Is the febrile poison, whether of vegetable or animal origin, or whether composed of both, capable of adhering to clothes, apparel, and other substances, in such a manner as truly to infect them, so that when applied to the bodies of the healthy, at any distance of place, and at some distance of time, the specific effects of the poison are produced? That such substances may be so imbued with the poison of the small-pox, all admit: that the evidence should not be as complete relative to the power, or the inability of such substances to convey and communicate the poison of ordinary continued fever, is alike disgraceful to the state of our science, and injurious to the cause of humanity. There is no reason why the question should not be settled with absolute certainty; there is no manner of difficulty in determining it. Experiments the most direct, complete, and decisive, might be performed, which, if observed, during their progress, by competent witnesses, and duly authenticated, might ascertain the point with sufficient clearness and certainty, to satisfy not only the present age, but future generations. Once, for all, the full trial might be made, and if the trial were really full, it need never be repeated. A series of experiments completely decisive of the question, as far as regards the fever of our own country, which might be easily extended to the plague, were some time ago drawn out, and exertions were made to carry them into effect; but in the prevailing state of public opinion and feeling, it was found absolutely impossible to institute them on a scale at all adequate to render them decisive, without the aid of Government. There seems to be no possible mode of performing them effectually, unless Government will co-operate, by granting a free pardon to such convicts, as will voluntarily allow themselves to be made the subjects of them. The risk to them would be slight, the evil to the community none; while the danger, the suffering, the disease, the mortality that would be prevented, to say nothing of the expense that would be spared by the decision of the question, would be incalculable. It is earnestly to be hoped that those who have it in their power to afford the means of putting this question at rest, will not allow it to remain in its present unsettled state. Science, commerce, humanity, alike demand that the truth should be ascertained.