The New York Herald Newspaper, September 2, 1872, Page 5

| “QCHORPPE’S SECOND TRIAL. A Day of Close Overhauling by the Defence. PROFESSOR WOOD’S STATEMENT. Conrad’s Elaborate Theories and Experience. Prebable Cause of Miss Stein- ecke’s Death. UREMIC POISONING. Professor Atken Repeats His Prus- slo Acid Statement, His Tests Perfect and Colors Un- mistakable. CARLISLE, Pa., August 31, 1872, The Sehoeppe-Steinecke case is still the all-ab- gerbing topic in this thriving inland village. Tho Progress made to-day, considering the nature of the'testimony, was remarkable. The testimony of Dr. Conrad on the part of the State was closed. Professor H. 0, Wood was thoroughly examined by the defence, and the examination in chief of Pro- fessor William E. A. Aiken was exhausted, and gave Bome questions as to the admissibility of cer- taim portions of his evidence. The general features @f the trial were the same as on the tormer days. The counsel for the prosecution displayed the same partisan spirit that had cropped out at every pre- vious stage of the trial, and were positively indecorous in their treatment of Profeqgor hehe an expert for the defence. He Seilvaren s wtinigiy ih anegsy, conscious Fpanser dentin; Se ec ‘habla Lay subject, tiene haustive knowledge of that portion of the science ef medicine which bears on this case, His sledge- hammer blows completely - ANNIBILATED THE TESTIMONY OF DR. CONRAD im allits parts. The theory of that gentleman and his scientific assertions seemed to dissolve before Dr. Wood’s remorseless analysis, like the mist be- fere the clear light of morning. The jury, who rather flinched at the prospect of another day of medical beleaguerment, became gradually inter- ested in his testimony, and requested to have it read to them after he had left the ud; but the Court informed them that counsel would do that when they summed up the ease. During: its delivery the counsel for the prosecution indulged in winks and nods and made pome disparaging remarks, which, to say the leaat, Ing the dignified and courteous mem. ‘Breloueat will a 4. Atken fo}- Jowed Professor Wood and was permitted to road his testimony. He made but. few alterations from his old story, but was checked at that portion ‘where he relied upon his medical knowiedge, as it ‘was decided in the great Wharton case that he was mot competent as a medical expert. This point ‘will be argued on Monday and a decision rendered bs JUDGE JUNKIN, Some criticisms rather disparaging to the last- Ramed officer have been telegraphed from this city tothe press, and it is but simple justice to the Judge tosay that they are false in every particular. He {# a thorough and able lawyer, possesses the confl- ence of the people in an unusual degree, and has conducted this trial with the utmost impartiality and fairness. Tho Court convened as usual at nine o’clock. The prisoner with his guard of honor entered the court room in his usual nonchalant Manner, and took a seat with his counsel, Dr. Nicholas G. Ridgley was calied for the prose- eution this morning, but did’ not respond. The Gefence then stated that they had @ witness who ‘Was obliged to leave town, snd, as they wished him to refute Dr. Conrad's testimony, they moved that he might be examined now. The Court ruled that if the witness would say on his oath that his public uty required his absence his evidence could be admitted at this time. TESTIMONY OF PROFESSOR WOOD, Dr. Horatio 0. Wood, Jr., of Philadelphia, was then affirmed and said:—I am connected with the Penneylvania Hospital; my duties as an officer of that hospital require my presence there. He was then permitted to testify. Am at present Professor of Botany in the Medical Department uf the University of Pennsylvania; am also clinical lecturer on diseases of the nervous system in the same institution, having under my charge all cases of that nature which ome tothe dispensary and hospital service of the institution; and further, one of the visiting physl- cians to the Philadelphia Hospital and lecturer on chemical medicine there ; lecturer on ordinary med- fcime; have been resident physician to the Phila- Gelphia Hospital, the largest in the city; have also resident physician to the Pennsylvania Hos- Rash! juring the war I was physician in no less than four or five of the la government hospi- tals in New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington, &C., and have since hi Frequent oppertunities to make post mortems jal pi 3 ms in my ot Hi ““: "HAVE HEARD DR. CONRAD'S RVIDENCE. FQ, Do you consider that his post-mortem examination of Miss Stcinecke’s body was sum. ciently complete and exhaustive to establiah the fact that death was not caused by natural disease ? Sato our reasons for that opinion A. Ta the place it was the absence of the probable cause of death which was to be discovered; to do this requires a thorough examination of every organ of the body, and, according to Dr. Conrad's sworn testimony, there was not a microscopical and, con- sequently, not a complete examination of any ; further, sdme of the most common causes of sudden death are to be found in the kidneys and the al cord, neither of which organs was looked at all; farther still, according to Dr. Conrad's testi- mony, be did not notice how much blood ran out of the brain ‘on the table when he opencd the skull, and consequently, in my opinion, it is impossible to state whether there was or was not congestion of the brain during life; from the post-mortem Here counsel read to the witness the symptoms as detailed from memory by Dr. Conrad. @ Did you understan . Conrad to state that his reasons for denying the existence of CONTRACTED KIDNEYS ‘were the non-occurrence of changes in the spleen and liver similar to those seen in contracted kid- ne) ny the fact that the symptoms detailed were note hose of that disease ? Ifso, is he correct? A. dtd so understand Dr. Conrad, and those reasons are not evidence of the non-exlatence of granular or contracted kidneys, @ Dr. Conrad stated that the heart was heal but that he did pot examine it microscopicall or is not his opalon of value on this point? A. In eriaoms his opinion under that examination is Q. Why not? A. Because it is impossible for the best pathologist. in all cases to decide that the walls of the heart are healthy without microscopic ex- aminations; some little time since I isade a post mortem in @ case of sudden death in the presence of Df. Da Costa, now Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in Jetterson College, and cer- tainly as high as any, if not the highest, anthority in the country; 1 led to him the ‘after it was ned and he took it to the window, examined It nan) and wed it certainly healthy, and it” to me, 80 far as the naked eye oe determine; I took it home, and under the rO- scope found the muscle ‘in an advanced convition iar degeneration. ‘ag the poct-mortem examination of the brain = 7 pet the anne of lesion or vi rete a Ventre Peat is platen it was not suMcient to disprove THE FOLLOWING DISEASED CONDITIONS :— fmt asl have Sea vaaonehe ¢ rs go ; second, serions al * third, eroma- tons degeneration of the small vessels Of the Drain; fourt! multiple or dary aneurisms; fifth, thrombusis of the small. veasols of the peste 7 the term smail I mean microscopic); #ixth, localized meee Tot any cause; the reasons for my not Lp ad | the disproof of the first named has been already stated; it ie not necessary for me to boy any! on second head, because Dri Conrad in his cross-examination stated Iimself that his examination was not complete enongh to disprove __the resence of serous spoploxy; I make a similar answer in the fourth case, The Doctor admitted that NEW YORK HERALD, MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 1872——TRIPLE SHEET, have been j t and been degenersdon 1g not, solentifically fatty degeneration; there isa slight dif- thange - the email vessels a cl : or the fo of @ clot of blood, only be eacertained with lute certainty by the use of a mi ic examination, Which was not made; it is my that there was a prob- able local anti-mortem softening. in the neighbor- hood of the fourth venticle, as I understood Dr. Conrad also to state the intestines were not de- composed, and all authorities agree that the frst yan arts of the body to are am rst organs or parts of the decom} pout aiter death. Whilst the brain is among the later organs, it probably would have been a simple matter to have decided whether that soften- ing occurred before or after death by the use of the roscope, but no attempt at such test was made. State whether or not ail of these diseased con- ditions are compatible with the symptoms detailed by Dr. Conrad? A. Almost any disease of the brain i substance may be hidden without cau: ‘any nota- ble ignite: and the subject be suddei icken down with stupor or unconsciousness without con- vulsions, and deepening into ual death. Inthe wide sense of the term all diseased conditions mentioned Cy My with the symptoms a8 detailed by Dr. Conrad; it is possible for a case to occur with no other symptom and death follow from one of these diseases; in certain of these dis- eases the symptoms are precisely thoge detailed by Dr. Conrad; all the symptoms actually detailed by Dr. Conrad agree closely with the inary be toms of serous spoplexy and congestion of the ont and are possible in the other diseases named. Q. Dr. Conrad states that these symptoms dis- Prove any of these conditions, A. 4 THAT Is NOT mom ‘ a7 be Conrad stated that it-mortem ex- a ination, considered in connection with these semmpsape detailed in Misa Steinecke’s enabled him to express a itive Opinion that none of these diseased conditions 6: d in that brain; is that opinion correct? A. No. Q Do, or do not, these toma detailed by Dr. Conrad, agree closely wit! symptoms of ure- mic poisoning? A. They do absolutely with the symptoms of man: cases, &. Dr, Conrad slated that the chief reason Bpop whicn he relied for denying that uremic existed, was the absence of convulsions; state whether that opinion is based upon authority. A, Accord- ing to Dr. Conrad’s cross-examination, it ig based simply on bis own experience, he stated that he did not know what the books said about the matter, and that his experience was confined to a aingie case. I have large EXPERIENCE IN KIDNEY DISEASE, having seen scores if not hundreds of cases, and am familiar with the current literature on the sub- ject, both English and American, and I positively afiirm that the assertion that convulsions are not unfrequently very slight or altogether absent in uremia ia not true, and, as far as I camyemember, is not asserted by @ single authority; uremic poisoning is a natural disease, dependent princl- pally upon contracted kidney by convulsions; I Mean twitchings or spasms. (Here the witness referred to a number of medical writers in support of his posit on) Niemeiger is probably the very Bosd me behority now in the world on anv question ; i eijou is’ high Gerinau authority; Unt ip Gopsidered one of the leading American athOvitted; Watson is an authority; “Wood's Practice” is also considered an authority; Dr. Taylor, of London, 18 high autiority on polsons, but not on general subjects, CHRONIC CONTRACTED KIDNEY, Q. Describe the symptoms of chronic contracted kidney both before and alter the occur- rence of uremic symptoms. A, Before the occurrence of uremlo symptoms, or uremia, the symptoms of contracted kidney are often very slight; dropsy, in many cases, is Sitogether: abscnt; frequently it consists simply of @littie pufiness about the teet and face; fre- quently there is no pain in the back; dyspeptic symptoms are very commonly, but not aware present; often the person diseased feels weak an wretched—scarcely knows that he is sick. If the urine be examined now it will be found either per- sistently or occasionally albuminous—that is, it con- tains matter similar to the white of an egg. Some- times the urine 8 scanty, sometimes it is about [renin in Seria uataran eke get in larger amounts $n yal; there is very com- monly also, Dataot niga i; Shere eee os ©. DIMNESS OF VISION}. . > there indy be héadache or there may be none; there may be habitual sleepiness or there may not; here I want to say that, though any or all of these symp- toms may be present, yet it is not uncommon for ersons Who think themselves in perfect health to e suddenly stricken down without previous warn- ing with uremic poisoning; thisI assert both on personal experience and from reading; when Uremia comes on it does so in several diferent ways; inone way the patient is suddenly seized with violent convulsions in the uremic or con- tracted kidney; this I think is not the most com- mon form; the second way is, a gradual sleepiness comes over the person, a drowsiness similar to that seen when la doses of morphia have been taken; there may or there may not be convulsions with this drowsiness; in many cases the drowsiness be- comes simply deeper and: deeper, the pupils con- tract, then the stupor becomes so deep that the patient cannot be roused from it; by and by THE HEART FAILS, the pulse becomes more and more mapa and feeble, until it finally cannot be felt; the skin sometimes py possibly be dry, butas I have seen it in this last stage it is generally more or leas covered with [ Segoe ‘itness then detailed a case which appened recently in his own practice illustrative of this diagnosis.) The stupor may last fifteen minutes, or it may last a Week; there is no law which regulates t! The Court here adjourned until two o'clock. Afternoon Session. The Court reconvened at two o'clock, when Dr. Wood’s examination was resummed, Q. Did you understand Dr. Conrad to’ state that the reasons for denying the existence of contracted kidney were the non-occurrence of changes in the spleen and liver similar to those seen in the con- tracted kidney, id the fact that the symptoms were not those that he details? A. These changes would not of necessity occur in the spleen and liver; there is a disease of the liver similar to that of contracted kidney, and there is a diseage of the spleen of similar nature; the presence or absence Of diseasc-of the liver and spleen, though of eat importance in deciding the resence or absence of the amyloid form of Bright's ease, is of no importance whatever in decidin, the presence or absenco of the contracted form o} Bright's disease; and I may add that ali the symp- toms in the case of Miss Steinecke, as detalied by Dr. Conrad, show that if she did have Bri 8 disease it was of the contracted and not o! amyloid form, Q Dr. Conrad stated that he was itive that his examination of the heart proved that it was healthy, his principal reason being because the valves were uninjured. Is his conclusion war- ranted? A. No, air; I understood Dr, Conrad to say that because he poured water into the heart, as it did not ran through the valves, therefore the heart was healthy; the heart is a yan and suc! rocedure Would ho more prove @ healthy state @ heart than pouring water into the top of pump and finding the valves did not leak Wor prove that the handle was not rotten. He also stated that, even if tht wane of the en affected by fatty or other degenera- heart had be Hon. iaaltively tees vulves were uninjured > “wv the Cause of death was not Prenat OTgAD %; miss Steinecke's body? A. No, sit; the prom isive io POWER OF THE HEART PUMP {les im-the contracting wails; if they be so weak- ened as to have lost'their power the bicod cannot be * forced them through the body, ana the tient will die, with symptoms somewhat similar those seen in Miss Steinecke's case, . Are you well acquainted with tho action of pol upon the human body? A. I have made the ACTION OF POISONS UPON THB LIVING BODY @ specialty, and s0 far I claim to ak aS On ex- pert; but. {have never made any chemical exami- nations for poisons in dead bodies and cannot Sew om eeetapa the symptoms detailed by you Dr. Herman? A. Ido. Q. Do you r mber the symptoms detailed by Dr. Conrad? A. Ido. Do you remember his post-mortem? A. I do. rt whether or. not those symptoms and it-mortem appearances are consistent with death y prussic acid? A. They are not. Are Cad consistent with death from opium w poisoning; if not, in what do they differ? A, AsI unders' he symptoms, the first was sléepincas late in tho evening, during the night nothin; known of the case, and In the morning Steinecke was found absolutely comatose, Q. Dr, Herman states, then, that he went there about cieven o'clock, felt for her pulse, but found her puiseless, breathing from two to three times a iinute—she died about six o’clock that evening? A. I know of no poison or combination of poisons which would produce those symptoms, except it be opium, and there are oue or two syreptoms which render it excessively deprohayle hat opium was the cause of the attack; if opinin wag the cause the symptoms were anomaious and unlike those of any case which 1 haye seem or remember having ail Of; at THR SYMPTOMS OF OPIUM POISONING are divisiblo into three stages—first, simple drow- siness and sore excitation; second, a stage of dee sleep; with #tertorous breathing ‘and strong, fail ; there is nothing in the symptoms to con- Traates the presence of these two of opium polean ing 1 the case of Miss Bieaeare: there 18 an equat nice ved rn Daina 5} deg m ese teriati » coma, or aaconatincmnens: a id ptilse ee a , ‘ue Stance of ‘chs third nage ar hat ‘was con! after was gon Se ae ee Ren Cr renieaiea; Whed remedies “are not used the lest stage Of opium Rosen! is Seearaly egeperatives short, and the hee ence of life for RIGHT HOURS A PULSE 1m @ case of death from natural causes is not ve uncommon, I conceive it would be so in opiui poigonings further, while contraction of the mouth is a symptom not rarely present in uremia, it is frequently present in serous apoplexy; is common. IY present In the rare forms of brain disease of which we have spoken here to-day; \t is extremely rare, if it ever exists, in cases of oplum poisoning; the assertion of Dr. Conrad that paralyzed petien cannot lie on the paralyzed side, and that therefore there was no peralysis in this caso of Misg Stein- Fathir wan the paralyze on Laud Comer ons r- sonal ‘observation, t0 acres) I Ape neaaenty BOM Re . ion e symptoms e tioned, do or do not the highest authorities aavort that in opium poisoning the lungs will be found congested? A, Rea ane the Tangs are usually, if not always, found a col a; the patient merally dies throt gradual failure of respira- mn, and hence the lungs must be congested. wih Are the aymptonis ond appearances POISONING BY MORPHIA AND PRUSSIC ACID combined? A. lconceive it impossible that Miss Steinecke should have had prussic acid, either with or without morphia, in doses suficient to cause death, for these reasons—if she had prussio acid on the night she was taken sick in suf. cient quanti to cause. death at all she ave died __ before Coed the longest duration of a case of fatal poisoning “4 prussic acid which 1 now remember seeing on recor: was twenty minutes; it is the most rapid of all known poisons, and if it does not kill ina very short time the patient recovers. 1 know of no case on record in which a fatal combination of morphia and prussic acid hag been taken, but I do know that the two eg Gre ip no sense an} nistic in their action, and I do knew also that it has been tablished by experiment on animals by the high- toxicological authority in America that mor- phia in animals does not sensibly affect the action of prussic acid. g, Dr, Herman stated that, in hw opinion, opra , Herman si at opinior m would kill pigeons and that bellad tha weul ct on the eye of birds ag on the eve man? A. Dr. Herman was in absolute error in both cases; I saw my friend, Dr. 8. Wier Mitchell, of Philadelphia, force opium into pigeons in small qnantities—in could contain na in moderate quantitiey \d_ until the: em Mi these ex- a, th the no more, and it had no effect on Periments bave been confirmed bj of London; the sixtieth ofa grain of atropli strongest preparation of belladonna, will te pupil of @& man’s eye se that he pee see ont of it for several have myself taken atropia in quantities and introduced it into the eyes pigeons in every way that I knew how and it had no perceptible effect; @ quarter or a half grain of good extract of belladonna given toa man inter- nally will very sensibly dilate pupils; no amount of extract of belladonna that you can get into a pigeon’s stomach will have any effect on the eye; I State this also from personal experience. Q. You would conclude then that experiments of b sayin upon birds are of no value with reference human 3? A, Experiments of narcotic poisons upon birds are of no value. s From the symptoms detailed by Dr, Herman, and the post-mortem of Dr. Conrad, what do you think was the CAUSE OF MISS STEINECKE'S DEATH ? (A long discussion arose over this question, the prosecution claiming that this fps! was not admissible under the rules of evidence. Finally, the witness was Pte to answer.) A. From the symptoms and post-mortem appearances detailed by Dr, Conrad it is highly: probable that Miss Steinecke died f uremic poisoning from con- tracted kidney. I[t is highly probable that she fea Of seroiik apoplexy or congestion of the brain, ho! ¢ ich fequdytly result from contrasted idneys. 3 i8 Ghuirely possible that she died from acute softening of the brain, from throm- bus or from athromatous degeneration of the small vessels of the brain: it is {mpossibie that she died of pruasic acid or any other poison or combination of poisons known to me except opium, and both post-mortem appearances and the symp- toms dming life render it highly improbable that she died from the latter Daag I should say the chances are nine out of ten that she died of ure- mic polponing, arising from contracted kidney. Professor Wood was at this point handed over to the prosecution for cross-examination; but the attorneys on that side said that they could not cross-examine for want of preparation and an ex- pert to assist them. The Judge remarked that they e: , detecting all comes eve Were entitied to assistance, After some contro- versy, during which it became evident that the rosecution was medically dead, Professor Wood ft the stand without a cross-examination. PROFESSOR AIKEN, OF WHARTON MEMORY. Ee was Pat Whacton't Aue A. Aiken, yore 109, trial as “Tartar Bae \c.’) He FRilprerend ae Yan Winkle, but a shade older than when he was upon the Wharton- Ketchum trial, He testified as follows :—My occupa- tion is that of an analytical and consulting chemist; I have been a teacher of chemistry for thirty-eight or Seirenine years; since 1837 J have been Professor of emistry ‘and Pharmacy in the University of Maryland; I was requested by Mr. Stewart to have the examination of the of Maria M. Steinecke made; selected Dr. Conrad to make the t-mortem examination; was present at the disinterment and at the subsequent examination; 1 was present at the examination; I requested Dr. Conrad to remove the parts which I ‘was subsequently to examine; we applied ligatures to each oriilce ofthe stomach and removed it un- opened entirely; [ placed that in a clean vessel peyies for the pu jhe then applied ligatures two different points of the intestines and re- moved the piece between the ligatures unopened ; that was placed in @ separate vessel; when the Doctor had finished his dissections we returned to the city; on the te to my laboratory I stopped at the infirmary; the tor was there; I took the vessels to hig room, secured some clean plates, TOOK THE STOMACH AND INTESTINES on plates, and requested the doctor to lay open; we found both empty, nothing but & littie film of adhesive mucus secretion; on the inside it hat aH, little moist; eA aon took, them to my r emical exemiuativny the paris. Appearea w ve ‘sound and healthy; no ication of disease; no evidence of inflammatory action of any kind; the absence of any acrid poison fa a point of Importance in my mind ; 1t the mate- rial before me, tho coats of the stomach and the in- testine; there being no appreciable difference be- tween them, I cut both in small pieces and mingled them together; the mingied mass | divided into two parts; I used the first forascertaining whether there was any hydrocyanie acid, and as the result of that examination satisfied myself that THEKE WERE TRACES OF PRUSSIC ACID; T found prussic acid just as one finds anything; I found poring. more than & perceptible trace, dis- tinct but slight; my first work was to introduce the pieces Ihad to examine—about one-half of the whole mass—into a nal vessel called a retort, for the purposes of distillation; I then added a pro quantity of water and a small quantity of sul- phuric acid; I then applied heat; I had aoe viously prepared a condensing apparatui so that any steam that snould be condense fm my apparatus would be in the shape of liquid; after I had collected some few ounces of that. fi uid, representing, I suppose, about one- fourth of the bulk of the contents of the retort; I then knew I must have inthe distillate any prus- sic acid ifany had been present; I then proceeded to examine that liquid to ascertain whether it con- tained any prussic acid; there are two modes of in- uiry—toexamine for the liqmd and to examine for the vaper of pruesic acid; either I would con- sider reliable, the vapor process the most reliable of the two: both together I cannot conceive the erm SF he eee them ,2"""" pORSIBILITY OF A DOUBT : ‘Sxisting; the liquid test was with solution of potash olution of sulphate of iren, green vitriol and ‘ds a few drovs of muriatic acid; these matert: added to oye containing prussic acid willgive inevitably Prussian blue as a product; if the liquid examined is‘limpid and colorless, as in this case, then a very slight shade of color will be- reeptible; it the liquid you are examining is itself colored, that may be confounded with any color you produce and is therefore unreliable ; in this case ine Rania ‘was colorless; the color I obtained ‘was What I thonght ought to be produced by prus- sic acid blue, such as to satisfy me of the presence of prussic acid; that color is what I designated as a faint trace; 1 was a blue color, a faint trace of blue; not of red or any other color, but unequivo- cally blue; very little coloring matter; no at depth of color, for want of sufficient quantity of coloring matter; the moment I distinguished the color I set it aside; all I did was to satisfy myself teat ablue color resulted, and that satisfied me PRUSSIC ACID WAS THERE; I took another portion of the same liquid for the purpose of satisfying myself whether I could detect prussic acid in vapor; for that purpose 1 placed a portion of this distillate in an evaporating dish; I Piaged over it another evavaraning dish a8 a cover; ‘his dish, of course, was upside down; on the in- side of the cover I placed a few drops of a sulphur compor ip! of ammonia—hyurosulphate of ammonia; Its value there was because it contained suiphur end ammonia in the condition I de- sired; I then applied heat to the vessel which contained the distillate; I was thus certain to. convert into vapor any TUS acid which might be present; that vapor, if it were formed, would necessarily come in contact with the sulphur compound which J had placed inside of the upper vessel or cover; a8 the necessary result of such a contact there wonld be a certain chemical change produced, and that result would be the production of acompound called auiphocyanide of ammonium; my next business was to determine whether any sulphocyanide of ammonium had been formed; Tremoved the cover, added a few drops of distilied water to disolve any new com- ound which might have been made y the action of the prussic acid va- sulphur compound in the grape. the solution which I got by the distilled water on the sulphide of am- monium which I placed in the UP) er dish, that solu- tion. must contain sulphocyanide of ammonium if action of the any prussic acid had mn contained in the lower ea to i ceinaiee that point 1 3 the Lay lution, ans a color—a few drops the iron of iron; the result of that huaition. wae’ the of & red color, a ine red color; i jtimony tly looked have found T didn’t find an; poisons; I never any othe: vegetable alkalies or fore examined a sub- present; mineral ject in a criminal case for the presence ef prussic acid in a human stomach; I observed no odor until Lobtaned the distillate; the distillate had a faint odor that reminded me of prussic acid, but too faint to of any importance by itself, ouly important im connection with the two ol tests—the blue and red colors; it reminded of bruised leaves; it is my duty as professor of Chemist to So She meteali oer the best meti own ery year to each med! A885 tualexperiments and tests; 1 have made these tests for discovering the presence of prussic acid regularly since 1837; acid is very volatile in its nature; the proper term ig unstable; am @ physician, but only practised eighteen months after receiving my diploma; there is a test for acid called nitrate of silver test; I consider {t valu- able to detect prussic acid in the state of vapor; IT think it objectionable because the result it produces is a white cyanide of _ silver, and therefore be confounded with the white chloride of silver, which would be produced ff there was muriatic acid present; the white cyanide ef silver and the white chloride of silver, When present in small quantities, cannot be distinguished by the eye; they can be distinguished by chemical tests; if the cyanide of silver is in suMcient quantity it can be collected and dried, introduced into @ glass tube and heated; it will ray) on cyanogen gas, which is recognized by ite ing combustible and by its peculiar rose-colored flame; if the ide of siiver is in sufficient quan- a may be treated with muriatic acid, when it wive off prussic acid; then the only mode of verifying that would be to use the sulphur test or te tind test; the white chloride of silver could NO SUCH RESULTS AS THOSB obtatned from the cyanide of silver; the use of nitrate of ailver can only produce a agente, which must aiterwards be verified by the sulphur and the tron tests; for very minute quantities of prussio acid. the nitrate of silver test ls objectionable and bo rrr because one may Bot met ae cyanide o1 siiver to be able to distinguish readil between the cyanide and chloride; the apparent 1) yt of cyanide of allver in the use of that st, (the nitrate of silver test) can furnish no con- clusive proof until by subsequent chemical examination the ay mt le is proved to be a real Ihave to ve minute quantities of prussio acid I rely upon ‘the iron teat and the sulphur test; the sulphur test has the rec- ommendation that it is infallible in detecting the vapor of prusaic acid; the product of the sulphur test gives a red color with a sesqui-salt of fron, which, og under these circumstances, cannot ve confounded with any other known red compound of tron; the sulphur and the tron test will therefore give results apparent to the eye when dealing with uantities of matter too smali to be manageable in the ordinary way; I may sum up, then, by saying that instead of using nitrate of silver to show the resence of prussic acid, by producing a compound m which I afterwards would be obliged to separate that prussic acid before I could be sure of its presence, I preterred the more direct mode of proceeding to procure from any prussic acid pres- ent certain colored products recognizable by their color and not to be mistaken for anything else if the ordinary Brecentions were observed; the only uncertainty will arise from a doubt as to the color; the depth of color, the intensity of color, will de- pend on the quantity of coloring matter or colored particles present, and therefore the depth of the color will bear a very close relation ae, ‘ab _ 2 5~ o QUANTITY OF BRGcoiu A ie foind in thé tubstandes int blue color is as equally conclusive as 8 free blue in the one case, and 2 laint red is as equatly conclusive as a deep red in the other; the only ditference is that wit! the faint color there has been less and with the or color more prussic acid present; in the use of the sulphur and the iren tests the only essential in the products is that the color shall be sufficient to be distinct; if tne one is blue and the other red I would consider the conclusion irresistible; these constitute my reasons for using these two vests and for not using the nitrate of silver. Professor Aiken was here asked to approximate, from the amount of poison found, as to how much there might have been or was in the body twelve days before his examination. This was objected to by the defence, upon the ground that Proiessor Aiken, being a chemist and pot a doctor, was not competent to give the opinion as an Adel bee The Court here adjourned until nine o’clock Monday morning. The case on Monday will take on an interest it has not before known, as some very important evi- dence will be given. THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE FAIR. The Opening on Wednesday Next—The Arrangement of the Various Depart. ments. The forty-first annual exhibition of the Amer- ican Institute will open on Wednesday, at the mammoth structure at the corner of Sixty-third street and Third avenue. The opening address will be delivered by F, A. P. Barnard, LL. D., President of the Institute, at three P.M. The seeming inex- tricable confusion incident upon the earlier prepar- avions for the reception of goods, and the auxiliary attractions in the line of decorations, have entirely eared, and, under the judicious management of the various committees, the interior of the build- ing has assumed a more inviting appearance: The lower floor of the front extenston will be devoted entirely to statuary and designs in iron, bronze and terra-cotta, relleved by a tasteful ar- rangement of fir trees and evergreens, The second floor will be used as an art Fallety, in which an un- usually large collection of chromos, photographs and oil painti: ra ae ee ed. In this apart- ent, also, will be located all the electrical appara- U8 Of a philosophic or scientific nature, Beg herb! ung sa ie ea is ed e centre is-occu yy an octagon- a shaped music stand, which is to be highly orna- IL trend ty end a magnificent soda fouled” is oA the west t hij repre- surmounted by a statue, Ce fee! mh, senting @ beautiful female holding a pitcher, from which a stream of goda water is constantly flowing for the bay aptly delectacion of a tpi bear at her feet. Just at the entrance of the halla large and very handsome fountain, of peculiar construction, 1s now being placed in position. In. the Rashinery, department, in the wing be- yond the main hall, the arra ment is Mes ted as it now stands, and it is to.be hoped that, inthe somewhat perp! lexing task of allotting suitable spaces for the more recent applications, when so much already appropriated, this will not be marred. In this room nearly all the large steam engines will be located, as also the centrifugal and force pumps, of which there Is to be quite a variety. Along the extcnsion facing Second avenue the peor are occupied by rotary and caloric engines, diamond and other drills, novel sawmills an wood working machinery of all descriptions. The boiler room has been enlarged and rendered more accessible. The buatiding throughout will be lighted by oxyhydrogen gas, which it is thought will add miuch to the general appearance. FIRES IN BROOKLYN. Report of Marshal Keady for the Month Pt i Augusi—Losses, Insurance and Deaths. ‘The subjeined report of fires in Brooklyn during the past month will be presented to the Board of Police Commissioners to-day :— Ganrizen—Thirty fires oecurred in this city @urin the month of August just closed, by each one of which more or less property’ was damaxed or destroyed. The Causes, 0 far ast could ascertain them, are in, the main the same as recorded from month to month during the past four years. They are as follows :—Explosion of kero- Pane oll tamps, 2; defective flues, 8; careless nge of oll and Hants, 8) explosion of 2 turpentine sul, 1 packed | lime, 31: overheating | furnsecs Ir room: 3° AUppose inceudiar- fom, 2; chlidten playing with matches, 1; defective moves and chimneys, 2; jit gon combustion, 2; unknown, Brand the remainder from various accidental causes.” It will be seen that most of these fires could have Leen pre- vented with the exercise of ordimary care. Many oi them have been in establishments which liad been on tire be- fore within a year, the proprietors of which were cau- tioned at the time to be more careful. THE LOSSES AND INSURANCES for the month, so far as they could be ascertained from owners of yroperty and insurance companies, are as fol- tod loss: itd’ Ineurance on crit in ie Fs on stock and furniture. 37, Feennite on stoce and furniture. 88,700 Actual Joss. eran The estti ren by is taken properly owners at the. time oftue fire. The actual loss, tually much 1esm is ascertained afterwards from insur- 1d through other sources. r SONS BURNED TO DEATH | Y Notwithstanding that i said and published about the dangers of Earesrns oll and other burning fluids peo- le still continue use It carelessly. The practice of indling fires mi. senran. oll abd other explos| Tiquids cansed the death of thre persons in this city ing the month, as will be seen from the following list August 16.—Ontherine Jones, aged twenty-three, re- siding ‘at the corner of Harnilton ayenue and Van Brant street, was burned to death while attempting to kindle @ fire by pouring kaxomaus oll in the stove. Auzust 2.—Ann Fredricks, 11 Montrose avenue, was burned to death while attempting to kindle a fire by’ pour- ing kerosene oil on St. * gust 29.—Catherine Grifith, rvant in the employ of Mr. McGrath, Third avenue, ir Fitty-third street, to death while attempting to kindle a fire by alcohol on It. ugust 18,—Maria Wickham, a three years, was to death at the corner of Twentieth strect and il matches. ance companies PE f ‘be a sufficient wi Fring. to those uslig Keroseno olf not to pour it on the fire, but I tear the practice will be continued, There were many other "ce eldents from its nse, but they were not attended with fatal consequences, oxOarive 7th tae. Michael Dot rasaererted on a charge the action of the Gri ick iy Aa SB force Reser 5 the block eee tea baie era Brooxuyy, August 31, , A VIOTIM OF THE KEROSENE FIEND, Mrs. Kate Edwards, the girl-wife of nineteen, in Newark, who was so shockingly burned on Satur- day night by the explosion in her hands of a kero- sene lamp, died early yesterday morning from her i juries, although receiving the best of care at St. Michael's Hospital, A man named Peter Callagnan, ‘who tried to save Mrs, Edwards, was badly, but not fatally, burned, UP THE HUDSON. ‘I _Bxeursion to Fort Lee—Seenes on Board the Pleasant Vailey—A View from the Palisades. Fort Lee, like all ether places in the environs of the great city, has obtained a wonderful popularity during the past few years, and no place more justly, You might search vainly fora more beauti- ful location in its way over the whole American Continent, It is no wonder, therefore, that crowds flock to it every Sunday. It is true that Fort Lee on Sunday is not all that could be desired by the most fastidious, Young America fs apt to be rather noisy and demonstra- tive, and desecrate the woods and the day with a too great amplitude of obfurgative language. But then that’s a disadvantage in Sunday excursions all the world over. No, not perhaps the whole world. France is an exception, though even there Sunday excursions have lost some of that inno- cence which once characterized them. And Speaking of France and the French recalls the fact that no place of resort in the vicinity of the city is more popular with the American French than Fort Lee. Look at the faces round you as you sit on the upper deck of the Pleasant Valley—a sad old tub—and listen to them Speak. There is the little vivacious French grisette, just as grisettish as ever she was in the Quartier Latin. Hear her rattle away with the fippancy and esprit of the true Parisian. How it recalls the pic- nica in the woods at St. Cloud or Neuilly years ago, before the Prussians had made those beautiful little places waste deserts, where, perhaps, mever again will be heard the same merry laughter and ringing Voices such as were heard there before the war. And there, just @ little way off, site the staid old bourgeois, not a whit changed from his counterpart in Paris and looking on the Hudson with the same expression of naive wonder which marked his good-natured face when he watched the play of the “Eaux de Versailles,” And beside him hisjolt jood- tempered wife, paring the most assiduous at! jon to a couple of little brats, who, with the most persistant tenacity, want to divide the mother's parasol between them, Watch this party fora few moments and then say whether on sae with the popular American idea that here is no happiness, no unity in French families. And, further, sitting on the stair railing ia the fierce Communist, his mont! fheg mt execrations of La Repudlique and M. Thiers, an RS ad savage against them aa he was three years back againat meagre tnd pote He pee ay in oe or Whole arrangemen lc. 2 dience peony only of a nine ale yi ath with te tacles, evidently a plano teacher; and all about you are other French people, with the same yoluble tongues, among them, of course, two or three opéra voufe choristers. In fact, you seem actually to be in a petit Paris all to yourself, and the feelin; would perhaps continue bat for the sudden out burst of yest we deka below. Young Amert- ca—or per naps better, Young Gotham, which is an tntensified Young America and slightly more rough—has asserted itself, and there apeeete to be every probability of a free fight be- tween decks. The Captain arrives on the scene, however pe is aceustomed to this sort of thing), and, with a strong Milesian accent, anda threat of something more substantial dis- pernes the rioters, The only remnant of the em- ryo fight is an old man with a bloody nose, who takes his wounded feelings up stairs among the upper tendom, Landings are made at Shadyside, which deserves its name, and at Pleasant Valley, and at length, after an hour's delightful sail, Fort Lee ts reached. The captain impatiently orders the passengers off the boat; he is anxtous to get back for another load, and the cargo of human beings flock oif wherever their instincts carry. Some et no further than the nearest er er saloon, Others wend their way up the hill to the woods; some hire boats for a row; others jump in tor a swim, and the French portion toil their wi up to the French restaurant, about half a mile off. Others, who want a bit of scenery, walk slong the margin of the river, where, after a walk of ten minutes, you reach the steps which lead up the hill-mde. .On a hot Summer's day these steps, some five hundred in number, are a tbear; but with the thermometer at seventy it pleasant enough to ascend them, Women don’t always like it, and sometimes break down half way; but with @ little courage, and per- haps an occasional swig at a friendly Hask, the top ig at length reached. Then a view bursts on the sight which people might often go a thousand milea to sce without getting haifas Foot. Down below, apparently a thousand beneath fect you, rolls the majestic Hudson. You can distinguish the pleasure boats, bat the people in them look no bigger than fies. Coming up the stream you see two barnes Leds Hoapt at along, with a tug boat doing its little best to help them. The breeze occasionally wafts to your ear the faint sounds of the music on board, and you may imagine that nimble feet are dancing to its at But you cannot see them, Over on the other side a train of cars, no r than your hand, are wending their along the river bank. Above them stretches the leafy prospect offFort Washington, with its white villas fianeing, out among the trees. Down the river In the dim distance you can discern, yet barely, the ihe and domes of New York, and below them its confused mass of houses. Around you stretch the dense woods, where you may wan- der as far as Buffalo if you please without get- tin, out of them, e@ superb view, the feeling of the immensity which stretches before ch A. Your soul with a silent joy. To be sure itisa gang of Toughs who gather7aRiion of a youthful istinct symptoms of disturbing your put. a you give way to the influx and wander through tho Hunger at length warns that it ie neces- sary toreturn to civilization, and you indulge in lager and sandwiches till the boats come up to take you back, and you return to the city and your weekday toil vastly benefited by your Sunday ex- cursion to Fort Lee. THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN. The Sabbath in the Park—“The Melan- choly Days Have Come”—Increase o Pleasure Seekers—The Closed Meadow: Innocent Love-Making. ¢ ‘The first day of the Autumn months saw rather am increased than a diminished number in the multitudes who flock on every Sabbath to the Cen- tral Park. The cool nights of the past week have warned people of the decline of the full-matured Summer that has delighted us all with her glorious beauty whenever we have found time to escape to the breathing spot in the northern part of the island, and her voices of music are beginning to carol in minor straitis the sad farewells of the season. Yesterday the songsters sang but snatches of melody at intervals among the heavily-foliaged trees, and those in aubdued tones, But the walks and benches and shady nooks were thronged, as usual, with the streams of visitors which keep flowing in ali day, and only ebb slowly outward at the falling of the night shadows. Once past the gates and within the precincts of Art and Nature the wearied citizen finds it somewhat dificult to depart from the cool seclusion from afflicting monotony, and he does not return home without a pang. The watering places are just beginning to give up their “fashionabies,") most of whom return to the city. The fine carriages on the drives are More numerous than they have been during the Summer, and in the clear bracing air and bright sunshine the scene 1s one of cheerful enliven- Ment and careless enjoyment. A few fast trotters were yesterday noticed, driven by lovers of the turf, and their long strides around the green-en- vironed curves attracted much attention. though the rales of the Commissioners im, d upon them the restriction of not driving faster than seven miles an hour, yet the grace of move- ment and beauty of form in these blooded stecds were well displayed and were gratifying to the Teams of prancing bays came swing- along before the heavy family coaches of “heavy moneyed men,’ whose re- etability bin 4 also be classed §=as of the heavy order. Madam sits uj the back seat, in her widely-spreadiug silk, with e ig of lace and bonnet arranged @ la dowager. She is portly and aristocratic in her personnel, Next her sits the daughter of the house, who is pale, shadowy, with wearlsome-looking be Coat of jewelry anid conspicuous kid gloves. The father sits facing his wife and offspring, attired in sleek broadcloth and looking meek and lamb-like, You would not think that he was a bear on Wall street and that he was hard on his debtors. He perhaps has heard a ser- mon in the. morning, heavily worded, from the Ups cf his pastor, for he appears as 1 the if hy. oes mbting duty bigs ea 1e yen olls along with a rum! sound; Madam I. parasol he it emerges irons tho arch of the Phase keep the sun from her pe ar andthe next equip: comes ser: ts well loaded, aoe Dreetate it contrasta ellks, seated vis-a-vis with the 18 nko the “ap fe steps. a man and tar a her Groom. She has sallow and thin hands, but a faint smile wreathes her thin Ups as the sun- t falls on her white hairs, Here iss hireling ib, contatn' four Germans, quite remarkable for ‘herr wcbricty ana corpoonty, Here comes an jumble wa irawn by sorry - taining four jovial Hibercians, overflowing with feeling, and some one says— melancholy days have come, The saddest of the year, When more {a drank of gin and ram ‘And less of lager beer. me The lestrians yesterday in the were per- mitted to walk on the “common” and enjoyed the ht privilege which has been secured them by the influence of EE most hugely. The children were most of all delighted with the opportunity fo) gambolling on the velvety grass, and papas an pap 8 jogkes on with happy smiles. One thin, ‘ad remarked, however, which does not speak wel for the judgment of the management of the Park. @ area of meadow open to the pub- lic is so limited that in some places, where the greatest crowds occur, the grass i coming worn down to the roots, and is looking badly. If the whole Park were thrown open with- Out reservation, ramble, hills and all, this fact might not exist and mach more pleasure would be afforded to the citizens who frequent it, The cools, est and pleasantest nooks are to be found in those Very portions which are now forbidden to the fret Perambulations of the public. The excuse ig that Many evil-minded persons would take advantage of, any such Permission to gene their immoral pro« ensities, while the fact 1s plain that no such con- net can take place during the day without that knowledge of the oficers, and such as may possibl. occur at night could only be evomes by closin, jr" M hour, bir gates oe he Lye at an ea 5 innocent love-making on Sunday is very frequet ly seen, but httle or none which would i rene oa as being immoral, and the excuse (or the strict laws of the Park Commissioners seems somewhat prudish on the part of these honorable gentlemen. The foliage and greensward of yesterday showe: little sign of the approach of Autamn’s “‘melan. choly days,’ although once in a while was see! fed leaf. The mantles of the trees were dark t hue, which indicates their full summer maturity, aid never has the Park looked more beautitee aid er Many of the shrubs are still in fulk bloom, and vines clambering over the rocks have had a Bot luxuriant growth during the; warm months ie walks were dotted by the lin« ering strollers long after sundown, who were loth! leave thé quiet enjoyment of the twilight scenes; but by ten o’clock they were almost de-, serted, and the city slept before its week of labor. PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN. The people of Brooklyn have this year manifestea/ @ decided determination to enjoy to the best 4 their ability the worth of their money—eight mil Mons of dollars—expended on Prospect Park. The Commissioners, too, who have had the handling o! this vast amount, have displayed a disposition t encourage the masses to visit the costly pleasur ground, and have them “‘see for themselves” wha' has been done with the money. In order to effec! this end they introduced Saturday afternoon col certs in the woods, which have all been remarkab! well patronized during the summer. Twenty-eight or thirty acres of the lake were opened in May las and small boats were placed thereon, A tem rary deer paddock was opened, and Shelter Co! tage, a place of refreshment opposite the head the lake, ma thrown open. These addition: attractions ve had the desired effect and the hundreds of thousands of visitor: have gone away satisfied with the prospect of hav- ing a beautiful Park at some future day when Ht designs on paper shall have been perfected. Thi will not be less than five years hence. The favortt resort of ladies and children—‘ Cottage Hill,” by, the “Dairy’—was thronged yesterday by happy, family grodps. While speaking of the “Dairy,” it may hot be out of place to cail the attention of th Commissioners to the fact that a remarkable differ. ence exists between the prices demanded by th “Dairy” host or caterer and the printed schedul circulated to mislead visitors, The tendency of, the prices paid is decidedly high. The meadows, Jen and woodlands were filled with people, enjoy- ing the bracing breezes of the first day of Autumn, and drinking in the Invigorating sea air wafted in from old Ocean, The day being clear the scenery was charming, and in the comparisons drawn between Prospect Park and the Central for supe- riority in that respect, the former bore off the paim. The drives were thronged the entire after- noon, not by brilliant equipages for the aristocratic lords of creation and their noble dames and the blue-blooded beaux and belles regard it as a vulgar rofanation of the Sabbath to be seen driv ng hrough the Park on Sunday. But the toilers o! the week who could aiford to induige in the outlay of funds sufficient to hire a team were to be seen in great numbers dashing over the well-kept roads andvooking their appreciation of the momentary importance which they acquired in the eyes of pass- ing lager acqualntauces, to whom they will exclaim in rapture and conccit, in the sanga of Dan Bryant, when they return to “the shop” to- day, ‘Did you see me?” Not less than 36,000 per-, sons entered Prospect Park yesterday. MUSIC AND THE DRAMA. —_--—_——- An Unmeant Compliment. While Owens was recently acting Solon Shingle’ at the Grand Opera House, Baltimore, he chanced to breakfast with a small party from the rural shores of the Chesapeake at Barnum’s Hotel. Un- known to the parties, he was made to listen toa criticism upon his “search for his applesass.”” The old grandmother of the family was asked what was her impreasion in regard to the recent night’s per- formance, “Well,” she replied, “she liked the theatre and the actors very much, and felt sure all the time that the young man wouldu't be guilty of stealing @ watch; but she did think that some measures should have been taken to keep that old man from interfering with the oir actors; he ought to have been forced to after his cattle and leave the actors to finis play uninterrupted, Footlight Flashes. Clann niayg “Kit this week at Wood's, Yaukee Locke reais ~-— 241 at the Bow: “Ixton” at Wallack’s, with all the pretty vu: ‘ “The Red Pocketbook’ will open this week at the Olympic, , “The Bells” are a-ringing at Booth's till further notice. Charley White has a bewildering bill at bis Athe- neum. Dan _ Bryant has a new bill and a Fall costume from Worth’s. Mrs, Macready essays Shylock at the Academy, on the 9th inst. John E. Owens will inquire about that “bar of apple sass” at the Park, Brooklyn, this evening. i The San Francisco Minstrels issue cards for the St. James every evening. ) Mr. Sothern ta in town, looking nothing the worse from his trip across the briny. i Emerson's California Minstrels black their faces every night at Lina Edwin's. The vogetable potentate is in full bloom at the Grand Opera House. ) The Fifth Avenue Theatre will sparkle on Tues- day, HL, 3 the first time this season, with “Dia- mon ‘The queen of serto-comic vocalists,” Miss Annie Adams, ls the new star engaged by Josh iiart at the Comique, \ @ testimonial at the Academy on line they may be called Vokes e@ Mr. George F. Bristow has mado arrangements’ with the Philharmonic Society for @ series of four, concerts to be given at the Academy of Music this season, each concert being preceded by three pub- he rehearsals, Theodore Thomas’ Central Park Garden concerts continue, ag the season advances, to grow in popu~ larity. Mr. Thomas makes his usual musical tour of the cities next Winter, and has already organ-, ized his staf, The concert organization will com-| mence travelling the last of September. It con, siste of sixteen violing, five violas, four violoncel- Jos, four double basses, oue harp, one piccolo, two flutes, two oboes, oné cornet anglais, two clario- nets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, one tuba, kettledrums, sidedrum and, bass druum. ) The London Times thus referred to Miss Kellogg's appearance at Drury Lane as Gilda, during tl ast season :—“Gilda was one of the parts essayert yy Mise Clara Louise Kellogg at Drury Lane Thea-, tre, in 1868, the second year of her appearance among us, Much and justly ay her periormance: was eulogized then, it merits praise still more unre- stricted now. Perhaps without even excepting her Linda, Gilda is Mias Kellogg's most. finished Imper-¢ sonation—most finisned alike from a dramatic and @ musical point of view. By the dramatic signii- cance which she imparta she endows the character with a higher interest. She looks it to ad- mir eat Indeed, so far as personal appearance has anything to do with the matter, a more attract. ive portrayal of Verdi's most prepossessing heroine than that of the gifted young American has rarely, tg om been seen on the hoards of the lyric stages, According to her treatment, the auhappy daughter bs the miserable Court Jester (gt bias beh har tl i} of giving atte oe, Hl i ‘a na fect man ” CP Thatimingly tnnefal, rages, he inten with vocal fuency and sweet 84. i Something which causes people to betievs that Gilda can feel as well as sing. given her ample opportunities; True, Verdi tn h ‘to wot or more ay tel nen! of the Lev rise out of the complex motives of the drama. To aay A; ¥ Garo excl interview tween GI aa and glet, in tie palace of the’ when, to her father's arms, the out- ra Gilda narrates the story of her innocent amour at, man Peoria she eA ‘su; ioe ed La a nt, and, per! beat inact & where’ ie torent uhaing Gilda, disguised i male attire, is made cognizant of the falsehood her imaginary lover, to save whose life she volun. tarily sacrifices her own. Mile, Kellogg’s Gilda, t sum Up, Was a success as unqualified as it was hon« orably obtained—without pretence, without showy without anything, in short, beyond an carnest de aire to do her very best,”