She had heard of table-turning, but never of rapping; nor did any one of us expect a manifestation which we had often tried in vain to obtain. The sounds came almost immediately, first a throbbing, then a creaking, then a full well-formed sound like a concussion of air, which she said passed through her arms like an electric shock. She was not at all hurt by these experiments, and though a delicate person, seemed to gain strength and spirits during the two years and half in which they continued; for they ceased entirely after that time, and though many friends would have given her money if she could have got the raps,' she never could gratify their wish.

It soon appeared that no surname could be given through Jane's mediumship. Occasionally a christian name, if not an uncommon one, was rapped out; but notwithstanding this difficulty, the professed 'spirit' always found a way of making its identity known, and the relationship between it and the enquirer in the circle was always truly particularised.

As a curious instance of identification by raps, I will mention here, although it has appeared in another place, a fact which occurred during the period of Jane's mediumship. I had been brought into communication with a person in a state of frenzied excitement owing to the suicide of her brother, who killed himself in a fit of intoxication. This brother and sister were unknown both to Jane and myself, and she had never seen the

survivor. But some days after my interview with the sister, as a party was sitting round the table expecting 'manifestations' from their friends, loud sounds were heard which interfered with and disturbed everything else. After much questioning and cross-examining it was discovered that the disturber was a man whom I had not known in his earthly life, that he had destroyed himself, and wished to speak to me. I guessed the name of the unhappy suicide, begging him if possible to prove his identity. A series of sounds then proceeded apparently from the pedestal of the table, which were recognised as the noises produced by sawing, planing, screwing, hammering, filing, &c., all perfectly distinct. We asked whether this was meant to show us that the spirit had been a carpenter and joiner, and found that such was the intention. I had no idea of this at the time, but found on inquiring that it was quite true.

Although the medium, Jane, had the organisation necessary for the transmission of raps when in the presence of some persons, she could not obtain them when alone, or when in company with most of those with whom she came in contact. I found that, when absent from my house, she had tried among her own friends, but never with any decided success. She was always most successful when sitting beside me, and as I judged from that circumstance that some share of the power of transmission belonged to myself, the cause of

my very remarkable experience at Mrs. Hayden's met with a possible explanation.

The spelling of those sentences which were given through Jane was, as I before observed, always hers. 'Beautiful' was 'butiful,' 'writing' 'riting,' &c., except on some rare occasions when educated persons were present whose strong medium power, as I conjecture, overcame hers. This fact relating to spelling and forms of expression applies to every phase of mediumship I have hitherto seen; whether the explanation to be given will be as satisfactory to the reader as to myself, must be determined hereafter. I may here mention that Jane had very little perception of, or memory for, the surnames of individuals, and could rarely give me correctly the name of any friend who called in my absence, or any message in which a surname was required. The organ called 'individuality' was small in her, while in Mrs. Hayden's forehead I noticed that all the perceptions were large and full. I do not mean to attach much importance to this observation, till a greater number of facts have been recorded, connecting the character of communications given through the agency of any medium with his or her cerebral developement.

Jane was extremely fond of flowers, and the messages given by rapping, as well as those when her mediumship had taken another form, almost always contained descriptions of gardens, and references to wreaths and nosegays

of flowers. When we come to the symbolism which is almost invariably used through all mediums by the unseen influences, some explanation of this also will be attempted.

Poor Jane died two years ago of rapid consumption. Lest it should be supposed that the exercise of her medium power injured her, I ought to say that for three years, during which time her health was good, the manifestations had ceased. Her last illness was brought on by cold, and imprudent treatment of a constitution always delicate. A few days before her death she gave me a solemn assurance that she had never deceived me in the slightest degree in any particular connected with spiritual manifestations; but,' she said, 'I have from my infancy seen and heard far more curious things than I have ever talked of to anyone.'

Jane's mediumship was never successful in the presence of persons who allowed their unbelief to appear. She even said that she could feel an opposition, whether it were open or concealed. I believe that the uncertainty and inconclusiveness of evidence on many ghost stories may be accounted for by ignorance of the conditions of mediumship and the different degrees of power in different persons. Of this the 'Cock Lane Ghost' was in all probability an example. For a long time the cause of the sounds defied all attempts at discovery; at length it was found that they were heard only in the presence of an ignorant young girl, who

Dr.

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could only declare that she did not make them. Johnson was not a little proud of his sagacity in concluding that as the sounds were only heard in the presence of this young girl, she must have made them, consciously, and was therefore an impostor. means taken to prove imposture were wonderfully scientific, and more to be admired than imitated. When the poor girl had been frightened by the sight of so many fine people, it would have been strange indeed if the nerves which were to serve as telegraphic wires had not been deranged in their action. After the savans of that time had found out how the raps could be stopped, they discovered how they were made. The girl was laid down with a board placed by her, and she was then told that, if she did not make the ghost come, she would be severely punished. Accordingly she took the best means she could of producing the effect of his ghostly presence by tapping on the board with her finger, and so the matter was settled.

The rappings in the house of the father of John Wesley may be better understood now, than at the time of their occurrence. Accounts of these have appeared in the Spiritual Magazine, but the whole story will be remembered by all readers of Southey's Life of Wesley.

The most remarkable instance of table-moving with a purpose which ever came under my notice occurred at the house of a friend, whose family like my own were staying at the sea-side. An account of this has