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Grey River Argus, Volume V, Issue 338, 14 March 1868, Page 3

Mr Gretton, one of the partners in the firm of Messrs Bass and Co., Burton-on-Trent, was presented by his friends with his portrait, very beautifully painted by Grant, and valued at 700 guineas. Mr Bass stated upon that occasion that the returns of their firm were probably the largest in the world, exceeding in amount L 1,700,000 per annum.

The Salut Public tries to make out that the last cigar smoked by M. Fould was tho cause of his death : — "Nicotine, the redoubtable poisonous principle of tobacco, acts as a heart poison In experimenting on animals, our eminent physiologist, Claud Bernard, observed that it paralysed the central organ of the circulation, thence sudden death. A dose insufficient to kill nevertheless produces symptoms analogous to those of angina jjceto-ris. One of the most distinguished physicians of our time, M. Beau, who died two years since, read a memoir at the Academy of Science, in 1862, in which lie shewed by a very considerable numl »• of observations made during his practice, the influence of tobacco smoking, and especially in the form of cigars, in producing angina pectoris. He remarked that the cigar chiefly had this dreadful result upen impressionable persons, who lead sedentary lives, and whose minds are continually on the stretch. Two years later another physician, Dr E. Decoisne, adduced a series of upwards of a hundred cases respecting the pernicious action on the functions of the heart caused by smoking tobacco. This is now an accepted point in medical science, and there is scarcely any practitioner who does not prohibit smoking, or, at least, v.\io fails to rjcommend the greatest moderation in it, to such of his patients as are liable to even the slightest perturbation of the functions of the heart. Now, M. Fould, Avho was a smoker, and subject to palpitations of the heart, evidently had a slight attack of angina pectoris in the morning, to which he paicl little attention, and then, in the evening, a violenl and mortal attack. In the interval a ci<j;ar was smoked ; who can say that this cigar was not the last straw which broke, &c I" A gentleman of festive tastes had been at a dinner, where he drank freely and did not leave for home until very late. On reaching the doorsteps, and fishing up the latchkey, he became satisfied that he was essentially convivialised, and not in precisely that condition which, a husband should be in to meet a good wife. Cautiously entering the house, he stopped, listened a moment, heard no noise, and congratulated himself that everybody w; ft asleep. Quietly he took off his overcoat, drew off his boots, slowly ascended the stairs to his bedroom, hesitated at the door, believing he was reasonably right, stealthily entered, found the gas turned low, wife apparently asleep, sat down, listened again, no stir, began to undress, got most of his things safely off, was going towards the bed, when the wife of his bosom quietly asked — " Coining to bed, dear?"— " Yes, love."— "Well, dear, hadn't you better take your hat off?"