produce death in two minutes. Even where the consummation is not so fearfully rapid, its delay is but a brief prolongation of the intense suffering. The terrible symptoms are thus described:—a sharp pain in the part, which becomes swollen, shining, hot, red, then livid, cold, and insensible. The pain and inflammation spread, and become more intense; fierce shooting pains are felt in other parts, and a burning fire pervades the body. The eyes begin to water abundantly; then come swoonings, sickness, and bilious vomitings, difficult breathing, cold sweat, and sharp pains in the loins. The skin becomes deadly pale or deep yellow, while a black watery blood runs from the wound, which changes to a yellowish matter. Violent headache succeeds, and giddiness, faintness, and overwhelming terrors, burning thirst, gushing discharges of blood from the orifices of the body, intolerable fetor of breath, convulsive hiccoughs, and death.
The subtil agent of such terrible effects is a transparent tasteless fluid, slightly tinged with yellowish green, and of the consistence of a thin solution of gum-arabic in water; when dried, it is more glutinous and adhesive. It is commonly said to be neither acid nor alkaline, but it invariably changes vegetable blues to reds, though in a slight degree, which proves it to have the properties of an acid. It has no peculiar smell, and when applied to the tongue, produces a greasy feeling. It produces no baneful effects except it be mingled with the blood; it may be received into the mouth and swallowed with perfect impunity, though any scratch or ulceration of the surface would render such an experiment highly
