self against the door; was quiet a few seconds, watching the door very attentively; then began to slide as he would on ice. He danced again, and made a noise something like click, click, click, &c., which served him as music to his dance; then laid himself on his back; extended his arms and legs, and began to twist round rapidly; he was convulsed; then stood up, stif fened like a tree; and fell down exhausted.

This day, his parents told me, he had made three efforts to destroy himself; that he would seize a knife, or any thing he could use to his injury, and, if not prevented, would attempt his own destruction.

Thursday, March 2nd, he began to dance as usual. The table which he generally mounted, being occupied by his mother and sister ironing, he got on the surbase in another corner of the room, where there was nothing to assist his getting up, and danced there, sometimes humming something like a tune to his dance. He shrieked horribly; ran about the floor on all fours, like a dog got up, and fought at something which seemed visible to himself only; then began to beat his legs furiously, and strove hard to tear off his clothes. He got on the surbase near the door, held a slender line in his right hand, and put his left hand and foot as far as possible into the room; stared about with the most horrid looks and gestures, for a minute or two; then on the ground he as much as possible imitated a beast with horrid face and claws. He rose up again; danced and fought; then was convulsed; afterwards stood up quite stiff, with all his muscles on a painful stretch; then was as much relaxed, and fell down exhausted. He had several such fits in the course of the day, and several persons came to see him; for he was an object of curiosity; a strange and a shocking sight.

Friday, March 3rd, the Surgeon from the dispensary visited him; saw him in a fit, and, when the boy came to himself, bled him. The bleeding produced fainting, profuse perspiration, and sickness.

This

was about twelve o'clock. We laid him on the bed and left him. His mother told me, he had a fit in about ten minutes after we left him; then he lay down again At three o'clock several gentlemen called on me, desiring to see the boy, and we went in together. We saw him asleep on the bed; in a minute or two he awoke, and was convulsed for awhile; then he rose up, danced and clapped as usual. Fixing his eyes on some phantom of his imagination, or, something to us invisible, he beckoned as if to decoy his object, and then fought angrily; assumed a look of triumph, and began to slide about the room. Presently he began to run about the room on all fours; went under a chair, and for awhile carried it about on his head and back. He put away his whimsical yoke and burden from his neck, and stood on the top of the back of the chair in which his mother was sitting; afterwards he stood on the arms of the elbow chair, and by holding the top, rocked it backwards and forwards, with odd and horrid gestures and attitudes; he walked about the room, then on hands and feet, with the same dreadful countenance and looks; he went about raising high one hand after another, like a cat, or a tiger approaching to tear an enemy. He got up, stood awhile stiffened like a corpse, and then fell down, as he usually did, quite flaccid and quite exhausted.

The bleeding had left him a little weaker; but the disorder was not in the least abated. He had one fit after another, in rapid succession; and each succeeding one was longer than the former; and to all his usual tricks he added strange, new gestures and horrid noises. His disorder continued to increase in spite of every thing that could be done or administered tor his relief. However much the system was lowered, the disease increased in violence. Hunger or fullness, solitude or society, made no difference in his case; even in his sleep he was frequently convulsed.

The boy was anxious for relief, and though as willing as a boy could be, to submit to any thing, or

to take any thing which medical men or his friends thought might be of service to him; yet, he had but little confidence that he should be relieved by any medicine his Physician could prescribe, or any operation his Surgeon could perform. Though a child can hardly be expected to have a judgement prepared by cultivation to direct in the use of the most effectual means, yet, sometimes, the inclinations of patients may be attended to with advantage. Before this youth lost his speech, he frequently told his parents, that, if th ee persons, whom he named, would unite to pray for him, he thought the Lord would deliver him from his distress. Myself being one of the three mentioned by him, was one reason why his father applied to me, as before stated; and though while I prayed with him the first time I visited him, he was a great deal agitated and convulsed; yet he was still of the same opinion that he might be relieved by prayer.

As

every attempt to relieve him by medicine, &c., had hitherto utterly failed, his friends considered that whatever might be the nature of his complaint, there could be no impropriety in supplicating for him at a throne of grace.

On Saturday, March 4th, three or four persons, and myself, went together to see him. It was proposed that we should unite in prayer. John gave signs that he desired it; but also signified, he was much afraid that something would come from the door and injure him. Prayer was begun, and he was greatly agitated when any reference was made to his case; even though it was done in language which the boy could not understand: and whenever the name of Jesus Christ was mentioned, he was violently convulsed. We continued praying till his convulsions ceased, and he was perfectly quiet. His fits, however, soon returned again after we left him, and he had several the same afternoon.

On Sunday, March 5th, he began to show a furious antipathy to any thing sacred, or devotional. When

his father-in-law said grace before dinner, John was so violently enraged, that he began to spit in his face, and went into a fit. The father prayed, and John was so exasperated, that he began to beat several persons in the family, as he formerly had done the door. He made most horrid noises, and so terrified his mother that she fainted; and then one of the children came for me to go to their assistsnce. He was so furious and mischievous, that it was necessary to hold him till the fit was over. He was exceedingly troublesome all the afternoon, frequently beating one or other of the family, spitting in their faces, taking them by the leg, interrupting them with various tricks of this kind, besides dancing on the surbase, gliding on the floor, and performing his other usual pranks.

It was but on the preceding Friday that he had lost so much blood, and since then, had continued to take regularly the tinct. digitalis. Whence he could derive so much strength, to perform such violent exercises, and to make such violent resistence as he did, is, on physical principles, utterly unaccountable.

On Monday the disease continued to rage with unabated fury; he had many fits; was exceedingly noisy and violent.

Tuesday 7th, his mother accidentally opened the bible before him; he was greatly enraged at the sight of the blessed book. It might lie on the table, and he would not regard it; but all the fiend was roused within him, when it was ever so slightly brought into use.

The accounts respecting him, which were in circulation, made the people flock from all parts of the neighbourhood to see him. He was a strange and awful sight. Many persons were present in the afternoon, when he, in one of his fits, made many violent efforts to scratch a gentleman who stood behind me; -I stood as his shield, and moved for his defence as John's motions required. The door of the room was always his oracle; he frequently consulted the door,

and beckoned to the door for assistance. Finding his attempts to scratch Mr. R. frustrated, he, by signs, requested permission, or assistance, or both, to be revenged on me. He came to me with a countenance dreadfully distorted: the left hand was formed like a claw, and the other clenched. He made very violent at tacks to scratch and bruise me; but with all his straining efforts, he could not come nearer me than within about four inches. Some of the company, who certainly were quite as much astonished as the reader can be, said it seems as though an evil influence urges him to do injury, and some invisible power restrains him. "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no farther." I did not touch him, nor could he touch me. After trying for some time, he gave up the contest, performed some of his whimsical frolicks, and the fit went off in the usual way.

In the interval of his fits, he perfectly recovered his senses, and showed no defect or stupor of intellect whatever. He could not speak; but he made signs which were readily enough understood. He was frequently tried with questions, and his answers were generally quick, and sometimes witty. While under the influence of a fit, it was impossible, by any thing that could be said to him, to arrest his attention so as to get even a look from him; but if interrupted in his course, he then became turbulent and dangerous, which made it necessary to hold him till the paroxysm subsided, and he recovered his senses.

His conduct when under the influence of his disorder, was extremely various. At one time he would be violently convulsed, and in a few seconds, begin all manner of whimsical frolicks. He would halt like a lame beggar;-strut like mock majesty ;-would chase and scratch like a dog;-run like a rabbit;-and walk like a crab would face and claw, like a tiger meet ing a foe;-and run about like a cat catching flies: would beat the air like a boxer;-and fly at the door