The Wilmingtonian, And Delaware Advertiser

Relation of a case of poisoning caused by the honey of the Lecheguana Wasp.

By M. Auguste de St. Hilaire.

"After having crossed the plains of Rio de La Plata, I coasted the thinly-inhabited borders of the Uruguay, and arrived at the camp of Belem, on the locality of the town of the same name destroyed by Artigas. There I was told I should have to pass a desert destitute of habitations or roads, but that, in case of necessity, I could have recourse to two detachments of Portuguese soldiers posted on the banks of the river, and also that I could have a guide to the first detachment near the mouth of the Guaray. At the borders of this river I took another guide, who was to conduct me to the rivulet St. Anna, where I was told the second detachment was placed. Arrived at the rivulet, I and my men searched for the detachment two days; but our exertions being useless, I sent back the guide (he never having been farther) with one of the soldiers of my escort, to the river Guaray, directing the latter to return with another guide. In the mean time we waited on the borders of the rivulet, in a place, inhabited only by a multitude of jaguars, immense troops of wild mares, stags and ostriches, opposite the right bank of the Uruguay.

For four days we were inconvenienced in this desert place, by heavy rains, and multitudes of annoying insects, with no other shelter than my cart. On the fifth day the weather became fine, and I went to botanize in the country, about the river, accompanied by two of my men, all well armed against the attacks of jaguars. After some hours, hunger sent us back to the rivulet, and we ate of our usual food, the flesh of the manihoc, and cow-beef, roast and boiled.

"During a short walk, the evening before, we perceived a wasps' nest suspended at about a foot from the earth, from one of the branches of a small tree. It was nearly oval, about the size of the head, of a gray colour, and of the paper-like consistence of European wasps'nests.

"After our breakfast, my two companions went to destroy the wasps' nest, and they took out the honey. We all three tasted of it. I ate most, but the quantity did not exceed two spoonfuls. The honey had a mild agreeable taste, and was quite free from the physic-like taste so often belonging to our bee-honey.

"After having eaten, I felt a pain in the stomach, not violent, but inconvenient. I lay down under my cart, and went to sleep, during which, those objects dearest to me were present to my imagination, and I awoke deeply affected. I rose, but felt such extreme weakness, that I could not take fifty steps. I returned to the cart, laid down on the grass, and felt my face bathed in tears. Blushing at my weakness, I laughed at myself, and notwithstanding my efforts, this laugh became lengthened and convulsive. Nevertheless, I had power to give some orders, and, during the time, my chasseur, one of the two Brazilians who had eaten with me, arrived.

"This man united to rare intelligence a light and fantastic character. Often, after long periods of amusing gaiety, he would, without any reason, fall into a dull melancholy state, continuing for weeks, and then he would find sources of irritation in the most innocent words and delicate attentions. His name was Jose Mariano, he approached me and said with a gay, but wild appearance, that for the last half hour he moved about the place without knowing where he was going. He sat down under the cart, making a place for me; I had much difficulty in reaching it, and feeling my extreme weakness, rested my head upon his shoulder.

"It was then that I experienced the most cruel agony, a thick cloud obscured my eyes, and I could perceive nothing more than the traces of my men, and of the azure of the heavens traversed by a few light vapours. I did not feel much pain, but weakness of the extremest kind. Concentrated vinegar was placed near my mouth and nostrils, and rubbed on my face and temples; it re-animated me a little, and then I felt the pains of death. During this time, I preserved my memory perfectly, and remembered all that I had said, and that had been said; my recollections agreed perfectly with the recital of a young Frenchman who had accompanied me. A violent struggle then passed in my mind, which continued, however, for but a few instants. I triumphed over my weakness, and resigned myself to death. That which affected me most was the fate of my Indian Botocudo, whom I had drawn from his forests, and who, I believed, would after my death be condemned to slavery. I conjured those around me to have pity on his inexperience, and to tell my friends that my last thoughts had been for that unfortunate young man. I felt an anxious wish to talk in my native language to the Frenchman who was earnest in his care for me, but I was unable to find a single word which was not Portuguese, and I cannot express the shame and contradiction I felt at this want of recollection. I had at first to take water and vinegar, but finding no relief, requested warm water: each time that I swallowed it, I felt the cloud removed from my eyes for a few moments, and I began to drink it in very large quantities. I continually requested a vomit of my young Frenchman, but he could find none. He searched in the cart, and I being beneath it, could not see him. I nevertheless seemed to have him before my eyes, and reproached him for his slowness. This was the only error into which I fell.

"Whilst this was passing, the chasseur had risen without my perceiving it, but my ears were quickly struck with the dreadful cries he uttered. I was a little better at this moment, and none of his motions escaped me. He tore his clothes furiously, threw them far from him, took a gun, and discharged it. The piece was taken from him, and he began to run about the place, calling the virgin to his help, and crying out that all was on fire about him, that we two were abandoned, and that they were going to leave our portmanteaux and cart to be burnt. A Guarina man (one of my suit) having endeavored in vain to restrain him, was seized with fright and fled.

Until this time, I had had the attentions of the soldier who had joined us in eating the honey but he was now very ill, he however soon vomited, and being of a robust temperament, he quickly recovered strength, though it acquired some time perfectly to re-establish him. I have understood since, that during the whole time he was extremely pale, his figure being frightful. On a sudden he said, "I shall go and tell what is passing at the Guard of Guaray." He mounted a horse and galloped over the country, but the young Frenchman soon saw him fall; he rose, galloped a second
time, fell again, and was found by my men profoundly asleep, some hours after, in the place where he fell.

"I then found myself almost dying, with no other than a man still furious. my Indian Botocudo, who was merely an infant, and the young Frenchman, who was almost distracted by these extraordinary events. All the morning we had perceived insurgent Spaniards on the other side of the River, and some even in the distance on the same side; they would probably have attacked us had they known how small was our number. The dangers of my situation affected my spirits, and I felt myself worse.

"I had calculated the soldier would return with a new guide from Guaray on that day; I hoped to obtain help from them, and my imagination was divided between the desire of seeing them, and the fear of surrounding dangers. At one time I thought I saw their dogs. but I was mistaken, and returned to my former state. The dogs I had seen were some almost without masters, in the deserts, which had been attracted by our food. The chasseur, Jose Mariano, now came and sat by me; he was more calm, had fastened a cloth round his loins, but had not yet recovered his reason. "Master," said he, "long have I accompanied you, I have always been a faithful servant, I am on fire, do not refuse me a drop of water." Full of terror and compassion, I took his hand, and endeavored to console him.

"The warm water, of which I drunk a prodigious quantity, now produced the desired effect, and I vomited. I felt relieved. a numbness occurred in the fingers, but it was of short duration. I distinguished the cart, the pasturages, and the trees, and the cloud left my eyes so that I could see all but the upper part of objects, or if it came on again it was only for a few instants. The state of Jose Mariano continued to cause me much alarm. I was also fearful I should not myself, recover the entire use of my faculties. A second vomiting began to dissipate these fears, and produced me fresh ease. I saw objects more clearly, could talk French or Portuguese at will, my ideas became more clear, and I directed the young Frenchman where to find an emetic. I divided it into three parts, vomited abundantly, evacuating the food and honey I had taken in the morning., with torrents of water. Until I had taken the third portion of the emetic. I took pleasure in long draughts of water: but after that I disliked it and took no more; the cloud disappeared, and after some cups of tea. I took a short walk, and with the exception of strength, was almost in my natural state.

"Nearly at the same moment, reason returned suddenly to Jose Mariano, without his having vomited; he took fresh clothes. mounted a horse, and went in search of the soldier, with whom he shortly returned.

"It was about ten o'clock in the morning when we had taken of the honey, and the sun was setting before we had recovered. The momentary absence of the Frenchman and the Botocudo had prevented them from eating any of it. The soldier had offered some to the Guarian man, but he, knowing its deleterious quality, had refused to eat of it. The soldier laughed at him. and had not mentioned the circumstance to us.

"On the morrow I was still weak. the soldier complained of deafness, Jose Mariano had not recovered his strength, and said his body seemed covered with glue. As our guide had arrived the evening before, we parted, and continued our journey glad to leave the place."

Having told his soldier that he should be glad of some wasps of the kind which had produced this honey. M. St. Hilaire was called, on the day following the memorable one, to look at a wasp's nest exactly resembling that of the preceding day. It was recognized by the Guarian and the Indians the guide had brought with him, to be of the kind known in the country by the name of Leche guana. Some of the animals, with fragments of their habitation, were secured, and have been deposited in the king's cabinet. The honey was red and liquid, like that of the preceding evening.
It appears that notwithstanding the events of the preceding day, the Indian Botocudo, the Guarina man, and another, ate of this honey without the knowledge of M. St. Hilaire, but none of them suffered from it. After inquiry in the more inhabited parts of the country, elicited that two kinds of Lecheguana were known there, the one yielding honey white and innocuous, the other, such as is red; and this, though not always, yet often caused serious injury, occasioning a kind of drunkenness and delirium, which would be relieved only by vomiting. and which sometimes occasioned death.