Fomething white, like a visiting card. So far there was nothing surprising. M. Berna had, in a loud voice, requested the commissioner to take a card and write something upon it; but she was further asked if she did not see anything upon the card, to which she resolutely replied, Yes, there is writing. Is the writing large or small?'-' Pretty large,' she replied. "What has been written? Wait a moment, I do not distingnish well there is first an M. Yes, it is a word beginning with an M.' Such were the first answers of the somnambulist. A plain white card was then passed to the commissioner unknown to the magnetiser; this was substituted for the card on which the word Pantagruel was written. The somnambulist persisted, notwithstanding, in saying that she saw a word beginning with an M. She subsequently added, that she saw two lines of writing, though she could not tell what they were.

The reporter was taking notes close to the somnambulist. The point of the pen was distinctly heard on the paper: the somnambulist turned her head to that side: the magnetiser asked her if she saw that gentleman. 'Yes,' she said, he holds in his hand something white and long.' He then ceased writing, and passed behind the somnambulist, holding the pen in his mouth. Do you see the gentleman behind?' inquired the magnetiser. Yes,' she replied. Do you see his mouth? Not very well; he has in it something white and long.' The magnetiser on this glanced with satisfaction to the commissioners, and enjoined the reporter not to forget to note the circumstance. After some other experiments of writing on cards, at which the somnambulist was as much at fault as in the first instance, M. › Berna, in a loud tone, requested a commissioner to take a playing card and place it to the occiput of the somnambulist. A court card?' inquired the commissioner, As you please,' replied M. Berna. The commissioner, however, instead of selecting a playing card, took a plain white one of the same size, unknown to M. Berna, and of course to the somnambulist. He then placed this card to her occiput. M. Berna, seated in front as before, interrogated her. She hesitated, and at last answered that she saw a card. On being further interrogated, she again hesitated, and then said that there was black and red on the card. After some further efforts to induce the: somnambulist to be more explicit, the magnetiser, little satisfied with the result of the transposition of sight to the occiput, requested the commissioner to pass the card in front of the somnambulist, close to the bandage which covered her eyes, which was, in fact, a renunciation of the transposition of the senses, for clairvoyance through a bandage. The card was quickly passed, as desired, so that M. Berna seeing the white surface of the card, supposed that its back was turned towards himself, and the coloured parts towards the bandage of the somnambulist. On being again questioned, she said she now saw the card better, and then added, that she distinguished something like a figure. M. Berna continued to question her; the som." nambulist appearing to make great efforts, declared that she saw a knave. 'But which knave? there are four knaves.' She replied, "There is black by the side of the knave.'- Still there are two knaves that have black on their side.' She was again solicited by the magnetiser, and appeared to make great efforts; at last she hit upon it-The knave of clubs.' M. Berna, to terminate the experiment, took the card out of the commissioner's hand, and perceived that it was perfectly white."

Have our readers enough of this? Their answer may be yes, or

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no; but the commissioners had patience to witness other experi ments, the results of which, however, were similar to these now described; so that they unanimously agreed that,

"M. Berna doubtless deceived himself when he made sure of proving to the Académie, by conclusive facts, the truth of magnetism, and the elucidation by them of points of physiology and therapeutics. These facts are now known, and they are opposed to conclusions in favour of magnetism itself, and consequently they can have nothing in common, either with physiology or therapeutics.

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The commissioners will not attempt to decide whether they would have found anything more conclusive, in more numerous and varied cases furnished by other magnetisers: but one thing is certain, that if there are other magnetisers, they have not dared to come forward-they have not dared to put magnetism to the test of academical sanction or condemnation."

It must not be forgotten that in the course of the discussions in the Académie several instances of deception were brought forward, which at the time had passed current as proofs of magnetic power. Again we have recourse to Mr. Lee, whose personal and medical character will be found a sufficient voucher for the truth of that which he avers. If not, let him be answered in his own circumstantial, avowed, and calm style; and then we shall listen with patience to the magnetisers.

“M. Velpeau, in alluding to a young man who had been able to predict the periods of his epileptic attacks, and who was also said to be able to read with his eyes bandaged, says, I thought of looking under the bandage, which was loosely applied, and my suprise ceased. The performer of these miracles was a young law student, who had quarrelled with his friends, had no means of existence, and who entered an hospital under the pretext that he was paralytic, which was an invention. I was in the secret, and did not betray him, as it would have lost him; although the surgeon of the hospital thought it really a paralysis, prescribed accordingly, and after uselessly trying other remedies, spoke of applying the moxa:* from that period the remedies which had been hitherto inactive performed wonders. From this hospital he went to that of La Charité, to subject himself to the experiments of magnetism.

M. Georget became a zealous partisan of magnetism, after having been its opponent, and admitted its truth in his work on the nervous system: he had performed experiments, and believed them incontrovertible. M. Londe assisted at these experiments, Well, Georget carried with him to the tomb his belief in magnetism, but M. Londe has outlived him, and you have heard him declare in this assembly, that Georget and himself had been deceived, that they had been duped by some miserable creatures who have since boasted of the circumstance. However, the work exists, and

** Moxa is a cylinder of ignited cotton, or other substance, applied to the skin, and by the slow action of the heat produces an ulcer.

its author is no longer here to rectify the errors it contains. In conclusion I say, that whenever the facts stated by the magnetisers to have occurred, have been inquired into, the wonderful has disappeared.'

"The following case of clairvoyance was a great deal talked about at the time, and has been inserted as a fact by Mr. Colquhoun in his work. 'Petronilla Leclerc, at twenty-six, admitted into the hospital of La Charité, in 1830, under the care of Dr. Fouquier, was afflicted with a cerebro-spasmodic epileptiform complaint. M. Sebire, who had the care of her, magnetised her several times, and some remarkable phenomena were manifested. In the first sitting the somnambulist gave several marks of lucidity: some objects were presented to her, as a bottle filled with vinegar, sugar, bread, &c. which she recognised perfectly well without seeing them, as she had a bandage over her eyes. When answering the questions put to her, she turned to the opposite side and plunged her face in the pillow; without being asked, she said to the person who was holding her hand, You have got a head-ache,' which was true; but to try her, M. Sebire answered, that she was mistaken. That is singular,' replied she; I touched some person who had a head-ache, for I felt it.' She distinguished several persons who were present by some peculiarities in their dress.

"The following was one of the most remarkable circumstances that occurred, The magnetiser had retired, after promising to return at half-past five o'clock, in order to awaken her. He arrived before the appointed time. The somnambulist observed, that it was not yet half-past five, to which he answered, that he had just received a letter, which obliged him to return sooner. O yes,' she immediately replied; it is that letter which you have in your pocket-book, between a blue card and a yellow one.' The fact was strictly true. M. Sebire, without saying anything, placed a watch behind her occiput, and asked her what it was o'clock by the watch? She answered, 'Six minutes past four,' and she was right.'

"All this sounds very marvellous, and no doubt appeared conclusive to the bystander, of the truth and miraculous powers of magnetism; but onfortunately for the magnetisers Petronilla died of phthisis, in the Salpetrière, in 1833, and repeatedly declared in the latter part of her life, to the intèrnes of the hospital, that she had never experienced the least degree of soinnambulism, and that she used to laugh in her sleeve at Georget and the others who were present at the experiments. She affirmed that she had passed with Brouillard (another somnambulist) more than one delicious evening in recounting the mystifications of the day, and in preparing those for the morrow. These persons also allowed themselves to be pricked and pinched without evincing pain. I am acquainted with the gentlemen to whom these avowals were made, and one of them assured me of the correctness of the above statement."

Taking leave for a time of our esteemed author,-esteemed on account of the enlightened, sober, and variously excellent qualities of his printed works,-these being the only grounds upon which we have an opportunity to form our judgment, let us also bid adieu to France and the Académie, and carry our readers to the metropolis of England.

To plain and matter-of-fact people, to those who are not in

the habit of yielding themselves up to fanaticism or charlatanism, of gulling or being gulled, but who desire to have placed before them demonstrated and unimpeachable facts in support of every new and marvellous doctrine, it will be matter of surprise to hear that there are persons in London at the hour in which we write who put faith in the absurdities and monstrosities which we have been noticing. What adds to the marvel is this, that men of acknowledged eminence in literature and science, Lords and Commons also, have lent an ear to these extravagances. Talk of the impostor who called himself a knight of Malta, the late Sir William Courtenay, and his deluded, ignorant, and insignificant followers, as respects wealth, rank, and influence, who, all the while may have been the tools as well as the victims of deep-scheming enemies of the state! what is to be said of the personages, some of them soon to be named, who have in a greater or less degree identified themselves with the Mesmerians, the somnambulist-charmers,-the clairvoyant-speculators? But narrative will be more satisfactory than declamation.

After the revival of Animal Magnetism folly in France, and the perseverance with which its merits were obtruded upon the public, it was not to be expected that John Bull, sober minded as he generally is, and a hater of foreign quackery, should not begin to feel some curiosity about the matter. Only a very small number of his family, however, bestowed upon M. Dupotet any attention, who as a Mesmerian missionary visited us in 1837; and the fact is, that despairing of notice and of making converts, he was about to abandon the enterprise, and to return to a more kindly soil, when certain circumstances occurred which led to a change of purpose. The Earl of Stanhope became his patron; and certain medical practitioners being solicitous to ascertain if the pretended magnetic influence could be employed as a cure in particular diseases began to attend his exhibition. The North London Hospital was selected as a theatre for experimenting, and at length two gentlemen attached to the adjoining university, Dr. Elliotson and Professor Mayo, professed themselves converts, though in unequal degrees; the former going almost the whole hog, and the latter only to the extent of believing the extraordinary effects which he had seen to be the result of the magnetiser's influence.

It is to be observed that English patients have not hitherto evinced such a susceptibility of the magnetic power, as those in France and some foreign parts; and as it is alleged by magnetisers that the proximity of moral impurity neutralizes the charm, we perhaps need not travel far to find the cause of the comparative failures in this country.

Dr. Elliotson, however, has become rather an expert operator, and has, in as far as the earlier stages of magnetising are concerned, acquitted himself to admiration. Very lately, indeed, he

astonished an assembly of lookers-on, which consisted not only of certain magnates and legislators, but of literary and scientific characters. On this occasion two epileptic girls did their part with considerable accuracy.

If we understand the doctrines of magnetisers aright, it does not require learning, medical study, or any peculiar preparation to be an effective operator. Children, for example, it is said, may not only be magnetised, but an infant, by having been taught to move its hands in the necessary manner, may unconsciously do the thing. In fact the newspapers have reported that Dr. Elliotson has gravely declared, that he is "one of those who are satisfied that influence may be exerted by one animal, whether human or brute, upon another individual who is affected, being aware of the operation." We have not learned where or how he obtains proofs of his assertion.

Before leaving our London magnetisers, our readers may be amused if we copy from the Sun newspaper a detailed account of the scene witnessed in the North London Hospital, already referred to, when Dr. Elliotson was the magnetiser. While the professor was speaking,

"Mr. Wood, who, we understood, first drew Dr. Elliotson's attention to the practicability of exercising the Mesmeric art, moved his hands behind the backs of the girls, and they fell each into a state of profound sleep. They were then pinched, violently shaken, and pulled by the arms, not by the Professor, but by several of the noblemen and gentlemen around, without manifesting the slightest degree of sensibility. But by breathing upon their hands, they were instantly awakened, when they exhibited a delirious vivacity and boldness, in remarkable contrast to their gentleness in the natural state. In the elder girl, the contrast was most striking-she sang, whistled, and jested with Dr. Elliotson and with Lords Wilton and Stanhope, with the familiarity of a playful and petted child amongst her own family, and she displayed not only great archness, but wit and humour. In the midst of her liveliest sallies, however, Dr. Elliotson, suddenly pointed the fore-finger of one hand at her forehead, and on the instant she stood immoveable as a statue, and evidently in a state of utter unconsciousness, He then pointed a finger at each upper eye-lid, and, as he raised the fingers, (several inches from her face) the lids rose also, exposing the eye-balland so they remained fixed, the body standing motionless. In the same manner, pointing one finger opposite the upper lip, and another opposite the chin, he moved the one finger upwards and the other downwards, with a quick movement, and the mouth opened; and she stood still, in that posture, until he breathed upon her face; when she suddenly started into consciousness, and began to dance, sing, and jest as before. She was afterwards repeatedly struck motionless, on the instant, in every variety of attitude, which, in her delirious playfulness, she might happen to assume; and this was done not only by Dr. E. himself, but frequently when he was not aware of it, and whilst she was talking to him-by a single movement of the hand, behind her back, by Lord Wilton, Lord Northland, and others, who seemed to enjoy the influence of their newly-discovered

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