was against reason denaid, tho yt if the third had been taken away, and the forth insert, it had been mor beseming to such a pertay. The second was yt ther might be a posativ claus insert in it, declairing against the indulgenc, which was also refused, becaus y' ther was a general included in it against supremacy, which was, a mer desain to blind the peopel and a moking of God. The third was, y' the causes of wreath, aknoledgment of sin, and ingadgment to deutays might be insert also, which with difficultay was obtained to be insert in the clos of it. What was furder don in it I know not, but I was informed y' thos y wer for it did desair y' it might be read only, and after reading, it should be mended to satisfaction or it were printed; on which terms it semeth y' it was condeshended on to be read, on condition y1 Mr King and Mr Duglas should red it, which was granted, tho basely broken, as was the former, and it was read and comented on by Mr Hum to the dissatisfaction of manay; and after, contrair to ingadgment (as ye hav said), printed with out our knowledg. But I shall not stay on al breaches y' fel out, but to y councel of war y was at the Shaw-head Moore on the Wednesday - I most not forget by the by, y' on the Sabath, on of our ministers wased of the pleac when going to preach by Mr Hum, who yt day had no from the armay to preach himself, tho he intruded himself, but the councel, it was ther voted by all, sav your self and Mr Carmihael, (I mean James,*) y' ther should be a day of humiliation condeshended, and ther wer four ministers and four elders chosen out to draw up the cases of the fast; and I am sur y this was don without a contradicting wot, sav two only. Learmon desaird it might be delayd

now

Mr Welsh cam, who indeed cam and brok up al weray shortly; so yt we pearted from the councel soom of us with tears in our eis; and I wish yt we had pearted from you that day, it had been beter for us this day then it is, and mor for the gloray of God I am sur. But I heast to the other council of war y' was on Saturday, wher the Galuway gentlemen wer; I re

Son to the Earl of Wigton's chamberlain.-Proclamation against Rebels, June 26, 1679.

member yt it was liker a babel then a serious counsel, for al the gentelmen, whether officers or not, behoved to be ther, and wot forsuth, and the first thing was don was y' the Galaway men desaired a preses to be chosen; to which it was ansered, y' Mr Hamilton had always preceded, with ful consent of the officers of the armay; then it was demanded who wer officers? to which it was ansered, y' we y' wer with them wer, and y' we were chosen pro tempore, and had officiat til now, but wer wiling to giv pleac to any yt deserved it beter, so y' they wold steat the lords quaral aright; and I remember y' I said (the Lord knows I spok treuth) yt I was satisfied to hav served as a laqay man under anay y' they should apoint over me, so that he or they wold steat the Lordsquaral aright; butal the anser we got to y' was a few brawling words and soom of selfcomendation from soom men that might hav held ther peac. The mixt thing was the galoway gentlemen desaired that ther ministers might be brought in, to which we ansered yt our wer not al ther at y teim, y they might be cald with thers, and yt it was not exspedient yt ministers sat in a council of war but when necesesarly cald therto, neither had they been with us formerlay but when cald ; but tho y' it was also said by us, yt if ministers wer cald, it was fit y* elders was cald also, yaet Mr Hume, and others with him, rushed in uncald, and asked wher wer ther elders, they knew few or non; tho yt it was ansered yt ther wer manay godly elders both of oficers and souldiers in the armay, yeat they wer not permitted to be cald, least I think they should hav mised ther desing of owerpowering us by wots if they had ben cald. The first thing treated on after the ministers cam in, was a petitioning the duke, and a debeating for yo old busines. When y' we saw yt ther was nothing like to be setled on yt was becoming such an armay, we ros and went out, to the number of eghtein or neinten oficers; tho ye be pleased to term yt numer weray few, yeat ther wer mor y went out then I have said; and my brother told yt he durst not wenter his blod in batel with such as thos wer yt stayd behind, seing y they did so steat the quarel as yt the Lord was robed by the steating of it. What ye did after we went out I know not, but we wer cald in again, and

being com back, we told y' we wer in y' same judgment we were in when we went away. Then your new preces, for it semeth ye had chosen on, prest a petitioning of the duk, and we having refused and desaird (soom at least desaired) to know to what purpos, for it was not in his pour to grant us anay thing, (as hath apeared to be treuth sinc) yeat Mr Hum said yt he knew yt he had pour to do, and that he waited for our petition; and treuly I dout not but Mr Hum's information was good as to the last, for he, no question, tampered with his bretheren who tampered with the Duck, the indulged bretheren I men. In end (for I heast), it was agraied on yt yt petition should be read, which was such an on as might hav scared any cristian from ofering to present it, for it was al stufed with Malignant Loieltay; and we having refused it altogether, at lenth ther was a motion mead of sending on information of our grivences; for drawing of which ther was four gentelmen, tuo on each seid, and four ministers chosen for drawing up of it, which after y they had agreid on a drawght, it was ordered to be drawen up, (how honestly it was don I know not, but it semeth yt it was don so with as other things wer don with formerly.) So we peartid, and was sent to Dunserf with my troup to guard y' pas, wher I stayed al night, til I was cald for the nixt morning and sent to the foord yt is on the east seid of Hamilton, with Bankhead, who told me y' Mr Hume was gon to the Duk, which indeed wexed me much; so yt, Sir, I canot giv anay acount of your behavior at the bridg in the morning. I hav sen under your oun hand, which semeth inded to be favorabel enouch to yow, and as unfavorabel of others, as I hear by soom yt was ther; but I pas it and come again to my oun peart, (which truely, Sir, I had forborn to speak if ye had not necessitat me to do so,) for I was cald to the mur, and when I cam I had orders to pleac my troop four pear of buts behind the second bragad on the left hand, wher they stayed; and I cam doun twis thriec to the boday, but found few of oficers espesialy of thos of Galoway, with ther troups; but, as on of them told sinc, they wer busied about the sending a second petition, so y' they had not leasur to be with ther troups. So, sir, I find you in a

mistak when ye say yt I was on the front with my troop; I was indead threic doun befor the enime, wiewing them, and readay to excheng a pistol with anay of them, if they had anay com out to me; and I spok with Greinrig, who told me he was to while with his troup, and tho I did what was in me to disuad him, yeat while he did with that forward gentelman ye spok of, Mr Carmihel, who at yt teim was mor forthward to flei, than stout to fight, so yt thos two wer they yt brok the foot yt wer behind them, and consequently the whol armay. For my peart, sir, I shal not say anay thing as to my ceariag, but this I am sure of, yt I stayd in the fild til ye and a thusand mor wer making mor us of your spurs then your swords; and in token of it sir, I brought the marks of my staying, with which you wer not at leasur at yt teim to wait on, unles yt ye had acedentalay met with the first canon bal, which I am glead ye prevented by your teimus retreat. As for yt forward gentel man, I am sur if the canon had ether hit him or his comerad captain Weir, it behowed to hav overtaken them, for they wer both fled or the canon shot; but the other captain yt ye say was with yow in the morning, was not so wise as ye, for he ether had not a hors, or forgot to tak him, which ye did weray teimusly. Thus, sir, I hav showen you a few treuths, and I shal clos with y sam ye clos with, to wit, I shal frelay giv you liv to cal me a lier if ther be ought in this account but trueth; and I am hopful y' tho soom may tak the freedom to do it behind my bak, yeat they wil not neither say it to my feac, nor giv it under. unles they resolv to run the risk of being proven a lier, which, sir, wil easelay be don, but I pas it, and leavs manay thousands of frinds, and soom enemeis, to bear witnis of the trueth of my cairag y day, and of your servant, whom ye know

ACCOUNT OF THE RECENT IMPROVE

MENT MADE IN BLOCK-PRINTING.

MR EDITOR,

THE improvement lately made by Mr Savage of London, in this branch of art, is so remarkable, and gives it a character so completely novel, that a short view of it will, I hope, be interesting to your readers. I shall premise a brief account of its invention and progress to the present time.

Engraving on wood is in all probability of a much earlier origin than either printing or copperplate engraving. According to Heinekin, it was first practised by the makers of playing cards, and subsequently applied to the purpose of representing figures of Saints, or subjects taken from Scripture history, which, at that early period, were in request among the pious who could not read. The cards seem to have consisted of only an outline printed from the wood, the proper colours being afterwards filled in by the hand. The figures of the saints, &c. of which the Poor Man's Bible is one of the most celebrated examples, were executed in a style little superior to the knave and the other figures on the modern cards, having a few lines of hatching, and commonly a verse of poetry illustrative of the subject also cut in the block. In these we find the origin of letter-press printing.

The historical compositions of Albert Durer and Lucas van Leyden form a new era in the art, and to the present time, their bold drawing, truth of expression, and painter-like feeling of their subject, stand unrivalled. The greater delicacy and smoothness of the works of modern artists in this department cannot be denied, but they must yield to Albert Durer in variety, richness, and freedom of touch. But however excellent were the works of those artists, they only consisted of imitations of hatched drawings in Indian ink, without any attempt at the representation of colouring. Engraving in chiaro was probably invented by Mair about 1490. His works consist of two distinct tints of shadow thrown off by two separate blocks, with the outline etched on copper; these were executed with great neatness and delicacy. Soon after, the early Italian artists, Ugo da Carpi, Andrea Andreani, &c. executed many works which possess great boldness of effect, but without the neatness and delicacy so remarkable in the works of Mair. They consist generally of the outline, and of three separate tints of shadow, each printed by a separate block of wood, shaped or engraved of the form required. Although this method has been occasionally practised, down to the present period, by Zanetti, Jackson, Pond, and others, it received no improvement till the discoveries of Mr

Savage have shown the very extensive uses to which it may be applied. By increasing the number of blocks, he has been able to give representations, in colours, of the works of some of the best artists in London, in a manner so exquisitely beautiful and accurate, as to defy ordinary observation to discover the copy from the original. The exact similarity of one impression with another, is also a circumstance of the greatest consequence; for, by the ordinary methods of printing in colours from copperplates, the difficulty (it might be said impossibility) to attain this uniformity is well known.

*

The description of the process adopted by Mr Savage is very simple. Upon a piece of smooth boxwood, the first tint is sketched out. That part of the wood which is not marked with the tint, is then cut away with the common instruments used by engravers on wood; when that is done, only the part of the wood from which the tint is to be taken remains. A proof is then thrown off by a printing-press, and if the subject be a landscape, the first tint will be a light grey. The second tint is then drawn, and is carefully transferred to another block of wood, and the part of the wood not marked cut away as formerly. An impression from this block is made upon the same paper which had received the first tint. Two tints of the landscape are thus produced, and the remaining tints are supplied in the same manner successively by separate blocks, till the complete etfect is obtained. Several excellent specimens of landscapes by Mr Savage, in colours, sepia, and Indian ink, are in the possession of Mr John Ruthven of this place, a gentleman well known for his new and improved printing-press. These afford examples of what may be expected from Mr Savage's publication of landscapes from the pictures of the best artists in London, which is now, I believe, nearly ready, and cannot fail to be a very interesting work.

The advantages resulting from this method of copying pictures or drawings must, upon a little consideration,

be obvious to every one. The certainty with which it is done, the durability of the colours, (being mixed up with) and the moderate expence compared with that incurred in any other means of colouring hitherto discovered, are among the most remarkable. When we consider the inadequacy of language to convey almost any idea of colours, more particularly of those employed in pictures, the value of this discovery must be duly appreciated. It is in vain to treat of the subject of colouring without the aid of examples to refer to; and artists who have it not in their power to examine the paintings of the great masters, feel the want of a work of the kind. It has also been adopted, with complete success, in works on Bota ny, Natural History, &c.

I shall conclude these observations, with expressing a hope that Mr Savage, as soon as his leisure permits, will give to the world a set of engravings from the works of the best colourists amongst the ancient masters, ample materials for which are to be found in London. The engravers on wood, of the present day, possess abilities capable of accomplishing the work in a style of excellence which would be completely satisfactory.

Edinburgh, 4th Sept. 1817.

L.

SINGULAR CASE OF INVOLUNTARY DANCING.

MR EDITOR,

IN the seventh volume of the Transactions of the Medico-Chirurgical Society of London, there is a communication by Mr Kinder Wood, Surgeon, respecting a malady of so peculiar a nature, that a short abstract of its symptoms may be as interesting to the common as to the medical reader. It is considered as a very peculiar form of the malady called Chorea Sancti Viti, or St Vitus's Dance. It appears to me that it may more properly be considered as a form of Tarantism, or of that peculiar disease supposed to be produced by the bite of the Tarantula. To the same class probably belongs the louping (leaping) disease, to which the inhabitants of the county of Forfar are liable. The phenomena of that malady are very curious, and would deserve more elucidation than they have yet obtain ed from medical observers.

Alice Whitworth, a married woman, aged 22, residing near Oldham, on the 21st February 1815, consulted Mr Wood, on a case of severe pains shooting through the right side of her head. She was relieved by an opiate liniment; but on the 24th was affected by a violent agitation of the muscles, which was succeeded by involuntary motions of the right leg and arm, accompanied by beating with her feet. These movements continued for three hours, after which she became easier, and passed a quiet night. On the 25th, the affection returned, and continued through the day for two hours at a time, with intervals of an hour. On the 26th, the symptoms became more violent; she flew into every corner of the room, striking violently with her hand the furniture and doors, the sound of which appeared to afford her great satisfaction. On the 27th, the violence of the symptoms still increased, and we shall now describe them in Mr Wood's own words.

"She now struck the furniture more violently and more repeatedly, Kneeling on one knee, with the hands upon the back, she often sprung up suddenly and struck the top of the room with the palm of the hand. To do this, she rose fifteen inches from the floor, so that the family were under the necessity of drawing all the nails and hooks from the ceiling. She frequently danced upon one leg, holding the other with the hand, and occasionally changing the legs. In the evening, the family observed the blows upon the furniture to be more continuous, and to assume the regular time and measure of a musical air. As a strain or series of strokes was concluded, she ended with a more violent stroke or a more violent spring or jump. Several of her friends also at this time noticed the regular measure of the strokes, and the greater regularity the disease was assuming; the motions being evidently affected, or in some measure modified, by the strokes upon the surrounding bodies. She chiefly struck a small slender door; the top of a chest of drawers; the clock; a table; or a wooden skreen placed near the door. The affection ceased about nine o'clock, when the patient went to bed.

66

February 28. She arose very well at eight. At half-past nine the motions recommenced; they were

now of a more pleasant nature; the involuntary actions, instead of possessing their former irregularity and violence, being changed into a measured step over the room, connected with an air, or series of strokes, and she beat upon the adjacent bodies as she passed them. In the commencement of the attack, the lips moved as if words were articulated, but no sound could be distinguished at this period. It was curious, indeed, to observe the patient at this time, moving around the room with all the vivacity of the country dance, or the graver step of the minuet; the arms frequently carried, not merely with ease, but with elegance. Occasionally, all the steps were so directed, as to place the foot constantly where the stone flags joined to form the floor, particularly when she looked downwards. When she looked upwards, there was an irresistible impulse to spring up to touch little spots or holes in the top of the ceiling; when she looked around, she had a similar propensity to dart the forefinger into little holes in the furniture, &c. One hole in the wooden skreen received the point of the forefinger many hundred times, which was suddenly and involuntarily darted into it with an amazing rapidity and precision. There was one particular part of the wall to which she frequently danced, and there placing herself with the back to it, stood two or three minutes. This by the family was called 'the measuring place.

"In the afternoon the motions returned, and proceeded much as in the morning. At this time a person present, surprised with the manner in which she beat upon the doors, &c. and thinking he recognised the air, without further ceremony began to sing the tune; the moment this struck her ears, she turned suddenly to the man, and dancing directly up to him, continued doing so till he was out of breath. The man now ceased a short time, when commencing again, he continued till the attack stopped. The night before this, her father had mentioned his wish to procure a drum, associating this dance of his daughter with some ideas of music. The avidity with which she danced to the tune when sung as above stated, confirmed this wish, and accordingly a drum and fife were procured in the evening. After two hours of rest, the

motions again reappeared, when the drum and fife began to play the air, to which she had danced before, viz. the 'Protestant Boys,' a favourite popular air in this neighbourhood. In whatever part of the room she happened to be, she immediately turned and danced up to the drum, and as close as possible to it, and there she danced till she missed the step, when the involuntary motions instantly ceased. The first time, she missed the step in five minutes; but again rose, and danced to the drum two minutes and a half by her father's watch, when, missing the step, the motions instantly ceased. She rose a third time, and missing the step in half a minute, the motions instantly ceased. After this, the drum and fife commenced as the involuntary actions were coming on, and before she rose from her seat; and four times they completely checked the progress of the attack, so that she did not rise upon the floor to dance. At this period, the affection ceased for the evening.

"March 1. She arose very well at half-past seven. Upon my visit this morning, the circumstances of the preceding afternoon being stated, it appeared clear to me that the attacks had been shortened.

"As I wished to see the effect of the instrument over the disease, I was sent for at noon, when I found her dancing to the drum, which she continued to do for half an hour without missing the step, owing to the slowness of the movement. As I sat counting the pulse, which I found to be 120, in the short interval of an attack, I noticed motions of the lips, previous to the commencement of the dance, and placing my ear near the mouth, I distinguished a tune. After the attack, of which this was the beginning, she informed me, in answer to my inquiry, that there always was a tune dwelling upon her mind, which at times becoming more pressing, irresistibly impelled her to commence the involuntary motions. The motions ceased at four o'clock.

"At half-past seven the motions commenced again, when I was sent for. There were two drummers present, and an unbraced drum was beaten till the other was braced. She danced regularly to the unbraced drum, but the moment the other commenced she instantly ceased. As missing the time stopped the affections, I wished