The Virginia mineral springs, with remarks on their use ...

Front matter

THE

VIRGINIA MINERAL SPRI

REMARKS ON THEIR USE,

Preface

In the Preface to the first edition, I promised I should take an early occasion to visit the Eastern group of the Virginia Springs, and annex notices of them in any subsequent issue of this work. I now execute this promise, (how imperfectly I am well aware,) and accordingly there will be found in this edition notices of Jordan's White Sulphur, Shannondale, Capon and Berkeley Springs; also an account of the Healing Springs — among the Western group. The Profession and my readers generally will regret that I have been unable to procure analyses of those Springs, but I have found it impossible to obtain them, unless I were to pay the expense out of my own pocket; and that has already been sufficiently lightened by my efforts to illustrate the virtues of the Mineral Waters of Virginia. Through the liberality of John W. Frazier, Esq., and of the late venerable and lamented Dr. Brockenbrough, I am enabled to give interesting analyses of the Rockbridge Alum, Bath Alum and Warm Springs, by that distinguished chemist, Dr. Hayes of Boston. To Messrs. Erskine & Caruthers, proprietors of the Salt Sulphur, I am indebted for an analysis of the " Iodine Salt Sulphur." There will also be found analyses by Prof. Rogers, (not before published,) of the Blue Sulphur and Sweet Springs, for which I am under obliga= tions to Drs. Hunter and Tyndall. So it will be seen that my gleanings in this field have not been altogether unproductive. Perhaps, at a future season, they may be more abundant. Be this as it may, I cannot but feel grateful to the public for their appreciation of my humble labors.

WM. BURKE.

Contents

Introductory Remarks, - - - - - 1

Mountain Scenery, - - - - - - 5

Natural Bridge, ------ 13

Chapter II. Natural Curiosities

As I have been mentioning some of the advantages and inducements presented by Virginia, to invalids and others in pursuit of health or pleasure, it may not be amiss to glance at some of the natural curiosities to be met with in its mountain region.

Among the foremost of these is the passage of James river through the Blue Ridge mountain. I can fancy what Harper's Ferry was in the days of Jefferson ; but it is now most sadly marred by the bridges thrown across both rivers, the smoky furnaces, and the improvements of civilization. Wildness, height, evidence of a great convulsion of nature at some distant period, are also characteristics of the scene at James river. Magnificent as the Eastern mountain appears from the rond opposite, it must be inconceivably more so from the bed of the river. It is through this gorge that the James river canal is to pass, and no doubt many will be attracted to it by this scene alone. A few miles west is the Natural Bridge. " This bridge is in the county of Rockbridge, to which it

NATURAL BRIDGE. 13

has given name, and affords a public and commodious passage over a valley, which cannot be crossed elsewhere, for a considerable distance. The stream passing under it is called Cedar creek. It is a wate^of James river, and sufficient in the dryest season to turn a grist-mill, though its fountain is not more than two miles above."*

The author visited this celebrated spot 27 years ago. At that time it was pretty much in the state described by Mr. Jefferson, the scene itself being rendered more enchanting bv the stillness and wildness of surrounding Nature ; but the approach of cultivation and the squatting down of a tavern at one end, have divested it in my view, of some portion of its former interest. Loneliness is an important element in my estimate of the sublime, and I must confess, that the usual supply of white-haired little urchins, and woolly-headed darkies, the squealing of pigs, the shrieking of guinea-hens, and even the odor of frying bacon and eggs, (the latter pleasant enough in its place,) destroyed much of my pleasure on a more recent occasion.

The recollections of my first visit have suggested the following lines, in which I have endeavored to express the only opinion I have ever entertained of the manner of its f )rmation.

* Jefferson's Notes on Virginia.

THE NATURAL BRIDGE, VA.*

'God said: " Within these hills let there be light !" The heavens descend ill floods, and shew his might. The rushing waters pierced the fissured rock 5 It trembled, cracked and yielded to the shock^ In masses huge it plunged into the wave, And in the billows found a boisterous grave* -Successive surges lash the rigid sides, They fall and sink, beneath the roaring tides, Crash follows crash ; the cavern fills below, The raging torrents swell and backwards flow, Until, at length, their pressing power and weight The i^ighty barrier bring to instant face, One gurgling groan — the wildest and the last-* The liquid mountain bears it far and fast The graceful arch, on its colossal piers, Thus stands unscathed by the lapse of years, AH future ages on its dome will gaze, Race after race its grandeur will amaze. Here Indian monarchs roamed in olden time, Viewed the vast span, and felt the true sublime. Mayhap, too, here his altar one had made, And in sad accents the Great Spirit prayed > To keep the Saxons from his father's grave, And from their deadly grasp his people save, 'Tvvas scenes like this that Jefferson had fired, And his great soul with liberty inspired. Methinks I see him on its convex stand, The chart of freedom waving in his hand, While o'er his head his country's eagle soars, And underneath the foaming torrent roars. Fit were the place to think of mighty deeds> Fruitful the soil to animate those seeds That genius planted in the patriot's mind, To grace the earth and elevate mankind.

* These lines were originally inscribed to my greatly esteemed young friend Miss L. H. Bachman, of Charleston, South Carolina. W» B.

NATURAL BRIDGE. 15

Mark well that spot,* where o'er the beetling steep,

The statesman lay and looked into its deep— •

Until his temples throbbed with aching pain,

And he was backwards forced to creep again.

Thought he not, then, of that fierce flood of strife,

On which he launched his fortune, honor, life ?

O'er its rough brow the Arbor Vita hung,

And to its shelving sides the cedars clung.

Upon its summit rose majestic pines,

And from its fissures sprung ambitious vines..

No voice he heard except the panther's howl,

Or perched upon some bough, the lonely owh

Wild, as when first amid convulsive throes,

From earth's deep womb the heaving mountains rose a

Here gentle muse ! thy sweetest gift bestow,

That I in words may paint the scene below.

Above, if terror struck the mind with awe,

With pleasure, transport all the eye now saw.

Look to the East you see the mountains blue,

Turn to the West the Endless\ meet your view.

Here, on your left, you see the pine-crowned height,

But, on the right, the brow evades your sight.

Thus, at Aurora's birth, each morning flies

The lark, to meet his goddess in the skies;

In warbling notes to cheer her with his song,

Unseen on earth and by the vulgar throng.

But now, dear Helen, with admiring eye,

Behold that half-ellipse, so light, so high,

Like the clear arch, of pure ethereal span,

That as His covenant God vouchsafed to man.

Here let our thoughts to heavenly regions soar,

And the great Maker in His works adore.

See at your feet in peaceful streamlets flow,

The limpid rills, while o'er them fire-flies glow,

* You involuntarily fall upon your hands and feet, creep to the parapet and peep over it. Looking down from this height about a minute, gave "me a violent headach. — Jefferson's Notes on Virginia.

t The ridge of mountains next beyond the Blue Ridge, called by us the North mountain, is of the greatest extent; for which reason^ they were named by the Indians the Endless mountains.-— Ibid.

At summer's eve. and liquid crystals light, Soft as the dew, and as the diamond bright. Look where the Hero* of illustrious fame, High on that pier inscribed his glorious name; Where mortal man will never write again, And those who strive, will always strive in vain. Thou too, my muse, must be prepared to share The fate of all, beyond their powers who dare.

The Organ Cave, on, or rather under, the road from the White to the Salt Sulphur, is vastly imposing at its entrance, and is said to contain some admirable specimens of stalactitic formations. But the most wonderful of all curiosities of this class is Weyer^s Cave.

" Weyer's Cavef is the most remarkable cavern at present known. It is situated near the northeastern extremity of Augusta county, Virginia, seventeen miles from Staunton, sixteen miles from Waynesborough, eight from Mount Sidney, fourteen from Harrisonburg, and thirty-two from the University of Virginia.

Its entrance is in the eastern side of a ridge running parallel with the Blue Ridge, and four miles distant from it. The western declivity of the ridge is very gradual, and the visiter as he approaches from that direction, little imagines, from its appearance, that it embowels one of Nature's masterpieces. The eastern declivity is, however, quite

* In 1823, when the author first visited the Natural Bridge, there was shewn to him a point, quite high, on the right side where Washington was said to have inscribed his name. The thing itself seemed impossible.

t Extract from a pamphlet to be found at the Cave.

weyer's cave. 17

precipitous. The guide's house is situated at the northern extremity of this ridge, and is distant eight hundred yards From the entrance of the cave.

In going from the house to the cave, you pass near Madison's Cave, which is in the same ridge, and only three hundred yards from it. Madison's Cave was known and visited as a curiosity long before the discovery of Weyer's, but is now passed by and neglected, as being unworthy of notice, compared with its more imposing rival, although it has had the pen of a Jefferson to describe its beauties.

The ascent from the base of the hill to the mouth of the cave is steep, but is rendered less fatiguing by the zigzag course of the path, which is one hundred and twenty yards in length.

In the year 1804, one Bernard Weyer ranged these hills as a hunter. While pursuing his daily vocation, he found his match in a lawless groundhog, which not only eluded his efforts, but eventually succeeded in carrying off a trap which had been set for his capture. Prompted by the loss of his trap, Weyer made an assault upon the domicil of the depredator with spade and mattock. A few moments labor brought him to the ante-chamber of this stupendous cavern, where he found his trap deposited.

The entrance was originally small and difficult of access, but the enterprise of the proprietor has obviated these inconveniences. It is now enclosed by a wooden wall, having a door in its centre which admits you into the ante-chamber."

The following lines suggested by a visit to Weyer's Cave, on the 17th of September 1S50, and presented to his estimable friend Mrs. E. Bartlett of Richmond, by W. B., are now, with some alterations and additions, respectfully submitted to the reader.

Beauteous art thou, O earth! thy bosom fair. Green are thy valleys, pure thy mountain air. Bright are thy dews, the gems of early morn. Rich are thy fields, in crops of waving corn. Clear are thy rivers, tranquilly that glide, To bless the swains, and woo the ocean tide. Silent thy woods, and grand that Alpine height. Fearful those clefts, where reigns eternal night. Sublime that Bridge, which with colossal span, O'er a deep gulf conducts poor sinful man. Beneath whose arch he may behold a rock, Unscathed by ages and the lightning's shock. Emblem of that on which his Saviour stood, Planted his Church, and nourished with his blood. But most sublime is vast Niagara's roar, As rushing, bounding, madd'ning, tumbling o'er, The mighty cataract descends in foam, Then mounts to heaven, and gems its concave dome. Now leave, my friend, the balmy, buoyant air, That God has spread around this earthly sphere.

Confiding, come, forsake ethereal light, And plunge with me, to depths of darkest night. Seek Terra's womb, in Weyer's gorgeous Cave, And stand undaunted, in great Nature's grave. Though dank the air, within this vast profound, Though darkness drear invest us ail around;

WE YE It's CAVE. 19

Yet God is here; He watches by our side, His arm protects, His light will be our guide. Each room to tell, each object to define, Would task the talents of the tuneful Nine, How then may I, in pleasing verse array Those roofs that sparkle like the milky way ? O ! how express my wonder and delight, The shell-room when I saw in blaze of light? 'Twas heaven supported by columnar spars, Its arch bespangled with coruscant stars !

Now look, Eliza ! mark bright Eden's bower, Where Nature stands revealed in magic power. Behind those curtains lies the crystal bed, To which fair Eve our primal father led. But 'twere pollution by a taper's light, This Holy to expose to mortal sight.

The Senate Chamber next attracts the eye, And Conscript Fathers met in conclave high. Then pause awhile, and let us here survey These scenes impervious to the god of day. Behold that crystal, horizontal plain, Stretched out immense, yet which no props sustain. To say how formed conjecture does not dare, Or how it hangs suspended in mid air. So steady, unsustained, stands over head, Mahomet's coffin and its mighty dead. From its cold bed festooning curtains rise, As sailing clouds invest the starry skies. But turn to objects of another kind, And view the emblems of immortal mind. Who sits majestic in that curule chair, In patriot pride, but with a brow of care ? Methinks 'tis Tully, from his lips divine, That lightning poured on wicked Catiline. Ambitious Julius there dissembling stands, And sues for mercy for the robber bands; While virtuous Cato, in his country's cause, Sustains the consul and supports the laws.

20 MTNERAL SPRINGS OF VIRGINIA.

Perhaps, proud Albion! you the council claim, Memento of your glory and your shame ! What culprit stands indicted at thy bar, Polluted, stained by plunder spoils and war ? 'Tis Hastings vile, who played with kings as toys, And wealth amassed by crushing human joys. Indignant Fox — who never winked at wrong, But for the right took part against the strong ; From his deep mind enriched with varied stores, Upon the wretch his thundering volleys pours. Sheridan — wonder of that glorious age — The poet, wit, the orator and sage ! See how the victim writhes beneath his lash, Behold those eyes with wrath and frenzy flash. Beneath their glance see crouching Hastings quail — His weight to bear his tottering members fail. He sinks affrighted at his monstrous guilt, And feels the dagger pierce him to the hilt,

Majestic Burke! thou greatest of the great, In arts and science, and affairs of state; The friend of man, in every land and clime, In morals pure, in eloquence sublime ! With fancy's eye, I see your bosom swell, As on the hapless Nabob's wrongs you dwell. Now soaring heavenwards in the gorgeous clouds, Now painting monarchs in their bloody shrouds. On Etna's sides, so are all climates seen, Clear streams, fierce torrents, snows, and pastures green. Calm stands the mountain on its mighty base, While lava pours in torrents from its vase. Thus varied learning, wisdom, words of fire, Flow from those lips that genius doth inspire. Thus Edmund, thou didst scathe a wicked age, And war on rapine, lust and murder wage !

But now my fancy brings me nearer home, Than guilty England, or aspiring Rome. And if awhile it wandered o'er the main, 'Twas only to return with pride again.

weyer's cave. 21

Within the bowels of their native land, Columbia's statesmen in this chamber stand. To whose great fame I would just homage pay, And in Elysian light their pow'rs survey. Firm as the granite of his native state, There Webster, dignified and thoughtful sate. Behold him calmly, slowly, rising now, Peace in his eye, and genius on his brow. He waves his hand, the hall as death is still ; He speaks, his words through ev'ry bosom thrill. His patriot thoughts in graceful periods flow, Upon his lips the flames of fancy glow. A great Ionic pillar there he stands, A model to all time, and to all lands.

Now see all eyes are turning to the right, Where stands old Nestor girded for the fight. The aged chieftain casts his glance around, The gazing crowd are filled with awe profound. He smiles; the action, like some magic charm, Dispels all fear, and dissipates alarm. They see great Harry on that glorious field, Where oft he cast his spear and raised his shield. They see him now, as in his fervid youth, Uphold his country with consistent truth. Undaunted, though with odds he has to cope, Be leads the last, forlorn, but gallant hope. He mounts the breach, with Webster on his right, And Cass upon his left, a valiant knight. While dauntless, firm, and with his well-poised spear, Like brave Ulysses, Foote brings up the rear. List to those tones as clear as silver bells, Hear how that voice in strength and compass swells. Behold that gesture full of native grace — See wit and fancy beaming in his face. His patriot lips pour forth the flowing tide, He loves his country with a patriot's pride ; Not this, nor that, but every brilliant Star That lights its banner, both in peace and war.

His periods swell like billows, more, and more, Now foam like breakers bursting on the shore. Reason and logic, now, and force prevail, Sarcastic humor, now, descends like patt'ring hail. O Clay! when death shall consecrate thy name, How bright the halo that will light thy fame. Envy will then to darksome caverns creep, And o'er her patriot son a nation weep! Others there are to whom I fain would raise, In grateful verse, the voice of well-bought praise; But, in his course the sun I cannot stay, And to his cheering beams I haste away.

The lights grow dim, and sable curtains shroud The gloomy chamber, and the solemn crowd. Ah ! what is this has changed the scene so soon ? There lies, in death, the virtuous, great Calhoun ! His country's Eagle drooped his wings, methought, And in his beak a sprig of Cypress brought. Approach, sad bird, and lay it on his bier, And let the muse bedew it with a tear. The Southern Grattan sleeps an endless sleep ; Well may'st thou mourn, and well his country weep. But Carolina ! come, and most of all, Hold o'er thy son the solemn funeral pall. Thou wert the idol of his earthly hope ; Thou wert his Sun, and he thy Heliotrope. Bear him, ye mourners, to that sunny home, Beneath those skies where he so loved to roam. Above his head, and o'er his honored grave, Let the Palmetto and Magnolia wave. There zealous pilgrims, at a future day, Beneath those sacred trees shall homage pay ; Until their bosoms lofty thoughts inspire, And in their soul they feel the patriot's fire.

To Congress Hall the guide next leads the way ; It " stands adjourned," so here we need not stay. The Tower of Babel meets our wondering eyes, As, in its pride, it pierced those nether skies.

Imagination, here, all forms may paint, The church and steeple, bishop, sinner, saint; Organ and drum, with deep and booming sound, Sent back by echo, through the hollow ground; That throne on which the Wise of Kings appears, And knows the mother by a mother's tears ; Damocles' sword, and great Achilles' shield, And one which mighty Ajax could not wield ; The blood-stained Indian, decked in human scalps, And great Napoleon crossing o'er the Alps; High mountains, valleys, gorges, glens, and glades, Snow-hills, and coral banks, and white cascades; Temples and pyramids, and leaning towers, The vast Pantheon, and its Pagan powers ; Amid these Gods, a modest Virgin smiled, The sweet Madonna with her Saviour child. Majestic, grand, sublime, beyond them all, Is that vast avenue, or wondrous Hall, To which the father of his country's name, Just honor gives, and well-deserved fame. For untold ages, here no footsteps trod, Full in the centre, all alone with God, A grand stalagmite, of gigantic height, Meets the enchanted gazer's wildered sight; In fine proportions, like that patriot sage, The great Apollo of a recent age. But cease my muse, no human pen can trace, The varied wonders of this awful place. Yet see, Eliza ! mark that point of blue, In heaven's horizon that now meets our view : That single gleam of sky, pure, clear, and bright, Is worth all treasures of perennial night.

Chapter III. Society

England has her Bath, and New York her Saratoga—places of fashionable resort that present various attractions to those who live for admiration and the excitement attendant on dissipation ; but they want that calm repose, that freedom from restraint, that omission of conventional usages, which render the society of our Virginia Springs so delightful.

Who would not rather luxuriate in imagination with the inimitable Scott, round the copse-grown precincts of St. Ronan's Well, and contemplate at leisure the various phases and eccentricities of human character, portrayed in this, amongst the most graphic of his creations ; or even repose with Frank Tyrrel, for a season, at the solitary manse of the Cleikum, enjoying the comfortable housewifery of the notable Mrs. Dods, than engage in the routine of follies and absurd ceremonies which constitute the pleasures of a fashionable watering-place.

Saratoga and other Northern watering-places, being brought by railroads into contiguity with large and populous cities and towns, and accessible to persons in every condition of life at a trifling ex-

SOCIETY. 25

pense, the mass of visiters is of course composed of all sorts of people. The knowledge of this fact makes men distrustful of each other's standing, and shy and reserved. Such a materiel wants, and ever will want, the enchanting ease of manner, dignity of deportment, and air of true gentility, founded on benevolence and forgetfulness of self, which distinguishes Nature's gentleman from the mere cockney and pretender.

At the Virginia Springs, on the contrary, there is a feeling of equality, a relinquishment of formality, a republican simplicity of manners, a reciprocity of kind, courteous, but unpretending civility that renders those places peculiarly agreeable. No one can have failed to observe the difference between large and small communities, as regards sociability ; the latter being in some degree individually dependent on each other, cultivate kindly feelings, and form strong attachments, whilst it is not uncommon for the resident of a city to be ignorant of the name of his next-door neighbor. So it is at Mineral Springs; the more populous they are, the less sociable.

The great novelist from whom I have already quoted, makes indeed the following correct observations on the subject : " The society at such places is regulated by their very nature, upon a scheme much more indulgent than that which rules the world of fashion, and the narrow circles of rank in 2 the metropolis. The titles of rank, birth and fortune are received at the watering-place without any very strict investigation, as adequate to the purpose for which they are preferred ; and as the situation infers a certain degree of intimacy and sociability for the time, so, to whatever height it may have been carried, it is not understood to imply any duration beyond the length of the season. No intimacy can be supposed more close for the time, and more transitory in its endurance, than that which is attached to a watering-place acquaintance." Yet there are numerous instances of permanent and ardent friendship among those rural retreats, and even the wily Cupid not unfrequently speeds his arrows from the shade of some majestic oak.

"Hither come also," says the same author, "the unprincipled gamester, the impostor, the heartless fortune-hunter. But, besides these characters, who are actually dangerous to society, a well-frequented watering-place generally exhibits, for the amusement of the company, and the perplexity and amusement of the inexperienced, a sprinkling of persons called by the newspapers, eccentric characters — individuals, namely, who, either from some real derangement of their understanding, or, much more frequently, from an excess of vanity, are ambitious of distinguishing themselves by some striking peculiarity in dress or address, conversation or manners, and perhaps in all. Hither, too, comes th# saunterer. anxious to get

SOCIETY. 27

rid of that wearisome attendant, himself; and hither come both males and females, who, upon a different principle, desire to make themselves double."

If health be the motive, it will readilv be conceded that a cheerful spirit, a disposition to be pleased, sympathy with the feelings of others, an entire suspension of care, and a fondness for rural scenes and enjoyments, are essential to the attainment of the object. The moody, selfish man can have no real enjoyment; his heart beats in unison with no human being; he measures mankind by the standard of his own sullen disposition ; he is suspicious of motive when treated with cordiality, and when not caressed, he deems his merits overlooked; his pride is wounded, and he takes revenge upon the world by shrouding himself in his offended dignity, and burying himself alive in his own melancholy reflections.

The invalid is especially prone to be low-spirited and home-sick, and when the latter feeling possesses his mind, farewell to improvement ! All the faculties of the mind seem absorbed in that one thought, and it is utterty useless to oppose it. Let me therefore advise those who visit the Springs for health, to do so with a firm resolution not to make themselves unhappy about home; or if they distrust their own firmness, let them take with them the objects of so much solicitude ; otherwise their friends and themselves will be disappointed of happy results.

The man who considers the vast influence of the passions and the affections over that wonderfully contrived machine, the human body, will not think that I have attached too much importance to this matter. Would to God ! it were more generally taken into view, and we should see many of the maladies that are now treated, and often aggravated, by the compounds of the apothecary, readily yield to the more rational prescription of pure air, free exercise, freedom from care, and cheerful society.

MINERAL WATERS. 29

Chapter IV. Mineral Waters

Having decided on a visit to the Virginia Springs, the next consideration should be, to enquire what water is adapted to the case. This is, indeed, an enquiry of the utmost importance, as upon its decision may depend not only the recovery or disappointment of the invalid, but an injudicious direction may result in most deplorable consequences.

Whatever scepticism may have existed at a former period among medical men as to the efficiency of mineral waters, no man, in our day, who has any claim to rank as a physician, can call their powers into question ; I shall not therefore enter into any argument on that subject. Unfortunately, however, they are no less potent for evil than good ; and it therefore becomes my duty not only to point out the advantages that may be derived from their proper use, but also the injuries that may result from their improper prescription. Both these duties I mean to perform to the extent of the moderate ability I possess, without fear, favor or prejudice. I have no connection or interest, directly or indirectly, with any of their proprietors, and shall, therefore, be guided in my estimate of them by my own reflections and observations, derived from an experience of many years. Erroneous opinions I may entertain, but on their honesty, at least, the public may rely.

Mineral Waters, as regards their properties, may be classed under the following heads : Carbonated ; Carbonated-Chalybeate ; Sulphuretted ; Chalybeate ; and Saline ; and as regards temperature, into Cold, Warm, and Hot.

Carbonated Waters contain an excess of carbonic acid gas, which causes them to sparkle, and renders them tonic and exhilarating. Of this class is the Sweet Springs of Virginia. The Red Sweet comes under the second head, or Carbonated-Chalybeate ; as the iron is probably held in solution as a carbonate by the carbonic acid. It is highly stimulant, exhilarating, and tonic.

Sulphuretted Waters are such as contain sulphuretted hydrogen, and are distinguished by the peculiar fetid smell of that gas. The White Sulphur, Salt Sulphur, Red Sulphur, and Blue Sulphur, are examples of this class.

Chalybeate Waters are characterized by a strong inky taste, and by striking a black color with the infusion of galls. Waters of this class are numerous in the United States as well as in Europe. They are powerfully tonic.

Saline Waters are those the prominent properties

MINERAL WATEKBi 31

of which depend on saline impregnation. Saratoga and the Rockbridge and Rath Alum waters are examples of this class ; but, indeed, all our mineral waters, in various degrees, come under this head. They are aperient, sometimes purgative, and generally stimulant.

The temperature of all our Virginia Springs belongs to the Cold, except the Warm and Hot Springs in Rath county.

These definitions are intended to direct the attention of the reader to my account of such Spring as he may think most probably adapted to the case in question.