him in the open air at the distance of twenty yards; in about a quarter of an hour he raised one arm, rested his elbow on his knee, and leant his head on the hand; immediately after he supported his head on both hands on his knees, and swayed a little to one side; the inclination gradually increased (he never making an effort to rectify it) till he lost his balance, and fell head foremost into the puddle of water he had made in washing himself; his attitude was not in the smallest degree changed, and he looked like a sitting statue reversed. He was carried to bed; awoke after three hours, and asked how he had got there.

Dec. 26th.-I saw him sunning himself in front of the hospital to-day, and seated myself on the ground opposite him at the distance of thirty yards; in less than five minutes he leaned to one side, and then fell as if shot: slept for two hours.

From the foregoing facts it is allowable to conclude, I hope, that Mesmerism is a natural power of the human body.

That it affects directly the nervous and muscular systems.

That in the mesmeric trance the most severe and protracted surgical operations can be performed, without the patients being sensible of pain.

That spasms and nervous pains often disappear before the mesmeric trance.

That it gives us a complete command of the muscu

lar system, and is therefore of great service in restoring contracted limbs.

That the chronic administration of Mesmerism often acts as a useful stimulant in functional debility of the

nerves.

That as sleep, in the absence of all pain, is the best condition of the system for subduing inflammation, the mesmeric trance will probably be found to be a powerful remedy in local inflammations.

That the imagination has nothing to do with the first physical impression made on the system by Mesmerism, as practised by me.

That it is not necessary for the eyes to be open : I always shut them as a source of distraction; and blind men are as readily mesmerised as others.

That water can be charged with the mesmeric fluid, and has a powerful effect on the system when it has been previously affected.

That the mesmeric influence can be transmitted through the air to considerable distances, and even pass through dense materials.

APPENDIX.

WHEN speaking of Somnambulism, I ventured to express my belief that "Clairvoyance," or the transference of sense, had been witnessed in diseased states of the body, and that, as we can imitate Nature step by step, by artificially producing Somnambulism, Catalepsy, and a state of the system resembling Hysteria, in which "Clairvoyance" has been witnessed as a symptom in disease; so we might expect to see this phenomenon in the analogous derangements of the nervous system brought about by Mesmerism. It ought to be remembered that this is one of the wonders of Nature, and also, a great rarity in art, and must not be looked for, as a matter of course, in persons under the influence of Mesmerism. It has not yet fallen under my observation, and from want of books, I could not present the reader with as many well-attested proofs of its existence in Nature as was desirable.

After the foregoing work was finished, I fortunately met Professor Wienholt's "Lectures on Somnambulism," and, as I there found all the facts required to establish the exist ence of natural Clairvoyance, and, in the notes of the learned translator, Mr. Colquhoun, a parallel array of these "stubborn things" in proof of the truth of Mesmeric Clairvoyance, I hope the reader will be glad to have this additional aid to his judgment in coming to a decision. Professor Wienholt, in describing natural Somnambulism, says:

"The sleep-walker, when otherwise healthy, falls, at a particular period, into a common sleep, which cannot be distinguished from the natural state of repose. After a longer or shorter time he rises from his couch, and walks about the room-sometimes about the house. He frequently goes out into the open air, walks upon known or unknown paths as quickly, and with as much activity and confidence, as in his waking state, avoids all obstacles which may stand, or have been designedly placed in his route, and makes his way along rugged paths, and climbs dangerous heights, which he would never have thought of attempting when awake. He reads printed and written papers, writes as well and correctly as in his waking state, and performs many other operations requiring light and the natural use of the eyes. All these actions, however, are performed by the Somnambulist in complete darkness as well as when awake, and, generally, with his eyes firmly closed. I shall afterwards speak of the exceptions, in which these persons have their eyes open. When the period of his somnambulism has elapsed, he returns to his bed, falls back again into his natural sleep, awakes at his usual hour, and, in most instances, knows nothing of what he had done in his sleep-walking state. At the same time, there are very few persons who exhibit all of these phenomena, or even the greater number of them. For the most part, they only wander about without any other pecu. liar manifestation; and the instances in which several of the phenomena in question are exhibited are rare. This state, which is found in persons otherwise healthy, frequently occurs in diseases, especially in diseases of the nervous system. In the latter case, the affection usually commences with a paroxysm of convulsive motions, catalepsy, apparent syncope, and then passes over with a state

precisely similar, so far as regards the principal symptoms, to Somnambulism; only that in this latter case, the patients not only act, but speak, which rarely happens in the former. Before these patients are completely restored to their ordinary waking state, their sleep is changed into a similar convulsive state, combined with want of consciousness.

"Of this species of Somnambulism occurring in nervous diseases, we are in possession of many curious instances, of which the Aulic Councillor Meiners, a celebrated professor at Goettingen, has inserted several very remarkable examples in his instructive collection. In respect to its chief characteristics, this species of Somnambulism, occurring in nervous diseases, completely resembles the natural crisis; it is recognised by all competent judges as of the same kind, and is comprehended under the same class of diseases; and in this view I also consider it. I begin with the case in Moritz's Magazine, which was first translated by Mr. Spalding, and afterwards inserted by Meiners in his collection. This is a case of what has been called louping ague,' which, unquestionably, is just one instance of that species of Somnambulism which I have referred to as occasionally accompanying nervous diseases. The patient was a female of sixteen years of age. The paroxysm attacked her in the morning, and consisted of a profound sleep. In this state, she would jump with astonishing activity upon tables and chairs, run, when permitted, and with great rapidity, out of the house,-generally to a particular place in the neighbourhood; and when she did not awake, she would return immediately, but sometimes by a different road, and in a different direction. She not unfrequently left the high road, and ran straight through the fields. She never fell nor injured herself, however rough her path might be, or however fast she might run ; and