murdered for the sake of the promised reward! The last two of these dogs are said to have been killed, one at Crinlarach in Strathfillan, the other near Lochearnhead, on the face of the hill opposite to the castle of Edinample; and the fowling-piece with which the last of the Coin-dubh was shot is in the possession of Francis M'Nab of M Nab, Esq. "Mark what happened in the course of events: the son of the royal persecutor (James VI.) was beheaded, his grandson dethroned, and the extinction of the once illustrious house of Stuart has recently taken place; and what is not less remarkable the son and grandson of the most powerful and active instrument of these persecutions suffered on the scaffold. In spite, however, of ill usage and cruelty; the Macgregors, ever loyal, firmly adhered to their rightful sovereign. "The Melody to which the above verses is adapted, was taken down, with all possible care, from Captain Neil M'Leod of Guesto's MS. Collection of P'ibrochs, as performed by the celebrated Macrimmons of Skye; the Melody to Pibroch of Donil Dubh was taken down at the same time, i. e. September 1815-the process was tedious and exceedingly troublesome. The Editor had to translate, as it were, the syllabic jargon of illiterate pipers (which was distinctly enough joted down in Captain M'Leod's own way) into musical characters, which, when correctly done, he found to his astonishment to coincide ex. actly with regular notation.” was in the place, and took a refreshthe course of ment together; in which, at the close of the day, a trifling dispute arose betwixt Lamont and young Macgregor. Dirks were drawn, and before friends could interfere, Macgregor fell mortally wounded. In the confusion, Lamont escaped, and, though pursued, under the cover of night got securely to the house of Macgregor, which happened to be the first habitation which met his eye at the dawn of morning. The Chieftain had got up and was standing at the door.- Save my life!' said the stranger, for men are in pursuit of me to take it away.'- Whoever you are,' says Macgregor, here you are safe.' "Lamont was but just brought to an inner apartment, and introduced to the family, when a loud inquiry was made at the door, if a stranger had entered the house. He has,' says Macgregor, and what is your business with him ?'- In a scuffle,' cried the pursuers, he has killed your son; deliver him up that we may instantly revenge the deed.' Macgregor's lady and his two daughters filled the house with their cries and lamentations.- Be quiet,' says the Chief, with his eyes streaming with tears, and let no man presume to touch the youth-for he has Macgregor's word and honour for his safety; and as God lives he shall be safe and secure whilst in my house!' "In a little, after Lamont had experienced the most kind and hospitable treatment, the chieftain accompanied him, with twelve men under arms, to Inverary, and, having landed him in safety on the other side of Lochfine, dressed him :- Lamont, now you took him by the hand and thus adare safe ;-no longer can I, or will I, protect you ;-keep out of the way of my clan.-May God forgive and bless you!' "This happened some short time before the severe act of proscription against the Clan Greger in 1633, when, to the discredit of justice, a weak government sacrificed a whole people for the atrocities of a few. Macgregor lost his property, and was hunted for his life in consequence of this iniquitous act. He took shelter in the house of this very Lamont,-noted for his urbanity, and his deep contrition for the misfortune of his younger years; and who, by every act of kindness to his venerable guest, and some branches of his family, revered the providence which had thus put it in his power to repay to the family of his benefactor, in some measure, the loss he had occasioned them in the death of a son." OFFICIAL REPORTS ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING THE DEATH OF GENERAL PICHEGRU, WITH OBSERVATIONS BY THE CELEBRATED PROFESSOR CHAUSSIER OF PARIS. BONAPARTE has been so positively accused of having caused Pichegru to be strangled in prison, and the crime has been so positively denied by others, without either party supporting their assertion by any proofs, that the following authentic document regarding that transaction will probably be read with considerable interest. It is translated from an unpublished volume on Forensic Medicine, by Professor Chaussier of Paris. At one time we thought of abridging it, lest the professional detail which it contains might be uninteresting to general readers; but, on due consideration, we preferred publishing it entire, because, in this way, its authenticity is left undiminished, and because the very acute remarks of Professor Chaussier cannot fail to impress both surgeons and lawyers with the importance of being able to draw up a professional report correctly, and to detect the errors, of which very few are free. Professor Chaussier, in his criticism, accuses the reporters in this case of errors, both of omission and of commission, in neglecting to inquire into, or report upon, some of those circumstances most calculated to elucidate the case, and of having given an opinion not supported by the facts they observed, and entered into considerations of which they were not the proper judges. From Professor Chaussier's remarks, it is obvious that he thinks that it was by no means proved that Pichegru committed suicide; and it may be inferred that he thinks it more probable that he was assassinated by others. General Ch. Pichegru had been for some time detained in the Tower of the Temple. On the 15th Germinal, year 12, (5th April 1804,) he was seen in health; supper had been serv◄ ed up to him in the evening as usual; and, about ten, the door of his room had been shut, and the key taken away; the guard in attendance declared, that he heard him cough and spit several times about half-past three in the morning, and, on the morning of the 16th, (6th April,) the person who came to light his fire, found him dead in his bed; a commissary of police was presently called, who, upon mere inspection, pronounced that suicide had been committed. A few hours after, the Special Criminal Tribunal, to whom it had been announced that the said Ch. Pichegru had committed suicide last night, instructed a commission, composed of five of its members, to go to the Temple and ascertain if the said Ch. Pichegru had committed suicide the night before, and to collect information relative to that event. Five surgeons and a physician were named to examine the body, and ascertain the cause of death. These persons, after having obeyed their instructions, (about twelve hours after the presumed death,) " unanimously declared, that they went to the said Tower of the Temple, and were conducted by the jailor to the room in which Ch. Pichegru, Ex-General, was: "That they had found on a bed a body, which they recognized to be of the male sex. "That the dead man appeared to them from forty to forty-five years old. "That his height was five feet ten inches. "That his hair was deep-brown; his eye-brows of the same colour, arched; his forehead large and bald; his eyes grey, clear blue; his nose long, thick, flat, and broad at its point, and sunk at its root; his mouth of a middle size; his chin round and large; his countenance full and brown; his head large; his breast broad; his legs and thighs slender in proportion to the trunk. "That, after having examined the whole appearance of the said body, they had remarked a circular impression on the neck, about two inches broad, and more strongly marked on the left side. "That there was strangulation. That it had been performed by means of a black-silk handkerchief, firmly tied, in which some one had (on avoit) passed a stick eighteen inches long, and two inches in circumference; and that some one had made of the staff a tourniquet, with which the said handkerchief had been drawn tighter and tighter, till the said strangulation was effected. "That they had then remarked that the said stick was made to rest by one of its ends on the left cheek, and that, being turned with an irregular movement, it had produced upon the said cheek a transverse scratch of about two inches and a quarter long, extending from the cheek-bone (pommette) to the left ear. That the face was livid; the jaws locked; and the tongue caught be→ tween the teeth. "That the ecchymosis extended over the whole surface of the body. "That the extremities were cold; the muscles and the fingers of the hands firmly contracted. "That they judged, from the position in which they had found the body, and from the observations detailed above, that the individual, whose body they had examined, and who, they were informed by the jailor, was General Pichegru, had strangled himself. (Signed) " On the next day, (7th April,) at nine in the morning, about thirty hours after the presumed death, the Tribunal, by a new decree, instructed the same physician and surgeons to proceed to open the body, in presence of judges and of a substitute of the commissary of government; and, after having observed the formalities required by the law, the same physician and surgeons lodged in the office the report of their operations and observations, of which the following is the tenor: "We, the undersigned, proceeded to the hall for ballotting juries, belonging to the Special Tribunal of the Seine, in order to open the body of Charles Pichegru, Ex-General, who has committed suicide, in execution of the order of the said Tribunal. “And, after having made the said opening, in presence of the two judges and of the substitute of the commissary, appointed by the order of this day, to be present at it, and at all the acts which are to follow. "We have observed that all the vessels of the scalp were gorged with blood; the surface of the dura mater injected; the longitudinal sinus gorged, especially at the lower and posterior part. "That the dura mater was slightly adherent, and presented an ossification in the fold, which forms the falx. "That there was an adhesion be tween this membrane and the surface of the brain. "That the lower surface of the neck was gorged with blood. "That the middle and upper part of the brain corresponded to the before mentioned adhesions, and presented a mucous surface, interspersed with small lymphatic glands, whence flowed a whitish liquor. "That the surface of the brain was of the usual colour. "That there was nothing peculiar in the ventricles, except that the choroid plexus was of a deeper red. "That there was a hydatid at the upper part of the annular protube rance. "That there was nothing peculiar in the cerebellum. "That there was a good deal of fat in the abdomen. "That the intestines presented a yellow-brown colour. "That the interior of the stomach was inflamed, but without erosion. "That the bladder, kidneys, and the other viscera, were in their natu ral state. "That the two lobes of the lungs were gorged with blood. "That the pericardium was sound. "That the esophagus, throughout its whole length, was perfectly sound, except that part of the neck, where the strangulation was effected; wherefore we continue to think that Charles Pichegru, Ex-General, has committed suicide by the means which we pointed out in our report of yesterday. "Done at the Palace of Justice, in the hall above mentioned, where we operated. Paris, the 17 Germinal, year 12; and signed . . .” Observations by Professor Chaussier. In reading the account of this af fair, we are at once struck with the following remarks: 1. That, after mere inspection, without examination, without previous visit, and only upon what he is told, the Commis sary of Police, immediately, and without hesitation, pronounces, "That the said Charles Pichegru committed sui cide last night." 2. That this fact is announced in the same terms to the It would seem, Criminal Tribunal. very then, that the opinion was formed on the instant; and, in reading the first report, which consists only in the description of the exterior examination of the body, it appears that the examiners good-naturedly followed the direction which was given to them, and adopted the prejudice instilled into them. But, without dwelling on this point, let us examine these two reports, which might furnish matter for long discussions, confining ourselves to some remarks calculated to impress upon young physicians the attention they should bestow in making juridical examinations, and in reporting their observations. In the first report of 16 Germinal, we find, 1. A very detailed account of the apparent form of the body, which was quite useless, and foreign to their functions; but they neglect entirely the truly medical object; they speak neither of the state of the eyes and eye-lids, nor of the position or attitude in which they found the body; they merely say, that it was on a bed, without mentioning if it was naked, covered, or clothed, and what was the disposition of the surrounding objects. 2. They say that they had remarked a circular impression round the neck;" and, in a subsequent article, they mention a silk handkerchief, firmstick had ly tied, into which a been passed; but, before speaking of this circular impression on the neck, method certainly required that they should first have made an exact description of the manner in which this handkerchief was disposed and tied around the neck; it was also necessary to determine whether this impression was on the upper, middle, or lower part of the neck, and what was its depth, and particularly its colour. They say, indeed, that this impression observed upon the neck was more marked on its left side: but, did this appearance depend on a change in the colour, or on folds of the skin? for, let it be observed, that a ligature drawn tight, and kept for some hours around any part of a dead body, forms a depression more or less deep, but does not alter its colour. 3. After having remarked that the face was livid, they add, that the ecchymosis extended over the whole body, but they must In examining the second report, we first remark, in the circumstances during the visit, superfluous and useless details, on the one hand, and, on the other, omissions and errors, or, at least, ambiguities. 1st, Although this report is a sequel to the preceding, it ought to have begun with pointing out, in a few words, the state of the body at the period when it was made. It ought to have stated how they proceeded to open the cavities, and if, after having sawed through the skull, the upper part was easily taken off. 2dly, After having observed, "that the vessels of the scalp were gorged with blood," the reporters add, "That the dura mater was slightly adherent, --that there was an adhesion between that membrane and the brain,-that the middle and upper part of the brain corresponded to the before-mentioned adhesion, and presented a mucous surface, interspersed with small lymphatic glands, from which flowed a whitish liquor." All this is neither very precise nor very correct. In fact, 1st, The membrane called dura mater always adheres to the inner surface of the skull, especially along the middle or sagittal suture; 2dly, The middle and upper part of the brain, and especially in the vicinity of the middle or longitudinal sinus, has, by means of the arachnoid membrane, an intimate connection or adhesion with the dura mater; and, in this place, it has a whitish colour; and in the adult there are always found here soft, round, whitish agglomerated grains, which the reporters consider as lymphatic glands. But this structure is natural and constant. Did the reporters, then, consider it as preternatural? Of what consequence, also, is it to tell us that "there was a good deal of fat in the abdomen?" Is this uncommon? Is it not natural to some, individuals, especially those accustomed to ride on horseback? 3dly, In another article the reporters say, "That the interior of the stomach was inflamed, but without erosion." Such an assertion, made in so positive a manner, by five surgeons and a physician, excites the attention of every reflecting person. The inflammation of the stomach, even when slight, is a severe and painful affection, which produces great changes in the appearance and functions; and as it may be produced by poison, all reporters who, in examining a body, find the interior of the stomach inflamed, ought to examine, with the greatest care, the state of that viscus, the nature and quantity of the substances which it contains, ought to inquire minutely into the habitual regimen of the deceased, and the circumstances which preceded death; lastly, to prevent all mistakes, after having collected and put aside the contents of the stomach, they should have plunged that organ in water, washed it slightly, examined with at tention whether the vessels which spread in its substance, and whether the capillary web distributed on its internal membrane, be turgid; for it is material to note that the inside of VOL. 11. the stomach may acquire a red colour, more or less intense, without being inflamed. The use of an infusion of red poppies, as Vernier has remarked, gives the oesophagus and stomach a very peculiar red violet colour. And may not the decoction of madder, of logwood, or its extract, which are used in medicine, or some kinds of wine, and different kinds of healthy food, give the stomach and intestines a red colour, more or less deep? Thus, as Pinel says, "the opening of a body has often presented similar traces (in respect to colour) to those caused by inflammation of the stomach, without the symptoms characterizing this disease having been present.' Did the reporters, who state so positively that the interior of the stomach was inflamed, consider all these circumstances? It does not appear, at least, that they speak of them in their report. They do not tell, neither, how they recognized this inflammation of the stomach, nor what was its extent or intensity; and does an assertion, des◄ titute of all proof, deserve any confi dence ? 4thly, They then say, "that the two lobes of the lungs were gorged with blood;" but we are inclined to suppose this a mere slip of the writer, for every body knows that there are two lungs, each divided into two lobes. But, although the lungs were gorged with blood, they certainly were not equally so throughout; and this con❤ sideration should not have escaped the reporters, because it enables them to know what was the situation of the body after death. Lastly, the reporters say, "that the oesophagus throughout its whole length was perfectly sound, unless at the part of the neck where the strangulation had been effected." This point, which was the most important of all, in the present instance, requir ed very circumstantial details; yet they merely say as above, and they leave us entirely ignorant what was here the alteration of the oesophagus, its extent, and how they knew it. On this subject let us remark, 1. That the oesophagus begins only at the lower part of the larynx, a little under the middle of the neck; 2d, That it rests upon the bodies of the vertebræ of the neck; and that it is covered by various soft parts. Thus, in admitting the assertion of the reporters, there |