Thomas Beddoes to Lord Lansdowne, 29 December [?1796]
29 Decr Clifton –
My Lord
I should like much to know what you think just now of the rapidly varying relative situation of the En powers. Among the events of the day I reckon Ld M’s return as nothing, having fully exhausted all along he wd come back as he went – The other occurrences of ye moment may however give it an importance it wd not otherwise have had. As thus. The death of the Empress, considering only her ambition, spirit of enterprize & ability, removes part of the danger that has long threatened Prussia. If Paul to have such a predilection for Pe William that a former Russian Sovereign had for his predecessor, Prussia will have acquired great stability by the new accession. And will not the Emperor’s situation be rendered more critical in the same proportion? The court of Prussia steadily pursues the humiliation of ye House of Austria still. Now if the Austrian Cabinet shd be alarmed, the English stimulus of gold will hardly keep the emperor in heart for another campaign; & if he really be not he may pretend to be disgusted with our conduct of the negotiation & patch up a peace –
If Alvinski, as is said, have been forced to retire behind the Brenta, I suppose Mantua will surrender – & then the Emperor, if threatened with new embarrassments, must despair of the affairs of Italy. I know not whether the Turks, relieved from the dread of Catherine, can be brought into play – If so, it will be another advantage to France.
On this curious & fertile subject it is by no means my wish to put your Lordship to the trouble of writing.
I once mentioned to you that I have from an invalid La Politique de tous les cours de l’Europe – Burke has since mentioned it as a curious book – If you have not been able to get it & wish for it, I will immediately send it. It consists of 12 vols 8vo
The wonderful news we lately had from India – not political but medical – respecting the powers of nitric acid gains confirmation every day – I had received many applications from surgeons going out for directions how to apply vital air in that complaint of the liver which commits such ravages in India. Mr Scott, a surgeon, thought of trying nitric acid on himself in this disease – Nitric acid contains in vast abundance the base of vital air – It cured &, in curing, it salivated him – This made him try it in venereal cases that resisted mercury. He succeeded – & in both diseases others have succeeded <in India> – Dr Darwin writes me word that he had cured two liver-cases & one venereal one – In Bristol we have had 3 cases, where the patients sufferings were beyond description, & where the cure was so speedy & compleat that I wd not have believed the facts on hearsay. Nitric acid has succeeded in one case of diabetes – an infrequent, but fatal, disease –
It is happy that this acid has a most gentle operation – I expect it will do much in <cases of> diseased liver from intemperance which have usually terminated most miserably in dropsy – & which daily baffle us physicians –
Why did I trouble your Lordship with these particulars at Bath? & now again by letter? <In common> With every enlightened person, you will take an interest in discoveries, which promise eternal benefits to mankind, & that interest will not be the less <lively> because you were among the first to countenance the investigation which directly led to the discovery –
If the nitric acid keeps the promise it has made in these cases I have referred to, the discovery of its virtues will be the greatest ever made in medicine in consequence of speculation, & equal to any piece of knowledge, which we owe to chance – I trust that you will not consider this detail as troublesome – I remain with great regard your Lordships friend & servant
Thomas Beddoes
MS: BL ADD MS 88906–3–2, ff.71–2