The botanic garden. A poem in two parts. Part I. Containing the Economy of vegetation. Part II. the Loves of the plants. With philosophical notes / [Erasmus Darwin].
- Erasmus Darwin
- Date:
- 1791
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: The botanic garden. A poem in two parts. Part I. Containing the Economy of vegetation. Part II. the Loves of the plants. With philosophical notes / [Erasmus Darwin]. Source: Wellcome Collection.
599/616 page 187
![[ >37 ] dependence on the wind in that part of the world for any length of time.—There are no regular land-winds; and the fea-wind is not perceived there at all, the fituation of the tree being at too great a diftance, and furrounded by high mountains and uncultivated forefts. Befides, the wind there never blows a frefh regular gale, but is commonly merely a current of light, foft breezes, which pafs through the different openings of the adjoining mountains. It is alfo frequently difficult to determine from what part of the globe the wind really comes, as it is divided by various obftruftions in its paffage, which eafdy change tlie direction of the whnd, and often totally deftroy its effedts. I, therefore, impute the diftant effects of the poifon, in a great meafure, to the conftant gentle winds in thofe parts, which have not power enough to difperfe the poifonous par- ticles. If high winds were more frequent and durable there, they would certainly weaken very much, and even deftroy the obnoxious effluvia of the poifon; but without them, the air remains infected and pregnant with thefe poifonous vapours. I am the more convinced of this, as the worthy ecclefiaftick affured me, that a dead calm is always attended with the greateft danger, as there is a continual perfpiration ilTuing from the tree, which is feen to rife and fpread in the air, like the putrid fleam of a marfhy cavern. Experiments made with the Gum of the Upas-Tree. IN the year 1776, in the month of February, I was prefent at the execution of thirteen of the Emperor’s concubines, at Soura-Charta^ who were convi£led of infidelity to the Emperor’s bed. It was in the forenoon, about eleven o’clock, when the fair cri- minals were led into an open fpace within the v/alls of the Emperor’s palace. There the judge pafTed fentence upon them, by which they are doomed to fuffer death by a lancet pbifoned with Upas. After this the Alcoran was prefented to them, and they were, according to the law of their great prophet Mahomet, to acknowledge and to affirm by oath, that the charges brought againft them, together with the fentence and their punifh- ment, were fair and equitable. This they did, by laying their right hand upon the Alcoran, their left hands upon their breaft, and their eyes lifted towards heaven; the judge then held the Alcoran to their lips, and they kiffed it. Thefe ceremonies over, the executioner proceeded on his bufinefs in the following manner:—Thirteen polls, each about five feet high, had been previoufly erected. To thefe the delinquents were fattened, and their breafts ftripped naked. In this fituation they remained a fflort time in continual prayers, attended by feveral priefts, until a fignal was given by the judge to the executioner; on which the latter produced an inllrument, much hke the fpring lancet ufed by farriers for bleeding horfes. With this inflrument, it being poifoned whth the gum of the Upas, the unhappy wretches were lanced in the middle of their breafts, and the operation was performed upon them all in lefs than two minutes. My aftonifhment was raifed to the higheft degree, when I beheld the hidden elFedts of that poifon, for in about five minutes after they were lanced they were taken with a tremor attended with a fulfultus tendinum-^ after which they died in the greateft agonies,](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b28772970_0601.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
