[From Manx Note Book vol 2, 1886]

EXTRACTS FROM A POCKET BOOK
OF BISHOP WILSON CONTINUED)

KEBLE, in his "Life of Bishop Wilson," says "He had his eyes and his mind open to all common things." May it not be said to uncommon things also, as some of the following extracts shew:-

Eclipses, both of Sun and Moon, return after 6585=18 years and 10 days. Add 18 years, 10 days, 7 h., 43 min., 15 sec., and you have a corresponding Eclipse yn inst.

Black, Monday, Mar. 29, 1652, 10 in ye morning. Corresponding Eclipse, Apr. 8, 1670, in evening.

Corresponding Eclipse, Apr. 19, 1688, two, one in ye morning.

May Ist, 1706, at qi cor., Eclipse May 11th, 1724, 53 'past 4 evening.'

The date and time of Solar and Lunar Eclipses are then given from the year 1726 to 1740, to which are added the following notes-

N.B., A.D., 11-33, a most remarkable total Eclipse of the Sun, Aug. 2, Chron. of Man. The words of the Chron. are "Eodem anno Eclipses solis facta est quarto nonas augusta feria quarta ita ut dies in noctem verteretur aliqnamdiu.

"The Annular Eclipse of the Sun, Feb. 18, 1736, began i min. past 2, and ended 45 minutes past 4 in the afternoon, at Bishop's Court-by the dial, not by the clock."-T. S. M.

From the 16th up to the beginning of the 17 Cent., there were altogether 9 total and 7 annular eclipses.

Barometer at every 2 ft. (ascending) 0, falls 10th of an inch, and at 164-2-10ths.

July 10th, 1702, 0 at Bishop's Court, 29-4- 10ths.
On the mountain above the house, it fell 1 inch 1-10th.
On Snaefield, 2 in., acc. tis therefore 564 yards."

This process was then comparatively new, having been made known first by Halley, the Bishop's contemporary.-Keble.

The great wheel of ye shaise being 5ft. 2in. in diameter, or isift. about will require a wheel of 75 teeth, to be turned by a perpetual screw, going once about by 4 turns of ye wheel to measure one mile. This wheel to have an arbor of 5 teeth to turn a wheel of loo to show 20 miles. The shaise wheel goes about 340 turns in a mile.

1720. Henry Woods, of K, Andreas, as he was reaping, lost the use of his left arme so entirely, yt he has no manner of sense of it, no not when one pinches it, and tho' beat with nettles for half-anhour yet he felt it not. The blister rose a little, but fell down agn, and yet his pulse in ye arme beats very regularly. Tis from ye shoulder point the deadness begins.

Mar. 1721. Two boats of Ballaugh, being at sea, but not any distance without hearing each other, ve men in each boat heard a voice very distinctly repeating these words-" Churr hoods," a term used by fishermen to raise the anchor. They immediately did so, and well it was for them, for a violent storm arose in half-an-hour' s time, so gt as it was they had enough to save their boat and their lives. This is well attested.

N.B. -Mr. Curlett assured me yt the very same thing happened once to the boat he was in, only with the addition yt ye master of ye boat saw ye appearance of a man.

N.B., 1721. A poor woman at K. Andreas; the leg sore below the knee, the flesh rotted off, and at last the bone broke off abt ye gartering place, and heald of itself, and she is now perfectly well.

I add an account of this case as given by Thomas Corlett, in a paper written by him at the time.

The case of Mrs. Joughin. This woman seeming to be in perfect health at her going to bed one night, in Apr., 1721, had occasion to rise and go to the door about midnight, from whence returning to her bed, she immediately felt a most acute pain in one of her legs; upon which her husband lighting a candle, found her leg to be turned black from a little below the knee downwards, and the extremity of the pain continuing, 1 Thomas Corlett was desired the next day to come and see her, which I did the same evening, and finding her leg discoloured as above I first bathed it, upon which appearing somewhat to return to its natural colour, I tried with my lancet to open a vein, but no blood issuing forth I despaired of being able to relieve her. However to humour the woman, & to endeavour if possible to assuage the pain I ordered her a poultice which was applied for several days. The next time I went to the house which was about a week after, finding the leg very black, & the pain as violent as before, I was satisfied that there was a mortification, so the poultice was laid aside, and only a softening ointment made use of for several weeks, after which visiting her again and finding the skin as far as it was black very hard and dry, I separated the sound from the unsound by an incision round the leg below the knee, from whence slipping it downwards to the toes, I stripped off the whole skin like a boot, all the nails of the toes likewise adhering thereto, and found that the flesh was so corrupted that the smell of it was scarcely to be endured. I then only applied salve round the edge of the sound part binding the skin close down just below the knee, and covered the rest of the leg with cloths to keep it from the air. In this miserable condition she continued till towards the latter end of July, when being on a certain day alone, & endeavouring by the help of a staff to remove from the place she sat in, the staff slipping from her, and she falling down her leg immediately snapped off round exaftly betwixt the sound and mortified part, and I coming accidentally that very day dressed the wound, and in 6 weeks time the same was by God's blessing perfedly healed, and the woman is now as sound and healthy as any woman in the parish.

1 7211 April 15. Mr. Walker brought me two papers sent him by he Vicar of St. German. The first dated NOV. 20th, 1720, the second Dec. 12, 1720. The substance-that John Curlitt, of Murlough, in the county of Down, in the parish of Kilmogh, did give himself body and soul to Satan the Devil, who is called Lucifer, after the term of 9 years on condition that he wd give him as much money during the time as he should please; on performance of which he did bind himself, &c. To the performance of this bargain -and promises to fight under his banner during ye said term, well if he do desert he leaveth himself to Satan's pleasure, and promises at the end of 9 years to go to himself.

1st paper-signed (with blood) sealed & delivered to the Devil. John Curlet

2nd paper-signed (wt blood) sealed & delivered in the presence of jony Curlet and her family. John Curlet.

I sent fr ye man and showed him ye papers wch were found in his lodgings at Peel. Before he would read ym he said they were none of his writing (though his hand was well-known), and very obstinately rejected all pains I took to get him out of ye snare of ye Devil.

N.B.-In one of ye papers (wch I have by me) he had writ, 'In but there stopt-ye word not being proper for such a bargain,"

This man fled from Ireland on acct of ye smuggling trade, and this place being too hot for him on ye acct of this act, he took boat upon wch the most dreadful storm arose, as soon as he was out of ye harbour-so yt he was given over for lost, but God is patient, and he is I hear yet alive.

N.B.-I wrote to him in June, 1729, to put him in mind, &c.

S. N. H.

(TO BE CONTINUED.)

[note FPC - there does not appear to have been any continuation]