not -hesitate to say that I am amazed, and can scarcely credit my senses. -How was it possible you should know I was thinking of ----- ?" Here I -paused, to ascertain beyond a doubt whether he really knew of whom I -thought. - --- "of Chantilly," said he, "why do you pause? You were remarking to -yourself that his diminutive figure unfitted him for tragedy." - -This was precisely what had formed the subject of my reflections. -Chantilly was a _quondam_ cobbler of the Rue St. Denis, who, becoming -stage-mad, had attempted the _rôle_ of Xerxes, in Crébillon's tragedy -so called, and been notoriously Pasquinaded for his pains. - -"Tell me, for Heaven's sake," I exclaimed, "the method - if method -there is - by which you have been enabled to fathom my soul in this -matter." In fact I was even more startled than I would have been -willing to express. - -"It was the fruiterer," replied my friend, "who brought you to the -conclusion that the mender of soles was not of sufficient height for -Xerxes _et id genus omne_." - -"The fruiterer! - you astonish me - I know no fruiterer whomsoever." - -"The man who ran up against you as we entered the street - it may -have been fifteen minutes ago." - -I now remembered that, in fact, a fruiterer, carrying upon his head a -large basket of apples, had nearly thrown me down, by accident, as we -passed from the Rue C ---- into the thoroughfare where we stood; but -what this had to do with Chantilly I could not possibly understand. - -There was not a particle of _charlâtanerie_ about Dupin. "I will -explain," he said, "and that you may comprehend all clearly, we will -first retrace the course of your meditations, from the moment in -which I spoke to you until that of the _rencontre_ with the fruiterer -in question. The larger links of the chain run thus - Chantilly, -Orion, Dr. Nichols, Epicurus, Stereotomy, the street stones, the -fruiterer." - -There are few persons who have not, at some period of their lives, -amused themselves in retracing the steps by which particular -conclusions of their own minds have been attained. The occupation is -often full of interest and he who attempts it for the first time is -astonished by the apparently illimitable distance and incoherence -between the starting-point and the goal. What, then, must have been -my amazement when I heard the Frenchman speak what he had just -spoken, and when I could not help acknowledging that he had spoken -the truth. He continued: - -"We had been talking of horses, if I remember aright, just before -leaving the Rue C ---- . This was the last subject we discussed. As -we crossed into this street, a fruiterer, with a large basket upon -his head, brushing quickly past us, thrust you upon a pile of paving -stones collected at a spot where the causeway is undergoing repair. -You stepped upon one of the loose fragments, slipped, slightly -strained your ankle, appeared vexed or sulky, muttered a few words, -turned to look at the pile, and then proceeded in silence. I was not -particularly attentive to what you did; but observation has become -with me, of late, a species of necessity. - -"You kept your eyes upon the ground - glancing, with a petulant -expression, at the holes and ruts in the pavement, (so that I saw you -were still thinking of the stones,) until we reached the little alley -called Lamartine, which has been paved, by way of experiment, with -the overlapping and riveted blocks. Here your countenance brightened -up, and, perceiving your lips move, I could not doubt that you -murmured the word 'stereotomy,' a term very affectedly applied to -this species of pavement. I knew that you could not say to yourself -'stereotomy' without being brought to think of atomies, and thus of -the theories of Epicurus; and since, when we discussed this subject -not very long ago, I mentioned to you how singularly, yet with how -little notice, the vague guesses of that noble Greek had met with -confirmation in the late nebular cosmogony, I felt that you could not -avoid casting your eyes upward to the great _nebula_ in Orion, and I -certainly expected that you would do so. You did look up; and I was -now assured that I had correctly followed your steps. But in that -bitter _tirade_ upon Chantilly, which appeared in yesterday's -'_Musée_,' the satirist, making some disgraceful allusions to the -cobbler s change of name upon assuming the buskin, quoted a Latin -line about which we have often conversed. I mean the line - -Perdidit antiquum litera sonum. - -I had told you that this was in reference to Orion, formerly written -Urion; and, from certain pungencies connected with this explanation, -I was aware that you could not have forgotten it. It was clear, -therefore, that you would not fail to combine the two ideas of Orion -and Chantilly. That you did combine them I saw by the character of -the smile which passed over your lips. You thought of the poor -cobbler's immolation. So far, you had been stooping in your gait; but -now I saw you draw yourself up to your full height. I was then sure -that you reflected upon the diminutive figure of Chantilly. At this -point I interrupted your meditations to remark that as, in fact, he -was a very little fellow - that Chantilly - he would do better at the -_Théâtre des Variétés_." - -Not long after this, we were looking over an evening edition of the -"Gazette des Tribunaux," when the following paragraphs arrested our -attention. - -"EXTRAORDINARY MURDERS. - This morning, about three o'clock, the -inhabitants of the Quartier St. Roch were aroused from sleep by a -succession of terrific shrieks, issuing, apparently, from the fourth -story of a house in the Rue Morgue, known to be in the sole occupancy -of one Madame L'Espanaye, and her daughter Mademoiselle Camille -L'Espanaye. After some delay, occasioned by a fruitless attempt to -procure admission in the usual manner, the gateway was broken in with -a crowbar, and eight or ten of the neighbors entered accompanied by -two _gendarmes_. By this time the cries had ceased; but, as the party -rushed up the first flight of stairs, two or more rough voices in -angry contention were distinguished and seemed to proceed from the -upper part of the house. As the second landing was reached, these -sounds, also, had ceased and everything remained perfectly quiet. The -party spread themselves and hurried from room to room. Upon arriving -at a large back chamber in the fourth story, (the door of which, -being found locked, with the key inside, was forced open,) a -spectacle presented itself which struck every one present not less -with horror than with astonishment. - -"The apartment was in the wildest disorder - the furniture broken and -thrown about in all directions. There was only one bedstead; and from -this the bed had been removed, and thrown into the middle of the -floor. On a chair lay a razor, besmeared with blood. On the hearth -were two or three long and thick tresses of grey human hair, also -dabbled in blood, and seeming to have been pulled out by the roots. -Upon the floor were found four Napoleons, an ear-ring of topaz, three -large silver spoons, three smaller of_ métal d'Alger_, and two bags, -containing nearly four thousand francs in gold. The drawers of a -_bureau_, which stood in one corner were open, and had been, -apparently, rifled, although many articles still remained in them. A -small iron safe was discovered under the _bed_ (not under the -bedstead). It was open, with the key still in the door. It had no -contents beyond a few old letters, and other papers of little -consequence. - -"Of Madame L'Espanaye no traces were here seen; but an unusual -quantity of soot being observed in the fire-place, a search was made -in the chimney, and (horrible to relate!) the corpse of the -daughter, head downward, was dragged therefrom; it having been thus -forced up the narrow aperture for a considerable distance. The body -was quite warm. Upon examining it, many excoriations were perceived, -no doubt occasioned by the violence with which it had been thrust up -and disengaged. Upon the face were many severe scratches, and, upon -the throat, dark bruises, and deep indentations of finger nails, as -if the deceased had been throttled to death. - -"After a thorough investigation of every portion of the house, -without farther discovery, the party made its way into a small paved -yard in the rear of the building, where lay the corpse of the old -lady, with her throat so entirely cut that, upon an attempt to raise -her, the head fell off. The body, as well as the head, was fearfully -mutilated - the former so much so as scarcely to retain any semblance -of humanity. - -"To this horrible mystery there is not as yet, we believe, the -slightest clew." - -The next day's paper had these additional particulars. - -"_The Tragedy in the Rue Morgue._ Many individuals have been examined -in relation to this most extraordinary and frightful affair. [The -word 'affaire' has not yet, in France, that levity of import which it -conveys with us,] "but nothing whatever has transpired to throw light -upon it. We give below all the material testimony elicited. - -"_Pauline Dubourg_, laundress, deposes that she has known both the -deceased for three years, having washed for them during that period. -The old lady and her daughter seemed on good terms - very -affectionate towards each other. They were excellent pay. Could not -speak in regard to their mode or means of living. Believed that -Madame L. told fortunes for a living. Was reputed to have money put -by. Never met any persons in the house when she called for the -clothes or took them home. Was sure that they had no servant in -employ. There appeared to be no furniture in any part of the building -except in the fourth story. - -"_Pierre Moreau_, tobacconist, deposes that he has been in the habit -of selling small quantities of tobacco and snuff to Madame L'Espanaye -for nearly four years. Was born in the neighborhood, and has always -resided there. The deceased and her daughter had occupied the house -in which the corpses were found, for more than six years. It was -formerly occupied by a jeweller, who under-let the upper rooms to -various persons. The house was the property of Madame L. She became -dissatisfied with the abuse of the premises by her tenant, and moved -into them herself, refusing to let any portion. The old lady was -childish. Witness had seen the daughter some five or six times during -the six years. The two lived an exceedingly retired life - were -reputed to have money. Had heard it said among the neighbors that -Madame L. told fortunes - did not believe it. Had never seen any -person enter the door except the old lady and her daughter, a porter -once or twice, and a physician some eight or ten times. - -"Many other persons, neighbors, gave evidence to the same effect. No -one was spoken of as frequenting the house. It was not known whether -there were any living connexions of Madame L. and her daughter. The -shutters of the front windows were seldom opened. Those in the rear -were always closed, with the exception of the large back room, fourth -story. The house was a good house - not very old. - -"_Isidore Muset_, _gendarme_, deposes that he was called to the house -about three o'clock in the morning, and found some twenty or thirty -persons at the gateway, endeavoring to gain admittance. Forced it -open, at length, with a bayonet - not with a crowbar. Had but little -difficulty in getting it open, on account of its being a double or -folding gate, and bolted neither at bottom not top. The shrieks were -continued until the gate was forced - and then suddenly ceased. They -seemed to be screams of some person (or persons) in great agony - -were loud and drawn out, not short and quick. Witness led the way up -stairs. Upon reaching the first landing, heard two voices in loud and -angry contention - the one a gruff voice, the other much shriller - a -very strange voice. Could distinguish some words of the former, which -was that of a Frenchman. Was positive that it was not a woman's -voice. Could distinguish the words '_sacré_' and '_diable._' The -shrill voice was that of a foreigner. Could not be sure whether it -was the voice of a man or of a woman. Could not make out what was -said, but believed the language to be Spanish. The state of the room -and of the bodies was described by this witness as we described them -yesterday. - -"_Henri Duval_, a neighbor, and by trade a silver-smith, deposes that -he was one of the party who first entered the house. Corroborates the -testimony of Musèt in general. As soon as they forced an entrance, -they reclosed the door, to keep out the crowd, which collected very -fast, notwithstanding the lateness of the hour. The shrill voice, -this witness thinks, was that of an Italian. Was certain it was not -French. Could not be sure that it was a man's voice. It might have -been a woman's. Was not acquainted with the Italian language. Could -not distinguish the words, but was convinced by the intonation that -the speaker was an Italian. Knew Madame L. and her daughter. Had -conversed with both frequently. Was sure that the shrill voice was -not that of either of the deceased. - -"-- _Odenheimer, restaurateur._ This witness volunteered his -testimony. Not speaking French, was examined through an interpreter. -Is a native of Amsterdam. Was passing the house at the time of the -shrieks. They lasted for several minutes - probably ten. They were -long and loud - very awful and distressing. Was one of those who -entered the building. Corroborated the previous evidence in every -respect but one. Was sure that the shrill voice was that of a man - -of a Frenchman. Could not distinguish the words uttered. They were -loud and quick - unequal - spoken apparently in fear as well as in -anger. The voice was harsh - not so much shrill as harsh. Could not -call it a shrill voice. The gruff voice said repeatedly '_sacré_,' -'_diable_,' and once '_mon Dieu._' - -"_Jules Mignaud_, banker, of the firm of Mignaud et Fils, Rue -Deloraine. Is the elder Mignaud. Madame L'Espanaye had some property. -Had opened an account with his banking house in the spring of the -year - (eight years previously). Made frequent deposits in small -sums. Had checked for nothing until the third day before her death, -when she took out in person the sum of 4000 francs. This sum was paid -in gold, and a clerk went home with the money. - -"_Adolphe Le Bon_, clerk to Mignaud et Fils, deposes that on the day -in question, about noon, he accompanied Madame L'Espanaye to her -residence with the 4000 francs, put up in two bags. Upon the door -being opened, Mademoiselle L. appeared and took from his hands one of -the bags, while the old lady relieved him of the other. He then bowed -and departed. Did not see any person in the street at the time. It is -a bye-street - very lonely. - -"_William Bird_, tailor deposes that he was one of the party who -entered the house. Is an Englishman. Has lived in Paris two years. -Was one of the first to ascend the stairs. Heard the voices in -contention. The gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. Could make out -several words, but cannot now remember all. Heard distinctly -'_sacré_' and '_mon Dieu._' There was a sound at the moment as if of -several persons struggling - a scraping and scuffling sound. The -shrill voice was very loud - louder than the gruff one. Is sure that -it was not the voice of an Englishman. Appeared to be that of a -German. Might have been a woman's voice. Does not understand German. - -"Four of the above-named witnesses, being recalled, deposed that the -door of the chamber in which was found the body of Mademoiselle L. -was locked on the inside when the party reached it. Every thing was -perfectly silent - no groans or noises of any kind. Upon forcing the -door no person was seen. The windows, both of the back and front -room, were down and firmly fastened from within. A door between the -two rooms was closed, but not locked. The door leading from the front -room into the passage was locked, with the key on the inside. A small -room in the front of the house, on the fourth story, at the head of -the passage was open, the door being ajar. This room was crowded with -old beds, boxes, and so forth. These were carefully removed and -searched. There was not an inch of any portion of the house which was -not carefully searched. Sweeps were sent up and down the chimneys. -The house was a four story one, with garrets (_mansardes._) A -trap-door on the roof was nailed down very securely - did not appear -to have been opened for years. The time elapsing between the hearing -of the voices in contention and the breaking open of the room door, -was variously stated by the witnesses. Some made it as short as three -minutes - some as long as five. The door was opened with difficulty. - -"_Alfonzo Garcio_, undertaker, deposes that he resides in the Rue -Morgue. Is a native of Spain. Was one of the party who entered the -house. Did not proceed up stairs. Is nervous, and was apprehensive of -the consequences of agitation. Heard the voices in contention. The -gruff voice was that of a Frenchman. Could not distinguish what was -said. The shrill voice was that of an Englishman - is sure of this. -Does not understand the English language, but judges by the -intonation. - -"_Alberto Montani_, confectioner, deposes that he was among the first -to ascend the stairs. Heard the voices in question. The gruff voice -was that of a Frenchman. Distinguished several words. The speaker -appeared to be expostulating. Could not make out the words of the -shrill voice. Spoke quick and unevenly. Thinks it the voice of a -Russian. Corroborates the general testimony. Is an Italian. Never -conversed with a native of Russia. - -"Several witnesses, recalled, here testified that the chimneys of all -the rooms on the fourth story were too narrow to admit the passage of -a human being. By 'sweeps' were meant cylindrical sweeping brushes, -such as are employed by those who clean chimneys. These brushes were -passed up and down every flue in the house. There is no back passage -by which any one could have descended while the party proceeded up -stairs. The body of Mademoiselle L'Espanaye was so firmly wedged in -the chimney that it could not be got down until four or five of the -party united their strength. - -"_Paul Dumas_, physician, deposes that he was called to view the -bodies about day-break. They were both then lying on the sacking of -the bedstead in the chamber where Mademoiselle L. was found. The -corpse of the young lady was much bruised and excoriated. The fact -that it had been thrust up the chimney would sufficiently account for -these appearances. The throat was greatly chafed. There were several -deep scratches just below the chin, together with a series of livid -spots which were evidently the impression of fingers. The face was -fearfully discolored, and the eye-balls protruded. The tongue had -been partially bitten through. A large bruise was discovered upon the -pit of the stomach, produced, apparently, by the pressure of a knee. -In the opinion of M. Dumas, Mademoiselle L'Espanaye had been -throttled to death by some person or persons unknown. The corpse of -the mother was horribly mutilated. All the bones of the right leg and -arm were more or less shattered. The left _tibia_ much splintered, as -well as all the ribs of the left side. Whole body dreadfully bruised -and discolored. It was not possible to say how the injuries had been -inflicted. A heavy club of wood, or a broad bar of iron - a chair - -any large, heavy, and obtuse weapon would have produced such results, -if wielded by the hands of a very powerful man. No woman could have -inflicted the blows with any weapon. The head of the deceased, when -seen by witness, was entirely separated from the body, and was also -greatly shattered. The throat had evidently been cut with some very -sharp instrument - probably with a razor. - -"_Alexandre Etienne_, surgeon, was called with M. Dumas to view the -bodies. Corroborated the testimony, and the opinions of M. Dumas. - -"Nothing farther of importance was elicited, although several other -persons were examined. A murder so mysterious, and so perplexing in -all its particulars, was never before committed in Paris - if indeed -a murder has been committed at all. The police are entirely at fault -- an unusual occurrence in affairs of this nature. There is not, -however, the shadow of a clew apparent." - -The evening edition of the paper stated that the greatest excitement -still continued in the Quartier St. Roch - that the premises in -question had been carefully re-searched, and fresh examinations of -witnesses instituted, but all to no purpose. A postscript, however, -mentioned that Adolphe Le Bon had been arrested and imprisoned - -although nothing appeared to criminate him, beyond the facts already -detailed. - -Dupin seemed singularly interested in the progress of this affair -- -at least so I judged from his manner, for he made no comments. It was -only after the announcement that Le Bon had been imprisoned, that he -asked me my opinion respecting the murders. - -I could merely agree with all Paris in considering them an insoluble -mystery. I saw no means by which it would be possible to trace the -murderer. - -"We must not judge of the means," said Dupin, "by this shell of an -examination. The Parisian police, so much extolled for _acumen_, are -cunning, but no more. There is no method in their proceedings, beyond -the method of the moment. They make a vast parade of measures; but, -not unfrequently, these are so ill adapted to the objects proposed, -as to put us in mind of Monsieur Jourdain's calling for his -_robe-de-chambre - pour mieux entendre la musique._ The results -attained by them are not unfrequently surprising, but, for the most -part, are brought about by simple diligence and activity. When these -qualities are unavailing, their schemes fail. Vidocq, for example, -was a good guesser and a persevering man. But, without educated -thought, he erred continually by the very intensity of his -investigations. He impaired his vision by holding the object too -close. He might see, perhaps, one or two points with unusual -clearness, but in so doing he, necessarily, lost sight of the matter -as a whole. Thus there is such a thing as being too profound. Truth -is not always in a well. In fact, as regards the more important -knowledge, I do believe that she is invariably superficial. The depth -lies in the valleys where we seek her, and not upon the mountain-tops -where she is found. The modes and sources of this kind of error are -well typified in the contemplation of the heavenly bodies. To look at -a star by glances - to view it in a side-long way, by turning toward -it the exterior portions of the _retina_ (more susceptible of feeble -impressions of light than the interior), is to behold the star -distinctly - is to have the best appreciation of its lustre - a -lustre which grows dim just in proportion as we turn our vision -_fully_ upon it. A greater number of rays actually fall upon the eye -in the latter case, but, in the former, there is the more refined -capacity for comprehension. By undue profundity we perplex and -enfeeble thought; and it is possible to make even Venus herself -vanish from the firmanent by a scrutiny too sustained, too -concentrated, or too direct. - -"As for these murders, let us enter into some examinations for -ourselves, before we make up an opinion respecting them. An inquiry -will afford us amusement," [I thought this an odd term, so applied, -but said nothing] "and, besides, Le Bon once rendered me a service -for which I am not ungrateful. We will go and see the premises with -our own eyes. I know G----, the Prefect of Police, and shall have no -difficulty in obtaining the necessary permission." - -The permission was obtained, and we proceeded at once to the Rue -Morgue. This is one of those miserable thoroughfares which intervene -between the Rue Richelieu and the Rue St. Roch. It was late in the -afternoon when we reached it; as this quarter is at a great distance -from that in which we resided. The house was readily found; for there -were still many persons gazing up at the closed shutters, with an -objectless curiosity, from the opposite side of the way. It was an -ordinary Parisian house, with a gateway, on one side of which was a -glazed watch-box, with a sliding panel in the window, indicating a -_loge de concierge._ Before going in we walked up the street, turned -down an alley, and then, again turning, passed in the rear of the -building - Dupin, meanwhile examining the whole neighborhood, as well -as the house, with a minuteness of attention for which I could see no -possible object. - -Retracing our steps, we came again to the front of the dwelling, -rang, and, having shown our credentials, were admitted by the agents -in charge. We went up stairs - into the chamber where the body of -Mademoiselle L'Espanaye had been found, and where both the deceased -still lay. The disorders of the room had, as usual, been suffered to -exist. I saw nothing beyond what had been stated in the "Gazette des -Tribunaux." Dupin scrutinized every thing - not excepting the bodies -of the victims. We then went into the other rooms, and into the yard; -a _gendarme_ accompanying us throughout. The examination occupied us -until dark, when we took our departure. On our way home my companion -stepped in for a moment at the office of one of the daily papers. - -I have said that the whims of my friend were manifold, and that _Je -les ménagais_: - for this phrase there is no English equivalent. It -was his humor, now, to decline all conversation on the subject of the -murder, until about noon the next day. He then asked me, suddenly, if -I had observed any thing _peculiar_ at the scene of the atrocity. - -There was something in his manner of emphasizing the word "peculiar," -which caused me to shudder, without knowing why. - -"No, nothing _peculiar_," I said; "nothing more, at least, than we -both saw stated in the paper." - -"The 'Gazette,' " he replied, "has not entered, I fear, into the -unusual horror of the thing. But dismiss the idle opinions of this -print. It appears to me that this mystery is considered insoluble, -for the very reason which should cause it to be regarded as easy of -solution - I mean for the _outré_ character of its features. The -police are confounded by the seeming absence of motive - not for the -murder itself - but for the atrocity of the murder. They are puzzled, -too, by the seeming impossibility of reconciling the voices heard in -contention, with the facts that no one was discovered up stairs but -the assassinated Mademoiselle L'Espanaye, and that there were no -means of egress without the notice of the party ascending. The wild -disorder of the room; the corpse thrust, with the head downward, up -the chimney; the frightful mutilation of the body of the old lady; -these considerations, with those just mentioned, and others which I -need not mention, have sufficed to paralyze the powers, by putting -completely at fault the boasted _acumen_, of the government agents. -They have fallen into the gross but common error of confounding the -unusual with the abstruse. But it is by these deviations from the -plane of the ordinary, that reason feels its way, if at all, in its -search for the true. In investigations such as we are now pursuing, -it should not be so much asked 'what has occurred,' as 'what has -occurred that has never occurred before.' In fact, the facility with -which I shall arrive, or have arrived, at the solution of this -mystery, is in the direct ratio of its apparent insolubility in the -eyes of the police." - -I stared at the speaker in mute astonishment. - -"I am now awaiting," continued he, looking toward the door of our -apartment - "I am now awaiting a person who, although perhaps not the -perpetrator of these butcheries, must have been in some measure -implicated in their perpetration. Of the worst portion of the crimes -committed, it is probable that he is innocent. I hope that I am right -in this supposition; for upon it I build my expectation of reading -the entire riddle. I look for the man here - in this room - every -moment. It is true that he may not arrive; but the probability is -that he will. Should he come, it will be necessary to detain him. -Here are pistols; and we both know how to use them when occasion -demands their use." - -I took the pistols, scarcely knowing what I did, or believing what I -heard, while Dupin went on, very much as if in a soliloquy. I have -already spoken of his abstract manner at such times. His discourse -was addressed to myself; but his voice, although by no means loud, -had that intonation which is commonly employed in speaking to some -one at a great distance. His eyes, vacant in expression, regarded -only the wall. - -"That the voices heard in contention," he said, "by the party upon -the stairs, were not the voices of the women themselves, was fully -proved by the evidence. This relieves us of all doubt upon the -question whether the old lady could have first destroyed the daughter -and afterward have committed suicide. I speak of this point chiefly -for the sake of method; for the strength of Madame L'Espanaye would -have been utterly unequal to the task of thrusting her daughter's -corpse up the chimney as it was found; and the nature of the wounds -upon her own person entirely preclude the idea of self-destruction. -Murder, then, has been committed by some third party; and the voices -of this third party were those heard in contention. Let me now advert -- not to the whole testimony respecting these voices - but to what -was _peculiar_ in that testimony. Did you observe any thing peculiar -about it?" - -I remarked that, while all the witnesses agreed in supposing the -gruff voice to be that of a Frenchman, there was much disagreement in -regard to the shrill, or, as one individual termed it, the harsh -voice. - -"That was the evidence itself," said Dupin, "but it was not the -peculiarity of the evidence. You have observed nothing distinctive. -Yet there _was_ something to be observed. The witnesses, as you -remark, agreed about the gruff voice; they were here unanimous. But -in regard to the shrill voice, the peculiarity is - not that they -disagreed - but that, while an Italian, an Englishman, a Spaniard, a -Hollander, and a Frenchman attempted to describe it, each one spoke -of it as that _of a foreigner_. Each is sure that it was not the -voice of one of his own countrymen. Each likens it - not to the voice -of an individual of any nation with whose language he is conversant - -but the converse. The Frenchman supposes it the voice of a Spaniard, -and 'might have distinguished some words _had he been acquainted with -the Spanish._' The Dutchman maintains it to have been that of a -Frenchman; but we find it stated that '_not understanding French this -witness was examined through an interpreter._' The Englishman thinks -it the voice of a German, and '_does not understand German._' The -Spaniard 'is sure' that it was that of an Englishman, but 'judges by -the intonation' altogether, '_as he has no knowledge of the -English._' The Italian believes it the voice of a Russian, but '_has -never conversed with a native of Russia._' A second Frenchman -differs, moreover, with the first, and is positive that the voice was -that of an Italian; but, _not being cognizant of that tongue_, is, -like the Spaniard, 'convinced by the intonation.' Now, how strangely -unusual must that voice have really been, about which such testimony -as this _could_ have been elicited! - in whose _tones_, even, -denizens of the five great divisions of Europe could recognise -nothing familiar! You will say that it might have been the voice of -an Asiatic - of an African. Neither Asiatics nor Africans abound in -Paris; but, without denying the inference, I will now merely call -your attention to three points. The voice is termed by one witness -'harsh rather than shrill.' It is represented by two others to have -been 'quick and _unequal._' No words - no sounds resembling words - -were by any witness mentioned as distinguishable. - -"I know not," continued Dupin, "what impression I may have made, so -far, upon your own understanding; but I do not hesitate to say that -legitimate deductions even from this portion of the testimony - the -portion respecting the gruff and shrill voices - are in themselves -sufficient to engender a suspicion which should give direction to all -farther progress in the investigation of the mystery. I said -'legitimate deductions;' but my meaning is not thus fully expressed. -I designed to imply that the deductions are the _sole_ proper ones, -and that the suspicion arises _inevitably_ from them as the single -result. What the suspicion is, however, I will not say just yet. I -merely wish you to bear in mind that, with myself, it was -sufficiently forcible to give a definite form - a certain tendency - -to my inquiries in the chamber. - -"Let us now transport ourselves, in fancy, to this chamber. What -shall we first seek here? The means of egress employed by the -murderers. It is not too much to say that neither of us believe in -præternatural events. Madame and Mademoiselle L'Espanaye were not -destroyed by spirits. The doers of the deed were material, and -escaped materially. Then how? Fortunately, there is but one mode of -reasoning upon the point, and that mode _must_ lead us to a definite -decision. - Let us examine, each by each, the possible means of -egress. It is clear that the assassins were in the room where -Mademoiselle L'Espanaye was found, or at least in the room adjoining, -when the party ascended the stairs. It is then only from these two -apartments that we have to seek issues. The police have laid bare the -floors, the ceilings, and the masonry of the walls, in every -direction. No _secret_ issues could have escaped their vigilance. -But, not trusting to _their_ eyes, I examined with my own. There -were, then, no secret issues. Both doors leading from the rooms into -the passage were securely locked, with the keys inside. Let us turn -to the chimneys. These, although of ordinary width for some eight or -ten feet above the hearths, will not admit, throughout their extent, -the body of a large cat. The impossibility of egress, by means -already stated, being thus absolute, we are reduced to the windows. -Through those of the front room no one could have escaped without -notice from the crowd in the street. The murderers _must_ have -passed, then, through those of the back room. Now, brought to this -conclusion in so unequivocal a manner as we are, it is not our part, -as reasoners, to reject it on account of apparent impossibilities. It -is only left for us to prove that these apparent 'impossibilities' -are, in reality, not such. - -"There are two windows in the chamber. One of them is unobstructed by -furniture, and is wholly visible. The lower portion of the other is -hidden from view by the head of the unwieldy bedstead which is thrust -close up against it. The former was found securely fastened from -within. It resisted the utmost force of those who endeavored to raise -it. A large gimlet-hole had been pierced in its frame to the left, -and a very stout nail was found fitted therein, nearly to the head. -Upon examining the other window, a similar nail was seen similarly -fitted in it; and a vigorous attempt to raise this sash, failed also. -The police were now entirely satisfied that egress had not been in -these directions. And, _therefore_, it was thought a matter of -supererogation to withdraw the nails and open the windows. - -"My own examination was somewhat more particular, and was so for the -reason I have just given - because here it was, I knew, that all -apparent impossibilities _must_ be proved to be not such in reality. - -"I proceeded to think thus - _à posteriori_. The murderers did escape -from one of these windows. This being so, they could not have -refastened the sashes from the inside, as they were found fastened; - -the consideration which put a stop, through its obviousness, to the -scrutiny of the police in this quarter. Yet the sashes _were_ -fastened. They _must_, then, have the power of fastening themselves. -There was no escape from this conclusion. I stepped to the -unobstructed casement, withdrew the nail with some difficulty and -attempted to raise the sash. It resisted all my efforts, as I had -anticipated. A concealed spring must, I now know, exist; and this -corroboration of my idea convinced me that my premises at least, were -correct, however mysterious still appeared the circumstances -attending the nails. A careful search soon brought to light the -hidden spring. I pressed it, and, satisfied with the discovery, -forbore to upraise the sash. - -"I now replaced the nail and regarded it attentively. A person -passing out through this window might have reclosed it, and the -spring would have caught - but the nail could not have been replaced. -The conclusion was plain, and again narrowed in the field of my -investigations. The assassins _must_ have escaped through the other -window. Supposing, then, the springs upon each sash to be the same, -as was probable, there _must_ be found a difference between the -nails, or at least between the modes of their fixture. Getting upon -the sacking of the bedstead, I looked over the head-board minutely at -the second casement. Passing my hand down behind the board, I readily -discovered and pressed the spring, which was, as I had supposed, -identical in character with its neighbor. I now looked at the nail. -It was as stout as the other, and apparently fitted in the same -manner - driven in nearly up to the head. - -"You will say that I was puzzled; but, if you think so, you must have -misunderstood the nature of the inductions. To use a sporting phrase, -I had not been once 'at fault.' The scent had never for an instant -been lost. There was no flaw in any link of the chain. I had traced -the secret to its ultimate result, - and that result was _the nail._ -It had, I say, in every respect, the appearance of its fellow in the -other window; but this fact was an absolute nullity (conclusive us it -might seem to be) when compared with the consideration that here, at -this point, terminated the clew. 'There _must_ be something wrong,' I -said, 'about the nail.' I touched it; and the head, with about a -quarter of an inch of the shank, came off in my fingers. The rest of -the shank was in the gimlet-hole where it had been broken off. The -fracture was an old one (for its edges were incrusted with rust), and -had apparently been accomplished by the blow of a hammer, which had -partially imbedded, in the top of the bottom sash, the head portion -of the nail. I now carefully replaced this head portion in the -indentation whence I had taken it, and the resemblance to a perfect -nail was complete - the fissure was invisible. Pressing the spring, I -gently raised the sash for a few inches; the head went up with it, -remaining firm in its bed. I closed the window, and the semblance of -the whole nail was again perfect. - -"The riddle, so far, was now unriddled. The assassin had escaped -through the window which looked upon the bed. Dropping of its own -accord upon his exit (or perhaps purposely closed), it had become -fastened by the spring; and it was the retention of this spring which -had been mistaken by the police for that of the nail, - farther -inquiry being thus considered unnecessary. - -"The next question is that of the mode of descent. Upon this point I -had been satisfied in my walk with you around the building. About -five feet and a half from the casement in question there runs a -lightning-rod. From this rod it would have been impossible for any -one to reach the window itself, to say nothing of entering it. I -observed, however, that the shutters of the fourth story were of the -peculiar kind called by Parisian carpenters _ferrades_ - a kind -rarely employed at the present day, but frequently seen upon very old -mansions at Lyons and Bourdeaux. They are in the form of an ordinary -door, (a single, not a folding door) except that the lower half is -latticed or worked in open trellis - thus affording an excellent hold -for the hands. In the present instance these shutters are fully three -feet and a half broad. When we saw them from the rear of the house, -they were both about half open - that is to say, they stood off at -right angles from the wall. It is probable that the police, as well -as myself, examined the back of the tenement; but, if so, in looking -at these _ferrades_ in the line of their breadth (as they must have -done), they did not perceive this great breadth itself, or, at all -events, failed to take it into due consideration. In fact, having -once satisfied themselves that no egress could have been made in this -quarter, they would naturally bestow here a very cursory examination. -It was clear to me, however, that the shutter belonging to the window -at the head of the bed, would, if swung fully back to the wall, reach -to within two feet of the lightning-rod. It was also evident that, by -exertion of a very unusual degree of activity and courage, an -entrance into the window, from the rod, might have been thus -effected. - By reaching to the distance of two feet and a half (we -now suppose the shutter open to its whole extent) a robber might have -taken a firm grasp upon the trellis-work. Letting go, then, his hold -upon the rod, placing his feet securely against the wall, and -springing boldly from it, he might have swung the shutter so as to -close it, and, if we imagine the window open at the time, might even -have swung himself into the room. - -"I wish you to bear especially in mind that I have spoken of a _very_ -unusual degree of activity as requisite to success in so hazardous -and so difficult a feat. It is my design to show you, first, that the -thing might possibly have been accomplished: - but, secondly and -_chiefly_, I wish to impress upon your understanding the _very -extraordinary_ - the almost præternatural character of that agility -which could have accomplished it. - -"You will say, no doubt, using the language of the law, that 'to make -out my case,' I should rather undervalue, than insist upon a full -estimation of the activity required in this matter. This may be the -practice in law, but it is not the usage of reason. My ultimate -object is only the truth. My immediate purpose is to lead you to -place in juxta-position, that _very unusual_ activity of which I have -just spoken with that _very peculiar_ shrill (or harsh) and _unequal_ -voice, about whose nationality no two persons could be found to -agree, and in whose utterance no syllabification could be detected." - -At these words a vague and half-formed conception of the meaning of -Dupin flitted over my mind. I seemed to be upon the verge of -comprehension without power to comprehend - men, at times, find -themselves upon the brink of remembrance without being able, in the -end, to remember. My friend went on with his discourse. - -"You will see," he said, "that I have shifted the question from the -mode of egress to that of ingress. It was my design to convey the -idea that both were effected in the same manner, at the same point. -Let us now revert to the interior of the room. Let us survey the -appearances here. The drawers of the bureau, it is said, had been -rifled, although many articles of apparel still remained within them. -The conclusion here is absurd. It is a mere guess - a very silly one -- and no more. How are we to know that the articles found in the -drawers were not all these drawers had originally contained? Madame -L'Espanaye and her daughter lived an exceedingly retired life - saw -no company - seldom went out - had little use for numerous changes of -habiliment. Those found were at least of as good quality as any -likely to be possessed by these ladies. If a thief had taken any, why -did he not take the best - why did he not take all? In a word, why -did he abandon four thousand francs in gold to encumber himself with -a bundle of linen? The gold _was _abandoned. Nearly the whole sum -mentioned by Monsieur Mignaud, the banker, was discovered, in bags, -upon the floor. I wish you, therefore, to discard from your thoughts -the blundering idea of _motive_, engendered in the brains of the -police by that portion of the evidence which speaks of money -delivered at the door of the house. Coincidences ten times as -remarkable as this (the delivery of the money, and murder committed -within three days upon the party receiving it), happen to all of us -every hour of our lives, without attracting even momentary notice. -Coincidences, in general, are great stumbling-blocks in the way of -that class of thinkers who have been educated to know nothing of the -theory of probabilities - that theory to which the most glorious -objects of human research are indebted for the most glorious of -illustration. In the present instance, had the gold been gone, the -fact of its delivery three days before would have formed something -more than a coincidence. It would have been corroborative of this -idea of motive. But, under the real circumstances of the case, if we -are to suppose gold the motive of this outrage, we must also imagine -the perpetrator so vacillating an idiot as to have abandoned his gold -and his motive together. - -"Keeping now steadily in mind the points to which I have drawn your -attention - that peculiar voice, that unusual agility, and that -startling absence of motive in a murder so singularly atrocious as -this - let us glance at the butchery itself. Here is a woman -strangled to death by manual strength, and thrust up a chimney, head -downward. Ordinary assassins employ no such modes of murder as this. -Least of all, do they thus dispose of the murdered. In the manner of -thrusting the corpse up the chimney, you will admit that there was -something _excessively outré_ - something altogether irreconcilable -with our common notions of human action, even when we suppose the -actors the most depraved of men. Think, too, how great must have been -that strength which could have thrust the body _up_ such an aperture -so forcibly that the united vigor of several persons was found barely -sufficient to drag it _down!_ - -"Turn, now, to other indications of the employment of a vigor most -marvellous. On the hearth were thick tresses - very thick tresses - -of grey human hair. These had been torn out by the roots. You are -aware of the great force necessary in tearing thus from the head even -twenty or thirty hairs together. You saw the locks in question as -well as myself. Their roots (a hideous sight!) were clotted with -fragments of the flesh of the scalp - sure token of the prodigious -power which had been exerted in uprooting perhaps half a million of -hairs at a time. The throat of the old lady was not merely cut, but -the head absolutely severed from the body: the instrument was a mere -razor. I wish you also to look at the _brutal_ ferocity of these -deeds. Of the bruises upon the body of Madame L'Espanaye I do not -speak. Monsieur Dumas, and his worthy coadjutor Monsieur Etienne, -have pronounced that they were inflicted by some obtuse instrument; -and so far these gentlemen are very correct. The obtuse instrument -was clearly the stone pavement in the yard, upon which the victim had -fallen from the window which looked in upon the bed. This idea, -however simple it may now seem, escaped the police for the same -reason that the breadth of the shutters escaped them - because, by -the affair of the nails, their perceptions had been hermetically -sealed against the possibility of the windows having ever been opened -at all. - -"If now, in addition to all these things, you have properly reflected -upon the odd disorder of the chamber, we have gone so far as to -combine the ideas of an agility astounding, a strength superhuman, a -ferocity brutal, a butchery without motive, a _grotesquerie_ in -horror absolutely alien from humanity, and a voice foreign in tone to -the ears of men of many nations, and devoid of all distinct or -intelligible syllabification. What result, then, has ensued? What -impression have I made upon your fancy?" - -I felt a creeping of the flesh as Dupin asked me the question. "A -madman," I said, "has done this deed - some raving maniac, escaped -from a neighboring _Maison de Santé._" - -"In some respects," he replied, "your idea is not irrelevant. But the -voices of madmen, even in their wildest paroxysms, are never found to -tally with that peculiar voice heard upon the stairs. Madmen are of -some nation, and their language, however incoherent in its words, has -always the coherence of syllabification. Besides, the hair of a -madman is not such as I now hold in my hand. I disentangled this -little tuft from the rigidly clutched fingers of Madame L'Espanaye. -Tell me what you can make of it." - -"Dupin!" I said, completely unnerved; "this hair is most unusual - -this is no _human_ hair." - -"I have not asserted that it is," said he; "but, before we decide -this point, I wish you to glance at the little sketch I have here -traced upon this paper. It is a _fac-simile_ drawing of what has been -described in one portion of the testimony as 'dark bruises, and deep -indentations of finger nails,' upon the throat of Mademoiselle -L'Espanaye, and in another, (by Messrs. Dumas and Etienne,) as a -'series of livid spots, evidently the impression of fingers.' - -"You will perceive," continued my friend, spreading out the paper -upon the table before us, "that this drawing gives the idea of a firm -and fixed hold. There is no _slipping_ apparent. Each finger has -retained - possibly until the death of the victim - the fearful grasp -by which it originally imbedded itself. Attempt, now, to place all -your fingers, at the same time, in the respective impressions as you -see them." - -I made the attempt in vain. - -"We are possibly not giving this matter a fair trial," he said. "The -paper is spread out upon a plane surface; but the human throat is -cylindrical. Here is a billet of wood, the circumference of which is -about that of the throat. Wrap the drawing around it, and try the -experiment again." - -I did so; but the difficulty was even more obvious than before. -"This," I said, "is the mark of no human hand." - -"Read now," replied Dupin, "this passage from Cuvier." - -It was a minute anatomical and generally descriptive account of the -large fulvous Ourang-Outang of the East Indian Islands. The gigantic -stature, the prodigious strength and activity, the wild ferocity, and -the imitative propensities of these mammalia are sufficiently well -known to all. I understood the full horrors of the murder at once. - -"The description of the digits," said I, as I made an end of reading, -"is in exact accordance with this drawing. I see that no animal but -an Ourang-Outang, of the species here mentioned, could have impressed -the indentations as you have traced them. This tuft of tawny hair, -too, is identical in character with that of the beast of Cuvier. But -I cannot possibly comprehend the particulars of this frightful -mystery. Besides, there were _two_ voices heard in contention, and -one of them was unquestionably the voice of a Frenchman." - -"True; and you will remember an expression attributed almost -unanimously, by the evidence, to this voice, - the expression, '_mon -Dieu!_' This, under the circumstances, has been justly characterized -by one of the witnesses (Montani, the confectioner,) as an expression -of remonstrance or expostulation. Upon these two words, therefore, I -have mainly built my hopes of a full solution of the riddle. A -Frenchman was cognizant of the murder. It is possible - indeed it is -far more than probable - that he was innocent of all participation in -the bloody transactions which took place. The Ourang-Outang may have -escaped from him. He may have traced it to the chamber; but, under -the agitating circumstances which ensued, he could never have -re-captured it. It is still at large. I will not pursue these guesses -- for I have no right to call them more - since the shades of -reflection upon which they are based are scarcely of sufficient depth -to be appreciable by my own intellect, and since I could not pretend -to make them intelligible to the understanding of another. We will -call them guesses then, and speak of them as such. If the Frenchman -in question is indeed, as I suppose, innocent of this atrocity, this -advertisement which I left last night, upon our return home, at the -office of 'Le Monde,' (a paper devoted to the shipping interest, and -much sought by sailors,) will bring him to our residence." - -He handed me a paper, and I read thus: - -CAUGHT - _In the Bois de Boulogne, early in the morning of the - -inst.,_ (the morning of the murder,) _a very large, tawny -Ourang-Outang of the Bornese species. The owner, (who is ascertained -to be a sailor, belonging to a Maltese vessel,) may have the animal -again, upon identifying it satisfactorily, and paying a few charges -arising from its capture and keeping. Call at No. ---- , Rue ----, -Faubourg St. Germain - au troisiême._ - -"How was it possible," I asked, "that you should know the man to be a -sailor, and belonging to a Maltese vessel?" - -"I do _not_ know it," said Dupin. "I am not _sure_ of it. Here, -however, is a small piece of ribbon, which from its form, and from -its greasy appearance, has evidently been used in tying the hair in -one of those long _queues_ of which sailors are so fond. Moreover, -this knot is one which few besides sailors can tie, and is peculiar -to the Maltese. I picked the ribbon up at the foot of the -lightning-rod. It could not have belonged to either of the deceased. -Now if, after all, I am wrong in my induction from this ribbon, that -the Frenchman was a sailor belonging to a Maltese vessel, still I can -have done no harm in saying what I did in the advertisement. If I am -in error, he will merely suppose that I have been misled by some -circumstance into which he will not take the trouble to inquire. But -if I am right, a great point is gained. Cognizant although innocent -of the murder, the Frenchman will naturally hesitate about replying -to the advertisement - about demanding the Ourang-Outang. He will -reason thus: - 'I am innocent; I am poor; my Ourang-Outang is of -great value - to one in my circumstances a fortune of itself - why -should I lose it through idle apprehensions of danger? Here it is, -within my grasp. It was found in the Bois de Boulogne - at a vast -distance from the scene of that butchery. How can it ever be -suspected that a brute beast should have done the deed? The police -are at fault - they have failed to procure the slightest clew. Should -they even trace the animal, it would be impossible to prove me -cognizant of the murder, or to implicate me in guilt on account of -that cognizance. Above all, _I am known._ The advertiser designates -me as the possessor of the beast. I am not sure to what limit his -knowledge may extend. Should I avoid claiming a property of so great -value, which it is known that I possess, I will render the animal at -least, liable to suspicion. It is not my policy to attract attention -either to myself or to the beast. I will answer the advertisement, -get the Ourang-Outang, and keep it close until this matter has blown -over.' " - -At this moment we heard a step upon the stairs. - -"Be ready," said Dupin, "with your pistols, but neither use them nor -show them until at a signal from myself." - -The front door of the house had been left open, and the visiter had -entered, without ringing, and advanced several steps upon the -staircase. Now, however, he seemed to hesitate. Presently we heard -him descending. Dupin was moving quickly to the door, when we again -heard him coming up. He did not turn back a second time, but stepped -up with decision, and rapped at the door of our chamber. - -"Come in," said Dupin, in a cheerful and hearty tone. - -A man entered. He was a sailor, evidently, - a tall, stout, and -muscular-looking person, with a certain dare-devil expression of -countenance, not altogether unprepossessing. His face, greatly -sunburnt, was more than half hidden by whisker and _mustachio._ He -had with him a huge oaken cudgel, but appeared to be otherwise -unarmed. He bowed awkwardly, and bade us "good evening," in French -accents, which, although somewhat Neufchatelish, were still -sufficiently indicative of a Parisian origin. - -"Sit down, my freind," said Dupin. "I suppose you have called about -the Ourang-Outang. Upon my word, I almost envy you the possession of -him; a remarkably fine, and no doubt a very valuable animal. How old -do you suppose him to be?" - -The sailor drew a long breath, with the air of a man relieved of some -intolerable burden, and then replied, in an assured tone: - -"I have no way of telling - but he can't be more than four or five -years old. Have you got him here?" - -"Oh no, we had no conveniences for keeping him here. He is at a -livery stable in the Rue Dubourg, just by. You can get him in the -morning. Of course you are prepared to identify the property?" - -"To be sure I am, sir." - -"I shall be sorry to part with him," said Dupin. - -"I don't mean that you should be at all this trouble for nothing, -sir," said the man. "Couldn't expect it. Am very willing to pay a -reward for the finding of the animal - that is to say, any thing in -reason." - -"Well," replied my friend, "that is all very fair, to be sure. Let me -think! - what should I have? Oh! I will tell you. My reward shall be -this. You shall give me all the information in your power about these -murders in the Rue Morgue." - -Dupin said the last words in a very low tone, and very quietly. Just -as quietly, too, he walked toward the door, locked it and put the key -in his pocket. He then drew a pistol from his bosom and placed it, -without the least flurry, upon the table. - -The sailor's face flushed up as if he were struggling with -suffocation. He started to his feet and grasped his cudgel, but the -next moment he fell back into his seat, trembling violently, and with -the countenance of death itself. He spoke not a word. I pitied him -from the bottom of my heart. - -"My friend," said Dupin, in a kind tone, "you are alarming yourself -unnecessarily - you are indeed. We mean you no harm whatever. I -pledge you the honor of a gentleman, and of a Frenchman, that we -intend you no injury. I perfectly well know that you are innocent of -the atrocities in the Rue Morgue. It will not do, however, to deny -that you are in some measure implicated in them. From what I have -already said, you must know that I have had means of information -about this matter - means of which you could never have dreamed. Now -the thing stands thus. You have done nothing which you could have -avoided - nothing, certainly, which renders you culpable. You were -not even guilty of robbery, when you might have robbed with impunity. -You have nothing to conceal. You have no reason for concealment. On -the other hand, you are bound by every principle of honor to confess -all you know. An innocent man is now imprisoned, charged with that -crime of which you can point out the perpetrator." - -The sailor had recovered his presence of mind, in a great measure, -while Dupin uttered these words; but his original boldness of bearing -was all gone. - -"So help me God," said he, after a brief pause, "I will tell you all -I know about this affair; - but I do not expect you to believe one -half I say - I would be a fool indeed if I did. Still, I am innocent, -and I will make a clean breast if I die for it." - -What he stated was, in substance, this. He had lately made a voyage -to the Indian Archipelago. A party, of which he formed one, landed at -Borneo, and passed into the interior on an excursion of pleasure. -Himself and a companion had captured the Ourang- Outang. This -companion dying, the animal fell into his own exclusive possession. -After great trouble, occasioned by the intractable ferocity of his -captive during the home voyage, he at length succeeded in lodging it -safely at his own residence in Paris, where, not to attract toward -himself the unpleasant curiosity of his neighbors, he kept it -carefully secluded, until such time as it should recover from a wound -in the foot, received from a splinter on board ship. His ultimate -design was to sell it. - -Returning home from some sailors' frolic the night, or rather in the -morning of the murder, he found the beast occupying his own bed-room, -into which it had broken from a closet adjoining, where it had been, -as was thought, securely confined. Razor in hand, and fully lathered, -it was sitting before a looking-glass, attempting the operation of -shaving, in which it had no doubt previously watched its master -through the key-hole of the closet. Terrified at the sight of so -dangerous a weapon in the possession of an animal so ferocious, and -so well able to use it, the man, for some moments, was at a loss what -to do. He had been accustomed, however, to quiet the creature, even -in its fiercest moods, by the use of a whip, and to this he now -resorted. Upon sight of it, the Ourang-Outang sprang at once through -the door of the chamber, down the stairs, and thence, through a -window, unfortunately open, into the street. - -The Frenchman followed in despair; the ape, razor still in hand, -occasionally stopping to look back and gesticulate at its pursuer, -until the latter had nearly come up with it. It then again made off. -In this manner the chase continued for a long time. The streets were -profoundly quiet, as it was nearly three o'clock in the morning. In -passing down an alley in the rear of the Rue Morgue, the fugitive's -attention was arrested by a light gleaming from the open window of -Madame L'Espanaye's chamber, in the fourth story of her house. -Rushing to the building, it perceived the lightning rod, clambered up -with inconceivable agility, grasped the shutter, which was thrown -fully back against the wall, and, by its means, swung itself directly -upon the headboard of the bed. The whole feat did not occupy a -minute. The shutter was kicked open again by the Ourang-Outang as it -entered the room. - -The sailor, in the meantime, was both rejoiced and perplexed. He had -strong hopes of now recapturing the brute, as it could scarcely -escape from the trap into which it had ventured, except by the rod, -where it might be intercepted as it came down. On the other hand, -there was much cause for anxiety as to what it might do in the house. -This latter reflection urged the man still to follow the fugitive. A -lightning rod is ascended without difficulty, especially by a sailor; -but, when he had arrived as high as the window, which lay far to his -left, his career was stopped; the most that he could accomplish was -to reach over so as to obtain a glimpse of the interior of the room. -At this glimpse he nearly fell from his hold through excess of -horror. Now it was that those hideous shrieks arose upon the night, -which had startled from slumber the inmates of the Rue Morgue. Madame -L'Espanaye and her daughter, habited in their night clothes, had -apparently been occupied in arranging some papers in the iron chest -already mentioned, which had been wheeled into the middle of the -room. It was open, and its contents lay beside it on the floor. The -victims must have been sitting with their backs toward the window; -and, from the time elapsing between the ingress of the beast and the -screams, it seems probable that it was not immediately perceived. The -flapping-to of the shutter would naturally have been attributed to -the wind. - -As the sailor looked in, the gigantic animal had seized Madame -L'Espanaye by the hair, (which was loose, as she had been combing -it,) and was flourishing the razor about her face, in imitation of -the motions of a barber. The daughter lay prostrate and motionless; -she had swooned. The screams and struggles of the old lady (during -which the hair was torn from her head) had the effect of changing the -probably pacific purposes of the Ourang-Outang into those of wrath. -With one determined sweep of its muscular arm it nearly severed her -head from her body. The sight of blood inflamed its anger into -phrenzy. Gnashing its teeth, and flashing fire from its eyes, it flew -upon the body of the girl, and imbedded its fearful talons in her -throat, retaining its grasp until she expired. Its wandering and wild -glances fell at this moment upon the head of the bed, over which the -face of its master, rigid with horror, was just discernible. The fury -of the beast, who no doubt bore still in mind the dreaded whip, was -instantly converted into fear. Conscious of having deserved -punishment, it seemed desirous of concealing its bloody deeds, and -skipped about the chamber in an agony of nervous agitation; throwing -down and breaking the furniture as it moved, and dragging the bed -from the bedstead. In conclusion, it seized first the corpse of the -daughter, and thrust it up the chimney, as it was found; then that of -the old lady, which it immediately hurled through the window -headlong. - -As the ape approached the casement with its mutilated burden, the -sailor shrank aghast to the rod, and, rather gliding than clambering -down it, hurried at once home - dreading the consequences of the -butchery, and gladly abandoning, in his terror, all solicitude about -the fate of the Ourang-Outang. The words heard by the party upon the -staircase were the Frenchman's exclamations of horror and affright, -commingled with the fiendish jabberings of the brute. - -I have scarcely anything to add. The Ourang-Outang must have escaped -from the chamber, by the rod, just before the break of the door. It -must have closed the window as it passed through it. It was -subsequently caught by the owner himself, who obtained for it a very -large sum at the _Jardin des Plantes._ Le Don was instantly released, -upon our narration of the circumstances (with some comments from -Dupin) at the bureau of the Prefect of Police. This functionary, -however well disposed to my friend, could not altogether conceal his -chagrin at the turn which affairs had taken, and was fain to indulge -in a sarcasm or two, about the propriety of every person minding his -own business. - -"Let him talk," said Dupin, who had not thought it necessary to -reply. "Let him discourse; it will ease his conscience, I am -satisfied with having defeated him in his own castle. Nevertheless, -that he failed in the solution of this mystery, is by no means that -matter for wonder which he supposes it; for, in truth, our friend the -Prefect is somewhat too cunning to be profound. In his wisdom is no -_stamen._ It is all head and no body, like the pictures of the -Goddess Laverna, -- or, at best, all head and shoulders, like a -codfish. But he is a good creature after all. I like him especially -for one master stroke of cant, by which he has attained his -reputation for ingenuity. I mean the way he has '_de nier ce qui est, -et d'expliquer ce qui n'est pas._' " * - -* Rousseau - Nouvelle Heloise. - - - -~~~ End of Text ~~~ - -========== - - - - THE MYSTERY OF MARIE ROGET.{*1} - - A SEQUEL TO "THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE." - - -Es giebt eine Reihe idealischer Begebenheiten, die der Wirklichkeit -parallel lauft. Selten fallen sie zusammen. Menschen und zufalle -modifieiren gewohulich die idealische Begebenheit, so dass sie -unvollkommen erscheint, und ihre Folgen gleichfalls unvollkommen -sind. So bei der Reformation; statt des Protestantismus kam das -Lutherthum hervor. - -There are ideal series of events which run parallel with the real -ones. They rarely coincide. Men and circumstances generally modify -the ideal train of events, so that it seems imperfect, and its -consequences are equally imperfect. Thus with the Reformation; -instead of Protestantism came Lutheranism. - - - Novalis. {*2} Moral Ansichten. - -THERE are few persons, even among the calmest thinkers, who have not -occasionally been startled into a vague yet thrilling half-credence -in the supernatural, by coincidences of so seemingly marvellous a -character that, as mere coincidences, the intellect has been unable -to receive them. Such sentiments - for the half-credences of which I -speak have never the full force of thought - such sentiments are -seldom thoroughly stifled unless by reference to the doctrine of -chance, or, as it is technically termed, the Calculus of -Probabilities. Now this Calculus is, in its essence, purely -mathematical; and thus we have the anomaly of the most rigidly exact -in science applied to the shadow and spirituality of the most -intangible in speculation. - -The extraordinary details which I am now called upon to make public, -will be found to form, as regards sequence of time, the primary -branch of a series of scarcely intelligible coincidences, whose -secondary or concluding branch will be recognized by all readers in -the late murder of Mary Cecila Rogers, at New York. - -When, in an article entitled "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," I -endeavored, about a year ago, to depict some very remarkable features -in the mental character of my friend, the Chevalier C. Auguste Dupin, -it did not occur to me that I should ever resume the subject. This -depicting of character constituted my design; and this design was -thoroughly fulfilled in the wild train of circumstances brought to -instance Dupin's idiosyncrasy. I might have adduced other examples, -but I should have proven no more. Late events, however, in their -surprising development, have startled me into some farther details, -which will carry with them the air of extorted confession. Hearing -what I have lately heard, it would be indeed strange should I remain -silent in regard to what I both heard and saw so long ago. - -Upon the winding up of the tragedy involved in the deaths of Madame -L'Espanaye and her daughter, the Chevalier dismissed the affair at -once from his attention, and relapsed into his old habits of moody -reverie. Prone, at all times, to abstraction, I readily fell in with -his humor; and, continuing to occupy our chambers in the Faubourg -Saint Germain, we gave the Future to the winds, and slumbered -tranquilly in the Present, weaving the dull world around us into -dreams. - -But these dreams were not altogether uninterrupted. It may readily be -supposed that the part played by my friend, in the drama at the Rue -Morgue, had not failed of its impression upon the fancies of the -Parisian police. With its emissaries, the name of Dupin had grown -into a household word. The simple character of those inductions by -which he had disentangled the mystery never having been explained -even to the Prefect, or to any other individual than myself, of -course it is not surprising that the affair was regarded as little -less than miraculous, or that the Chevalier's analytical abilities -acquired for him the credit of intuition. His frankness would have -led him to disabuse every inquirer of such prejudice; but his -indolent humor forbade all farther agitation of a topic whose -interest to himself had long ceased. It thus happened that he found -himself the cynosure of the policial eyes; and the cases were not few -in which attempt was made to engage his services at the Prefecture. -One of the most remarkable instances was that of the murder of a -young girl named Marie Rogêt. - -This event occurred about two years after the atrocity in the Rue -Morgue. Marie, whose Christian and family name will at once arrest -attention from their resemblance to those of the unfortunate "cigar- -girl," was the only daughter of the widow Estelle Rogêt. The father -had died during the child's infancy, and from the period of his -death, until within eighteen months before the assassination which -forms the subject of our narrative, the mother and daughter had dwelt -together in the Rue Pavée Saint Andrée; {*3} Madame there keeping a -pension, assisted by Marie. Affairs went on thus until the latter had -attained her twenty-second year, when her great beauty attracted the -notice of a perfumer, who occupied one of the shops in the basement -of the Palais Royal, and whose custom lay chiefly among the desperate -adventurers infesting that neighborhood. Monsieur Le Blanc {*4} was -not unaware of the advantages to be derived from the attendance of -the fair Marie in his perfumery; and his liberal proposals were -accepted eagerly by the girl, although with somewhat more of -hesitation by Madame. - -The anticipations of the shopkeeper were realized, and his rooms soon -became notorious through the charms of the sprightly grisette. She -had been in his employ about a year, when her admirers were thrown -info confusion by her sudden disappearance from the shop. Monsieur Le -Blanc was unable to account for her absence, and Madame Rogêt was -distracted with anxiety and terror. The public papers immediately -took up the theme, and the police were upon the point of making -serious investigations, when, one fine morning, after the lapse of a -week, Marie, in good health, but with a somewhat saddened air, made -her re-appearance at her usual counter in the perfumery. All inquiry, -except that of a private character, was of course immediately hushed. -Monsieur Le Blanc professed total ignorance, as before. Marie, with -Madame, replied to all questions, that the last week had been spent -at the house of a relation in the country. Thus the affair died away, -and was generally forgotten; for the girl, ostensibly to relieve -herself from the impertinence of curiosity, soon bade a final adieu -to the perfumer, and sought the shelter of her mother's residence in -the Rue Pavée Saint Andrée. - -It was about five months after this return home, that her friends -were alarmed by her sudden disappearance for the second time. Three -days elapsed, and nothing was heard of her. On the fourth her corpse -was found floating in the Seine, * near the shore which is opposite -the Quartier of the Rue Saint Andree, and at a point not very far -distant from the secluded neighborhood of the Barrière du Roule. {*6} - -The atrocity of this murder, (for it was at once evident that murder -had been committed,) the youth and beauty of the victim, and, above -all, her previous notoriety, conspired to produce intense excitement -in the minds of the sensitive Parisians. I can call to mind no -similar occurrence producing so general and so intense an effect. For -several weeks, in the discussion of this one absorbing theme, even -the momentous political topics of the day were forgotten. The Prefect -made unusual exertions; and the powers of the whole Parisian police -were, of course, tasked to the utmost extent. - -Upon the first discovery of the corpse, it was not supposed that the -murderer would be able to elude, for more than a very brief period, -the inquisition which was immediately set on foot. It was not until -the expiration of a week that it was deemed necessary to offer a -reward; and even then this reward was limited to a thousand francs. -In the mean time the investigation proceeded with vigor, if not -always with judgment, and numerous individuals were examined to no -purpose; while, owing to the continual absence of all clue to the -mystery, the popular excitement greatly increased. At the end of the -tenth day it was thought advisable to double the sum originally -proposed; and, at length, the second week having elapsed without -leading to any discoveries, and the prejudice which always exists in -Paris against the Police having given vent to itself in several -serious émeutes, the Prefect took it upon himself to offer the sum of -twenty thousand francs "for the conviction of the assassin," or, if -more than one should prove to have been implicated, "for the -conviction of any one of the assassins." In the proclamation setting -forth this reward, a full pardon was promised to any accomplice who -should come forward in evidence against his fellow; and to the whole -was appended, wherever it appeared, the private placard of a -committee of citizens, offering ten thousand francs, in addition to -the amount proposed by the Prefecture. The entire reward thus stood -at no less than thirty thousand francs, which will be regarded as an -extraordinary sum when we consider the humble condition of the girl, -and the great frequency, in large cities, of such atrocities as the -one described. - -No one doubted now that the mystery of this murder would be -immediately brought to light. But although, in one or two instances, -arrests were made which promised elucidation, yet nothing was -elicited which could implicate the parties suspected; and they were -discharged forthwith. Strange as it may appear, the third week from -the discovery of the body had passed, and passed without any light -being thrown upon the subject, before even a rumor of the events -which had so agitated the public mind, reached the ears of Dupin and -myself. Engaged in researches which absorbed our whole attention, it -had been nearly a month since either of us had gone abroad, or -received a visiter, or more than glanced at the leading political -articles in one of the daily papers. The first intelligence of the -murder was brought us by G ----, in person. He called upon us early -in the afternoon of the thirteenth of July, 18--, and remained with -us until late in the night. He had been piqued by the failure of all -his endeavors to ferret out the assassins. His reputation - so he -said with a peculiarly Parisian air - was at stake. Even his honor -was concerned. The eyes of the public were upon him; and there was -really no sacrifice which he would not be willing to make for the -development of the mystery. He concluded a somewhat droll speech with -a compliment upon what he was pleased to term the tact of Dupin, and -made him a direct, and certainly a liberal proposition, the precise -nature of which I do not feel myself at liberty to disclose, but -which has no bearing upon the proper subject of my narrative. - -The compliment my friend rebutted as best he could, but the -proposition he accepted at once, although its advantages were -altogether provisional. This point being settled, the Prefect broke -forth at once into explanations of his own views, interspersing them -with long comments upon the evidence; of which latter we were not yet -in possession. He discoursed much, and beyond doubt, learnedly; while -I hazarded an occasional suggestion as the night wore drowsily away. -Dupin, sitting steadily in his accustomed arm-chair, was the -embodiment of respectful attention. He wore spectacles, during the -whole interview; and an occasional signal glance beneath their green -glasses, sufficed to convince me that he slept not the less soundly, -because silently, throughout the seven or eight leaden-footed hours -which immediately preceded the departure of the Prefect. - -In the morning, I procured, at the Prefecture, a full report of all -the evidence elicited, and, at the various newspaper offices, a copy -of every paper in which, from first to last, had been published any -decisive information in regard to this sad affair. Freed from all -that was positively disproved, this mass of information stood thus: - -Marie Rogêt left the residence of her mother, in the Rue Pavée St. -Andrée, about nine o'clock in the morning of Sunday June the -twenty-second, 18--. In going out, she gave notice to a Monsieur -Jacques St. Eustache, {*7} and to him only, of her intent intention -to spend the day with an aunt who resided in the Rue des Drômes. The -Rue des Drômes is a short and narrow but populous thoroughfare, not -far from the banks of the river, and at a distance of some two miles, -in the most direct course possible, from the pension of Madame Rogêt. -St. Eustache was the accepted suitor of Marie, and lodged, as well as -took his meals, at the pension. He was to have gone for his betrothed -at dusk, and to have escorted her home. In the afternoon, however, it -came on to rain heavily; and, supposing that she would remain all -night at her aunt's, (as she had done under similar circumstances -before,) he did not think it necessary to keep his promise. As night -drew on, Madame Rogêt (who was an infirm old lady, seventy years of -age,) was heard to express a fear "that she should never see Marie -again;" but this observation attracted little attention at the time. - -On Monday, it was ascertained that the girl had not been to the Rue -des Drômes; and when the day elapsed without tidings of her, a tardy -search was instituted at several points in the city, and its -environs. It was not, however until the fourth day from the period of -disappearance that any thing satisfactory was ascertained respecting -her. On this day, (Wednesday, the twenty-fifth of June,) a Monsieur -Beauvais, {*8} who, with a friend, had been making inquiries for -Marie near the Barrière du Roule, on the shore of the Seine which is -opposite the Rue Pavée St. Andrée, was informed that a corpse had -just been towed ashore by some fishermen, who had found it floating -in the river. Upon seeing the body, Beauvais, after some hesitation, -identified it as that of the perfumery-girl. His friend recognized it -more promptly. - -The face was suffused with dark blood, some of which issued from the -mouth. No foam was seen, as in the case of the merely drowned. There -was no discoloration in the cellular tissue. About the throat were -bruises and impressions of fingers. The arms were bent over on the -chest and were rigid. The right hand was clenched; the left partially -open. On the left wrist were two circular excoriations, apparently -the effect of ropes, or of a rope in more than one volution. A part -of the right wrist, also, was much chafed, as well as the back -throughout its extent, but more especially at the shoulder-blades. In -bringing the body to the shore the fishermen had attached to it a -rope; but none of the excoriations had been effected by this. The -flesh of the neck was much swollen. There were no cuts apparent, or -bruises which appeared the effect of blows. A piece of lace was found -tied so tightly around the neck as to be hidden from sight; it was -completely buried in the flesh, and was fasted by a knot which lay -just under the left ear. This alone would have sufficed to produce -death. The medical testimony spoke confidently of the virtuous -character of the deceased. She had been subjected, it said, to brutal -violence. The corpse was in such condition when found, that there -could have been no difficulty in its recognition by friends. - -The dress was much torn and otherwise disordered. In the outer -garment, a slip, about a foot wide, had been torn upward from the -bottom hem to the waist, but not torn off. It was wound three times -around the waist, and secured by a sort of hitch in the back. The -dress immediately beneath the frock was of fine muslin; and from this -a slip eighteen inches wide had been torn entirely out - torn very -evenly and with great care. It was found around her neck, fitting -loosely, and secured with a hard knot. Over this muslin slip and the -slip of lace, the strings of a bonnet were attached; the bonnet being -appended. The knot by which the strings of the bonnet were fastened, -was not a lady's, but a slip or sailor's knot. - -After the recognition of the corpse, it was not, as usual, taken to -the Morgue, (this formality being superfluous,) but hastily interred -not far front the spot at which it was brought ashore. Through the -exertions of Beauvais, the matter was industriously hushed up, as far -as possible; and several days had elapsed before any public emotion -resulted. A weekly paper, {*9} however, at length took up the theme; -the corpse was disinterred, and a re-examination instituted; but -nothing was elicited beyond what has been already noted. The clothes, -however, were now submitted to the mother and friends of the -deceased, and fully identified as those worn by the girl upon leaving -home. - -Meantime, the excitement increased hourly. Several individuals were -arrested and discharged. St. Eustache fell especially under -suspicion; and he failed, at first, to give an intelligible account -of his whereabouts during the Sunday on which Marie left home. -Subsequently, however, he submitted to Monsieur G----, affidavits, -accounting satisfactorily for every hour of the day in question. As -time passed and no discovery ensued, a thousand contradictory rumors -were circulated, and journalists busied themselves in suggestions. -Among these, the one which attracted the most notice, was the idea -that Marie Rogêt still lived - that the corpse found in the Seine was -that of some other unfortunate. It will be proper that I submit to -the reader some passages which embody the suggestion alluded to. -These passages are literal translations from L'Etoile, {*10} a paper -conducted, in general, with much ability. - -"Mademoiselle Rogêt left her mother's house on Sunday morning, June -the twenty-second, 18--, with the ostensible purpose of going to see -her aunt, or some other connexion, in the Rue des Drômes. From that -hour, nobody is proved to have seen her. There is no trace or tidings -of her at all. . . . There has no person, whatever, come forward, so -far, who saw her at all, on that day, after she left her mother's -door. . . . Now, though we have no evidence that Marie Rogêt was in -the land of the living after nine o'clock on Sunday, June the -twenty-second, we have proof that, up to that hour, she was alive. On -Wednesday noon, at twelve, a female body was discovered afloat on the -shore of the Barrière de Roule. This was, even if we presume that -Marie Rogêt was thrown into the river within three hours after she -left her mother's house, only three days from the time she left her -home - three days to an hour. But it is folly to suppose that the -murder, if murder was committed on her body, could have been -consummated soon enough to have enabled her murderers to throw the -body into the river before midnight. Those who are guilty of such -horrid crimes, choose darkness rather the light . . . . Thus we see -that if the body found in the river was that of Marie Rogêt, it could -only have been in the water two and a half days, or three at the -outside. All experience has shown that drowned bodies, or bodies -thrown into the water immediately after death by violence, require -from six to ten days for decomposition to take place to bring them to -the top of the water. Even where a cannon is fired over a corpse, and -it rises before at least five or six days' immersion, it sinks again, -if let alone. Now, we ask, what was there in this cave to cause a -departure from the ordinary course of nature? . . . If the body had -been kept in its mangled state on shore until Tuesday night, some -trace would be found on shore of the murderers. It is a doubtful -point, also, whether the body would be so soon afloat, even were it -thrown in after having been dead two days. And, furthermore, it is -exceedingly improbable that any villains who had committed such a -murder as is here supposed, would have throw the body in without -weight to sink it, when such a precaution could have so easily been -taken." - -The editor here proceeds to argue that the body must have been in the -water "not three days merely, but, at least, five times three days," -because it was so far decomposed that Beauvais had great difficulty -in recognizing it. This latter point, however, was fully disproved. I -continue the translation: - -"What, then, are the facts on which M. Beauvais says that he has no -doubt the body was that of Marie Rogêt? He ripped up the gown sleeve, -and says he found marks which satisfied him of the identity. The -public generally supposed those marks to have consisted of some -description of scars. He rubbed the arm and found hair upon it - -something as indefinite, we think, as can readily be imagined - as -little conclusive as finding an arm in the sleeve. M. Beauvais did -not return that night, but sent word to Madame Rogêt, at seven -o'clock, on Wednesday evening, that an investigation was still in -progress respecting her daughter. If we allow that Madame Rogêt, from -her age and grief, could not go over, (which is allowing a great -deal,) there certainly must have been some one who would have thought -it worth while to go over and attend the investigation, if they -thought the body was that of Marie. Nobody went over. There was -nothing said or heard about the matter in the Rue Pavée St. Andrée, -that reached even the occupants of the same building. M. St. -Eustache, the lover and intended husband of Marie, who boarded in her -mother's house, deposes that he did not hear of the discovery of the -body of his intended until the next morning, when M. Beauvais came -into his chamber and told him of it. For an item of news like this, -it strikes us it was very coolly received." - -In this way the journal endeavored to create the impression of an -apathy on the part of the relatives of Marie, inconsistent with the -supposition that these relatives believed the corpse to be hers. Its -insinuations amount to this: - that Marie, with the connivance of her -friends, had absented herself from the city for reasons involving a -charge against her chastity; and that these friends, upon the -discovery of a corpse in the Seine, somewhat resembling that of the -girl, had availed themselves of the opportunity to impress press the -public with the belief of her death. But L'Etoile was again -over-hasty. It was distinctly proved that no apathy, such as was -imagined, existed; that the old lady was exceedingly feeble, and so -agitated as to be unable to attend to any duty, that St. Eustache, so -far from receiving the news coolly, was distracted with grief, and -bore himself so frantically, that M. Beauvais prevailed upon a friend -and relative to take charge of him, and prevent his attending the -examination at the disinterment. Moreover, although it was stated by -L'Etoile, that the corpse was re-interred at the public expense - -that an advantageous offer of private sculpture was absolutely -declined by the family - and that no member of the family attended -the ceremonial: - although, I say, all this was asserted by L'Etoile -in furtherance of the impression it designed to convey - yet all this -was satisfactorily disproved. In a subsequent number of the paper, an -attempt was made to throw suspicion upon Beauvais himself. The editor -says: - -"Now, then, a change comes over the matter. We are told that on one -occasion, while a Madame B---- was at Madame Rogêt's house, M. -Beauvais, who was going out, told her that a gendarme was expected -there, and she, Madame B., must not say anything to the gendarme -until he returned, but let the matter be for him. . . . In the -present posture of affairs, M. Beauvais appears to have the whole -matter looked up in his head. A single step cannot be taken without -M. Beauvais; for, go which way you will, you run against him. . . . -For some reason, he determined that nobody shall have any thing to do -with the proceedings but himself, and he has elbowed the male -relatives out of the way, according to their representations, in a -very singular manner. He seems to have been very much averse to -permitting the relatives to see the body." - -By the following fact, some color was given to the suspicion thus -thrown upon Beauvais. A visiter at his office, a few days prior to -the girl's disappearance, and during the absence of its occupant, had -observed a rose in the key-hole of the door, and the name "Marie" -inscribed upon a slate which hung near at hand. - -The general impression, so far as we were enabled to glean it from -the newspapers, seemed to be, that Marie had been the victim of a -gang of desperadoes - that by these she had been borne across the -river, maltreated and murdered. Le Commerciel, {*11} however, a print -of extensive influence, was earnest in combating this popular idea. I -quote a passage or two from its columns: - -"We are persuaded that pursuit has hitherto been on a false scent, so -far as it has been directed to the Barrière du Roule. It is -impossible that a person so well known to thousands as this young -woman was, should have passed three blocks without some one having -seen her; and any one who saw her would have remembered it, for she -interested all who knew her. It was when the streets were full of -people, when she went out. . . . It is impossible that she could have -gone to the Barrière du Roule, or to the Rue des Drômes, without -being recognized by a dozen persons; yet no one has come forward who -saw her outside of her mother's door, and there is no evidence, -except the testimony concerning her expressed intentions, that she -did go out at all. Her gown was torn, bound round her, and tied; and -by that the body was carried as a bundle. If the murder had been -committed at the Barrière du Roule, there would have been no -necessity for any such arrangement. The fact that the body was found -floating near the Barrière, is no proof as to where it was thrown -into the water. . . . . A piece of one of the unfortunate girl's -petticoats, two feet long and one foot wide, was torn out and tied -under her chin around the back of her head, probably to prevent -screams. This was done by fellows who had no pocket-handkerchief." - -A day or two before the Prefect called upon us, however, some -important information reached the police, which seemed to overthrow, -at least, the chief portion of Le Commerciel's argument. Two small -boys, sons of a Madame Deluc, while roaming among the woods near the -Barrière du Roule, chanced to penetrate a close thicket, within which -were three or four large stones, forming a kind of seat, with a back -and footstool. On the upper stone lay a white petticoat; on the -second a silk scarf. A parasol, gloves, and a pocket-handkerchief -were also here found. The handkerchief bore the name "Marie Rogêt." -Fragments of dress were discovered on the brambles around. The earth -was trampled, the bushes were broken, and there was every evidence of -a struggle. Between the thicket and the river, the fences were found -taken down, and the ground bore evidence of some heavy burthen having -been dragged along it. - -A weekly paper, Le Soleil,{*12} had the following comments upon this -discovery -- comments which merely echoed the sentiment of the whole -Parisian press: - -"The things had all evidently been there at least three or four -weeks; they were all mildewed down hard with the action of the rain -and stuck together from mildew. The grass had grown around and over -some of them. The silk on the parasol was strong, but the threads of -it were run together within. The upper part, where it had been -doubled and folded, was all mildewed and rotten, and tore on its -being opened. . . . . The pieces of her frock torn out by the bushes -were about three inches wide and six inches long. One part was the -hem of the frock, and it had been mended; the other piece was part of -the skirt, not the hem. They looked like strips torn off, and were on -the thorn bush, about a foot from the ground. . . . . There can be no -doubt, therefore, that the spot of this appalling outrage has been -discovered." - -Consequent upon this discovery, new evidence appeared. Madame Deluc -testified that she keeps a roadside inn not far from the bank of the -river, opposite the Barrière du Roule. The neighborhood is secluded --- particularly so. It is the usual Sunday resort of blackguards from -the city, who cross the river in boats. About three o'clock, in the -afternoon of the Sunday in question, a young girl arrived at the inn, -accompanied by a young man of dark complexion. The two remained here -for some time. On their departure, they took the road to some thick -woods in the vicinity. Madame Deluc's attention was called to the -dress worn by the girl, on account of its resemblance to one worn by -a deceased relative. A scarf was particularly noticed. Soon after the -departure of the couple, a gang of miscreants made their appearance, -behaved boisterously, ate and drank without making payment, followed -in the route of the young man and girl, returned to the inn about -dusk, and re-crossed the river as if in great haste. - -It was soon after dark, upon this same evening, that Madame Deluc, as -well as her eldest son, heard the screams of a female in the vicinity -of the inn. The screams were violent but brief. Madame D. recognized -not only the scarf which was found in the thicket, but the dress -which was discovered upon the corpse. An omnibus driver, Valence, -{*13} now also testified that he saw Marie Rogêt cross a ferry on the -Seine, on the Sunday in question, in company with a young man of dark -complexion. He, Valence, knew Marie, and could not be mistaken in her -identity. The articles found in the thicket were fully identified by -the relatives of Marie. - -The items of evidence and information thus collected by myself, from -the newspapers, at the suggestion of Dupin, embraced only one more -point -- but this was a point of seemingly vast consequence. It -appears that, immediately after the discovery of the clothes as above -described, the lifeless, or nearly lifeless body of St. Eustache, -Marie's betrothed, was found in the vicinity of what all now supposed -the scene of the outrage. A phial labelled "laudanum," and emptied, -was found near him. His breath gave evidence of the poison. He died -without speaking. Upon his person was found a letter, briefly stating -his love for Marie, with his design of self- destruction. - -"I need scarcely tell you," said Dupin, as he finished the perusal of -my notes, "that this is a far more intricate case than that of the -Rue Morgue; from which it differs in one important respect. This is -an ordinary, although an atrocious instance of crime. There is -nothing peculiarly outré about it. You will observe that, for this -reason, the mystery has been considered easy, when, for this reason, -it should have been considered difficult, of solution. Thus; at -first, it was thought unnecessary to offer a reward. The myrmidons of -G--- were able at once to comprehend how and why such an atrocity -might have been committed. They could picture to their imaginations a -mode - many modes - and a motive - many motives; and because it was -not impossible that either of these numerous modes and motives could -have been the actual one, they have taken it for granted that one of -them must. But the case with which these variable fancies were -entertained, and the very plausibility which each assumed, should -have been understood as indicative rather of the difficulties than of -the facilities which must attend elucidation. I have before observed -that it is by prominences above the plane of the ordinary, that -reason feels her way, if at all, in her search for the true, and that -the proper question in cases such as this, is not so much 'what has -occurred?' as 'what has occurred that has never occurred before?' In -the investigations at the house of Madame L'Espanaye, {*14} the -agents of G---- were discouraged and confounded by that very -unusualness which, to a properly regulated intellect, would have -afforded the surest omen of success; while this same intellect might -have been plunged in despair at the ordinary character of all that -met the eye in the case of the perfumery-girl, and yet told of -nothing but easy triumph to the functionaries of the Prefecture. - -"In the case of Madame L'Espanaye and her daughter there was, even at -the beginning of our investigation, no doubt that murder had been -committed. The idea of suicide was excluded at once. Here, too, we -are freed, at the commencement, from all supposition of self- murder. -The body found at the Barrière du Roule, was found under such -circumstances as to leave us no room for embarrassment upon this -important point. But it has been suggested that the corpse -discovered, is not that of the Marie Rogêt for the conviction of -whose assassin, or assassins, the reward is offered, and respecting -whom, solely, our agreement has been arranged with the Prefect. We -both know this gentleman well. It will not do to trust him too far. -If, dating our inquiries from the body found, and thence tracing a -murderer, we yet discover this body to be that of some other -individual than Marie; or, if starting from the living Marie, we find -her, yet find her unassassinated -- in either case we lose our labor; -since it is Monsieur G---- with whom we have to deal. For our own -purpose, therefore, if not for the purpose of justice, it is -indispensable that our first step should be the determination of the -identity of the corpse with the Marie Rogêt who is missing. - -"With the public the arguments of L'Etoile have had weight; and that -the journal itself is convinced of their importance would appear from -the manner in which it commences one of its essays upon the subject - -'Several of the morning papers of the day,' it says, 'speak of the -_conclusive_ article in Monday's Etoile.' To me, this article appears -conclusive of little beyond the zeal of its inditer. We should bear -in mind that, in general, it is the object of our newspapers rather -to create a sensation -- to make a point - than to further the cause -of truth. The latter end is only pursued when it seems coincident -with the former. The print which merely falls in with ordinary -opinion (however well founded this opinion may be) earns for itself -no credit with the mob. The mass of the people regard as profound -only him who suggests _pungent contradictions_ of the general idea. -In ratiocination, not less than in literature, it is the epigram -which is the most immediately and the most universally appreciated. -In both, it is of the lowest order of merit. - -"What I mean to say is, that it is the mingled epigram and melodrame -of the idea, that Marie Rogêt still lives, rather than any true -plausibility in this idea, which have suggested it to L'Etoile, and -secured it a favorable reception with the public. Let us examine the -heads of this journal's argument; endeavoring to avoid the -incoherence with which it is originally set forth. - -"The first aim of the writer is to show, from the brevity of the -interval between Marie's disappearance and the finding of the -floating corpse, that this corpse cannot be that of Marie. The -reduction of this interval to its smallest possible dimension, -becomes thus, at once, an object with the reasoner. In the rash -pursuit of this object, he rushes into mere assumption at the outset. -'It is folly to suppose,' he says, 'that the murder, if murder was -committed on her body, could have been consummated soon enough to -have enabled her murderers to throw the body into the river before -midnight.' We demand at once, and very naturally, why? Why is it -folly to suppose that the murder was committed _within five minutes_ -after the girl's quitting her mother's house? Why is it folly to -suppose that the murder was committed at any given period of the day? -There have been assassinations at all hours. But, had the murder -taken place at any moment between nine o'clock in the morning of -Sunday, and a quarter before midnight, there would still have been -time enough 'to throw the body into the river before midnight.' This -assumption, then, amounts precisely to this - that the murder was not -committed on Sunday at all - and, if we allow L'Etoile to assume -this, we may permit it any liberties whatever. The paragraph -beginning 'It is folly to suppose that the murder, etc.,' however it -appears as printed in L'Etoile, may be imagined to have existed -actually thus in the brain of its inditer - 'It is folly to suppose -that the murder, if murder was committed on the body, could have been -committed soon enough to have enabled her murderers to throw the body -into the river before midnight; it is folly, we say, to suppose all -this, and to suppose at the same time, (as we are resolved to -suppose,) that the body was not thrown in until after midnight' -- a -sentence sufficiently inconsequential in itself, but not so utterly -preposterous as the one printed. - -"Were it my purpose," continued Dupin, "merely to _make out a case_ -against this passage of L'Etoile's argument, I might safely leave it -where it is. It is not, however, with L'Etoile that we have to do, -but with the truth. The sentence in question has but one meaning, as -it stands; and this meaning I have fairly stated: but it is material -that we go behind the mere words, for an idea which these words have -obviously intended, and failed to convey. It was the design of the -journalist to say that, at whatever period of the day or night of -Sunday this murder was committed, it was improbable that the -assassins would have ventured to bear the corpse to the river before -midnight. And herein lies, really, the assumption of which I -complain. It is assumed that the murder was committed at such a -position, and under such circumstances, that the bearing it to the -river became necessary. Now, the assassination might have taken place -upon the river's brink, or on the river itself; and, thus, the -throwing the corpse in the water might have been resorted to, at any -period of the day or night, as the most obvious and most immediate -mode of disposal. You will understand that I suggest nothing here as -probable, or as cöincident with my own opinion. My design, so far, -has no reference to the facts of the case. I wish merely to caution -you against the whole tone of L'Etoile's suggestion, by calling your -attention to its ex parte character at the outset. - -"Having prescribed thus a limit to suit its own preconceived notions; -having assumed that, if this were the body of Marie, it could have -been in the water but a very brief time; the journal goes on to say: - -'All experience has shown that drowned bodies, or bodies thrown into -the water immediately after death by violence, require from six to -ten days for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to -the top of the water. Even when a cannon is fired over a corpse, and -it rises before at least five or six days' immersion, it sinks again -if let alone.' - -"These assertions have been tacitly received by every paper in Paris, -with the exception of Le Moniteur. {*15} This latter print endeavors -to combat that portion of the paragraph which has reference to -'drowned bodies' only, by citing some five or six instances in which -the bodies of individuals known to be drowned were found floating -after the lapse of less time than is insisted upon by L'Etoile. But -there is something excessively unphilosophical in the attempt on the -part of Le Moniteur, to rebut the general assertion of L'Etoile, by a -citation of particular instances militating against that assertion. -Had it been possible to adduce fifty instead of five examples of -bodies found floating at the end of two or three days, these fifty -examples could still have been properly regarded only as exceptions -to L'Etoile's rule, until such time as the rule itself should be -confuted. Admitting the rule, (and this Le Moniteur does not deny, -insisting merely upon its exceptions,) the argument of L'Etoile is -suffered to remain in full force; for this argument does not pretend -to involve more than a question of the probability of the body having -risen to the surface in less than three days; and this probability -will be in favor of L'Etoile's position until the instances so -childishly adduced shall be sufficient in number to establish an -antagonistical rule. - -"You will see at once that all argument upon this head should be -urged, if at all, against the rule itself; and for this end we must -examine the rationale of the rule. Now the human body, in general, is -neither much lighter nor much heavier than the water of the Seine; -that is to say, the specific gravity of the human body, in its -natural condition, is about equal to the bulk of fresh water which it -displaces. The bodies of fat and fleshy persons, with small bones, -and of women generally, are lighter than those of the lean and -large-boned, and of men; and the specific gravity of the water of a -river is somewhat influenced by the presence of the tide from sea. -But, leaving this tide out of question, it may be said that very few -human bodies will sink at all, even in fresh water, of their own -accord. Almost any one, falling into a river, will be enabled to -float, if he suffer the specific gravity of the water fairly to be -adduced in comparison with his own - that is to say, if he suffer his -whole person to be immersed, with as little exception as possible. -The proper position for one who cannot swim, is the upright position -of the walker on land, with the head thrown fully back, and immersed; -the mouth and nostrils alone remaining above the surface. Thus -circumstanced, we shall find that we float without difficulty and -without exertion. It is evident, however, that the gravities of the -body, and of the bulk of water displaced, are very nicely balanced, -and that a trifle will cause either to preponderate. An arm, for -instance, uplifted from the water, and thus deprived of its support, -is an additional weight sufficient to immerse the whole head, while -the accidental aid of the smallest piece of timber will enable us to -elevate the head so as to look about. Now, in the struggles of one -unused to swimming, the arms are invariably thrown upwards, while an -attempt is made to keep the head in its usual perpendicular position. -The result is the immersion of the mouth and nostrils, and the -inception, during efforts to breathe while beneath the surface, of -water into the lungs. Much is also received into the stomach, and the -whole body becomes heavier by the difference between the weight of -the air originally distending these cavities, and that of the fluid -which now fills them. This difference is sufficient to cause the body -to sink, as a general rule; but is insufficient in the cases of -individuals with small bones and an abnormal quantity of flaccid or -fatty matter. Such individuals float even after drowning. - -"The corpse, being supposed at the bottom of the river, will there -remain until, by some means, its specific gravity again becomes less -than that of the bulk of water which it displaces. This effect is -brought about by decomposition, or otherwise. The result of -decomposition is the generation of gas, distending the cellular -tissues and all the cavities, and giving the puffed appearance which -is so horrible. When this distension has so far progressed that the -bulk of the corpse is materially increased without a corresponding -increase of mass or weight, its specific gravity becomes less than -that of the water displaced, and it forthwith makes its appearance at -the surface. But decomposition is modified by innumerable -circumstances - is hastened or retarded by innumerable agencies; for -example, by the heat or cold of the season, by the mineral -impregnation or purity of the water, by its depth or shallowness, by -its currency or stagnation, by the temperament of the body, by its -infection or freedom from disease before death. Thus it is evident -that we can assign no period, with any thing like accuracy, at which -the corpse shall rise through decomposition. Under certain conditions -this result would be brought about within an hour; under others, it -might not take place at all. There are chemical infusions by which -the animal frame can be preserved foreverfrom corruption; the -Bi-chloride of Mercury is one. But, apart from decomposition, there -may be, and very usually is, a generation of gas within the stomach, -from the acetous fermentation of vegetable matter (or within other -cavities from other causes) sufficient to induce a distension which -will bring the body to the surface. The effect produced by the firing -of a cannon is that of simple vibration. This may either loosen the -corpse from the soft mud or ooze in which it is imbedded, thus -permitting it to rise when other agencies have already prepared it -for so doing; or it may overcome the tenacity of some putrescent -portions of the cellular tissue; allowing the cavities to distend -under the influence of the gas. - -"Having thus before us the whole philosophy of this subject, we can -easily test by it the assertions of L'Etoile. 'All experience shows,' -says this paper, 'that drowned bodies, or bodies thrown into the -water immediately after death by violence, require from six to ten -days for sufficient decomposition to take place to bring them to the -top of the water. Even when a cannon is fired over a corpse, and it -rises before at least five or six days' immersion, it sinks again if -let alone.' - -"The whole of this paragraph must now appear a tissue of -inconsequence and incoherence. All experience does not show that -'drowned bodies' require from six to ten days for sufficient -decomposition to take place to bring them to the surface. Both -science and experience show that the period of their rising is, and -necessarily must be, indeterminate. If, moreover, a body has risen to -the surface through firing of cannon, it will not 'sink again if let -alone,' until decomposition has so far progressed as to permit the -escape of the generated gas. But I wish to call your attention to the -distinction which is made between 'drowned bodies,' and 'bodies -thrown into the water immediately after death by violence.' Although -the writer admits the distinction, he yet includes them all in the -same category. I have shown how it is that the body of a drowning man -becomes specifically heavier than its bulk of water, and that he -would not sink at all, except for the struggles by which he elevates -his arms above the surface, and his gasps for breath while beneath -the surface - gasps which supply by water the place of the original -air in the lungs. But these struggles and these gasps would not occur -in the body 'thrown into the water immediately after death by -violence.' Thus, in the latter instance, the body, as a general rule, -would not sink at all - a fact of which L'Etoile is evidently -ignorant. When decomposition had proceeded to a very great extent - -when the flesh had in a great measure left the bones - then, indeed, -but not till then, should we lose sight of the corpse. - -"And now what are we to make of the argument, that the body found -could not be that of Marie Rogêt, because, three days only having -elapsed, this body was found floating? If drowned, being a woman, she -might never have sunk; or having sunk, might have reappeared in -twenty-four hours, or less. But no one supposes her to have been -drowned; and, dying before being thrown into the river, she might -have been found floating at any period afterwards whatever. - -" 'But,' says L'Etoile, 'if the body had been kept in its mangled -state on shore until Tuesday night, some trace would be found on -shore of the murderers.' Here it is at first difficult to perceive -the intention of the reasoner. He means to anticipate what he -imagines would be an objection to his theory - viz: that the body was -kept on shore two days, suffering rapid decomposition - morerapid -than if immersed in water. He supposes that, had this been the case, -it might have appeared at the surface on the Wednesday, and thinks -that only under such circumstances it could so have appeared. He is -accordingly in haste to show that it was not kept on shore; for, if -so, 'some trace would be found on shore of the murderers.' I presume -you smile at the sequitur. You cannot be made to see how the mere -duration of the corpse on the shore could operate to multiply traces -of the assassins. Nor can I. - -" 'And furthermore it is exceedingly improbable,' continues our -journal, 'that any villains who had committed such a murder as is -here supposed, would have thrown the body in without weight to sink -it, when such a precaution could have so easily been taken.' Observe, -here, the laughable confusion of thought! No one - not even L'Etoile -- disputes the murder committed _on the body found_. The marks of -violence are too obvious. It is our reasoner's object merely to show -that this body is not Marie's. He wishes to prove that Marie is not -assassinated - not that the corpse was not. Yet his observation -proves only the latter point. Here is a corpse without weight -attached. Murderers, casting it in, would not have failed to attach a -weight. Therefore it was not thrown in by murderers. This is all -which is proved, if any thing is. The question of identity is not -even approached, and L'Etoile has been at great pains merely to -gainsay now what it has admitted only a moment before. 'We are -perfectly convinced,' it says, 'that the body found was that of a -murdered female.' - -"Nor is this the sole instance, even in this division of his subject, -where our reasoner unwittingly reasons against himself. His evident -object, I have already said, is to reduce, us much as possible, the -interval between Marie's disappearance and the finding of the corpse. -Yet we find him urging the point that no person saw the girl from the -moment of her leaving her mother's house. 'We have no evidence,' he -says, 'that Marie Rogêt was in the land of the living after nine -o'clock on Sunday, June the twenty-second.' As his argument is -obviously an ex parte one, he should, at least, have left this matter -out of sight; for had any one been known to see Marie, say on Monday, -or on Tuesday, the interval in question would have been much reduced, -and, by his own ratiocination, the probability much diminished of the -corpse being that of the grisette. It is, nevertheless, amusing to -observe that L'Etoile insists upon its point in the full belief of -its furthering its general argument. - -"Reperuse now that portion of this argument which has reference to -the identification of the corpse by Beauvais. In regard to the hair -upon the arm, L'Etoile has been obviously disingenuous. M. Beauvais, -not being an idiot, could never have urged, in identification of the -corpse, simply hair upon its arm. No arm is without hair. The -generality of the expression of L'Etoile is a mere perversion of the -witness' phraseology. He must have spoken of some peculiarity in this -hair. It must have been a peculiarity of color, of quantity, of -length, or of situation. - -" 'Her foot,' says the journal, 'was small - so are thousands of -feet. Her garter is no proof whatever - nor is her shoe - for shoes -and garters are sold in packages. The same may be said of the flowers -in her hat. One thing upon which M. Beauvais strongly insists is, -that the clasp on the garter found, had been set back to take it in. -This amounts to nothing; for most women find it proper to take a pair -of garters home and fit them to the size of the limbs they are to -encircle, rather than to try them in the store where they purchase.' -Here it is difficult to suppose the reasoner in earnest. Had M. -Beauvais, in his search for the body of Marie, discovered a corpse -corresponding in general size and appearance to the missing girl, he -would have been warranted (without reference to the question of -habiliment at all) in forming an opinion that his search had been -successful. If, in addition to the point of general size and contour, -he had found upon the arm a peculiar hairy appearance which he had -observed upon the living Marie, his opinion might have been justly -strengthened; and the increase of positiveness might well have been -in the ratio of the peculiarity, or unusualness, of the hairy mark. -If, the feet of Marie being small, those of the corpse were also -small, the increase of probability that the body was that of Marie -would not be an increase in a ratio merely arithmetical, but in one -highly geometrical, or accumulative. Add to all this shoes such as -she had been known to wear upon the day of her disappearance, and, -although these shoes may be 'sold in packages,' you so far augment -the probability as to verge upon the certain. What, of itself, would -be no evidence of identity, becomes through its corroborative -position, proof most sure. Give us, then, flowers in the hat -corresponding to those worn by the missing girl, and we seek for -nothing farther. If only one flower, we seek for nothing farther - -what then if two or three, or more? Each successive one is multiple -evidence - proof not _added_ to proof, but multiplied by hundreds or -thousands. Let us now discover, upon the deceased, garters such as -the living used, and it is almost folly to proceed. But these garters -are found to be tightened, by the setting back of a clasp, in just -such a manner as her own had been tightened by Marie, shortly -previous to her leaving home. It is now madness or hypocrisy to -doubt. What L'Etoile says in respect to this abbreviation of the -garter's being an usual occurrence, shows nothing beyond its own -pertinacity in error. The elastic nature of the clasp-garter is -self-demonstration of the unusualness of the abbreviation. What is -made to adjust itself, must of necessity require foreign adjustment -but rarely. It must have been by an accident, in its strictest sense, -that these garters of Marie needed the tightening described. They -alone would have amply established her identity. But it is not that -the corpse was found to have the garters of the missing girl, or -found to have her shoes, or her bonnet, or the flowers of her bonnet, -or her feet, or a peculiar mark upon the arm, or her general size and -appearance - it is that the corpse had each, and _all collectively_. -Could it be proved that the editor of L'Etoile _really_ entertained a -doubt, under the circumstances, there would be no need, in his case, -of a commission de lunatico inquirendo. He has thought it sagacious -to echo the small talk of the lawyers, who, for the most part, -content themselves with echoing the rectangular precepts of the -courts. I would here observe that very much of what is rejected as -evidence by a court, is the best of evidence to the intellect. For -the court, guiding itself by the general principles of evidence - the -recognized and _booked_ principles - is averse from swerving at -particular instances. And this steadfast adherence to principle, with -rigorous disregard of the conflicting exception, is a sure mode of -attaining the maximum of attainable truth, in any long sequence of -time. The practice, in mass, is therefore philosophical; but it is -not the less certain that it engenders vast individual error. {*16} - -"In respect to the insinuations levelled at Beauvais, you will be -willing to dismiss them in a breath. You have already fathomed the -true character of this good gentleman. He is a busy-body, with much -of romance and little of wit. Any one so constituted will readily so -conduct himself, upon occasion of real excitement, as to render -himself liable to suspicion on the part of the over acute, or the -ill- disposed. M. Beauvais (as it appears from your notes) had some -personal interviews with the editor of L'Etoile, and offended him by -venturing an opinion that the corpse, notwithstanding the theory of -the editor, was, in sober fact, that of Marie. 'He persists,' says -the paper, 'in asserting the corpse to be that of Marie, but cannot -give a circumstance, in addition to those which we have commented -upon, to make others believe.' Now, without re-adverting to the fact -that stronger evidence 'to make others believe,' could never have -been adduced, it may be remarked that a man may very well be -understood to believe, in a case of this kind, without the ability to -advance a single reason for the belief of a second party. Nothing is -more vague than impressions of individual identity. Each man -recognizes his neighbor, yet there are few instances in which any one -is prepared to give a reason for his recognition. The editor of -L'Etoile had no right to be offended at M. Beauvais' unreasoning -belief. - -"The suspicious circumstances which invest him, will be found to -tally much better with my hypothesis of romantic busy-bodyism, than -with the reasoner's suggestion of guilt. Once adopting the more -charitable interpretation, we shall find no difficulty in -comprehending the rose in the key-hole; the 'Marie' upon the slate; -the 'elbowing the male relatives out of the way;' the 'aversion to -permitting them to see the body;' the caution given to Madame B----, -that she must hold no conversation with the gendarme until his return -(Beauvais'); and, lastly, his apparent determination 'that nobody -should have anything to do with the proceedings except himself.' It -seems to me unquestionable that Beauvais was a suitor of Marie's; -that she coquetted with him; and that he was ambitious of being -thought to enjoy her fullest intimacy and confidence. I shall say -nothing more upon this point; and, as the evidence fully rebuts the -assertion of L'Etoile, touching the matter of apathy on the part of -the mother and other relatives - an apathy inconsistent with the -supposition of their believing the corpse to be that of the -perfumery- girl - we shall now proceed as if the question of identity -were settled to our perfect satisfaction." - -"And what," I here demanded, "do you think of the opinions of Le -Commerciel?" - -"That, in spirit, they are far more worthy of attention than any -which have been promulgated upon the subject. The deductions from the -premises are philosophical and acute; but the premises, in two -instances, at least, are founded in imperfect observation. Le -Commerciel wishes to intimate that Marie was seized by some gang of -low ruffians not far from her mother's door. 'It is impossible,' it -urges, 'that a person so well known to thousands as this young woman -was, should have passed three blocks without some one having seen -her.' This is the idea of a man long resident in Paris - a public man -- and one whose walks to and fro in the city, have been mostly -limited to the vicinity of the public offices. He is aware that he -seldom passes so far as a dozen blocks from his own bureau, without -being recognized and accosted. And, knowing the extent of his -personal acquaintance with others, and of others with him, he -compares his notoriety with that of the perfumery-girl, finds no -great difference between them, and reaches at once the conclusion -that she, in her walks, would be equally liable to recognition with -himself in his. This could only be the case were her walks of the -same unvarying, methodical character, and within the same species of -limited region as are his own. He passes to and fro, at regular -intervals, within a confined periphery, abounding in individuals who -are led to observation of his person through interest in the kindred -nature of his occupation with their own. But the walks of Marie may, -in general, be supposed discursive. In this particular instance, it -will be understood as most probable, that she proceeded upon a route -of more than average diversity from her accustomed ones. The parallel -which we imagine to have existed in the mind of Le Commerciel would -only be sustained in the event of the two individuals' traversing the -whole city. In this case, granting the personal acquaintances to be -equal, the chances would be also equal that an equal number of -personal rencounters would be made. For my own part, I should hold it -not only as possible, but as very far more than probable, that Marie -might have proceeded, at any given period, by any one of the many -routes between her own residence and that of her aunt, without -meeting a single individual whom she knew, or by whom she was known. -In viewing this question in its full and proper light, we must hold -steadily in mind the great disproportion between the personal -acquaintances of even the most noted individual in Paris, and the -entire population of Paris itself. - -"But whatever force there may still appear to be in the suggestion of -Le Commerciel, will be much diminished when we take into -consideration the hour at which the girl went abroad. 'It was when -the streets were full of people,' says Le Commerciel, 'that she went -out.' But not so. It was at nine o'clock in the morning. Now at nine -o'clock of every morning in the week, _with the exception of Sunday_, -the streets of the city are, it is true, thronged with people. At -nine on Sunday, the populace are chiefly within doors _preparing for -church_. No observing person can have failed to notice the peculiarly -deserted air of the town, from about eight until ten on the morning -of every Sabbath. Between ten and eleven the streets are thronged, -but not at so early a period as that designated. - -"There is another point at which there seems a deficiency of -observation on the part of Le Commerciel. 'A piece,' it says, 'of one -of the unfortunate girl's petticoats, two feet long, and one foot -wide, was torn out and tied under her chin, and around the back of -her head, probably to prevent screams. This was done, by fellows who -had no pocket-handkerchiefs.' Whether this idea is, or is not well -founded, we will endeavor to see hereafter; but by 'fellows who have -no pocket-handkerchiefs' the editor intends the lowest class of -ruffians. These, however, are the very description of people who will -always be found to have handkerchiefs even when destitute of shirts. -You must have had occasion to observe how absolutely indispensable, -of late years, to the thorough blackguard, has become the -pocket-handkerchief." - -"And what are we to think," I asked, "of the article in Le Soleil?" - -"That it is a vast pity its inditer was not born a parrot - in which -case he would have been the most illustrious parrot of his race. He -has merely repeated the individual items of the already published -opinion; collecting them, with a laudable industry, from this paper -and from that. 'The things had all evidently been there,' he says,'at -least, three or four weeks, and there can be _no doubt_ that the spot -of this appalling outrage has been discovered.' The facts here -re-stated by Le Soleil, are very far indeed from removing my own -doubts upon this subject, and we will examine them more particularly -hereafter in connexion with another division of the theme. - -"At present we must occupy ourselves with other investigations You -cannot fail to have remarked the extreme laxity of the examination of -the corpse. To be sure, the question of identity was readily -determined, or should have been; but there were other points to be -ascertained. Had the body been in any respect despoiled? Had the -deceased any articles of jewelry about her person upon leaving home? -if so, had she any when found? These are important questions utterly -untouched by the evidence; and there are others of equal moment, -which have met with no attention. We must endeavor to satisfy -ourselves by personal inquiry. The case of St. Eustache must be -re-examined. I have no suspicion of this person; but let us proceed -methodically. We will ascertain beyond a doubt the validity of the -affidavits in regard to his whereabouts on the Sunday. Affidavits of -this character are readily made matter of mystification. Should there -be nothing wrong here, however, we will dismiss St. Eustache from our -investigations. His suicide, however corroborative of suspicion, were -there found to be deceit in the affidavits, is, without such deceit, -in no respect an unaccountable circumstance, or one which need cause -us to deflect from the line of ordinary analysis. - -"In that which I now propose, we will discard the interior points of -this tragedy, and concentrate our attention upon its outskirts. Not -the least usual error, in investigations such as this, is the -limiting of inquiry to the immediate, with total disregard of the -collateral or circumstantial events. It is the mal-practice of the -courts to confine evidence and discussion to the bounds of apparent -relevancy. Yet experience has shown, and a true philosophy will -always show, that a vast, perhaps the larger portion of truth, arises -from the seemingly irrelevant. It is through the spirit of this -principle, if not precisely through its letter, that modern science -has resolved to calculate upon the unforeseen. But perhaps you do not -comprehend me. The history of human knowledge has so uninterruptedly -shown that to collateral, or incidental, or accidental events we are -indebted for the most numerous and most valuable discoveries, that it -has at length become necessary, in any prospective view of -improvement, to make not only large, but the largest allowances for -inventions that shall arise by chance, and quite out of the range of -ordinary expectation. It is no longer philosophical to base, upon -what has been, a vision of what is to be. Accident is admitted as a -portion of the substructure. We make chance a matter of absolute -calculation. We subject the unlooked for and unimagined, to the -mathematical _formulae_ of the schools. - -"I repeat that it is no more than fact, that the larger portion of -all truth has sprung from the collateral; and it is but in accordance -with the spirit of the principle involved in this fact, that I would -divert inquiry, in the present case, from the trodden and hitherto -unfruitful ground of the event itself, to the contemporary -circumstances which surround it. While you ascertain the validity of -the affidavits, I will examine the newspapers more generally than you -have as yet done. So far, we have only reconnoitred the field of -investigation; but it will be strange indeed if a comprehensive -survey, such as I propose, of the public prints, will not afford us -some minute points which shall establish a direction for inquiry." - -In pursuance of Dupin's suggestion, I made scrupulous examination of -the affair of the affidavits. The result was a firm conviction of -their validity, and of the consequent innocence of St. Eustache. In -the mean time my friend occupied himself, with what seemed to me a -minuteness altogether objectless, in a scrutiny of the various -newspaper files. At the end of a week he placed before me the -following extracts: - -"About three years and a half ago, a disturbance very similar to the -present, was caused by the disappearance of this same Marie Rogêt, -from the parfumerie of Monsieur Le Blanc, in the Palais Royal. At the -end of a week, however, she re-appeared at her customary comptoir, as -well as ever, with the exception of a slight paleness not altogether -usual. It was given out by Monsieur Le Blanc and her mother, that she -had merely been on a visit to some friend in the country; and the -affair was speedily hushed up. We presume that the present absence is -a freak of the same nature, and that, at the expiration of a week, or -perhaps of a month, we shall have her among us again." - Evening -Paper - Monday June 23. {*17} - -"An evening journal of yesterday, refers to a former mysterious -disappearance of Mademoiselle Rogêt. It is well known that, during -the week of her absence from Le Blanc's parfumerie, she was in the -company of a young naval officer, much noted for his debaucheries. A -quarrel, it is supposed, providentially led to her return home. We -have the name of the Lothario in question, who is, at present, -stationed in Paris, but, for obvious reasons, forbear to make it -public." - Le Mercurie - Tuesday Morning, June 24. {*18} - -"An outrage of the most atrocious character was perpetrated near this -city the day before yesterday. A gentleman, with his wife and -daughter, engaged, about dusk, the services of six young men, who -were idly rowing a boat to and fro near the banks of the Seine, to -convey him across the river. Upon reaching the opposite shore, the -three passengers stepped out, and had proceeded so far as to be -beyond the view of the boat, when the daughter discovered that she -had left in it her parasol. She returned for it, was seized by the -gang, carried out into the stream, gagged, brutally treated, and -finally taken to the shore at a point not far from that at which she -had originally entered the boat with her parents. The villains have -escaped for the time, but the police are upon their trail, and some -of them will soon be taken." - Morning Paper - June 25. {*19} - -"We have received one or two communications, the object of which is -to fasten the crime of the late atrocity upon Mennais; {*20} but as -this gentleman has been fully exonerated by a loyal inquiry, and as -the arguments of our several correspondents appear to be more zealous -than profound, we do not think it advisable to make them public." - -Morning Paper - June 28. {*21} - -"We have received several forcibly written communications, apparently -from various sources, and which go far to render it a matter of -certainty that the unfortunate Marie Rogêt has become a victim of one -of the numerous bands of blackguards which infest the vicinity of the -city upon Sunday. Our own opinion is decidedly in favor of this -supposition. We shall endeavor to make room for some of these -arguments hereafter." - Evening Paper - Tuesday, June 31. {*22} - -"On Monday, one of the bargemen connected with the revenue service, -saw a empty boat floating down the Seine. Sails were lying in the -bottom of the boat. The bargeman towed it under the barge office. The -next morning it was taken from thence, without the knowledge of any -of the officers. The rudder is now at the barge office." - Le -Diligence - Thursday, June 26. § - -Upon reading these various extracts, they not only seemed to me -irrelevant, but I could perceive no mode in which any one of them -could be brought to bear upon the matter in hand. I waited for some -explanation from Dupin. - -"It is not my present design," he said, "to dwell upon the first and -second of those extracts. I have copied them chiefly to show you the -extreme remissness of the police, who, as far as I can understand -from the Prefect, have not troubled themselves, in any respect, with -an examination of the naval officer alluded to. Yet it is mere folly -to say that between the first and second disappearance of Marie, -there is no _supposable_ connection. Let us admit the first elopement -to have resulted in a quarrel between the lovers, and the return home -of the betrayed. We are now prepared to view a second elopement (if -we know that an elopement has again taken place) as indicating a -renewal of the betrayer's advances, rather than as the result of new -proposals by a second individual - we are prepared to regard it as a -'making up' of the old amour, rather than as the commencement of a -new one. The chances are ten to one, that he who had once eloped with -Marie, would again propose an elopement, rather than that she to whom -proposals of elopement had been made by one individual, should have -them made to her by another. And here let me call your attention to -the fact, that the time elapsing between the first ascertained, and -the second supposed elopement, is a few months more than the general -period of the cruises of our men-of-war. Had the lover been -interrupted in his first villany by the necessity of departure to -sea, and had he seized the first moment of his return to renew the -base designs not yet altogether accomplished - or not yet altogether -accomplished by _him?_ Of all these things we know nothing. - -"You will say, however, that, in the second instance, there was no -elopement as imagined. Certainly not - but are we prepared to say -that there was not the frustrated design? Beyond St. Eustache, and -perhaps Beauvais, we find no recognized, no open, no honorable -suitors of Marie. Of none other is there any thing said. Who, then, -is the secret lover, of whom the relatives (at least most of them) -know nothing, but whom Marie meets upon the morning of Sunday, and -who is so deeply in her confidence, that she hesitates not to remain -with him until the shades of the evening descend, amid the solitary -groves of the Barrière du Roule? Who is that secret lover, I ask, of -whom, at least, most of the relatives know nothing? And what means -the singular prophecy of Madame Rogêt on the morning of Marie's -departure? -- 'I fear that I shall never see Marie again.' - -"But if we cannot imagine Madame Rogêt privy to the design of -elopement, may we not at least suppose this design entertained by the -girl? Upon quitting home, she gave it to be understood that she was -about to visit her aunt in the Rue des Drômes and St. Eustache was -requested to call for her at dark. Now, at first glance, this fact -strongly militates against my suggestion; - but let us reflect. That -she did meet some companion, and proceed with him across the river, -reaching the Barrière du Roule at so late an hour as three o'clock in -the afternoon, is known. But in consenting so to accompany this -individual, (_for whatever purpose -- to her mother known or -unknown,_) she must have thought of her expressed intention when -leaving home, and of the surprise and suspicion aroused in the bosom -of her affianced suitor, St. Eustache, when, calling for her, at the -hour appointed, in the Rue des Drômes, he should find that she had -not been there, and when, moreover, upon returning to the pension -with this alarming intelligence, he should become aware of her -continued absence from home. She must have thought of these things, I -say. She must have foreseen the chagrin of St. Eustache, the -suspicion of all. She could not have thought of returning to brave -this suspicion; but the suspicion becomes a point of trivial -importance to her, if we suppose her not intending to return. - -"We may imagine her thinking thus - 'I am to meet a certain person -for the purpose of elopement, or for certain other purposes known -only to myself. It is necessary that there be no chance of -interruption - there must be sufficient time given us to elude -pursuit - I will give it to be understood that I shall visit and -spend the day with my aunt at the Rue des Drômes - I well tell St. -Eustache not to call for me until dark - in this way, my absence from -home for the longest possible period, without causing suspicion or -anxiety, will be accounted for, and I shall gain more time than in -any other manner. If I bid St. Eustache call for me at dark, he will -be sure not to call before; but, if I wholly neglect to bid him call, -my time for escape will be diminished, since it will be expected that -I return the earlier, and my absence will the sooner excite anxiety. -Now, if it were my design to return at all - if I had in -contemplation merely a stroll with the individual in question - it -would not be my policy to bid St. Eustache call; for, calling, he -will be sure to ascertain that I have played him false - a fact of -which I might keep him for ever in ignorance, by leaving home without -notifying him of my intention, by returning before dark, and by then -stating that I had been to visit my aunt in the Rue des Drômes. But, -as it is my design never to return - or not for some weeks - or not -until certain concealments are effected - the gaining of time is the -only point about which I need give myself any concern.' - -"You have observed, in your notes, that the most general opinion in -relation to this sad affair is, and was from the first, that the girl -had been the victim of a gang of blackguards. Now, the popular -opinion, under certain conditions, is not to be disregarded. When -arising of itself -- when manifesting itself in a strictly -spontaneous manner -- we should look upon it as analogous with that -_intuition_ which is the idiosyncrasy of the individual man of -genius. In ninety-nine cases from the hundred I would abide by its -decision. But it is important that we find no palpable traces of -_suggestion_. The opinion must be rigorously _the public's own_; and -the distinction is often exceedingly difficult to perceive and to -maintain. In the present instance, it appears to me that this 'public -opinion' in respect to a gang, has been superinduced by the -collateral event which is detailed in the third of my extracts. All -Paris is excited by the discovered corpse of Marie, a girl young, -beautiful and notorious. This corpse is found, bearing marks of -violence, and floating in the river. But it is now made known that, -at the very period, or about the very period, in which it is supposed -that the girl was assassinated, an outrage similar in nature to that -endured by the deceased, although less in extent, was perpetuated, by -a gang of young ruffians, upon the person of a second young female. -Is it wonderful that the one known atrocity should influence the -popular judgment in regard to the other unknown? This judgment -awaited direction, and the known outrage seemed so opportunely to -afford it! Marie, too, was found in the river; and upon this very -river was this known outrage committed. The connexion of the two -events had about it so much of the palpable, that the true wonder -would have been a failure of the populace to appreciate and to seize -it. But, in fact, the one atrocity, known to be so committed, is, if -any thing, evidence that the other, committed at a time nearly -coincident, was not so committed. It would have been a miracle -indeed, if, while a gang of ruffians were perpetrating, at a given -locality, a most unheard-of wrong, there should have been another -similar gang, in a similar locality, in the same city, under the same -circumstances, with the same means and appliances, engaged in a wrong -of precisely the same aspect, at precisely the same period of time! -Yet in what, if not in this marvellous train of coincidence, does the -accidentally suggested opinion of the populace call upon us to -believe? - -"Before proceeding farther, let us consider the supposed scene of the -assassination, in the thicket at the Barrière du Roule. This thicket, -although dense, was in the close vicinity of a public road. Within -were three or four large stones, forming a kind of seat with a back -and footstool. On the upper stone was discovered a white petticoat; -on the second, a silk scarf. A parasol, gloves, and a -pocket-handkerchief, were also here found. The handkerchief bore the -name, 'Marie Rogêt.' Fragments of dress were seen on the branches -around. The earth was trampled, the bushes were broken, and there was -every evidence of a violent struggle. - -"Notwithstanding the acclamation with which the discovery of this -thicket was received by the press, and the unanimity with which it -was supposed to indicate the precise scene of the outrage, it must be -admitted that there was some very good reason for doubt. That it was -the scene, I may or I may not believe - but there was excellent -reason for doubt. Had the true scene been, as Le Commerciel -suggested, in the neighborhood of the Rue Pavée St. Andrée, the -perpetrators of the crime, supposing them still resident in Paris, -would naturally have been stricken with terror at the public -attention thus acutely directed into the proper channel; and, in -certain classes of minds, there would have arisen, at once, a sense -of the necessity of some exertion to redivert this attention. And -thus, the thicket of the Barrière du Roule having been already -suspected, the idea of placing the articles where they were found, -might have been naturally entertained. There is no real evidence, -although Le Soleil so supposes, that the articles discovered had been -more than a very few days in the thicket; while there is much -circumstantial proof that they could not have remained there, without -attracting attention, during the twenty days elapsing between the -fatal Sunday and the afternoon upon which they were found by the -boys. 'They were all _mildewed_ down hard,' says Le Soleil, adopting -the opinions of its predecessors, 'with the action of the rain, and -stuck together from _mildew_. The grass had grown around and over -some of them. The silk of the parasol was strong, but the threads of -it were run together within. The upper part, where it bad been -doubled and folded, was all _mildewed_ and rotten, and tore on being -opened.' In respect to the grass having '.grown around and over some -of them,' it is obvious that the fact could only have been -ascertained from the words, and thus from the recollections, of two -small boys; for these boys removed the articles and took them home -before they had been seen by a third party. But grass will grow, -especially in warm and damp weather, (such as was that of the period -of the murder,) as much as two or three inches in a single day. A -parasol lying upon a newly turfed ground, might, in a single week, be -entirely concealed from sight by the upspringing grass. And touching -that mildew upon which the editor of Le Soleil so pertinaciously -insists, that he employs the word no less than three times in the -brief paragraph just quoted, is he really unaware of the nature of -this mildew? Is he to be told that it is one of the many classes of -fungus, of which the most ordinary feature is its upspringing and -decadence within twenty-four hours? - -"Thus we see, at a glance, that what has been most triumphantly -adduced in support of the idea that the articles bad been 'for at -least three or four weeks' in the thicket, is most absurdly null as -regards any evidence of that fact. On the other hand, it is -exceedingly difficult to believe that these articles could have -remained in the thicket specified, for a longer period than a single -week - for a longer period than from one Sunday to the next. Those -who know any thing of the vicinity of Paris, know the extreme -difficulty of finding seclusion unless at a great distance from its -suburbs. Such a thing as an unexplored, or even an unfrequently -visited recess, amid its woods or groves, is not for a moment to be -imagined. Let any one who, being at heart a lover of nature, is yet -chained by duty to the dust and heat of this great metropolis - let -any such one attempt, even during the weekdays, to slake his thirst -for solitude amid the scenes of natural loveliness which immediately -surround us. At every second step, he will find the growing charm -dispelled by the voice and personal intrusion of some ruffian or -party of carousing blackguards. He will seek privacy amid the densest -foliage, all in vain. Here are the very nooks where the unwashed most -abound - here are the temples most desecrate. With sickness of the -heart the wanderer will flee back to the polluted Paris as to a less -odious because less incongruous sink of pollution. But if the -vicinity of the city is so beset during the working days of the week, -how much more so on the Sabbath! It is now especially that, released -from the claims of labor, or deprived of the customary opportunities -of crime, the town blackguard seeks the precincts of the town, not -through love of the rural, which in his heart he despises, but by way -of escape from the restraints and conventionalities of society. He -desires less the fresh air and the green trees, than the utter -license of the country. Here, at the road-side inn, or beneath the -foliage of the woods, he indulges, unchecked by any eye except those -of his boon companions, in all the mad excess of a counterfeit -hilarity - the joint offspring of liberty and of rum. I say nothing -more than what must be obvious to every dispassionate observer, when -I repeat that the circumstance of the articles in question having -remained undiscovered, for a longer period - than from one Sunday to -another, in any thicket in the immediate neighborhood of Paris, is to -be looked upon as little less than miraculous. - -"But there are not wanting other grounds for the suspicion that the -articles were placed in the thicket with the view of diverting -attention from the real scene of the outrage. And, first, let me -direct your notice to the date of the discovery of the articles. -Collate this with the date of the fifth extract made by myself from -the newspapers. You will find that the discovery followed, almost -immediately, the urgent communications sent to the evening paper. -These communications, although various and apparently from various -sources, tended all to the same point - viz., the directing of -attention to a gang as the perpetrators of the outrage, and to the -neighborhood of the Barrière du Roule as its scene. Now here, of -course, the suspicion is not that, in consequence of these -communications, or of the public attention by them directed, the -articles were found by the boys; but the suspicion might and may well -have been, that the articles were not before found by the boys, for -the reason that the articles had not before been in the thicket; -having been deposited there only at so late a period as at the date, -or shortly prior to the date of the communications by the guilty -authors of these communications themselves. - -"This thicket was a singular - an exceedingly singular one. It was -unusually dense. Within its naturally walled enclosure were three -extraordinary stones, forming a seat with a back and footstool. And -this thicket, so full of a natural art, was in the immediate -vicinity, within a few rods, of the dwelling of Madame Deluc, whose -boys were in the habit of closely examining the shrubberies about -them in search of the bark of the sassafras. Would it be a rash wager -- a wager of one thousand to one -- that a day never passed over the -heads of these boys without finding at least one of them ensconced in -the umbrageous hall, and enthroned upon its natural throne? Those who -would hesitate at such a wager, have either never been boys -themselves, or have forgotten the boyish nature. I repeat -- it is -exceedingly hard to comprehend how the articles could have remained -in this thicket undiscovered, for a longer period than one or two -days; and that thus there is good ground for suspicion, in spite of -the dogmatic ignorance of Le Soleil, that they were, at a -comparatively late date, deposited where found. - -"But there are still other and stronger reasons for believing them so -deposited, than any which I have as yet urged. And, now, let me beg -your notice to the highly artificial arrangement of the articles. On -the upper stone lay a white petticoat; on the second a silk scarf; -scattered around, were a parasol, gloves, and a pocket-handkerchief -bearing the name, 'Marie Rogêt.' Here is just such an arrangement as -would naturally be made by a not over-acute person wishing to dispose -the articles naturally. But it is by no means a really natural -arrangement. I should rather have looked to see the things all lying -on the ground and trampled under foot. In the narrow limits of that -bower, it would have been scarcely possible that the petticoat and -scarf should have retained a position upon the stones, when subjected -to the brushing to and fro of many struggling persons. 'There was -evidence,' it is said, 'of a struggle; and the earth was trampled, -the bushes were broken,' - but the petticoat and the scarf are found -deposited as if upon shelves. 'The pieces of the frock torn out by -the bushes were about three inches wide and six inches long. One part -was the hem of the frock and it had been mended. They looked like -strips torn off.' Here, inadvertently, Le Soleil has employed an -exceedingly suspicious phrase. The pieces, as described, do indeed -'look like strips torn off;' but purposely and by hand. It is one of -the rarest of accidents that a piece is 'torn off,' from any garment -such as is now in question, by the agency of a thorn. From the very -nature of such fabrics, a thorn or nail becoming entangled in them, -tears them rectangularly - divides them into two longitudinal rents, -at right angles with each other, and meeting at an apex where the -thorn enters - but it is scarcely possible to conceive the piece -'torn off.' I never so knew it, nor did you. To tear a piece off from -such fabric, two distinct forces, in different directions, will be, -in almost every case, required. If there be two edges to the fabric - -if, for example, it be a pocket- handkerchief, and it is desired to -tear from it a slip, then, and then only, will the one force serve -the purpose. But in the present case the question is of a dress, -presenting but one edge. To tear a piece from the interior, where no -edge is presented, could only be effected by a miracle through the -agency of thorns, and no one thorn could accomplish it. But, even -where an edge is presented, two thorns will be necessary, operating, -the one in two distinct directions, and the other in one. And this in -the supposition that the edge is unhemmed. If hemmed, the matter is -nearly out of the question. We thus see the numerous and great -obstacles in the way of pieces being 'torn off' through the simple -agency of 'thorns;' yet we are required to believe not only that one -piece but that many have been so torn. 'And one part,' too, 'was the -hem of the frock!' Another piece was 'part of the skirt, not the -hem,' - that is to say, was torn completely out through the agency of -thorns, from the uncaged interior of the dress! These, I say, are -things which one may well be pardoned for disbelieving; yet, taken -collectedly, they form, perhaps, less of reasonable ground for -suspicion, than the one startling circumstance of the articles' -having been left in this thicket at all, by any murderers who had -enough precaution to think of removing the corpse. You will not have -apprehended me rightly, however, if you suppose it my design to deny -this thicket as the scene of the outrage. There might have been a -wrong here, or, more possibly, an accident at Madame Deluc's. But, in -fact, this is a point of minor importance. We are not engaged in an -attempt to discover the scene, but to produce the perpetrators of the -murder. What I have adduced, notwithstanding the minuteness with -which I have adduced it, has been with the view, first, to show the -folly of the positive and headlong assertions of Le Soleil, but -secondly and chiefly, to bring you, by the most natural route, to a -further contemplation of the doubt whether this assassination has, or -has not been, the work of a gang. - -"We will resume this question by mere allusion to the revolting -details of the surgeon examined at the inquest. It is only necessary -to say that is published inferences, in regard to the number of -ruffians, have been properly ridiculed as unjust and totally -baseless, by all the reputable anatomists of Paris. Not that the -matter might not have been as inferred, but that there was no ground -for the inference: - was there not much for another? - -"Let us reflect now upon 'the traces of a struggle;' and let me ask -what these traces have been supposed to demonstrate. A gang. But do -they not rather demonstrate the absence of a gang? What struggle -could have taken place - what struggle so violent and so enduring as -to have left its 'traces' in all directions - between a weak and -defenceless girl and the gang of ruffians imagined? The silent grasp -of a few rough arms and all would have been over. The victim must -have been absolutely passive at their will. You will here bear in -mind that the arguments urged against the thicket as the scene, are -applicable in chief part, only against it as the scene of an outrage -committed by more than a single individual. If we imagine but one -violator, we can conceive, and thus only conceive, the struggle of so -violent and so obstinate a nature as to have left the 'traces' -apparent. - -"And again. I have already mentioned the suspicion to be excited by -the fact that the articles in question were suffered to remain at all -in the thicket where discovered. It seems almost impossible that -these evidences of guilt should have been accidentally left where -found. There was sufficient presence of mind (it is supposed) to -remove the corpse; and yet a more positive evidence than the corpse -itself (whose features might have been quickly obliterated by decay,) -is allowed to lie conspicuously in the scene of the outrage - I -allude to the handkerchief with the name of the deceased. If this was -accident, it was not the accident of a gang. We can imagine it only -the accident of an individual. Let us see. An individual has -committed the murder. He is alone with the ghost of the departed. He -is appalled by what lies motionless before him. The fury of his -passion is over, and there is abundant room in his heart for the -natural awe of the deed. His is none of that confidence which the -presence of numbers inevitably inspires. He is alone with the dead. -He trembles and is bewildered. Yet there is a necessity for disposing -of the corpse. He bears it to the river, but leaves behind him the -other evidences of guilt; for it is difficult, if not impossible to -carry all the burthen at once, and it will be easy to return for what -is left. But in his toilsome journey to the water his fears redouble -within him. The sounds of life encompass his path. A dozen times he -hears or fancies the step of an observer. Even the very lights from -the city bewilder him. Yet, in time and by long and frequent pauses -of deep agony, he reaches the river's brink, and disposes of his -ghastly charge - perhaps through the medium of a boat. But now what -treasure does the world hold - what threat of vengeance could it hold -out - which would have power to urge the return of that lonely -murderer over that toilsome and perilous path, to the thicket and its -blood chilling recollections? He returns not, let the consequences be -what they may. He could not return if he would. His sole thought is -immediate escape. He turns his back forever upon those dreadful -shrubberies and flees as from the wrath to come. - -"But how with a gang? Their number would have inspired them with -confidence; if, indeed confidence is ever wanting in the breast of -the arrant blackguard; and of arrant blackguards alone are the -supposed gangs ever constituted. Their number, I say, would have -prevented the bewildering and unreasoning terror which I have -imagined to paralyze the single man. Could we suppose an oversight in -one, or two, or three, this oversight would have been remedied by a -fourth. They would have left nothing behind them; for their number -would have enabled them to carry all at once. There would have been -no need of return. - -"Consider now the circumstance that in the outer garment of the -corpse when found, 'a slip, about a foot wide had been torn upward -from the bottom hem to the waist wound three times round the waist, -and secured by a sort of hitch in the back.' This was done with the -obvious design of affording a handle by which to carry the body. But -would any number of men have dreamed of resorting to such an -expedient? To three or four, the limbs of the corpse would have -afforded not only a sufficient, but the best possible hold. The -device is that of a single individual; and this brings us to the fact -that 'between the thicket and the river, the rails of the fences were -found taken down, and the ground bore evident traces of some heavy -burden having been dragged along it!' But would a number of men have -put themselves to the superfluous trouble of taking down a fence, for -the purpose of dragging through it a corpse which they might have -lifted over any fence in an instant? Would a number of men have so -dragged a corpse at all as to have left evident traces of the -dragging? - -"And here we must refer to an observation of Le Commerciel; an -observation upon which I have already, in some measure, commented. 'A -piece,' says this journal, 'of one of the unfortunate girl's -petticoats was torn out and tied under her chin, and around the back -of her head, probably to prevent screams. This was done by fellows -who had no pocket-handkerchiefs.' - -"I have before suggested that a genuine blackguard is never without a -pocket-handkerchief. But it is not to this fact that I now especially -advert. That it was not through want of a handkerchief for the -purpose imagined by Le Commerciel, that this bandage was employed, is -rendered apparent by the handkerchief left in the thicket; and that -the object was not 'to prevent screams' appears, also, from the -bandage having been employed in preference to what would so much -better have answered the purpose. But the language of the evidence -speaks of the strip in question as 'found around the neck, fitting -loosely, and secured with a hard knot.' These words are sufficiently -vague, but differ materially from those of Le Commerciel. The slip -was eighteen inches wide, and therefore, although of muslin, would -form a strong band when folded or rumpled longitudinally. And thus -rumpled it was discovered. My inference is this. The solitary -murderer, having borne the corpse, for some distance, (whether from -the thicket or elsewhere) by means of the bandage hitched around its -middle, found the weight, in this mode of procedure, too much for his -strength. He resolved to drag the burthen - the evidence goes to show -that it was dragged. With this object in view, it became necessary to -attach something like a rope to one of the extremities. It could be -best attached about the neck, where the head would prevent its -slipping off. And, now, the murderer bethought him, unquestionably, -of the bandage about the loins. He would have used this, but for its -volution about the corpse, the hitch which embarrassed it, and the -reflection that it had not been 'torn off' from the garment. It was -easier to tear a new slip from the petticoat. He tore it, made it -fast about the neck, and so dragged his victim to the brink of the -river. That this 'bandage,' only attainable with trouble and delay, -and but imperfectly answering its purpose - that this bandage was -employed at all, demonstrates that the necessity for its employment -sprang from circumstances arising at a period when the handkerchief -was no longer attainable -- that is to say, arising, as we have -imagined, after quitting the thicket, (if the thicket it was), and on -the road between the thicket and the river. - -"But the evidence, you will say, of Madame Deluc, (!) points -especially to the presence of a gang, in the vicinity of the thicket, -at or about the epoch of the murder. This I grant. I doubt if there -were not a dozen gangs, such as described by Madame Deluc, in and -about the vicinity of the Barrière du Roule at or about the period of -this tragedy. But the gang which has drawn upon itself the pointed -animadversion, although the somewhat tardy and very suspicious -evidence of Madame Deluc, is the only gang which is represented by -that honest and scrupulous old lady as having eaten her cakes and -swallowed her brandy, without putting themselves to the trouble of -making her payment. Et hinc illæ iræ? - -"But what is the precise evidence of Madame Deluc? 'A gang of -miscreants made their appearance, behaved boisterously, ate and drank -without making payment, followed in the route of the young man and -girl, returned to the inn about dusk, and recrossed the river as if -in great haste.' - -"Now this 'great haste' very possibly seemed greater haste in the -eyes of Madame Deluc, since she dwelt lingeringly and lamentingly -upon her violated cakes and ale - cakes and ale for which she might -still have entertained a faint hope of compensation. Why, otherwise, -since it was about dusk, should she make a point of the haste? It is -no cause for wonder, surely, that even a gang of blackguards should -make haste to get home, when a wide river is to be crossed in small -boats, when storm impends, and when night approaches. - -"I say approaches; for the night had not yet arrived. It was only -about dusk that the indecent haste of these 'miscreants' offended the -sober eyes of Madame Deluc. But we are told that it was upon this -very evening that Madame Deluc, as well as her eldest son, 'heard the -screams of a female in the vicinity of the inn.' And in what words -does Madame Deluc designate the period of the evening at which these -screams were heard? 'It was soon after dark,' she says. But 'soon -after dark,' is, at least, dark; and 'about dusk' is as certainly -daylight. Thus it is abundantly clear that the gang quitted the -Barrière du Roule prior to the screams overheard (?) by Madame Deluc. -And although, in all the many reports of the evidence, the relative -expressions in question are distinctly and invariably employed just -as I have employed them in this conversation with yourself, no notice -whatever of the gross discrepancy has, as yet, been taken by any of -the public journals, or by any of the Myrmidons of police. - -"I shall add but one to the arguments against a gang; but this one -has, to my own understanding at least, a weight altogether -irresistible. Under the circumstances of large reward offered, and -full pardon to any King's evidence, it is not to be imagined, for a -moment, that some member of a gang of low ruffians, or of any body of -men, would not long ago have betrayed his accomplices. Each one of a -gang so placed, is not so much greedy of reward, or anxious for -escape, as fearful of betrayal. He betrays eagerly and early that he -may not himself be betrayed. That the secret has not been divulged, -is the very best of proof that it is, in fact, a secret. The horrors -of this dark deed are known only to one, or two, living human beings, -and to God. - -"Let us sum up now the meagre yet certain fruits of our long -analysis. We have attained the idea either of a fatal accident under -the roof of Madame Deluc, or of a murder perpetrated, in the thicket -at the Barrière du Roule, by a lover, or at least by an intimate and -secret associate of the deceased. This associate is of swarthy -complexion. This complexion, the 'hitch' in the bandage, and the -'sailor's knot,' with which the bonnet-ribbon is tied, point to a -seaman. His companionship with the deceased, a gay, but not an abject -young girl, designates him as above the grade of the common sailor. -Here the well written and urgent communications to the journals are -much in the way of corroboration. The circumstance of the first -elopement, as mentioned by Le Mercurie, tends to blend the idea of -this seaman with that of the 'naval officer' who is first known to -have led the unfortunate into crime. - -"And here, most fitly, comes the consideration of the continued -absence of him of the dark complexion. Let me pause to observe that -the complexion of this man is dark and swarthy; it was no common -swarthiness which constituted the sole point of remembrance, both as -regards Valence and Madame Deluc. But why is this man absent? Was he -murdered by the gang? If so, why are there only traces of the -assassinated girl? The scene of the two outrages will naturally be -supposed identical. And where is his corpse? The assassins would most -probably have disposed of both in the same way. But it may be said -that this man lives, and is deterred from making himself known, -through dread of being charged with the murder. This consideration -might be supposed to operate upon him now - at this late period - -since it has been given in evidence that he was seen with Marie - but -it would have had no force at the period of the deed. The first -impulse of an innocent man would have been to announce the outrage, -and to aid in identifying the ruffians. This policy would have -suggested. He had been seen with the girl. He had crossed the river -with her in an open ferry-boat. The denouncing of the assassins would -have appeared, even to an idiot, the surest and sole means of -relieving himself from suspicion. We cannot suppose him, on the night -of the fatal Sunday, both innocent himself and incognizant of an -outrage committed. Yet only under such circumstances is it possible -to imagine that he would have failed, if alive, in the denouncement -of the assassins. - -"And what means are ours, of attaining the truth? We shall find these -means multiplying and gathering distinctness as we proceed. Let us -sift to the bottom this affair of the first elopement. Let us know -the full history of 'the officer,' with his present circumstances, -and his whereabouts at the precise period of the murder. Let us -carefully compare with each other the various communications sent to -the evening paper, in which the object was to inculpate a gang. This -done, let us compare these communications, both as regards style and -MS., with those sent to the morning paper, at a previous period, and -insisting so vehemently upon the guilt of Mennais. And, all this -done, let us again compare these various communications with the -known MSS. of the officer. Let us endeavor to ascertain, by repeated -questionings of Madame Deluc and her boys, as well as of the omnibus -driver, Valence, something more of the personal appearance and -bearing of the 'man of dark complexion.' Queries, skilfully directed, -will not fail to elicit, from some of these parties, information on -this particular point (or upon others) - information which the -parties themselves may not even be aware of possessing. And let us -now trace the boatpicked up by the bargeman on the morning of Monday -the twenty-third of June, and which was removed from the -barge-office, without the cognizance of the officer in attendance, -and without the rudder, at some period prior to the discovery of the -corpse. With a proper caution and perseverance we shall infallibly -trace this boat; for not only can the bargeman who picked it up -identify it, but the rudder is at hand. The rudder of a sail-boat -would not have been abandoned, without inquiry, by one altogether at -ease in heart. And here let me pause to insinuate a question. There -was no advertisement of the picking up of this boat. It was silently -taken to the barge-office, and as silently removed. But its owner or -employer - how happened he, at so early a period as Tuesday morning, -to be informed, without the agency of advertisement, of the locality -of the boat taken up on Monday, unless we imagine some connexion with -the navy - some personal permanent connexion leading to cognizance of -its minute in interests - its petty local news? - -"In speaking of the lonely assassin dragging his burden to the shore, -I have already suggested the probability of his availing himself of a -boat. Now we are to understand that Marie Rogêt was precipitated from -a boat. This would naturally have been the case. The corpse could not -have been trusted to the shallow waters of the shore. The peculiar -marks on the back and shoulders of the victim tell of the bottom ribs -of a boat. That the body was found without weight is also -corroborative of the idea. If thrown from the shore a weight would -have been attached. We can only account for its absence by supposing -the murderer to have neglected the precaution of supplying himself -with it before pushing off. In the act of consigning the corpse to -the water, he would unquestionably have noticed his oversight; but -then no remedy would have been at hand. Any risk would have been -preferred to a return to that accursed shore. Having rid himself of -his ghastly charge, the murderer would have hastened to the city. -There, at some obscure wharf, he would have leaped on land. But the -boat - would he have secured it? He would have been in too great -haste for such things as securing a boat. Moreover, in fastening it -to the wharf, he would have felt as if securing evidence against -himself. His natural thought would have been to cast from him, as far -as possible, all that had held connection with his crime. He would -not only have fled from the wharf, but he would not have permitted -the boat to remain. Assuredly he would have cast it adrift. Let us -pursue our fancies. - In the morning, the wretch is stricken with -unutterable horror at finding that the boat has been picked up and -detained at a locality which he is in the daily habit of frequenting -- at a locality, perhaps, which his duty compels him to frequent. The -next night, without daring to ask for the rudder, he removes it. Now -where is that rudderless boat? Let it be one of our first purposes to -discover. With the first glimpse we obtain of it, the dawn of our -success shall begin. This boat shall guide us, with a rapidity which -will surprise even ourselves, to him who employed it in the midnight -of the fatal Sabbath. Corroboration will rise upon corroboration, and -the murderer will be traced." - -[For reasons which we shall not specify, but which to many readers -will appear obvious, we have taken the liberty of here omitting, from -the MSS. placed in our hands, such portion as details the following -up of the apparently slight clew obtained by Dupin. We feel it -advisable only to state, in brief, that the result desired was -brought to pass; and that the Prefect fulfilled punctually, although -with reluctance, the terms of his compact with the Chevalier. Mr. -Poe's article concludes with the following words. - Eds. {*23}] - -It will be understood that I speak of coincidences and no more. What -I have said above upon this topic must suffice. In my own heart there -dwells no faith in præter-nature. That Nature and its God are two, no -man who thinks, will deny. That the latter, creating the former, can, -at will, control or modify it, is also unquestionable. I say "at -will;" for the question is of will, and not, as the insanity of logic -has assumed, of power. It is not that the Deity cannot modify his -laws, but that we insult him in imagining a possible necessity for -modification. In their origin these laws were fashioned to embrace -all contingencies which could lie in the Future. With God all is Now. - -I repeat, then, that I speak of these things only as of coincidences. -And farther: in what I relate it will be seen that between the fate -of the unhappy Mary Cecilia Rogers, so far as that fate is known, and -the fate of one Marie Rogêt up to a certain epoch in her history, -there has existed a parallel in the contemplation of whose wonderful -exactitude the reason becomes embarrassed. I say all this will be -seen. But let it not for a moment be supposed that, in proceeding -with the sad narrative of Marie from the epoch just mentioned, and in -tracing to its dénouement the mystery which enshrouded her, it is my -covert design to hint at an extension of the parallel, or even to -suggest that the measures adopted in Paris for the discovery of the -assassin of a grisette, or measures founded in any similar -ratiocination, would produce any similar result. - -For, in respect to the latter branch of the supposition, it should be -considered that the most trifling variation in the facts of the two -cases might give rise to the most important miscalculations, by -diverting thoroughly the two courses of events; very much as, in -arithmetic, an error which, in its own individuality, may be -inappreciable, produces, at length, by dint of multiplication at all -points of the process, a result enormously at variance with truth. -And, in regard to the former branch, we must not fail to hold in view -that the very Calculus of Probabilities to which I have referred, -forbids all idea of the extension of the parallel: - forbids it with -a positiveness strong and decided just in proportion as this parallel -has already been long-drawn and exact. This is one of those anomalous -propositions which, seemingly appealing to thought altogether apart -from the mathematical, is yet one which only the mathematician can -fully entertain. Nothing, for example, is more difficult than to -convince the merely general reader that the fact of sixes having been -thrown twice in succession by a player at dice, is sufficient cause -for betting the largest odds that sixes will not be thrown in the -third attempt. A suggestion to this effect is usually rejected by the -intellect at once. It does not appear that the two throws which have -been completed, and which lie now absolutely in the Past, can have -influence upon the throw which exists only in the Future. The chance -for throwing sixes seems to be precisely as it was at any ordinary -time - that is to say, subject only to the influence of the various -other throws which may be made by the dice. And this is a reflection -which appears so exceedingly obvious that attempts to controvert it -are received more frequently with a derisive smile than with anything -like respectful attention. The error here involved - a gross error -redolent of mischief - I cannot pretend to expose within the limits -assigned me at present; and with the philosophical it needs no -exposure. It may be sufficient here to say that it forms one of an -infinite series of mistakes which arise in the path or Reason through -her propensity for seeking truth in detail. - - -~~~ End of Text ~~~ - - -FOOTNOTES--Marie Rogêt - -{*1} Upon the original publication of "Marie Roget," the foot-notes -now appended were considered unnecessary; but the lapse of several -years since the tragedy upon which the tale is based, renders it -expedient to give them, and also to say a few words in explanation of -the general design. A young girl, Mary Cecilia Rogers, was murdered -in the vicinity of New York; and, although her death occasioned an -intense and long-enduring excitement, the mystery attending it had -remained unsolved at the period when the present paper was written -and published (November, 1842). Herein, under pretence of relating -the fate of a Parisian grisette, the author has followed in minute -detail, the essential, while merely paralleling the inessential facts -of the real murder of Mary Rogers. Thus all argument founded upon the -fiction is applicable to the truth: and the investigation of the -truth was the object. The "Mystery of Marie Roget" was composed at a -distance from the scene of the atrocity, and with no other means of -investigation than the newspapers afforded. Thus much escaped the -writer of which he could have availed himself had he been upon the -spot, and visited the localities. It may not be improper to record, -nevertheless, that the confessions of two persons, (one of them the -Madame Deluc of the narrative) made, at different periods, long -subsequent to the publication, confirmed, in full, not only the -general conclusion, but absolutely all the chief hypothetical details -by which that conclusion was attained. - -{*2} The nom de plume of Von Hardenburg. - -{*3} Nassau Street. - -{*4} Anderson. - -{*5} The Hudson. - -{*6} Weehawken. - -{*7} Payne. - -{*8} Crommelin. - -{*9} The New York "Mercury." - -(*10} The New York "Brother Jonathan," edited by H. Hastings Weld, -Esq. - -{*11} New York "Journal of Commerce." - -{*12} Philadelphia "Saturday Evening Post," edited by C. I. Peterson, -Esq. - -{*13} Adam - -{*14} See "Murders in the Rue Morgue." - -{*15} The New York "Commercial Advertiser," edited by Col. Stone. - -{*16} "A theory based on the qualities of an object, will prevent its -being unfolded according to its objects; and he who arranges topics -in reference to their causes, will cease to value them according to -their results. Thus the jurisprudence of every nation will show that, -when law becomes a science and a system, it ceases to be justice. The -errors into which a blind devotion to principles of classification -has led the common law, will be seen by observing how often the -legislature has been obliged to come forward to restore the equity -its scheme had lost." - Landor. - -{*17} New York "Express" - -{*18} NewYork "Herald." - -{*19} New York "Courier and Inquirer." - -{*20} Mennais was one of the parties originally suspected and -arrested, but discharged through total lack of evidence. - -{*21} New York "Courier and Inquirer." - -{*22} New York "Evening Post." - -{*23} Of the Magazine in which the article was originally published. - - -========== - - - - THE BALLOON-HOAX - - [Astounding News by Express, _via_ Norfolk! - The Atlantic -crossed in Three Days! Signal Triumph of Mr. Monck Mason's Flying -Machine! - Arrival at Sullivan's Island, near Charlestown, S.C., of -Mr. Mason, Mr. Robert Holland, Mr. Henson, Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, -and four others, in the Steering Balloon, "Victoria," after a passage -of Seventy-five Hours from Land to Land! Full Particulars of the -Voyage! - - The subjoined _jeu d'esprit_ with the preceding heading in -magnificent capitals, well interspersed with notes of admiration, was -originally published, as matter of fact, in the "New York Sun," a -daily newspaper, and therein fully subserved the purpose of creating -indigestible aliment for the _quidnuncs_ during the few hours -intervening between a couple of the Charleston mails. The rush for -the "sole paper which had the news," was something beyond even the -prodigious; and, in fact, if (as some assert) the "Victoria" _did_ -not absolutely accomplish the voyage recorded, it will be difficult -to assign a reason why she _should_ not have accomplished it.] - - THE great problem is at length solved! The air, as well as the -earth and the ocean, has been subdued by science, and will become a -common and convenient highway for mankind. _The Atlantic has been -actually crossed in a Balloon!_ and this too without difficulty - -without any great apparent danger - with thorough control of the -machine - and in the inconceivably brief period of seventy-five hours -from shore to shore! By the energy of an agent at Charleston, S.C., -we are enabled to be the first to furnish the public with a detailed -account of this most extraordinary voyage, which was performed -between Saturday, the 6th instant, at 11, A.M., and 2, P.M., on -Tuesday, the 9th instant, by Sir Everard Bringhurst; Mr. Osborne, a -nephew of Lord Bentinck's; Mr. Monck Mason and Mr. Robert Holland, -the well-known æronauts; Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, author of "Jack -Sheppard," &c.; and Mr. Henson, the projector of the late -unsuccessful flying machine - with two seamen from Woolwich - in all, -eight persons. The particulars furnished below may be relied on as -authentic and accurate in every respect, as, with a slight exception, -they are copied _verbatim_ from the joint diaries of Mr. Monck Mason -and Mr. Harrison Ainsworth, to whose politeness our agent is also -indebted for much verbal information respecting the balloon itself, -its construction, and other matters of interest. The only alteration -in the MS. received, has been made for the purpose of throwing the -hurried account of our agent, Mr. Forsyth, into a connected and -intelligible form. - -"THE BALLOON. - - "Two very decided failures, of late - those of Mr. Henson and Sir -George Cayley - had much weakened the public interest in the subject -of aerial navigation. Mr. Henson's scheme (which at first was -considered very feasible even by men of science,) was founded upon -the principle of an inclined plane, started from an eminence by an -extrinsic force, applied and continued by the revolution of impinging -vanes, in form and number resembling the vanes of a windmill. But, -in all the experiments made with models at the Adelaide Gallery, it -was found that the operation of these fans not only did not propel -the machine, but actually impeded its flight. The only propelling -force it ever exhibited, was the mere _impetus_ acquired from the -descent of the inclined plane; and this _impetus_ carried the -machine farther when the vanes were at rest, than when they were in -motion - a fact which sufficiently demonstrates their inutility; -and in the absence of the propelling, which was also the _sustaining_ -power, the whole fabric would necessarily descend. This -consideration led Sir George Cayley to think only of adapting a -propeller to some machine having of itself an independent power of -support - in a word, to a balloon; the idea, however, being novel, -or original, with Sir George, only so far as regards the mode of its -application to practice. He exhibited a model of his invention at -the Polytechnic Institution. The propelling principle, or power, was -here, also, applied to interrupted surfaces, or vanes, put in -revolution. These vanes were four in number, but were found entirely -ineffectual in moving the balloon, or in aiding its ascending power. -The whole project was thus a complete failure. - - "It was at this juncture that Mr. Monck Mason (whose voyage from -Dover to Weilburg in the balloon, "Nassau," occasioned so much -excitement in 1837,) conceived the idea of employing the principle of -the Archimedean screw for the purpose of propulsion through the air - -rightly attributing the failure of Mr. Henson's scheme, and of Sir -George Cayley's, to the interruption of surface in the independent -vanes. He made the first public experiment at Willis's Rooms, but -afterward removed his model to the Adelaide Gallery. - - "Like Sir George Cayley's balloon, his own was an ellipsoid. Its -length was thirteen feet six inches - height, six feet eight inches. -It contained about three hundred and twenty cubic feet of gas, which, -if pure hydrogen, would support twenty-one pounds upon its first -inflation, before the gas has time to deteriorate or escape. The -weight of the whole machine and apparatus was seventeen pounds - -leaving about four pounds to spare. Beneath the centre of the -balloon, was a frame of light wood, about nine feet long, and rigged -on to the balloon itself with a network in the customary manner. -From this framework was suspended a wicker basket or car. - - "The screw consists of an axis of hollow brass tube, eighteen -inches in length, through which, upon a semi-spiral inclined at -fifteen degrees, pass a series of steel wire radii, two feet long, -and thus projecting a foot on either side. These radii are connected -at the outer extremities by two bands of flattened wire - the whole -in this manner forming the framework of the screw, which is completed -by a covering of oiled silk cut into gores, and tightened so as to -present a tolerably uniform surface. At each end of its axis this -screw is supported by pillars of hollow brass tube descending from -the hoop. In the lower ends of these tubes are holes in which the -pivots of the axis revolve. From the end of the axis which is next -the car, proceeds a shaft of steel, connecting the screw with the -pinion of a piece of spring machinery fixed in the car. By the -operation of this spring, the screw is made to revolve with great -rapidity, communicating a progressive motion to the whole. By means -of the rudder, the machine was readily turned in any direction. The -spring was of great power, compared with its dimensions, being -capable of raising forty-five pounds upon a barrel of four inches -diameter, after the first turn, and gradually increasing as it was -wound up. It weighed, altogether, eight pounds six ounces. The -rudder was a light frame of cane covered with silk, shaped somewhat -like a battledoor, and was about three feet long, and at the widest, -one foot. Its weight was about two ounces. It could be turned -_flat_, and directed upwards or downwards, as well as to the right or -left; and thus enabled the æronaut to transfer the resistance of -the air which in an inclined position it must generate in its -passage, to any side upon which he might desire to act; thus -determining the balloon in the opposite direction. - - "This model (which, through want of time, we have necessarily -described in an imperfect manner,) was put in action at the Adelaide -Gallery, where it accomplished a velocity of five miles per hour; -although, strange to say, it excited very little interest in -comparison with the previous complex machine of Mr. Henson - so -resolute is the world to despise anything which carries with it an -air of simplicity. To accomplish the great desideratum of ærial -navigation, it was very generally supposed that some exceedingly -complicated application must be made of some unusually profound -principle in dynamics. - - "So well satisfied, however, was Mr. Mason of the ultimate -success of his invention, that he determined to construct -immediately, if possible, a balloon of sufficient capacity to test -the question by a voyage of some extent - the original design being -to cross the British Channel, as before, in the Nassau balloon. To -carry out his views, he solicited and obtained the patronage of Sir -Everard Bringhurst and Mr. Osborne, two gentlemen well known for -scientific acquirement, and especially for the interest they have -exhibited in the progress of ærostation. The project, at the desire -of Mr. Osborne, was kept a profound secret from the public - the only -persons entrusted with the design being those actually engaged in the -construction of the machine, which was built (under the -superintendence of Mr. Mason, Mr. Holland, Sir Everard Bringhurst, -and Mr. Osborne,) at the seat of the latter gentleman near -Penstruthal, in Wales. Mr. Henson, accompanied by his friend Mr. -Ainsworth, was admitted to a private view of the balloon, on Saturday -last - when the two gentlemen made final arrangements to be included -in the adventure. We are not informed for what reason the two seamen -were also included in the party - but, in the course of a day or two, -we shall put our readers in possession of the minutest particulars -respecting this extraordinary voyage. - - "The balloon is composed of silk, varnished with the liquid gum -caoutchouc. It is of vast dimensions, containing more than 40,000 -cubic feet of gas; but as coal gas was employed in place of the -more expensive and inconvenient hydrogen, the supporting power of the -machine, when fully inflated, and immediately after inflation, is not -more than about 2500 pounds. The coal gas is not only much less -costly, but is easily procured and managed. - - "For its introduction into common use for purposes of -aerostation, we are indebted to Mr. Charles Green. Up to his -discovery, the process of inflation was not only exceedingly -expensive, but uncertain. Two, and even three days, have frequently -been wasted in futile attempts to procure a sufficiency of hydrogen -to fill a balloon, from which it had great tendency to escape, owing -to its extreme subtlety, and its affinity for the surrounding -atmosphere. In a balloon sufficiently perfect to retain its contents -of coal-gas unaltered, in quantity or amount, for six months, an -equal quantity of hydrogen could not be maintained in equal purity -for six weeks. - - "The supporting power being estimated at 2500 pounds, and the -united weights of the party amounting only to about 1200, there was -left a surplus of 1300, of which again 1200 was exhausted by ballast, -arranged in bags of different sizes, with their respective weights -marked upon them - by cordage, barometers, telescopes, barrels -containing provision for a fortnight, water-casks, cloaks, -carpet-bags, and various other indispensable matters, including a -coffee-warmer, contrived for warming coffee by means of slack-lime, -so as to dispense altogether with fire, if it should be judged -prudent to do so. All these articles, with the exception of the -ballast, and a few trifles, were suspended from the hoop overhead. -The car is much smaller and lighter, in proportion, than the one -appended to the model. It is formed of a light wicker, and is -wonderfully strong, for so frail looking a machine. Its rim is about -four feet deep. The rudder is also very much larger, in proportion, -than that of the model; and the screw is considerably smaller. The -balloon is furnished besides with a grapnel, and a guide-rope; -which latter is of the most indispensable importance. A few words, in -explanation, will here be necessary for such of our readers as are -not conversant with the details of aerostation. - - "As soon as the balloon quits the earth, it is subjected to the -influence of many circumstances tending to create a difference in its -weight; augmenting or diminishing its ascending power. For -example, there may be a deposition of dew upon the silk, to the -extent, even, of several hundred pounds; ballast has then to be -thrown out, or the machine may descend. This ballast being -discarded, and a clear sunshine evaporating the dew, and at the same -time expanding the gas in the silk, the whole will again rapidly -ascend. To check this ascent, the only recourse is, (or rather -_was_, until Mr. Green's invention of the guide-rope,) the permission -of the escape of gas from the valve; but, in the loss of gas, is a -proportionate general loss of ascending power; so that, in a -comparatively brief period, the best-constructed balloon must -necessarily exhaust all its resources, and come to the earth. This -was the great obstacle to voyages of length. - - "The guide-rope remedies the difficulty in the simplest manner -conceivable. It is merely a very long rope which is suffered to -trail from the car, and the effect of which is to prevent the balloon -from changing its level in any material degree. If, for example, -there should be a deposition of moisture upon the silk, and the -machine begins to descend in consequence, there will be no necessity -for discharging ballast to remedy the increase of weight, for it is -remedied, or counteracted, in an exactly just proportion, by the -deposit on the ground of just so much of the end of the rope as is -necessary. If, on the other hand, any circumstances should cause -undue levity, and consequent ascent, this levity is immediately -counteracted by the additional weight of rope upraised from the -earth. Thus, the balloon can neither ascend or descend, except -within very narrow limits, and its resources, either in gas or -ballast, remain comparatively unimpaired. When passing over an -expanse of water, it becomes necessary to employ small kegs of copper -or wood, filled with liquid ballast of a lighter nature than water. -These float, and serve all the purposes of a mere rope on land. -Another most important office of the guide-rope, is to point out the -_direction_ of the balloon. The rope _drags_, either on land or sea, -while the balloon is free; the latter, consequently, is always in -advance, when any progress whatever is made: a comparison, -therefore, by means of the compass, of the relative positions of the -two objects, will always indicate the _course_. In the same way, the -angle formed by the rope with the vertical axis of the machine, -indicates the _velocity_. When there is _no_ angle - in other words, -when the rope hangs perpendicularly, the whole apparatus is -stationary; but the larger the angle, that is to say, the farther -the balloon precedes the end of the rope, the greater the velocity; -and the converse. - - "As the original design was to cross the British Channel, and -alight as near Paris as possible, the voyagers had taken the -precaution to prepare themselves with passports directed to all parts -of the Continent, specifying the nature of the expedition, as in the -case of the Nassau voyage, and entitling the adventurers to exemption -from the usual formalities of office: unexpected events, however, -rendered these passports superfluous. - - "The inflation was commenced very quietly at daybreak, on -Saturday morning, the 6th instant, in the Court-Yard of Weal-Vor -House, Mr. Osborne's seat, about a mile from Penstruthal, in North -Wales; and at 7 minutes past 11, every thing being ready for -departure, the balloon was set free, rising gently but steadily, in a -direction nearly South; no use being made, for the first half hour, -of either the screw or the rudder. We proceed now with the journal, -as transcribed by Mr. Forsyth from the joint MSS. Of Mr. Monck -Mason, and Mr. Ainsworth. The body of the journal, as given, is in -the hand-writing of Mr. Mason, and a P. S. is appended, each day, -by Mr. Ainsworth, who has in preparation, and will shortly give the -public a more minute, and no doubt, a thrillingly interesting account -of the voyage. - -"THE JOURNAL. - - "_Saturday, April the 6th_. - Every preparation likely to -embarrass us, having been made over night, we commenced the inflation -this morning at daybreak; but owing to a thick fog, which -encumbered the folds of the silk and rendered it unmanageable, we did -not get through before nearly eleven o'clock. Cut loose, then, in -high spirits, and rose gently but steadily, with a light breeze at -North, which bore us in the direction of the British Channel. Found -the ascending force greater than we had expected; and as we arose -higher and so got clear of the cliffs, and more in the sun's rays, -our ascent became very rapid. I did not wish, however, to lose gas -at so early a period of the adventure, and so concluded to ascend for -the present. We soon ran out our guide-rope; but even when we had -raised it clear of the earth, we still went up very rapidly. The -balloon was unusually steady, and looked beautifully. In about ten -minutes after starting, the barometer indicated an altitude of 15,000 -feet. The weather was remarkably fine, and the view of the subjacent -country - a most romantic one when seen from any point, - was now -especially sublime. The numerous deep gorges presented the appearance -of lakes, on account of the dense vapors with which they were filled, -and the pinnacles and crags to the South East, piled in inextricable -confusion, resembling nothing so much as the giant cities of eastern -fable. We were rapidly approaching the mountains in the South; but -our elevation was more than sufficient to enable us to pass them in -safety. In a few minutes we soared over them in fine style; and -Mr. Ainsworth, with the seamen, was surprised at their apparent want -of altitude when viewed from the car, the tendency of great elevation -in a balloon being to reduce inequalities of the surface below, to -nearly a dead level. At half-past eleven still proceeding nearly -South, we obtained our first view of the Bristol Channel; and, in -fifteen minutes afterward, the line of breakers on the coast appeared -immediately beneath us, and we were fairly out at sea. We now -resolved to let off enough gas to bring our guide-rope, with the -buoys affixed, into the water. This was immediately done, and we -commenced a gradual descent. In about twenty minutes our first buoy -dipped, and at the touch of the second soon afterwards, we remained -stationary as to elevation. We were all now anxious to test the -efficiency of the rudder and screw, and we put them both into -requisition forthwith, for the purpose of altering our direction more -to the eastward, and in a line for Paris. By means of the rudder we -instantly effected the necessary change of direction, and our course -was brought nearly at right angles to that of the wind; when we set -in motion the spring of the screw, and were rejoiced to find it -propel us readily as desired. Upon this we gave nine hearty cheers, -and dropped in the sea a bottle, enclosing a slip of parchment with a -brief account of the principle of the invention. Hardly, however, -had we done with our rejoicings, when an unforeseen accident occurred -which discouraged us in no little degree. The steel rod connecting -the spring with the propeller was suddenly jerked out of place, at -the car end, (by a swaying of the car through some movement of one of -the two seamen we had taken up,) and in an instant hung dangling out -of reach, from the pivot of the axis of the screw. While we were -endeavoring to regain it, our attention being completely absorbed, we -became involved in a strong current of wind from the East, which bore -us, with rapidly increasing force, towards the Atlantic. We soon -found ourselves driving out to sea at the rate of not less, -certainly, than fifty or sixty miles an hour, so that we came up with -Cape Clear, at some forty miles to our North, before we had secured -the rod, and had time to think what we were about. It was now that -Mr. Ainsworth made an extraordinary, but to my fancy, a by no means -unreasonable or chimerical proposition, in which he was instantly -seconded by Mr. Holland - viz.: that we should take advantage of the -strong gale which bore us on, and in place of beating back to Paris, -make an attempt to reach the coast of North America. After slight -reflection I gave a willing assent to this bold proposition, which -(strange to say) met with objection from the two seamen only. As the -stronger party, however, we overruled their fears, and kept -resolutely upon our course. We steered due West; but as the -trailing of the buoys materially impeded our progress, and we had the -balloon abundantly at command, either for ascent or descent, we first -threw out fifty pounds of ballast, and then wound up (by means of a -windlass) so much of the rope as brought it quite clear of the sea. -We perceived the effect of this manoeuvre immediately, in a vastly -increased rate of progress; and, as the gale freshened, we flew -with a velocity nearly inconceivable; the guide-rope flying out -behind the car, like a streamer from a vessel. It is needless to say -that a very short time sufficed us to lose sight of the coast. We -passed over innumerable vessels of all kinds, a few of which were -endeavoring to beat up, but the most of them lying to. We occasioned -the greatest excitement on board all - an excitement greatly relished -by ourselves, and especially by our two men, who, now under the -influence of a dram of Geneva, seemed resolved to give all scruple, -or fear, to the wind. Many of the vessels fired signal guns; and -in all we were saluted with loud cheers (which we heard with -surprising distinctness) and the waving of caps and handkerchiefs. We -kept on in this manner throughout the day, with no material incident, -and, as the shades of night closed around us, we made a rough -estimate of the distance traversed. It could not have been less than -five hundred miles, and was probably much more. The propeller was -kept in constant operation, and, no doubt, aided our progress -materially. As the sun went down, the gale freshened into an -absolute hurricane, and the ocean beneath was clearly visible on -account of its phosphorescence. The wind was from the East all -night, and gave us the brightest omen of success. We suffered no -little from cold, and the dampness of the atmosphere was most -unpleasant; but the ample space in the car enabled us to lie down, -and by means of cloaks and a few blankets, we did sufficiently well. - - "P.S. (by Mr. Ainsworth.) The last nine hours have been -unquestionably the most exciting of my life. I can conceive nothing -more sublimating than the strange peril and novelty of an adventure -such as this. May God grant that we succeed! I ask not success for -mere safety to my insignificant person, but for the sake of human -knowledge and - for the vastness of the triumph. And yet the feat is -only so evidently feasible that the sole wonder is why men have -scrupled to attempt it before. One single gale such as now befriends -us - let such a tempest whirl forward a balloon for four or five days -(these gales often last longer) and the voyager will be easily borne, -in that period, from coast to coast. In view of such a gale the -broad Atlantic becomes a mere lake. I am more struck, just now, with -the supreme silence which reigns in the sea beneath us, -notwithstanding its agitation, than with any other phenomenon -presenting itself. The waters give up no voice to the heavens. The -immense flaming ocean writhes and is tortured uncomplainingly. The -mountainous surges suggest the idea of innumerable dumb gigantic -fiends struggling in impotent agony. In a night such as is this to -me, a man _lives_ - lives a whole century of ordinary life - nor -would I forego this rapturous delight for that of a whole century of -ordinary existence. - - "_Sunday, the seventh_. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning the gale, -by 10, had subsided to an eight or nine - knot breeze, (for a vessel -at sea,) and bears us, perhaps, thirty miles per hour, or more. It -has veered, however, very considerably to the north; and now, at -sundown, we are holding our course due west, principally by the screw -and rudder, which answer their purposes to admiration. I regard the -project as thoroughly successful, and the easy navigation of the air -in any direction (not exactly in the teeth of a gale) as no longer -problematical. We could not have made head against the strong wind -of yesterday; but, by ascending, we might have got out of its -influence, if requisite. Against a pretty stiff breeze, I feel -convinced, we can make our way with the propeller. At noon, to-day, -ascended to an elevation of nearly 25,000 feet, by discharging -ballast. Did this to search for a more direct current, but found -none so favorable as the one we are now in. We have an abundance of -gas to take us across this small pond, even should the voyage last -three weeks. I have not the slightest fear for the result. The -difficulty has been strangely exaggerated and misapprehended. I can -choose my current, and should I find _all_ currents against me, I can -make very tolerable headway with the propeller. We have had no -incidents worth recording. The night promises fair. - - P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] I have little to record, except the -fact (to me quite a surprising one) that, at an elevation equal to -that of Cotopaxi, I experienced neither very intense cold, nor -headache, nor difficulty of breathing; neither, I find, did Mr. -Mason, nor Mr. Holland, nor Sir Everard. Mr. Osborne complained of -constriction of the chest - but this soon wore off. We have flown at -a great rate during the day, and we must be more than half way across -the Atlantic. We have passed over some twenty or thirty vessels of -various kinds, and all seem to be delightfully astonished. Crossing -the ocean in a balloon is not so difficult a feat after all. _Omne -ignotum pro magnifico. Mem:_ at 25,000 feet elevation the sky -appears nearly black, and the stars are distinctly visible; while -the sea does not seem convex (as one might suppose) but absolutely -and most unequivocally _concave_.{*1} - - "_Monday, the 8th_. [Mr. Mason's MS.] This morning we had again -some little trouble with the rod of the propeller, which must be -entirely remodelled, for fear of serious accident - I mean the steel -rod - not the vanes. The latter could not be improved. The wind has -been blowing steadily and strongly from the north-east all day and -so far fortune seems bent upon favoring us. Just before day, we were -all somewhat alarmed at some odd noises and concussions in the -balloon, accompanied with the apparent rapid subsidence of the whole -machine. These phenomena were occasioned by the expansion of the -gas, through increase of heat in the atmosphere, and the consequent -disruption of the minute particles of ice with which the network had -become encrusted during the night. Threw down several bottles to the -vessels below. Saw one of them picked up by a large ship - seemingly -one of the New York line packets. Endeavored to make out her name, -but could not be sure of it. Mr. Osborne's telescope made it out -something like "Atalanta." It is now 12, at night, and we are still -going nearly west, at a rapid pace. The sea is peculiarly -phosphorescent. - - "P.S. [By Mr. Ainsworth.] It is now 2, A.M., and nearly calm, as -well as I can judge - but it is very difficult to determine this -point, since we move _with_ the air so completely. I have not slept -since quitting Wheal-Vor, but can stand it no longer, and must take a -nap. We cannot be far from the American coast. - - "_Tuesday, the _9_th_. [Mr. Ainsworth's MS.] _One, P.M. We are -in full view of the low coast of South Carolina_. The great problem -is accomplished. We have crossed the Atlantic - fairly and _easily_ -crossed it in a balloon! God be praised! Who shall say that -anything is impossible hereafter?" - - The Journal here ceases. Some particulars of the descent were -communicated, however, by Mr. Ainsworth to Mr. Forsyth. It was -nearly dead calm when the voyagers first came in view of the coast, -which was immediately recognized by both the seamen, and by Mr. -Osborne. The latter gentleman having acquaintances at Fort Moultrie, -it was immediately resolved to descend in its vicinity. The balloon -was brought over the beach (the tide being out and the sand hard, -smooth, and admirably adapted for a descent,) and the grapnel let go, -which took firm hold at once. The inhabitants of the island, and of -the fort, thronged out, of course, to see the balloon; but it was -with the greatest difficulty that any one could be made to credit the -actual voyage - _the crossing of the Atlantic_. The grapnel caught -at 2, P.M., precisely; and thus the whole voyage was completed in -seventy-five hours; or rather less, counting from shore to shore. -No serious accident occurred. No real danger was at any time -apprehended. The balloon was exhausted and secured without trouble; - and when the MS. from which this narrative is compiled was -despatched from Charleston, the party were still at Fort Moultrie. -Their farther intentions were not ascertained; but we can safely -promise our readers some additional information either on Monday or -in the course of the next day, at farthest. - - This is unquestionably the most stupendous, the most interesting, -and the most important undertaking, ever accomplished or even -attempted by man. What magnificent events may ensue, it would be -useless now to think of determining. - - - -~~~ End of Text ~~~ - -{*1} _Note_. - Mr. Ainsworth has not attempted to account for this -phenomenon, which, however, is quite susceptible of explanation. A -line dropped from an elevation of 25,000 feet, perpendicularly to the -surface of the earth (or sea), would form the perpendicular of a -right-angled triangle, of which the base would extend from the right -angle to the horizon, and the hypothenuse from the horizon to the -balloon. But the 25,000 feet of altitude is little or nothing, in -comparison with the extent of the prospect. In other words, the base -and hypothenuse of the supposed triangle would be so long when -compared with the perpendicular, that the two former may be regarded -as nearly parallel. In this manner the horizon of the æronaut would -appear to be _on a level_ with the car. But, as the point immediately -beneath him seems, and is, at a great distance below him, it seems, -of course, also, at a great distance below the horizon. Hence the -impression of _concavity_; and this impression must remain, until -the elevation shall bear so great a proportion to the extent of -prospect, that the apparent parallelism of the base and hypothenuse -disappears - when the earth's real convexity must become apparent. - - - - -========== - - MS. FOUND IN A BOTTLE - - Qui n'a plus qu'un moment a vivre - - N'a plus rien a dissimuler. - - -- Quinault -- Atys. - -OF my country and of my family I have little to say. Ill usage and -length of years have driven me from the one, and estranged me from -the other. Hereditary wealth afforded me an education of no common -order, and a contemplative turn of mind enabled me to methodize the -stores which early study very diligently garnered up. -- Beyond all -things, the study of the German moralists gave me great delight; not -from any ill-advised admiration of their eloquent madness, but from -the ease with which my habits of rigid thought enabled me to detect -their falsities. I have often been reproached with the aridity of my -genius; a deficiency of imagination has been imputed to me as a -crime; and the Pyrrhonism of my opinions has at all times rendered me -notorious. Indeed, a strong relish for physical philosophy has, I -fear, tinctured my mind with a very common error of this age -- I -mean the habit of referring occurrences, even the least susceptible -of such reference, to the principles of that science. Upon the whole, -no person could be less liable than myself to be led away from the -severe precincts of truth by the ignes fatui of superstition. I have -thought proper to premise thus much, lest the incredible tale I have -to tell should be considered rather the raving of a crude -imagination, than the positive experience of a mind to which the -reveries of fancy have been a dead letter and a nullity. - -After many years spent in foreign travel, I sailed in the year 18 -- -, from the port of Batavia, in the rich and populous island of Java, -on a voyage to the Archipelago of the Sunda islands. I went as -passenger -- having no other inducement than a kind of nervous -restlessness which haunted me as a fiend. - -Our vessel was a beautiful ship of about four hundred tons, -copper-fastened, and built at Bombay of Malabar teak. She was -freighted with cotton-wool and oil, from the Lachadive islands. We -had also on board coir, jaggeree, ghee, cocoa-nuts, and a few cases -of opium. The stowage was clumsily done, and the vessel consequently -crank. - -We got under way with a mere breath of wind, and for many days stood -along the eastern coast of Java, without any other incident to -beguile the monotony of our course than the occasional meeting with -some of the small grabs of the Archipelago to which we were bound. - -One evening, leaning over the taffrail, I observed a very singular, -isolated cloud, to the N.W. It was remarkable, as well for its color, -as from its being the first we had seen since our departure from -Batavia. I watched it attentively until sunset, when it spread all at -once to the eastward and westward, girting in the horizon with a -narrow strip of vapor, and looking like a long line of low beach. My -notice was soon afterwards attracted by the dusky-red appearance of -the moon, and the peculiar character of the sea. The latter was -undergoing a rapid change, and the water seemed more than usually -transparent. Although I could distinctly see the bottom, yet, heaving -the lead, I found the ship in fifteen fathoms. The air now became -intolerably hot, and was loaded with spiral exhalations similar to -those arising from heat iron. As night came on, every breath of wind -died away, an more entire calm it is impossible to conceive. The -flame of a candle burned upon the poop without the least perceptible -motion, and a long hair, held between the finger and thumb, hung -without the possibility of detecting a vibration. However, as the -captain said he could perceive no indication of danger, and as we -were drifting in bodily to shore, he ordered the sails to be furled, -and the anchor let go. No watch was set, and the crew, consisting -principally of Malays, stretched themselves deliberately upon deck. I -went below -- not without a full presentiment of evil. Indeed, every -appearance warranted me in apprehending a Simoom. I told the captain -my fears; but he paid no attention to what I said, and left me -without deigning to give a reply. My uneasiness, however, prevented -me from sleeping, and about midnight I went upon deck. -- As I placed -my foot upon the upper step of the companion-ladder, I was startled -by a loud, humming noise, like that occasioned by the rapid -revolution of a mill-wheel, and before I could ascertain its meaning, -I found the ship quivering to its centre. In the next instant, a -wilderness of foam hurled us upon our beam-ends, and, rushing over us -fore and aft, swept the entire decks from stem to stern. - -The extreme fury of the blast proved, in a great measure, the -salvation of the ship. Although completely water-logged, yet, as her -masts had gone by the board, she rose, after a minute, heavily from -the sea, and, staggering awhile beneath the immense pressure of the -tempest, finally righted. - -By what miracle I escaped destruction, it is impossible to say. -Stunned by the shock of the water, I found myself, upon recovery, -jammed in between the stern-post and rudder. With great difficulty I -gained my feet, and looking dizzily around, was, at first, struck -with the idea of our being among breakers; so terrific, beyond the -wildest imagination, was the whirlpool of mountainous and foaming -ocean within which we were engulfed. After a while, I heard the voice -of an old Swede, who had shipped with us at the moment of our leaving -port. I hallooed to him with all my strength, and presently he came -reeling aft. We soon discovered that we were the sole survivors of -the accident. All on deck, with the exception of ourselves, had been -swept overboard; -- the captain and mates must have perished as they -slept, for the cabins were deluged with water. Without assistance, we -could expect to do little for the security of the ship, and our -exertions were at first paralyzed by the momentary expectation of -going down. Our cable had, of course, parted like pack-thread, at the -first breath of the hurricane, or we should have been instantaneously -overwhelmed. We scudded with frightful velocity before the sea, and -the water made clear breaches over us. The frame-work of our stern -was shattered excessively, and, in almost every respect, we had -received considerable injury; but to our extreme Joy we found the -pumps unchoked, and that we had made no great shifting of our -ballast. The main fury of the blast had already blown over, and we -apprehended little danger from the violence of the wind; but we -looked forward to its total cessation with dismay; well believing, -that, in our shattered condition, we should inevitably perish in the -tremendous swell which would ensue. But this very just apprehension -seemed by no means likely to be soon verified. For five entire days -and nights -- during which our only subsistence was a small quantity -of jaggeree, procured with great difficulty from the forecastle -- -the hulk flew at a rate defying computation, before rapidly -succeeding flaws of wind, which, without equalling the first violence -of the Simoom, were still more terrific than any tempest I had before -encountered. Our course for the first four days was, with trifling -variations, S.E. and by S.; and we must have run down the coast of -New Holland. -- On the fifth day the cold became extreme, although -the wind had hauled round a point more to the northward. -- The sun -arose with a sickly yellow lustre, and clambered a very few degrees -above the horizon -- emitting no decisive light. -- There were no -clouds apparent, yet the wind was upon the increase, and blew with a -fitful and unsteady fury. About noon, as nearly as we could guess, -our attention was again arrested by the appearance of the sun. It -gave out no light, properly so called, but a dull and sullen glow -without reflection, as if all its rays were polarized. Just before -sinking within the turgid sea, its central fires suddenly went out, -as if hurriedly extinguished by some unaccountable power. It was a -dim, sliver-like rim, alone, as it rushed down the unfathomable -ocean. - -We waited in vain for the arrival of the sixth day -- that day to me -has not arrived -- to the Swede, never did arrive. Thenceforward we -were enshrouded in patchy darkness, so that we could not have seen an -object at twenty paces from the ship. Eternal night continued to -envelop us, all unrelieved by the phosphoric sea-brilliancy to which -we had been accustomed in the tropics. We observed too, that, -although the tempest continued to rage with unabated violence, there -was no longer to be discovered the usual appearance of surf, or foam, -which had hitherto attended us. All around were horror, and thick -gloom, and a black sweltering desert of ebony. -- Superstitious -terror crept by degrees into the spirit of the old Swede, and my own -soul was wrapped up in silent wonder. We neglected all care of the -ship, as worse than useless, and securing ourselves, as well as -possible, to the stump of the mizen-mast, looked out bitterly into -the world of ocean. We had no means of calculating time, nor could we -form any guess of our situation. We were, however, well aware of -having made farther to the southward than any previous navigators, -and felt great amazement at not meeting with the usual impediments of -ice. In the meantime every moment threatened to be our last -- every -mountainous billow hurried to overwhelm us. The swell surpassed -anything I had imagined possible, and that we were not instantly -buried is a miracle. My companion spoke of the lightness of our -cargo, and reminded me of the excellent qualities of our ship; but I -could not help feeling the utter hopelessness of hope itself, and -prepared myself gloomily for that death which I thought nothing could -defer beyond an hour, as, with every knot of way the ship made, the -swelling of the black stupendous seas became more dismally appalling. -At times we gasped for breath at an elevation beyond the albatross -- -at times became dizzy with the velocity of our descent into some -watery hell, where the air grew stagnant, and no sound disturbed the -slumbers of the kraken. - -We were at the bottom of one of these abysses, when a quick scream -from my companion broke fearfully upon the night. "See! see!" cried -he, shrieking in my ears, "Almighty God! see! see!" As he spoke, I -became aware of a dull, sullen glare of red light which streamed down -the sides of the vast chasm where we lay, and threw a fitful -brilliancy upon our deck. Casting my eyes upwards, I beheld a -spectacle which froze the current of my blood. At a terrific height -directly above us, and upon the very verge of the precipitous -descent, hovered a gigantic ship of, perhaps, four thousand tons. -Although upreared upon the summit of a wave more than a hundred times -her own altitude, her apparent size exceeded that of any ship of the -line or East Indiaman in existence. Her huge hull was of a deep dingy -black, unrelieved by any of the customary carvings of a ship. A -single row of brass cannon protruded from her open ports, and dashed -from their polished surfaces the fires of innumerable -battle-lanterns, which swung to and fro about her rigging. But what -mainly inspired us with horror and astonishment, was that she bore up -under a press of sail in the very teeth of that supernatural sea, and -of that ungovernable hurricane. When we first discovered her, her -bows were alone to be seen, as she rose slowly from the dim and -horrible gulf beyond her. For a moment of intense terror she paused -upon the giddy pinnacle, as if in contemplation of her own sublimity, -then trembled and tottered, and -- came down. - -At this instant, I know not what sudden self-possession came over my -spirit. Staggering as far aft as I could, I awaited fearlessly the -ruin that was to overwhelm. Our own vessel was at length ceasing from -her struggles, and sinking with her head to the sea. The shock of the -descending mass struck her, consequently, in that portion of her -frame which was already under water, and the inevitable result was to -hurl me, with irresistible violence, upon the rigging of the -stranger. - -As I fell, the ship hove in stays, and went about; and to the -confusion ensuing I attributed my escape from the notice of the crew. -With little difficulty I made my way unperceived to the main -hatchway, which was partially open, and soon found an opportunity of -secreting myself in the hold. Why I did so I can hardly tell. An -indefinite sense of awe, which at first sight of the navigators of -the ship had taken hold of my mind, was perhaps the principle of my -concealment. I was unwilling to trust myself with a race of people -who had offered, to the cursory glance I had taken, so many points of -vague novelty, doubt, and apprehension. I therefore thought proper to -contrive a hiding-place in the hold. This I did by removing a small -portion of the shifting-boards, in such a manner as to afford me a -convenient retreat between the huge timbers of the ship. - -I had scarcely completed my work, when a footstep in the hold forced -me to make use of it. A man passed by my place of concealment with a -feeble and unsteady gait. I could not see his face, but had an -opportunity of observing his general appearance. There was about it -an evidence of great age and infirmity. His knees tottered beneath a -load of years, and his entire frame quivered under the burthen. He -muttered to himself, in a low broken tone, some words of a language -which I could not understand, and groped in a corner among a pile of -singular-looking instruments, and decayed charts of navigation. His -manner was a wild mixture of the peevishness of second childhood, and -the solemn dignity of a God. He at length went on deck, and I saw him -no more. - - * * * * * * * * - -A feeling, for which I have no name, has taken possession of my soul --- a sensation which will admit of no analysis, to which the lessons -of bygone times are inadequate, and for which I fear futurity itself -will offer me no key. To a mind constituted like my own, the latter -consideration is an evil. I shall never -- I know that I shall never --- be satisfied with regard to the nature of my conceptions. Yet it -is not wonderful that these conceptions are indefinite, since they -have their origin in sources so utterly novel. A new sense -- a new -entity is added to my soul. - - * * * * * * * * - -It is long since I first trod the deck of this terrible ship, and the -rays of my destiny are, I think, gathering to a focus. -Incomprehensible men! Wrapped up in meditations of a kind which I -cannot divine, they pass me by unnoticed. Concealment is utter folly -on my part, for the people will not see. It was but just now that I -passed directly before the eyes of the mate -- it was no long while -ago that I ventured into the captain's own private cabin, and took -thence the materials with which I write, and have written. I shall -from time to time continue this Journal. It is true that I may not -find an opportunity of transmitting it to the world, but I will not -fall to make the endeavour. At the last moment I will enclose the MS. -in a bottle, and cast it within the sea. - - * * * * * * * * - -An incident has occurred which has given me new room for meditation. -Are such things the operation of ungoverned Chance? I had ventured -upon deck and thrown myself down, without attracting any notice, -among a pile of ratlin-stuff and old sails in the bottom of the yawl. -While musing upon the singularity of my fate, I unwittingly daubed -with a tar-brush the edges of a neatly-folded studding-sail which lay -near me on a barrel. The studding-sail is now bent upon the ship, and -the thoughtless touches of the brush are spread out into the word -DISCOVERY. - -I have made many observations lately upon the structure of the -vessel. Although well armed, she is not, I think, a ship of war. Her -rigging, build, and general equipment, all negative a supposition of -this kind. What she is not, I can easily perceive -- what she is I -fear it is impossible to say. I know not how it is, but in -scrutinizing her strange model and singular cast of spars, her huge -size and overgrown suits of canvas, her severely simple bow and -antiquated stern, there will occasionally flash across my mind a -sensation of familiar things, and there is always mixed up with such -indistinct shadows of recollection, an unaccountable memory of old -foreign chronicles and ages long ago. - - * * * * * * * * - -I have been looking at the timbers of the ship. She is built of a -material to which I am a stranger. There is a peculiar character -about the wood which strikes me as rendering it unfit for the purpose -to which it has been applied. I mean its extreme porousness, -considered independently by the worm-eaten condition which is a -consequence of navigation in these seas, and apart from the -rottenness attendant upon age. It will appear perhaps an observation -somewhat over-curious, but this wood would have every characteristic -of Spanish oak, if Spanish oak were distended by any unnatural means. - -In reading the above sentence a curious apothegm of an old -weather-beaten Dutch navigator comes full upon my recollection. "It -is as sure," he was wont to say, when any doubt was entertained of -his veracity, "as sure as there is a sea where the ship itself will -grow in bulk like the living body of the seaman." - - * * * * * * * * - -About an hour ago, I made bold to thrust myself among a group of the -crew. They paid me no manner of attention, and, although I stood in -the very midst of them all, seemed utterly unconscious of my -presence. Like the one I had at first seen in the hold, they all bore -about them the marks of a hoary old age. Their knees trembled with -infirmity; their shoulders were bent double with decrepitude; their -shrivelled skins rattled in the wind; their voices were low, -tremulous and broken; their eyes glistened with the rheum of years; -and their gray hairs streamed terribly in the tempest. Around them, -on every part of the deck, lay scattered mathematical instruments of -the most quaint and obsolete construction. - - * * * * * * * * - -I mentioned some time ago the bending of a studding-sail. From that -period the ship, being thrown dead off the wind, has continued her -terrific course due south, with every rag of canvas packed upon her, -from her trucks to her lower studding-sail booms, and rolling every -moment her top-gallant yard-arms into the most appalling hell of -water which it can enter into the mind of a man to imagine. I have -just left the deck, where I find it impossible to maintain a footing, -although the crew seem to experience little inconvenience. It appears -to me a miracle of miracles that our enormous bulk is not swallowed -up at once and forever. We are surely doomed to hover continually -upon the brink of Eternity, without taking a final plunge into the -abyss. From billows a thousand times more stupendous than any I have -ever seen, we glide away with the facility of the arrowy sea-gull; -and the colossal waters rear their heads above us like demons of the -deep, but like demons confined to simple threats and forbidden to -destroy. I am led to attribute these frequent escapes to the only -natural cause which can account for such effect. -- I must suppose -the ship to be within the influence of some strong current, or -impetuous under-tow. - - * * * * * * * * - -I have seen the captain face to face, and in his own cabin -- but, as -I expected, he paid me no attention. Although in his appearance there -is, to a casual observer, nothing which might bespeak him more or -less than man-still a feeling of irrepressible reverence and awe -mingled with the sensation of wonder with which I regarded him. In -stature he is nearly my own height; that is, about five feet eight -inches. He is of a well-knit and compact frame of body, neither -robust nor remarkably otherwise. But it is the singularity of the -expression which reigns upon the face -- it is the intense, the -wonderful, the thrilling evidence of old age, so utter, so extreme, -which excites within my spirit a sense -- a sentiment ineffable. His -forehead, although little wrinkled, seems to bear upon it the stamp -of a myriad of years. -- His gray hairs are records of the past, and -his grayer eyes are Sybils of the future. The cabin floor was thickly -strewn with strange, iron-clasped folios, and mouldering instruments -of science, and obsolete long-forgotten charts. His head was bowed -down upon his hands, and he pored, with a fiery unquiet eye, over a -paper which I took to be a commission, and which, at all events, bore -the signature of a monarch. He muttered to himself, as did the first -seaman whom I saw in the hold, some low peevish syllables of a -foreign tongue, and although the speaker was close at my elbow, his -voice seemed to reach my ears from the distance of a mile. - - * * * * * * * * - -The ship and all in it are imbued with the spirit of Eld. The crew -glide to and fro like the ghosts of buried centuries; their eyes have -an eager and uneasy meaning; and when their fingers fall athwart my -path in the wild glare of the battle-lanterns, I feel as I have never -felt before, although I have been all my life a dealer in -antiquities, and have imbibed the shadows of fallen columns at -Balbec, and Tadmor, and Persepolis, until my very soul has become a -ruin. - - * * * * * * * * - -When I look around me I feel ashamed of my former apprehensions. If I -trembled at the blast which has hitherto attended us, shall I not -stand aghast at a warring of wind and ocean, to convey any idea of -which the words tornado and simoom are trivial and ineffective? All -in the immediate vicinity of the ship is the blackness of eternal -night, and a chaos of foamless water; but, about a league on either -side of us, may be seen, indistinctly and at intervals, stupendous -ramparts of ice, towering away into the desolate sky, and looking -like the walls of the universe. - - * * * * * * * * - -As I imagined, the ship proves to be in a current; if that -appellation can properly be given to a tide which, howling and -shrieking by the white ice, thunders on to the southward with a -velocity like the headlong dashing of a cataract. - - * * * * * * * * - -To conceive the horror of my sensations is, I presume, utterly -impossible; yet a curiosity to penetrate the mysteries of these awful -regions, predominates even over my despair, and will reconcile me to -the most hideous aspect of death. It is evident that we are hurrying -onwards to some exciting knowledge -- some never-to-be-imparted -secret, whose attainment is destruction. Perhaps this current leads -us to the southern pole itself. It must be confessed that a -supposition apparently so wild has every probability in its favor. - - * * * * * * * * - -The crew pace the deck with unquiet and tremulous step; but there is -upon their countenances an expression more of the eagerness of hope -than of the apathy of despair. - -In the meantime the wind is still in our poop, and, as we carry a -crowd of canvas, the ship is at times lifted bodily from out the sea --- Oh, horror upon horror! the ice opens suddenly to the right, and -to the left, and we are whirling dizzily, in immense concentric -circles, round and round the borders of a gigantic amphitheatre, the -summit of whose walls is lost in the darkness and the distance. But -little time will be left me to ponder upon my destiny -- the circles -rapidly grow small -- we are plunging madly within the grasp of the -whirlpool -- and amid a roaring, and bellowing, and thundering of -ocean and of tempest, the ship is quivering, oh God! and -- going -down. - -NOTE. -- The "MS. Found in a Bottle," was originally published in -1831, and it was not until many years afterwards that I became -acquainted with the maps of Mercator, in which the ocean is -represented as rushing, by four mouths, into the (northern) Polar -Gulf, to be absorbed into the bowels of the earth; the Pole itself -being represented by a black rock, towering to a prodigious height. - - -~~~ End of Text ~~~ - - -======== - - The Oval Portrait - -THE chateau into which my valet had ventured to make forcible -entrance, rather than permit me, in my desperately wounded condition, -to pass a night in the open air, was one of those piles of commingled -gloom and grandeur which have so long frowned among the Appennines, -not less in fact than in the fancy of Mrs. Radcliffe. To all -appearance it had been temporarily and very lately abandoned. We -established ourselves in one of the smallest and least sumptuously -furnished apartments. It lay in a remote turret of the building. Its -decorations were rich, yet tattered and antique. Its walls were hung -with tapestry and bedecked with manifold and multiform armorial -trophies, together with an unusually great number of very spirited -modern paintings in frames of rich golden arabesque. In these -paintings, which depended from the walls not only in their main -surfaces, but in very many nooks which the bizarre architecture of -the chateau rendered necessary -- in these paintings my incipient -delirium, perhaps, had caused me to take deep interest; so that I -bade Pedro to close the heavy shutters of the room -- since it was -already night -- to light the tongues of a tall candelabrum which -stood by the head of my bed -- and to throw open far and wide the -fringed curtains of black velvet which enveloped the bed itself. I -wished all this done that I might resign myself, if not to sleep, at -least alternately to the contemplation of these pictures, and the -perusal of a small volume which had been found upon the pillow, and -which purported to criticise and describe them. - -Long -- long I read -- and devoutly, devotedly I gazed. Rapidly and -gloriously the hours flew by and the deep midnight came. The position -of the candelabrum displeased me, and outreaching my hand with -difficulty, rather than disturb my slumbering valet, I placed it so -as to throw its rays more fully upon the book. - -But the action produced an effect altogether unanticipated. The rays -of the numerous candles (for there were many) now fell within a niche -of the room which had hitherto been thrown into deep shade by one of -the bed-posts. I thus saw in vivid light a picture all unnoticed -before. It was the portrait of a young girl just ripening into -womanhood. I glanced at the painting hurriedly, and then closed my -eyes. Why I did this was not at first apparent even to my own -perception. But while my lids remained thus shut, I ran over in my -mind my reason for so shutting them. It was an impulsive movement to -gain time for thought -- to make sure that my vision had not deceived -me -- to calm and subdue my fancy for a more sober and more certain -gaze. In a very few moments I again looked fixedly at the painting. - -That I now saw aright I could not and would not doubt; for the first -flashing of the candles upon that canvas had seemed to dissipate the -dreamy stupor which was stealing over my senses, and to startle me at -once into waking life. - -The portrait, I have already said, was that of a young girl. It was a -mere head and shoulders, done in what is technically termed a -vignette manner; much in the style of the favorite heads of Sully. -The arms, the bosom, and even the ends of the radiant hair melted -imperceptibly into the vague yet deep shadow which formed the -back-ground of the whole. The frame was oval, richly gilded and -filigreed in Moresque. As a thing of art nothing could be more -admirable than the painting itself. But it could have been neither -the execution of the work, nor the immortal beauty of the -countenance, which had so suddenly and so vehemently moved me. Least -of all, could it have been that my fancy, shaken from its half -slumber, had mistaken the head for that of a living person. I saw at -once that the peculiarities of the design, of the vignetting, and of -the frame, must have instantly dispelled such idea -- must have -prevented even its momentary entertainment. Thinking earnestly upon -these points, I remained, for an hour perhaps, half sitting, half -reclining, with my vision riveted upon the portrait. At length, -satisfied with the true secret of its effect, I fell back within the -bed. I had found the spell of the picture in an absolute -life-likeliness of expression, which, at first startling, finally -confounded, subdued, and appalled me. With deep and reverent awe I -replaced the candelabrum in its former position. The cause of my deep -agitation being thus shut from view, I sought eagerly the volume -which discussed the paintings and their histories. Turning to the -number which designated the oval portrait, I there read the vague and -quaint words which follow: - -"She was a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely than full of -glee. And evil was the hour when she saw, and loved, and wedded the -painter. He, passionate, studious, austere, and having already a -bride in his Art; she a maiden of rarest beauty, and not more lovely -than full of glee; all light and smiles, and frolicsome as the young -fawn; loving and cherishing all things; hating only the Art which was -her rival; dreading only the pallet and brushes and other untoward -instruments which deprived her of the countenance of her lover. It -was thus a terrible thing for this lady to hear the painter speak of -his desire to portray even his young bride. But she was humble and -obedient, and sat meekly for many weeks in the dark, high -turret-chamber where the light dripped upon the pale canvas only from -overhead. But he, the painter, took glory in his work, which went on -from hour to hour, and from day to day. And he was a passionate, and -wild, and moody man, who became lost in reveries; so that he would -not see that the light which fell so ghastly in that lone turret -withered the health and the spirits of his bride, who pined visibly -to all but him. Yet she smiled on and still on, uncomplainingly, -because she saw that the painter (who had high renown) took a fervid -and burning pleasure in his task, and wrought day and night to depict -her who so loved him, yet who grew daily more dispirited and weak. -And in sooth some who beheld the portrait spoke of its resemblance in -low words, as of a mighty marvel, and a proof not less of the power -of the painter than of his deep love for her whom he depicted so -surpassingly well. But at length, as the labor drew nearer to its -conclusion, there were admitted none into the turret; for the painter -had grown wild with the ardor of his work, and turned his eyes from -canvas merely, even to regard the countenance of his wife. And he -would not see that the tints which he spread upon the canvas were -drawn from the cheeks of her who sate beside him. And when many weeks -bad passed, and but little remained to do, save one brush upon the -mouth and one tint upon the eye, the spirit of the lady again -flickered up as the flame within the socket of the lamp. And then the -brush was given, and then the tint was placed; and, for one moment, -the painter stood entranced before the work which he had wrought; but -in the next, while he yet gazed, he grew tremulous and very pallid, -and aghast, and crying with a loud voice, 'This is indeed Life -itself!' turned suddenly to regard his beloved: -- She was dead!" - - - - - -End of The Project Gutenberg Etext of The Works of Edgar Allan Poe V. 1 - |