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200]
Annual Register

ble,the smoke of tobacco, into the intestines, either by chirurgical instrument here called a fumigator, and which our readers may find described and delineated in Heifter's surgery; or, if that is not at hand, through a tobacco pipe, or the sheath of a pocket knife, the point of which is first cut off. To these expedients must be added the application of the most pungent volatile salts or spirits to the nostrils, or the tickling them with feathers: gentle shaking, and continued warm frictions, either dry, or with proper liniments rubbed in, from the neck down the spine of the back; the exhibition of stimulating clysters [[?]]: and afterwards, when the signs of returning life begin to appear, the pouring of brandy or other warm and stimulating liquors into the mouth, and the administration of vomiting and purging medicines.
It will give a humane reader pleasure to be informed, that in this publication the histories are given of no less than one hundred and nine citizens, who from the first institution of this society towards the end of the year 1767, to the close of the year 1770, have in the United Provinces alone, been restored to their friends and country, by the use of some or all of the methods above indicated. Of these, fifty-five have been thus preserved in the compass only of last year: all of them were adjudged to be dead by the bystanders; as they had every sign of criterion of death except putrefaction. Many of them were already stiff, and in none of them was there the least observable pulsation, either of the heart of arteries. Several of them had been half an hour, and some an hour under the water, and even under ice; the heads of some having stuck during that time, in the mud of the canals or rivers: and yet all of them were restored to life, and the honorary medal of the society, or their premium of six ducats, paid to their preservers. In a very small number of cases, indeed, the patients relapsed and died: but some of these had fallen into the water when in a state of intoxication; others had received injuries in the dragging them out, by means of hooks, from the bottoms of rivers or canals, or from the rough and ill-judged proceeding of the bystanders, rolling them upon casks with the belly undermost, and the head hanging downwards; a practice which the society justly condemns.
One of the most observable circumstances which we remark in these histories, and which confirms what we have said above concerning the smallness of the injury which the human body may sustain, by being for a considerable time immersed in water, is, that in many of the cases here recited, we observe the subjects of them, who formerly would have been numbered among the dead, and most undoubtedly been treated as such, walking about the next day, or even in a few hours, to thank their deliverers in person. In some of these instances, the human machine appears to have scarce suffered any greater injury, than a clock sustains by having had the motion of its pendulum accidentally stopped. Its works are not affected by the accident, and are all in a condition, and ready to perform their respective movement, the moment some friendly hand gives it a push, and renews its vibrations. We should not omit to observe, that 

[201
For the Year 1772.

that those who may find themselves in a situation to put the methods here recommended in practice, should not be discouraged at the seeming bad success of their first endeavours. Some of the subjects, whose complete recovery is related to these publications, exhibited no signs of returning life, till a very considerable time had been employed in the charitable work. Putrefaction alone, more particularly in cases of this nature, seems, as we have already hinted, to be the only certain criterion, that the vital principle is irrecoverably sled [[?]], and that all attempts to recall it are fruitless.

To the Honourable the Commons of Great-Britain in Parliament assembled. 
The humble Petition of the United Company of Merchants of England trading to the East-Indies.
(Presented, Dec. 14, 1772)
Sheweth,
"  THAT your petitioners are informed by the votes of this Honourable House, that in pursuance of a report from the Committee of Secrecy appointed to enquire into the state of the East India Company, it was ordered, " That leave be given to bring in a bill to restrain the East-India Company, for a time to be limited, from making any appointment of commissioners for superintending and regulating the Company's affairs at their presidencies in the East-Indies.
" That your petitioners, with all deference to the wisdom of this Honourable House, and to the Supreme authority of Parliament, cannot help considering such a bill as subversive of those rights which they hold under their charter; the original privileges of which, and the continuation thereof, have been purchased by their predecessors from the public for a valuable consideration, and repeatedly confirmed by several acts of parliament, the provision of which your petitioners are not in any degree conscious of having violated.
" That your petitioners do with all humility conceive it to be their undoubted legal right to send out any persons whom they judge proper to enforce and execute such regulations (agreeable to the powers of their charters) as the said Company shall think necessary for the good government of their several settlements in India, or for correcting such abuses as may have prevailed therein.
" That the present state of affairs in India, appears to the petitioners to be such as requires many new orders and regulations to be speedily sent out, as well for restraining exorbitant and unnecessary expences, as for correcting other abuses; and it has been found upon examination, that savings may be made in the several settlements and presidencies of the Company to the amount of many hundred thousand pounds.
" That, under these circumstances, your petitioners have thought it necessary to chuse certain commissioners, who appeared to them to be qualified for so important a trust, and to grant them a commission with extraordinary powers for carrying into effect such regulations, and enforcing such savings as have been, or shall be deemed necessary and expedient.
                                                   " That

Transcription Notes:
To stay in-line with previous pages, the letter "f" for soft "s" was not transcribed. The letter "s" was used in transcription as needed. ---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-05-12 10:50:36