Nicolai relates this case as a "species of catalepsy," and Dr. Binns says, "It is, more correctly speaking, one of trance." We think it was not catalepsy, because the senses received and conveyed impressions, and the memory retained them. It was not trance, we apprehend, because none of the symptoms of that morbid state accompanied it; he was not even thought to be dead. It could not have been incubus, which it very nearly assimilated, for the causes are incompatible with the pathology - it did not supervene on sleep, and its phenomena were not limited to circumstances present, but revert to what had already transpired. Such a case, full of interest to the psychologist, we conceive to be one of hallucination, associated with excessive irritability of the auditory nerve, and belonging to neither class in which it has been placed. The instance of a lady who was in the habit of ejaculating "Oh Christ!" on every trifling occasion, to be related when examining catalepsy, is of the same character; and both, in a psychological point of view, bear considerable resemblance to the case of Tasso.

On this occasion we feel constrained to digress somewhat from the psychology of our subject, for the purpose of giving a few instances in which persons have been buried alive while in this state. There is, probably, no single idea so replete with horror, as that of being interred before life is extinct; and yet the not uncommon practice of burial, ere the sun has twice set upon the lifeless body, is. witnessed without any emotion, or even a thought that this may by possibility be the unhappy result. This custom is so reprehensible, that in the absence of affection, duty, or respect for the cast-off earthly tenement of a divine emanation, the law should specify the time to elapse between death and sepulture when positive evidence of dissolution is absent, to save from the horrors of a living tomb. Every individual is deeply interested in this subject, for so long as the present custom is allowed, each and all of us are liable to suffer the agonies of a death so dreadful.

It may be asked, if we are liable to deception in regard to the presence of the vital principle, by what means shall it be tested beyond the possibility of error ? The answer is, that in the absence of organic lesion, decomposition is the only positive evidence that life has departed; for as soon as life is extinct, chemical affinity is busy in re-arranging the particles of the lifeless mass. And still, great circumspection is required in determining when this change has taken place, because the odor of gases continually escaping from the body may possibly be the cause of error in decision. It appears from late experiments and observations, that flaccidity of the iris after death may be used as a test. "M. Rippault proposes to apply the circumstance of the iris becoming flaccid after death as a means of distinguishing between real and apparent death; for in the former case he finds that the pupil loses its circular form when the globe of the eye is compressed in two opposite directions ; but, on the contrary, retains its round form so long as life and the power of vision remain."* But as this may prove erroneous, we repeat that the only reliable test is that of chemical decomposition.

We present a few cases of premature interment: -"Upon our arrival in Dublin, my mother and myself were very kindly received by Dr. Walker. The doctor, at this time, was writing a treatise against the Irish custom of burying the dead within a few hours after their decease. When my mother heard on what subject he was writing, she related to him the story of Mrs. Godfrey, and as soon as she had concluded it, she promised, that if she should be in the same kingdom with him when he died, she would attend to the corpse, and take care that it was not. entombed whilst there was the least probability of return to life. * * * The sequel of the story is, that, some time after, Dr. Walker fell ill of fever, and Mrs. Bellamy, one afternoon, sending to inquire after him, the servant returned, and informed her, that he had died during the night, and that they were going to bury him : she added, that as they were about to shroud the body, the orifices which had been made in the arms for letting blood, had bled afresh. For reasons which are stated, neither Mrs. Bellamy nor her mother could go to the doctor's that night, and they therefore sent the servant in a coach, directing, if the body was interred, to have it taken up at all costs, for they had learned that Mrs. Walker had been persuaded by her sister to leave the house, and retire with her to Dunleary. The servant, while on her way, either from apprehension or love of company, contrived to take several persons with her, and, on arriving at the doctor's, found the body had been interred immediately after she had left, lest the disease of which he had died should be infectious. She also learned that, Mrs. Walker being a dissenter, the body had been interred in the Anabaptist burying-ground, at the other end of the town. She proceeded therefore in search of the sexton, still accompanied by her friends, but as they could not find his house, they clambered over the gate, and got round the grave, where the servant alleged she heard a groan. About daybreak, by means of some laborers who informed them where he lived, they found the sexton, who, after considerable hesitation, disinterred the body ; and, on opening the coffin, - I shudder while I relate the horrid scene,' says the authoress, 'they found the body now totally deprived of life, but observed that the doctor had endeavored to burst it open, had turned upon his side, and the arms had bled afresh! The family, however, hearing of the circumstance, the body was ordered to be re-interred, and the affair was hushed up."*

* American Journal Med. Sciences, 1847.

Also from the same work, "An inhabitant of the Commune of Eymet (Dordogne),,, says the Presse, "being attacked with a constant inability to sleep, applied to a medical man, who ordered him a sleeping potion. He soon fell asleep, but the next day, remaining in the same state of repose, his family got alarmed, and some one attempted to bleed him. No blood following the lancet, a more minute examination was instituted, and it was declared that he was dead. He was buried, but some time after it was suspected that the potion might have caused his apparent death. The coffin was in consequence opened, and the body was found turned completely round. The man had been buried in a trance, and had evidently attempted to force himself from his horrible prison.,,