appeared in print before, but it is so much to the purpose here that I cannot resist adding it to the collection of experiences.

My friend's family consisted of six persons, and a gentleman, now the husband of one of the daughters, joined them, and was accompanied by a young member of my own family. No paid person was present. A gentleman, who had been expressing himself in a very sceptical manner, not only with reference to spirit manifestations, but on the subject of spiritual existence generally, sat on a sofa two or three feet from the diningroom table, round which we were placed. After sitting some time we were directed by the rapping to join hands and stand up round the table without touching it. All did so for a quarter of an hour, wondering whether anything would happen, or whether we were hoaxed by the unseen power. Just as one or two of the party talked of sitting down, the old table, which was large enough for eight or ten persons after the manner of a lodging-house, moved entirely by itself as we surrounded and followed it with our hands joined, went towards the gentleman out of the circle, and literally pushed him up to the back of the sofa, till he called out 'Hold, enough!'

Of the marvels in the way of table-moving, &c., occurring in Mr. Home's presence, his own account, corroborated by so many witnesses, speaks with sufficient detail. In referring to his very powerful me

diumship, I only add one to the number of persons by whom the facts are attested. It is only in Mr. Home's presence that I have witnessed that very curious appearance, or process, the thrilling of the table. This takes place for some seconds, perhaps more, before it rises from the floor. The last time I witnessed this phenomenon, an acute surgeon present said that this thrilling, the genuineness of which was unmistakable, was exactly like what takes place in that affection of the muscles called subsultus tendinum. When it ceased, the table rose more than two feet from the floor.

The 'tipping' appears to be the easiest method of communication for the unseen influences, as it is the most readily obtained by the circle of experimenters. By it, as indeed by all methods, very strange and absurd communications are sometimes given. I have seen instances, and been told of others, in which long incongruous strings of names and titles have been spelt out; such as, Richard Cœur de Lion, Pythagoras, Byron, Cheops, and Mr. Fauntleroy, the list perhaps ending with T. Browne or J. Smith. The givers of these names seem to delight only in buffoonery or abuse, and perhaps, after playing absurd and mischievous tricks for days or even weeks, will seem to come in a body, giving all their names with the information that they are come to say Good-by for ever.' After this their names or sobriquets do not

appear again. Of course it would not be to the purpose to try, in the present state of the inquiry, to account fully for these strange proceedings. Even on the supposition that names thus given proceed from real existences, we must imagine either that the names are assumed for fun, or that some unknown law connecting the name with the character or nature is involved. Of this law, of which we seem to have a little glimmering, I shall speak further on. Whatever may be the cause of the foolish and mischievous visitations referred to, their very frequent occurrence is a sufficient reason for the repetition of a caution already given; namely, that those who wish to try experiments must, if they do not desire to be repelled in the outset, preserve a really religious, earnest, and truth-loving spirit. The absence of this temper of mind in the party will soon be followed by such manifestations as those last described, which are really hurtful to mediums, and from their reckless and untruthful character very unlikely to lead to just conclusions on the whole subject.

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D

CHAPTER III.

WRITING FIRST EXPERIMENTS.

URING the two first years of our experience in

spirit manifestations, the power of mediumship was found to exist in a greater or less degree, and in different forms, in about thirty persons. Among these were men, women, young persons, and children, persons of all ages, of all stations in society, and all degrees of education and varieties of disposition and intellect. Experiments tried with such extensive means of observation can scarcely fail to be useful in assisting conjecture on the subject; and in the hope that they may be interesting, I extract some of the most remarkable instances from a record kept at the time.

When the involuntary writing is first seen in imperfect mediums, unaccompanied by its more striking allied forms of manifestation, rapping, moving furniture, &c., it is generally thought to be the result either of an uncontrolled self-delusive imagination, or of some undeveloped faculty in the mental nature of the writer akin to that described by some physiologists

as unconscious cerebration, or an action carried on in the brain without the knowledge of the mind. The last view is often taken by thoughtful persons on the first appearance of the phenomenon in themselves or others. Less scientific observers are apt to attribute the whole to fancy. Uneducated people say the medium 'gives way,' and are confirmed in this luminous view of the matter by the fact that the movement of the hand can be generally, though not always, prevented with ease. But when it is found that the rapping or moving stops after the spelling of some such sentence as Let hold the pencil, I can write by his hand,' and that no effort of will can reproduce the raps, or gain communication in any other way than that promised, it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the same agency is at work in both forms of mediumship. But the respective parts taken by the medium and by the unseen power, if the latter exist, remain to be seen.

A great deal of nonsense, as has been said, is often written at first by mediums. This is reverted to here by way of caution, for excepting the proof that, if the unseen influences emanate from beings in another state, they are if anything in a lower mental and moral condition than ourselves, I know of nothing to be learnt by it. The verses written by the unseen power are often curious and quaint, sometimes ridiculous. But verses not of a low and mischievous character have been given to us as to many other experimenters. The