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LETTER 
 
 TO 
 
 DOCTOR A. BRIGHAM 
 
 ON 
 
 ANIMAL MAGNETISM: 
 
 BEING 
 
 AN ACCOUNT OF A REMARKABLE INTERVIEW BETWEEN 
 
 THE AUTHOR AND MISS LORA1NA BRACKETT 
 
 WHILE IN A STATE OF SOMNAMBULISM. 
 
 BY WILLIAM L. STONE. 
 
 tf There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio 
 Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." 
 
 u 1 might not this believe, 
 
 Without the sensible, and true avouch 
 Of mine own eyes." 
 
 Shakespeare. 
 
 Idem. 
 
 FOURTH EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS, 
 
 NEW-YORK: 
 
 GEORGE DEARBORN & CO 
 1837. 
 
<h 
 
 <<& 
 
 [Entered according to the Act of Congress of the United States of America, in 
 the year 1837, by George Dearborn, in the Clerk's Office of the Southern 
 District of New-York.} 
 
 5CATCHERD AND ADAMS, 
 
 PRINTERS, 
 
 No. 38 Gold Street. 
 
ANIMAL MAGNETISM. 
 
 LETTER FROM DR. BRIGHAM TO MR. STONE. 
 
 NEW-YORK, September 1, 1837. 
 My Dear Sir, 
 
 Understanding that you have recently witnessed 
 many experiments, and even performed some your- 
 self, illustrative of the powers of Animal Magnetism, 
 and have become a believer in this new art, science, 
 or imposture, I am exceedingly desirous of knowing 
 what phenomena, seen by yourself, have served to 
 convince you. 
 
 Animal Magnetism has attracted the attention of 
 many of the most scientific men in Europe, some of 
 whom believe in the extraordinary power ascribed 
 to it. That very remarkable effects may result from 
 extreme sensibility, or disease of the nervous system, 
 I can readily believe — we see such in Catalepsy, 
 Somnambulism, &c. We read of such in every age. 
 In every age great moral commotions, by affecting 
 the organization of some very sensitive persons, have 
 produced very singular physical and intellectual 
 phenomena. The Trembleurs des Cevennes, and the 
 Convulsionnaires de Saint Medard, are memorable in- 
 stances. Many of the results attributed to Animal 
 Magnetism may be accounted for, by supposing an 
 
unusual augmentation of sensibility, — but other phe- 
 nomena ascribed to it cannot be thus explained, and 
 an immensity of proof appears to me to be necessary, 
 in order to establish things so extraordinary, and so 
 contrary to the common sense and to the testimony 
 of all times. 
 
 The facts which have served to make you a be- 
 liever in Animal Magnetism, must be curious and 
 interesting, and when your leisure permits, I beg you 
 will furnish them in detail, that others may know on 
 what evidence one who has been charged with a 
 lamentable want of credulity on some subjects, and 
 who must be disinterested, has become convinced of 
 the truth of these most incredible phenomena. 
 
 Very respectfully your friend, 
 
 A. BRIGHAM. 
 
 William L, Stone, Esq. 
 
 LETTER OF MR. STONE TODR.BRIGHAM. 
 
 NEW- YORK, September 10, 1837. 
 Dear Sir, 
 
 Your favour of the first instant reached me several 
 days since, and in so far as " a round unvarnished 
 tale" will serve the purposes of your inquiry, I can 
 have not the slightest objection to a compliance with 
 your request. I can the more readily do this from 
 the circumstance, that the greatest portion of the la- 
 bor is already performed ; that is, if you refer, as I 
 presume you do, to certain circumstances connected 
 With Animal Magnetism, which transpired during a 
 
brief visit recently made by me to the city of Provi- 
 dence. A full narration of that visit, so far as it was 
 connected with the science of Animal Magnetism 
 u falsely so called " — for I hold that nothing can 
 rightly be regarded as a science which has not been 
 reduced to fixed principles — was written immediate- 
 ly after my return, while all the circumstances were 
 fresh in my recollection ; and, in order to still greater 
 accuracy, I have since made another flying visit to 
 Rhode Island, and submitted the manuscript to seve- 
 ral persons who were present at the time when the 
 events related occurred. 
 
 Before I proceed to the main design of the present 
 communication however, allow me to correct a mis- 
 apprehension into which, like many others of my 
 friends, you have been betrayed by the loose reports 
 of common fame. The inference from your letter is, 
 that I have suddenly become a convert to Animal 
 Magnetism, to the whole extent claimed and practis- 
 ed by Frederick Anthony Mesmer, the founder of the 
 art, and contended for by Wolfart and Kluge, and 
 the other German and French enthusiasts, who have 
 written in explanation and support of the system. 
 This is an error. I am not a positive believer in the 
 system, because I know not what to believe ; and 
 yet, I am free to confess, that I have recently be- 
 held phenomena, under circumstances where collu- 
 sion, deception, fraud, and imposture, were alike out 
 of the question, if not impossible, which have brought 
 me from the position of a positive sceptic to a dead 
 pause. From the evidence of my own senses, I have 
 
been compelled, if not to relinquish, at least very es- 
 sentially to modify, my disbelief; and I can no longer 
 deny, although I cannot explain, the extraordinary 
 phenomena produced by the exertion of the mental 
 energy of one person upon the mind of another, while 
 in a state of what is termed magnetic slumber. Still, 
 I pray you not to write me down as a believer in the 
 charlatanerie of Mesmer and Deslon, or as a disciple 
 of M. Poyen, or as an encourager of the other strol- 
 ling dealers in somnambulism, who traverse the coun- 
 try, exhibiting their " sleeping beauties," as lovers, 
 not of science, but of gain. 
 
 For many months past, in common with most read- 
 ers, if not all, of the public journals, I had seen much 
 upon the subject of Animal Magnetism, particularly 
 in connexion with the names of Monsieur Poyen, and 
 his pupil, Miss Gleason. The illustrations of M. 
 Poyen, and the exploits of Miss Gleason while un- 
 der the magnetic influence imparted by him, had 
 been standing themes of comment in the New Eng- 
 land papers. I had seen that M. Poyen was favored 
 by many believers, some of them, even, among the 
 disciples of J3sculapius. There were others, laymen 
 and members of the faculty, who doubted. Others, 
 again, and probably far the largest class, were posi- 
 tive sceptics. These were doing all in their power 
 to discredit the professor, his science, and his patient, 
 us well by argument as by the withering process of 
 ridicule. Still, M. Poyen persisted in the illustrations 
 of his favorite science, and I had noted that acces- 
 sions to the number of believers in his system were 
 
occasionally gained, even from the ranks both of the 
 learned and the wise. Educated, however, in the be- 
 lief that Mesmer was an impostor, that his followers 
 were enthusiasts, and his patients affected, if at all, 
 only through the workings of their own imaginations, 
 — and disliking, exceedingly, the public exhibitions 
 he was making for money, — I was not only an un- 
 believer, but a satirist of the whole affair. 
 
 Not long afterward it was reported that the sys- 
 tem of M. Poyen had not only been introduced into 
 Providence, but that the illustrations exhibited there 
 had made a deep impression upon some of the sound- 
 est and best balanced minds in that city and its vi- 
 cinity. The publications upon the subject assumed 
 a grave character, and the names quoted as among 
 those who, if not full believers in the science, had at 
 least been brought to admit that there was some- 
 thing mysterious in the developements daily making 
 of the extent and power of the magnetic influence, 
 both upon the bodies and minds of those who had 
 been made subjects of it, caused me to pause, and 
 question of myself " whereunto these things would 
 grow." Still I was a pretty sturdy unbeliever. The 
 early history of Animal Magnetism was familiar to 
 me. I had read also of the Convulsionnaires de St. 
 Medard, of which you have reminded me; of the 
 strange epidemic which set half the nuns in Chris- 
 tendom simultaneously to mewing like cats and kit- 
 tens in concert ; of the still stranger doings among 
 various religionists in Kentucky, some thirty or forty 
 years ago ; and of course I had not forgotten the 
 
8 
 
 melancholy delusion which once overspread New 
 England in regard to witchcraft. My inclination , 
 therefore, was to write down Animal Magnetism in 
 the same catalogue of the eccentricities, if not the 
 absurdities, of the human mind ; and to look upon its 
 extension in Rhode Island as the work, if not of cre- 
 dulity and. imposture, at least of mental excitement, 
 sympathy, and delusion. 
 
 Such, in brief, were my views and feelings in re- 
 gard to Animal Magnetism, until on or about the 22d 
 day of August ultimo, when a letter was placed in 
 my hands by a Providence gentleman, from a distin- 
 guished prelate in the Episcopal Church, then on a 
 visit to that city, inviting my attention to the subject, 
 and intimating the writer's belief that were I to in- 
 vestigate the phenomena of the magnetic influence 
 myself, I might perhaps be more sparing of my sar- 
 casms in relation to it. The letter was one of in- 
 troduction, and I entered immediately into conversa- 
 tion with the bearer upon the subject, of which he 
 was full. He confirmed various reports which had 
 previously reached me, and also the fact, that the new 
 science (I use the word for its convenience, not for 
 its correctness,) was seriously engaging the attention 
 of men of science and learning in Providence— phy- 
 sicians, philosophers, and theologians ; and that the 
 results of many experiments were causing it to be 
 regarded with grave and increasing interest. He 
 likewise related to me a number of facts of a sur- 
 prising character, of the truth of which I could not 
 entertain a doubt without impeaching the character 
 
of my informant for veracity. His manner, moreover, 
 was such as to convince me that he was sincere in 
 what he said. He spoke of a number of patients in 
 Providence, under the charge of several physicians, 
 who had been subjected to the magnetic treatment, 
 with wonderful results. Among these, he told me of 
 a blind young lady, upon whom some surprising expe- 
 riments had been made. I was informed, that, although 
 blind, yet, when in a state of magnetic slumber, she 
 had been sent to a fancy dry goods store to select 
 various articles of merchandize, and that she per- 
 formed the service as well as a lady of perfect sight 
 would have done it. He also stated to me, that by 
 the will of the magnetiser, she would go into a flow- 
 er-garden, when asleep, and cull various flowers of 
 various hues. It was likewise stated that she had 
 read a note sent to her from a distance, under three 
 envelopes, and that the contents were sent back to 
 the writer, who was at the time unknown, while 
 the seals of the envelopes remained unbroken. 
 These, and several other extraordinary experiments 
 mentioned to me in the course of the interview, could 
 not but create a strong desire on my part to investi- 
 gate the subject for myself. It happened that I was 
 then making preparations to visit some valued friends 
 in Providence, and I left New- York with a determi- 
 nation, if possible, to see the blind lady, and have 
 the evidence of my own senses in regard to the exer- 
 cise of this recently revived, and, if true, most won- 
 derful influence. 
 I arrived in Providence on Saturday, the 26th of 
 
 2 
 
10 
 
 August; and my inquiries, which were immediate ; 
 touching the above-mentioned reports, resulted in the 
 confirmation, substantially, of their truth. Of course 
 my curiosity was greatly excited, and my anxiety to 
 see the young lady increased in a corresponding ra- 
 tio. I was informed, moreover, that the subject was 
 a young lady of most respectable character, and of 
 decided and unaffected piety, — the patient of Doctor 
 George Capron, a physician of established reputation, 
 and above all the devices and designs of quackery, 
 charlatanism, or imposture. The name of the young 
 lady is Loraina Brackett, from the town of Dudley, 
 Mass. Four years since, as I have learned from her 
 friends, particularly from Dr. Capron, she had the 
 misfortune to have an iron weight of several pounds 
 fall from a considerable elevation on the crown of 
 her head. The injury was so severe as to deprive 
 her almost of life, and entirely of her reason for se- 
 veral months, " during which time she was subject 
 to the most violent nervous, and other serious de- 
 rangements of the nervous system. From the imme- 
 diate effects of this injury she gradually recovered, 
 and at the end of the year her general health was 
 partially restored." But, notwithstanding this im- 
 provement of her bodily health, her eyes were so 
 badly affected by this injury as to produce amaurosis , 
 a disease of the optic nerves, which threatened total 
 blindness. As usual in cases of this disease, the loss 
 of sight was very gradual, until, about eighteen 
 months since, it was entirely extinguished. " Simul- 
 taneously with the loss of sight, she sustained a loss 
 
ii 
 
 of voice, so complete, that for fifteen months she was 
 unable to utter a single guttural sound, and could 
 only whisper almost inaudible tones." Her case was 
 considered hopeless by her friends ; and in May last 
 arrangements were made for sending her to the Blind 
 School at Boston, under the charge of my valued 
 friend, Dr. S. G. Howe, where it was hoped she 
 might be qualified for a teacher of the blind. When 
 on her way to Boston, in May last, she took Provi- 
 dence in her road, for the purpose of visiting some 
 friends in that city. It happened that Dr. Capron 
 was the physician of one of the families Miss Brack- 
 ett was visiting ; and having accidentally become ac- 
 quainted with her history, and learning that all the 
 usual remedies for the deplorable malady under 
 which she was laboring had been employed for her 
 relief in vain, Dr. C, having some brief experience 
 as a magnetiser, and being then engaged in the 
 work of investigating its remedial effects, after ex- 
 amining her case as a matter of curiosity, proposed 
 the magnetic treatment. As you are yourself a 
 physician, I need not remind you that amaurosis of- 
 ten assumes the paralytic character, and that Ani- 
 mal Magnetism has from the first been prescribed by 
 the practbers of the art in cases of neurology, and 
 especially those of a paralytic character. 
 
 The consent of Miss Brackett and her friends for 
 that purpose having been obtained, the practice was 
 commenced in the month of May, and has been con- 
 tinued daily, with few intermissions, until the present 
 time. The results, thus far, in a medical point of 
 
12 
 
 view, have been the most salutary. Her voice has 
 been entirely restored, so that it is clear, and her 
 enunciation distinct and agreeable. Her natural 
 sight, moreover, to say nothing at present of that mys- 
 terious faculty called mental vision, or clairvoyance 
 by the French, has been so far recovered from total 
 blindness, that she can now distinguish light from 
 darkness. She can, when awake, discern objects, 
 like shadows ; though she cannot distinguish a man 
 from a woman by the dress. 
 
 Such, in brief, was the history of the young lady 7 
 and the cause and extent of her malady, communi- 
 cated to me shortly after my arrival in Providence, 
 and more fully by Dr. Capron and others since. I 
 was farther informed that the young lady was diffi- 
 dent and retiring in her manners, and of delicate and 
 sensitive feelings ; and that neither herself, her friends, 
 nor her physician, were ambitious of any thing ap- 
 proaching to a public exhibition. On the contrary, 
 they preferred remaining without public observation. 
 I ought here to add, that Miss B. had received a good 
 education, previous to the accident which had sub- 
 jected her to such painful deprivations, and that her 
 friends in Providence sustain characters not only re- 
 spectable, but irreproachable. 
 
 Having thus satisfied myself, by information de- 
 rived from the most unquestionable authorities, that 
 in regard to the case of this young lady the half that 
 the facts would warrant had not been told me ; and 
 that, however extraordinary might be the appear- 
 ances, or however surprising the developements of 
 
13 
 
 the mysterious principle or influence asserted to ex- 
 ist by the magnetisers, yet neither Miss Brackett her- 
 self, nor her friends, nor her physician, would be guilty 
 of deception, or accessary, directly or indirectly, to 
 an imposture, the next step was, if possible, to obtain 
 an interview. This object was accomplished at my 
 own urgent solicitation, and through the interposition 
 of a distinguished literary friend, acquainted with 
 the young lady and her protectors. I was entirely 
 unacquainted with them all, and was only introduced 
 to Doctor Capron on Saturday afternoon, August 
 26th. I found him all that he had been described to 
 me — an intelligent gentleman, alike above imposture, 
 deception, collusion, and quackery. He remarked 
 that the friends of Miss Brackett had objected to any 
 public exhibition, or any thing like display before 
 strangers. However, by his influence, and the exer- 
 tions of my friend, an interview for experiment was 
 arranged for the then ensuing Monday morning at 10 
 o'clock, at which a few of my friends were to be 
 present. Meantime I heard other and farther rela- 
 tions of the wonderful effects of Magnetic influence 
 upon the system, the senses, and the mental faculties, 
 not only of Miss Brackett, but of other somnambulists 
 in Providence and its vicinity, the patients of physi- 
 cians of undoubted character. In regard to Miss 
 Brackett, I was assured, upon authority not to be 
 questioned, that the power of seeing objects not 
 present, or rather of transporting herself in imagi- 
 nation from one place to another, no matter how 
 distant, and of viewing objects and scenes which she 
 
14 
 
 had never seen or heard described, and giving cor- 
 rect accounts of them herself, had been strikingly 
 displayed in many instances. One gentleman had 
 taken her to Washington, where she accurately de- 
 scribed the localities, the Capitol, and the leading 
 objects within and around it. Another, some time 
 since, had taken her to New- York, and placed her 
 in the Park, and conducted her to sundry other 
 places. On one occasion, while making her supposed 
 voyage, in a steam-boat, she became sea-sick, and 
 gave the actual unfeigned symptoms of that nauseat- 
 ing disease. In addition to which, Mr. Hopkins, 
 the gentleman at whose house she was to meet us, 
 took her on the evening of the Sabbath, the day be- 
 fore I was to see her, to Saratoga Springs, whence 
 he and Mrs. Hopkins had just returned. Mr. H. told 
 me on Monday morning that her description of the 
 buildings and localities at the Springs was correct- 
 and that when in fancy he took her to the Congress 
 fountain, to drink of the water, she dashed it from 
 her on tasting, and said she disliked it — suiting the 
 muscular action of her features to the expression of 
 that dislike. 
 
 With such information in my possession, I deter- 
 mined in my own mind upon a course of examination 
 which would test the case most thoroughly, and in a 
 manner rendering deception, delusion, and imposition 
 of every kind, entirely out of the question — even did 
 not the excellent character of all the parties afford 
 an ample guarantee against any and every attempt 
 of the kind. But I kept several of the particular 
 
15 
 
 tests which I meant to employ entirely within my 
 own bosom, not imparting a hint or suggestion of my 
 design even to my most intimate friends. 
 
 Agreeably to appointment, we met at the house of 
 Mr. Hopkins a few minutes before ten, on Monday 
 morning the 28th of August. There were present 
 the literary friend already referred to, another cler- 
 gyman with his daughter and another young lady ; 
 Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins, Mr. Isaac Thurber, another 
 gentleman whose name I do not recollect, Doctor 
 Capron and myself. The patient was presently 
 ushered into the room, and we were all introduced 
 to her — passing a few moments in agreeable con- 
 versation. I found the young lady of delicate mind 
 and manners, modest and diffident. None could 
 see without being favorably impressed in her behalf. 
 She was, of course, aware of the object of our visit ; 
 and Dr. Capron soon took a seat near her, and com- 
 menced the process of what is called magnetizing. 
 
 I ought before to have remarked, that Dr. Capron 
 had previously cautioned me not to expect too great 
 things, since it was a matter of uncertainty whether 
 the slumber would be profound, and the mind clear; 
 and whether, moreover, she might not become way- 
 ward and obstinate, after being thrown into sleep. 
 Much depended on the calmness of his own mind 
 and the intensity of its fixedness upon the business 
 in hand ; much also depended upon the state of mind 
 of the patient. 
 
 The process was chiefly by the action of the eyes, 
 with some slight manipulations. In these, however, 
 
16 
 
 there was nothing disagreeable or objectionable, in 
 the remotest degree, even to the most refined and 
 sensitive mind. In five minutes the patient gave 
 signs of drowsiness, and in four minutes more she 
 was in a deep and profound slumber — insensible, as 
 we ascertained by experiment, alike to the touch and 
 the voices of all present, excepting her physician. 
 He then told her that he wished her to be in commu- 
 nication with all of us, and to converse with all the 
 company present who wished to speak with her. On 
 the instant she seemed aware that she was in the 
 company of several people, and gave indications of 
 displeasure. 
 
 " I don't like to be looked at in this way by stran- 
 gers," she said. 
 
 The Doctor attempted to soothe her, but she ma- 
 nifested displeasure, and said she would not stay to 
 be thus gazed at by strangers. 
 
 Doctor. " But they are not strangers ; they are 
 your friends. You have been introduced to them, 
 and after being introduced, people are no longer 
 strangers." 
 
 Miss Brackett. " I'll not be looked at in this way ; 
 I will leave the room." 
 
 Saying which she rose with offended dignity, and 
 walked toward the door. I began now to fear that 
 the experiment was ended, and that her obstinacy 
 could not be removed. The Doctor, however, took 
 her hand, and succeeded in changing her purpose, 
 when she walked into the other part of the drawing- 
 room. 
 
17 
 
 It was arranged that the first experiments should 
 be made for the purpose of eliciting some of the phe- 
 nomena of clairvoyance, or mental vision. For this 
 "purpose an exhibition was made of various prints, 
 large and small, likenesses of distinguished persons, 
 &c, with which my friend had provided himself from 
 his own house. With some of these the front parlor 
 was hung, before we entered it from the back room, 
 while the smaller prints were thrown upon the cen- 
 tre-table. It must here be borne in mind, in the first 
 place, what has already been several times remarked, 
 that the patient is blind. Her eyelids, moreover, 
 were entirely closed; in addition to which, cotton 
 batts were placed over her eyes, and confined by a 
 pair of green spectacles. It would, therefore, have 
 been impossible for her to see — or rather, any other 
 person would have been involved in the deepest 
 darkness, with eyes thus closed, and then cotton batts 
 over them. 
 
 Soon after going into the room she appeared to 
 see the pictures and admire them. This fact was 
 tested in every way. From her repugnance to so 
 much company, however, the little circle drew as 
 much as possible away from her, and her chief con- 
 versation on the subject of pictures was held with 
 my friend, with whom, both sleeping and waking, 
 she had previously been acquainted. Invariably, 
 when she studied a picture, she turned her back up- 
 on the wall against which it hung. When she took 
 up a print to examine it, she held it at the back of her 
 head, or rather just over the parietal bone. With 
 
 3 
 
18 
 
 my friend she conversed freely, and selected from 
 the small prints a likeness of Mrs. Judson, whose life 
 she said she had read several times. She took up a 
 portrait, while standing on the side of the room op- 
 posite to my friend and myself, and putting it to the 
 side of her head, almost behind, as she remained 
 alone, inquired — u Is not this a likeness of John Fos- 
 ter ? — John — Yes, it is John Foster." I immediately 
 passed around the table to her, and held a brief con- 
 versation with her respecting the character and writ- 
 ings of Foster — of whom there had not been a word 
 said, before she selected his picture and pronounced 
 his name. Her reading of the names on the prints 
 was very slow, as she read by lettering, as the free- 
 masons call it ; that is, by studying each letter, and 
 first repeating it in a whisper, as though to herself. 
 But she made no mistakes that were discovered. 
 She had an objection to read, arising from an idea, 
 if we were looking at the picture with her, that we 
 knew as well as she, and that it was idle in us to 
 ask her what we could not be ignorant of. If, how- 
 ever, she was holding a picture by herself, in a dif- 
 ferent part of the room, on asking the question, whose 
 likeness she was looking at ? she would answer cor- 
 rectly, as in the case of John Foster. Sometimes 
 she would exhibit the simplicity of childhood, as in 
 the case of an allegorical print suspended by the 
 wall. The Inscription was — " America guided by 
 Wisdom" My friend asked her to read it. She re- 
 plied, that she would read half of it if he would read 
 the other half. She then, after a moment of study, 
 
19 
 
 read " America guided "- — and would read no more ; 
 insisting, playfully, that the gentleman referred to 
 must read the other two words. 
 
 In the early part of this exhibition she suddenly 
 exclaimed — " why, who could have put that there 3 
 It is no ornament to such a room as this." Saying 
 which, she stepped across the carpet, and took down 
 a coarsely printed handbill, which had been sus- 
 pended among the prints over the mantel-piece, by 
 design, but which had not attracted my notice until 
 she thus directed the attention of the circle to the 
 object. 
 
 Having satisfied ourselves of the wonderful powers 
 of " vision without the use of visual organs," as ex- 
 hibited upon these objects, and of which I have given 
 but a brief outline, Dr. Capron, by an exercise of the 
 will, withdrew her attention from the whole circle 
 to himself, and then gave her a particular introduc- 
 tion to me. Leading her to a seat, I sat down by 
 her side, and the Doctor transferred her hand into 
 mine, and clothed me with the power of enjoying her 
 exclusive company. 
 
 I then commenced a conversation with Miss Brack- 
 ett, upon ordinary subjects, just as I would have 
 done with any strange lady to whom I might be in- 
 troduced — talking upon various matters, and she con- 
 versing in a sprightly and intelligent manner — inva- 
 riably using very correct English. I inquired, both 
 of herself and friends, before she was magnetised, 
 whether she had ever been in New- York, and was 
 assured that she had not. In the course of my re- 
 
20 
 
 marks, I now asked her whether she would like to 
 visit New- York ? She replied that she would — " she 
 should like to go there very well." I then observed 
 that it would afford me pleasure to accompany her, 
 and asked — 
 
 " How shall we go 7 Shall we not take the steam- 
 boat Narragansett 9 It is a very fine boat, and now 
 lies at the dock." 
 
 She replied she did not like to go in a steamboat. 
 It made her sick. This remark was noted as afford- 
 ing an illustration of her former ideal voyage, in 
 which she actually became sea-sick, as was reported 
 to me. 
 
 " How then will you go ?" 
 
 " I should like to go through the air." 
 
 u Very well," I replied,—" we will step into a bal- 
 loon. That will be a pleasant mode of travelling." 
 
 She did not, however, seem to comprehend what 
 was meant by a balloon, and repeated her desire to 
 go through the air. I assured her that I would as 
 gladly accompany her that way as any other. 
 
 " But you must not let me fall," said she. 
 
 " Oh no," I replied. " I am used to that way of 
 travelling, and will bear you up in perfect safety." 
 
 Saying which, she grasped my right hand more 
 firmly — took my left hand — and pressed upon both, 
 tremulously, as if buoying herself up. I raised my 
 hands some ten or twelve inches, very slowly, favor- 
 ing the idea that she was ascending. 
 
 " You must keep me up," she said, with a slight 
 
21 
 
 convulsive, or rather shuddering grasp, as though ap- 
 prehensive of a fall. 
 
 " Certainly," I replied, " you need have no fear. 
 I am used to these excursions." And away, in ima- 
 gination, we sailed. 
 
 -if- ^U * -A£b *SU Jt- * Jfe 
 
 " There is Bristol !" she exclaimed ; " stop — we 
 must look at Bristol. I have been here before. I 
 always admired it. What beautiful streets !" 
 
 u Very beautiful, indeed," I replied — and we re- 
 sumed our aerial voyage. 
 
 u Oh," said she, " how I like to travel in this way 
 — it is so easy, and we go so quick." 
 
 " Yes," I answered, u and here we are at New- 
 York. Come, we will descend at the north end of 
 the Battery." 
 
 She then grasped my hands more closely, and bore 
 down exactly as though descending from a height. 
 
 " Safely down," said I. " There is the dock where 
 the Providence steam-boat comes in." 
 
 " Indeed !" she replied ; " but it is not so good a 
 place as where they came in before." I have alrea- 
 dy stated that she had some time previously made a 
 short imaginary visit to New- York, in a steam-boat. 
 The places of landing have during the present sea- 
 son been changed from Market and Chamber's 
 streets to the north end of the Battery. I am un- 
 certain, however, whether the change was made be- 
 fore or since that voyage, as I forgot to inquire into 
 the particulars of that point, although I mentioned 
 the fact of the change of the landing-place to the cir- 
 
22 
 
 cle, and it is possible that her voyage took place be- 
 fore the change. 
 
 I now asked her whether she would like to step 
 into Castle Garden a few minutes? She replied 
 " yes ;" but immediately asked how we should get 
 through the gate ? I answered that there would be no 
 difficulty, as I had a season ticket. " But," said she, 
 V I don't like the looks of that man by the gate." I 
 told her she need have no fear. He was a constable 
 or police officer — they always had somebody of that 
 character by the gate — but he knew me very well, 
 and would open the gate as soon as we should come 
 up. 
 
 " There," said she, " I told you we could not get 
 the gate open." 
 
 " But," said I, " we can go through the side gate 
 here. Come, here we are." 
 
 " It does not seem much like a garden," she said. 
 
 " Very true," I replied. " It was an old fort, which 
 has been fitted up as a place of amusement. It is 
 here that they get up grand displays of fire-works." 
 
 " I am not fond of fire- works. I never cared about 
 seeing them." 
 
 " But they don't get them up in the day-time, and 
 only on festival occasions. At other times people 
 come here to get fresh air, drink lemonade and 
 punch, and smoke segars." 
 
 " Do they allow them to smoke in the garden fK 
 
 " It is unfortunately so," I rejoined. 
 
 At this moment she appeared to act cautiously, as 
 though experiencing the sensations of stepping upon 
 
23 
 
 a bridge. I spoke too quickly, and said the bridge 
 was perfectly safe, and we would walk along. 
 
 I then observed a smile playing upon her features. 
 " What pleases you?" I inquired. " Why," said she, 
 " what a queer hat that man has got on." 
 
 " What man V 
 
 " Why, that man, there, with the large round hat, 
 like a Quaker's V 
 
 II What sort of a coat has he on, or is it a jacket f- 
 "It is around jacket — and look, his hat has a 
 
 round, low crown." 
 
 It instantly occurred to me that she had described 
 the dress of the Castle-Garden Boat Club, whose 
 boat-house stands at the farther end of the bridge, 
 where, also, their boat is moored. There is general- 
 ly some one or more of the club at their room ; and 
 I doubt not that one of the members was then at the 
 club-house, and was seen by Miss Brackett. A 
 member of the club, whom I met the same evening, 
 assured me that such was their dress, and he believ- 
 ed that one of their members must have been there 
 at the time. 
 
 On approaching the massive portal of the garden- 
 wall, Miss B. drew back, and said she had rather not 
 go in. It was no garden, and she did not like to go 
 through that gate. 
 
 It will here be remarked that she seemed to have 
 seen both the gates, and the bridge — as also the cas- 
 tle walls — since it was one of her first observations, 
 that she saw nothing like a garden. The misnomer 
 
24 
 
 of calling such a place a garden, would at once strike 
 the attention of any stranger. 
 
 " I choose not to go in," she repeated. 
 
 u Just as you say," I replied ; " we will turn about, 
 and walk up town; now we are on the Battery. 
 How do you like the trees?" 
 
 She here gave indications of not understanding 
 why the esplanade should be called a Battery. I 
 told her the name was derived from an ancient for- 
 tress which stood there. " Oh," she replied, " then 
 this is the place of the old fort." 
 
 Having lingered a few moments, and the compa- 
 nion of my imaginary journey having expressed her 
 admiration of the beauty of the place, I proposed con- 
 tinuing our walk up Broadway ; to which she as- 
 sented. 
 
 # * # * # * 
 
 " And here we are by the Bowling- Green," I re- 
 marked. " How do you like it 1" 
 
 " It is very pretty." 
 
 " Well ; here is Mr. Ray's house — how do you like 
 that r 
 
 " It is a splendid house." 
 
 " On the left hand," said I. 
 
 " No ; on the right hand — but stop," — she said — 
 " why — there — (smiling,) I was turned round, and 
 was walking back down the street. You are right. 
 It is on the left hand." 
 
 At this moment her attention appeared to be di- 
 vided between two or more objects — one on either 
 hand. I inquired what she saw on her right. She 
 
25 
 
 declined a direct answer, and evaded a reply two or 
 three times. She then extended her hands to the 
 left, as if curiously examining something by the touch. 
 "I saw something like this at Washington/' she re- 
 marked. [This was during her ideal visit, of which 
 I have spoken above, for she has never been there. 
 The gentleman making that dreamy visit, however, 
 said that her description of some statuary was cor- 
 rect.] "It is carved," she continued. And then she 
 turned to the object on her right, and I again asked 
 what it was. She replied that she did not wish to 
 tell me, and I inferred, as did others of the circle, 
 that she had descried something that offended her 
 delicacy. Then turning to the left, she said — 
 " Why — they are" — " They are what?" I demanded. 
 " Why, I am trying to see." " What do they look 
 like ? Do they resemble lions V " Yes," she re- 
 plied — " they are lions — bronzed lions." I had spo- 
 ken the word lions too hastily ; but her own unaided 
 discovery that the noble pair of lions dormant guard- 
 ing the portals of Mr. Ray's house were of bronze, 
 rendered this incident the most striking develope- 
 ment in the case, thus far. I then asked her of what 
 materials the house was built. She replied, " I will 
 feel of it and see," — suiting the action to the word. 
 " Why," she continued, " I have seen a house built 
 of the same materials in Boston." She was asked 
 whether it resembled any building in Providence — 
 whether the color resembled the Arcade. " It looks 
 like the columns of the Arcade," she replied. Those 
 
 4 
 
26 
 
 columns are of Eastern granite, and so is the house of 
 Mr. Ray. 
 
 We then resumed our walk along Broadway, and 
 as we approached Trinity Church, she complained 
 of the crowds of people. Presently she was embar- 
 rassed in getting along, as if shrinking from the 
 crowd, and edging sideways as though jostled by 
 the throng. " I never saw people crowd so," she 
 remarked. " Why, they run over a body without 
 the least care." She was indeed much perplexed to 
 go onward, while I was liberal in assurances of pro- 
 tection ; telling her that New- York was the grand 
 receptacle of people of all nations — and that the im- 
 migrants, Irish, Dutch, Swiss, French, Spanish — 
 every body — were wont to throng Broadway ; but 
 they would not injure her, and we should soon get 
 through the multitude. 
 
 Thus we proceeded as far as the Astor House. I 
 asked her if she had ever heard of the Astor House ? 
 she replied she had not. " Nor of Mr. Astor V 
 "No." I then gave her an outline of the history of 
 that gentleman — how he came to New- York a poor 
 immigrant, and seeing a wealthy man building a 
 large house in Broadway, mentally resolved one day 
 to build a still greater ; how he embarked in the fur 
 trade, and in connexion with this point, I introduced 
 incidentally the name of Jacob Weber, formerly of 
 German Flatts, with whom Mr. Astor was connected, 
 in early life, in the Indian fur trade, and whom I had 
 once known very well. I repeated to her the well- 
 known anecdote which has been related of Weber, 
 
27 
 
 and perhaps of a dozen others, that in purchasing 
 furs of the Indians, he was wont to use his fist for a 
 one pound weight, and his foot for two pounds. 
 
 " But that was not just," interrupted Miss Brackett 
 — repeating, " It was not just, and I should not think 
 they would have prospered." 
 
 " Mr. Astor had nothing to do with that," I conti- 
 nued — adding that his life had afforded a fine illus- 
 tration of one of the essays of John Foster, whose 
 picture she had been examining — that on Decision 
 of Character. She was quite interested in the story, 
 and we proceeded on our walk. 
 
 " What do you think of this house J" I inquired. 
 
 " It is a noble building," she replied. " I should 
 like to get a good view of it, but there are so many 
 people crowding me, that I cannot stand here." 
 "We will then step across the street into the Park," 
 said I, " and you can there obtain a fine view. Here 
 — we will cross over— now — through the gate — 
 there." " Ah," said she, as in imagination I caused 
 her to walk into the middle of the Park — "I have 
 been here before." She then stopped, and gazed up 
 and around, as if taking a deliberate survey of the 
 building. "How large!" she exclaimed. I asked 
 her how many stories high it was. She counted, in 
 a low whisper, yet so distinct that I heard it, " one 
 — two — three — four — five." I inquired again, that 
 she might speak out. But she did not. 
 
 "It is a splendid building," she continued. " I 
 should like to go through it. Can we do so?" 
 
 " Oh yes, certainly," I replied. " I will go through 
 with you, with pleasure." 
 
28 
 
 " But there are so many people there." 
 
 " I know them all very well, and there will be no 
 difficulty." 
 
 I then walked with her to the broad portal, where 
 she rather shrunk back. 
 
 " I don't like to go up those stairs, there are so 
 many men standing there! Can we not come 
 again V 
 
 " To be sure we can," was my reply. " It will af- 
 ford me much pleasure." 
 
 Now, let any one, at any time of the day, step up 
 to the portal of the Astor House, and look up stairs 
 to the first floor of the hotel, and say what form of 
 expression could convey a more accurate description 
 of the entrance to that establishment, and of the 
 large groups of men standing there at all hours. 
 
 We then resumed our walk, and I proposed to her 
 to call at my own house, near by, to which she ac- 
 ceded. 
 
 "We will pass the American Hotel," I continued, 
 "and turn to the left, down Park Place. It is a 
 pleasant street, and my house is just at the foot of it 
 — adjoining the College Green. * * * 
 This is the corner, and here we will turn." * * * 
 
 " How do you like that building on the opposite 
 corner T I asked. " That is the old Mechanics' Hall." 
 She stopped, and looking up, her attention was sud- 
 denly arrested by some object of interest. 
 
 "What are you looking at, Miss Brackett V I in- 
 quired. 
 
 " I was looking at that carved work," she replied. 
 
29 
 
 " What is it?" 
 
 " That is what I am trying to study. They are 
 like figures — but you are in such a hurry." 
 
 " Oh no ; you may look as long as you please. 
 What do you think it is V 
 
 " I am trying to find out its meaning," she answer- 
 ed; "but you hurry me so from one thing to another." 
 * * •".■■■' " Come," said I, after a short 
 
 pause, " shall we walk down the street V 
 
 " You are so impatient," said she. " When a gentle- 
 man walks with me," she continued, archly, " I don't 
 like to have him so impatient." 
 
 The rebuke, my friends assured me, would doubt- 
 less have been well deserved, had I actually been 
 walking with a lady on the business of sight-seeing 
 — for it is but too true that in such matters I am al- 
 ways impatient, and in a hurry. But to the point — 
 those who are acquainted with the premises we were 
 examining, will doubtless recollect the sculptured 
 group above the cornice of the Mechanics' Hall, on 
 the Park Place front — the figure of Charity dispens- 
 ing her favors to several orphan children. It was 
 this group that attracted the attention of my somno- 
 loquial companion. 
 
 " Can I not come and look at it again V said she, 
 and we resumed our walk. * . * * * 
 
 " That," said I, " is the College Green." 
 
 " How beautiful j" she exclaimed. " I must go and 
 walk there." 
 
 " But will you not step into my house first ? It is 
 elose by." 
 
30 
 
 " No ; I must take a walk there first. But there is 
 nobody' there." 
 
 " It is private ground," I replied; " but the Presi- 
 dent of the College is my next door neighbor, and I 
 have permission to walk there whenever I please. 
 The gate is always open, and we will step in for a 
 few minutes." On reaching the foot of the street — 
 
 « There," she exclaimed, with a playful smile, 
 "you said the gate was always open, but you see it 
 is shut." 
 
 " It is not locked, however," I rejoined, as you 
 will see. * * * There, you see I have 
 opened it. Now, step in, and we will walk around 
 the grounds." *-..!■* # 
 
 "How do you like the College 1" "Very well," 
 she replied — " but there is nobody in it." " Because 
 it is the vacation," said I ; which was the fact. 
 
 I then proceeded, during our walk, to give her a 
 brief history of the College — its breaking up at the 
 beginning of the war of the Revolution — the harangue 
 of Hamilton to the people in front, while his Tory 
 preceptor, by that means, was enabled to escape out 
 of the back window, &c, &c; in all which she was 
 much interested. It is proper here to remark, by 
 way of explanation, that these conversations and 
 episodes were necessary, to entertain her during her 
 imaginary walks, for she did not like being hurried ; 
 and although it was all ideal, yet Miss Brackett 
 wanted as much time as though she were in reality 
 performing the exercise. She wished to stop at dif- 
 ferent objects as frequently to admire, and to linger 
 
31 
 
 as long, as though she were actually awake, not 
 blind, but clear-sighted — and in New- York. 
 
 " How do you like the trees V I inquired. 
 
 " Very well ; but there is one of them which is de- 
 caying, and should be cut down and taken away." 
 
 I was not aware of this fact, and from my know- 
 ledge of the trees, thought she must be in error. 
 On examination since my return, however, I find 
 that one of the trees, in front of the wing occupied 
 by Professor McVickar, has been sadly injured, by be- 
 ing barked in several very large places ; and the 
 trunk is otherwise diseased. A canvas bandage, 
 tarred, has been applied to the trunk, and the trunk 
 itself has been smeared with that staple of North 
 Carolina merchandize. 
 
 I told her the President of the College lived in the 
 first wing. She replied that there was nobody living 
 there now — the house being empty. On inquiry, I 
 find that she was correct — the house being shut up, 
 and the President's family in the country. 
 
 I now proposed to end our walk, and step into my 
 house, to which I endeavored to lead her. The 
 house is No. 36 Church street — is very peculiar in 
 its construction — having no door upon the street — 
 the entrance being by an iron gate into a little 
 court. There is, on the opposite side of the street, a 
 somewhat similar entrance, by a door, into the yard 
 of Mr. Douglass, corner of Park Place and Church 
 street. As we entered the court, Miss Brackett 
 shuddered, and clung to my side. I asked her what 
 was the matter. She replied she was afraid of that 
 
32 
 
 black man in the yard. I reasoned with her against 
 any apprehensions of fear, but to no purpose. Mrs, 
 Hopkins here remarked that Loraina had always 
 been afraid of negroes, and could not bear to be near 
 them when well and awake. However, I soon per- 
 suaded her to proceed, descend into the basement 
 story, in advance of myself, and see what the ser- 
 vants were about in the kitchen. She did so, and 
 reported on her return, that there were two white 
 women, together with a negress, who was engaged 
 in cooking something sweet. I asked her whether 
 she was certain both the white women were full 
 grown, and she answered they were. I inquired 
 what they were about, and she said she did not like 
 to tell me. I then descended into the kitchen with 
 her, and asked her what the black woman had in 
 her hand. She said she did not know, but it looked 
 like something sweet. I asked her to taste it. She 
 said, " No : she could not taste any thing cooked by 
 a black woman, because it was not clean." On as- 
 suring her that a colored woman, if well washed, 
 would be just as clean as a washed white woman, 
 she asked for a taste — tried it in her mouth—said it 
 was too sweet— and raised her hand to my lips, say- 
 ing that I must taste it also. 
 
 It was evident that this was all incorrect as to 
 our domestic establishment, and it struck me that she 
 had by mistake entered the wrong house. I accord- 
 ingly addressed her thus: — 
 
 " Why, Miss Brack ett, we have made a mistake, 
 
33 
 
 and gone into a wrong house. Let us get out as 
 quick as possible." 
 
 Taking her thence into the street, I said, " Let us 
 cross over — that is my house — how do you like it V 
 
 She replied that it was a very pretty house — she 
 liked it much ; but it was a good deal smaller than 
 the other. 
 
 " How many stories has it V 7 
 
 " Two," was the correct reply. 
 
 "How do you like those windows'?" 
 
 " Oh, they are very beautiful. It would be so 
 sweet to sit and look out of those windows on the 
 green." 
 
 " Now," said I, " let us walk along to the gate, and 
 go in. We have been absent in Providence some 
 time — I have left Mrs. Stone there — and I want now 
 to come suddenly upon them, and see if perhaps they 
 are not playing high-life below stairs." 
 
 As we passed along, my companion looked up and 
 said: " Why, I should think you might as well cut 
 a door through into the street." This would have 
 been a more important point, had I not some time 
 previously remarked, by accident, that our house had 
 no door on the street ; Miss B. might have heard that 
 observation, and she might not. 
 
 Arriving at the gate, I again sent her into the 
 kitchen in advance, to take the servants by surprise, 
 a conceit which seemed to please her. The passage 
 into the kitchen from the court, is winding, and she 
 entered with the caution of a stranger. She then 
 said, as if to the servants, in a loud whisper—-" Hist, 
 
 5 
 
34 
 
 the Gentleman has come home — I say, the Gentle- 
 man has come." 
 
 Calling her out, I inquired how many servants 
 were there. She replied, correctly, two. I inquired 
 their ages, and she answered, again correctly, that 
 the cook was a woman who seemed to be just past 
 middle age, and the other a young girl. In a word, 
 she gave very accurate descriptions of the persons of 
 two servants who had been left in charge of the house, 
 I inquired the age of the smaller ; she said she could 
 not tell, but would ask her. She then spoke — u How 
 old are you? Is that your mother ?" Then turning 
 to me, she observed — " She will not answer me." 
 She then inquired of the other — " Is that your 
 daughter 3 How old is she 1" Turning to me again, 
 she remarked — " Why, she will not answer me ei- 
 ther." I inquired what they were doing % She an- 
 swered — " not much of any thing" — -which I thought 
 not unlikely. It being washing day, I asked— " are 
 they not washing V She said, and repeated, they 
 were not. I asked what kind of a frock the girl had 
 on? She replied that she could not see clearly — 
 the room was rather dark — but she believed it was 
 a dark purple sprig. On both of these points she 
 was mistaken. The cook teas washing that day, 
 and the frock of the girl was blue, with a small light 
 flower. It is proper to add, moreover, that there was 
 no colored woman, engaged in culinary operations 
 or otherwise, at the time in question, in the house 
 opposite, where I supposed my companion had en- 
 tered by mistake. 
 
35 
 
 Addressing my fair companion again, I observed 
 that we had been long enough in the kitchen, and 
 that I had a number of pictures in the drawing-rooms 
 above, which I was desirous she should see. We 
 therefore ascended through the always dark stair- 
 case passage, and entered the drawing-room. I at- 
 tempted to direct her attention to several pictures, 
 but in her imagination she ran across the room to the 
 centre-table, standing in one corner, expressing her 
 admiration of the books with which it was covered. 
 She glanced at several, speaking of the beautiful 
 pictures with which they were filled. With one of 
 them she seemed to be most of all pleased. I asked 
 her what it was. She replied, " 111 — illustrations of 
 the Bible." I had not thought of the table or books 
 until she thus called my attention to them. a I saw 
 just such a one the other day," she said, " at Mr. Far- 
 ley's in Providence, only the cover of that was brown, 
 and this is green." Mrs. Hopkins here informed me that 
 it was so — she had seen, at the house of the Rev. 
 Mr. Farley, while in the state of magnetic slumber, 
 a copy of the work she was now examining, which that 
 gentleman, it was ascertained, did actually possess. 
 I knew that the Bible Illustrations, with a heap of 
 other literary and pictorial volumes, were lying upon 
 the table in question, and I knew that we had pos- 
 sessed one with a green cover. One of the two, 
 however, had been presented to a friend — but of 
 which color I knew not. On returning home, I found 
 that she was in error with regard to the cover — it 
 being brown instead of green. But by the side of 
 
36 
 
 it, lay the " Gems of Beauty," in green morocco, and 
 another Keepsake hound in the same color. 
 
 Having satisfied herself with the books, she next 
 turned to the pictures, though not without urging. 
 Reaching up her hands, she took down a small paint- 
 ing, and asked me to look at it — placing it in my 
 hands. I asked her what it was. " Ask me what it 
 is !" said she, " when you have it in your own hands, 
 and know as well as I !" She would do no such 
 thing ! 
 
 I then asked her to examine the painting over the 
 side-hoard. She looked at it for some time, and in 
 answer to questions, expressed great pleasure at its 
 beauty. But I could not induce her to tell me what 
 it was, or describe it, for the avowed reason that I 
 was looking at it with her, and it was trifling with 
 her to ask such a question. 
 
 Dr. Capron here remarked to the circle, that such 
 was her usual course. Whenever she was looking 
 at an object with, as she supposed, another person, 
 she would not answer questions of this description — 
 believing either that they were not seriously put, or 
 that the questioner was quizzing or sporting with 
 her. All, therefore, that I could obtain from her, 
 with the exception of general expressions of appro- 
 bation, was the remark — that she did not like the 
 man's coat in the foreground. Here, also, it should 
 be noted, that when in the magnetic state she can 
 talk only with the person or persons with whom the 
 magnetiser has willed that she shall be in communi- 
 cation. She can hear nothing addressed to her by 
 
37 
 
 any one else, nor can she hear the conversation be- 
 tween any two individuals, nor even the person with 
 whom she is in communication if he directs his speech 
 to any but herself. He must speak to her, or she 
 hears him not, and only wonders why his lips move, 
 and yet that he does not speak. # 
 
 My next experiment was with another picture of 
 a very peculiar character. " Miss Brackett," said I, 
 " there is a picture m the other room, hanging over 
 the couch, which I value highly. I wish you would 
 look at it.' 7 [I ought before to have remarked, that 
 in no instance did I indicate to her what were the sub- 
 jects of the pictures ; and of the existence of three of 
 them, of Which I shall soon speak, and which I de- 
 signed to make the principal tests, not a soul in the 
 room, as I believe, had any previous knowledge ex- 
 cepting myself] Miss B. thereupon walked into the 
 other room — the folding-doors standing open, and look- 
 ed with great interest upon the picture I had indicat- 
 ed. But although she appeared to inspect it minutely, 
 I could elicit no description from her. I told her that 
 both the pictures were painted by a young and pro- 
 mising artist, a Mr. Hoxie, and I valued them highly. 
 He was a young man of great merit, and I would 
 take some opportunity of introducing him to her. 
 " Where is he ?" she asked ; " I do not see him." I 
 
 * Statement of Mr. Jesse Metcalf, one of Miss Brackett's friends, contained, 
 among other interesting papers, in the Appendix to No. I of Deleuze's Practical 
 Illustration of Animal Magnetism, Providence, by R. Cranston & Co. De- 
 leuze's work has been translated by Mr. Hartshorne, of Providence, and the col- 
 lection of papers in the Appendix embodies a large amount of important facts 
 upon the subject, recently developed in that city. 
 
38 
 
 replied that he was not here now, but I would see 
 him soon ; and then attempted again to elicit some- 
 thing of a description from her. But she evaded me 
 artfully as before. 
 
 Dr. C apron again spoke to me, of which circum- 
 stance, however, she was evidently unconscious; and 
 remarked, that when I had proceeded as far as I 
 wished, he would come suddenly upon her, as if on 
 a visit to New- York, and after taking her from me, 
 she would without doubt freely relate to him all that 
 had taken place between her and myself. In this 
 way I would be abundantly able to form an opinion 
 as to the power of the Magnetic influence upon the 
 mind, when the body is wrapped in insensible slum- 
 ber so profound that the discharge of a park of artil- 
 lery would not disturb her. 
 
 There were various other paintings in the drawing- 
 rooms, too many for a particular examination within 
 the time at our command. Among these were se- 
 veral portraits. To one of these, an admirable head 
 by Inman, Miss Brackett objected that the coat was 
 too old-fashioned, and she wondered they should have 
 painted a man in such a coat. The remark as to 
 the rather countrified cut of the coat, was correct ; 
 but she spoke of a quaker coat, as appearing upon 
 one of the portraits, which is not there. She was 
 asked, if among the portraits there was any one 
 which she recognized ? She replied that there was 
 one gentleman whom she thought she had once seen 
 in Providence. It was the portrait of one of my in- 
 timate friends who was of the party, and to whom 
 
39 
 
 she had been introduced in the morning; by Fro- 
 thingham. 
 
 I now asked Miss Brackett to walk with me into 
 the library — a small apartment built purposely for 
 that object, and in a degree separate from the main 
 body of the house. I told her that I had some pic- 
 tures in that room, to which I wished particularly to 
 invite her attention — giving her, however, not the 
 slightest intimation as to the character of the pic- 
 tures. On entering the library, "this," said I, "is 
 my den — my literary work-shop — where I can shut 
 myself up, and be as secluded as I please. I built it 
 on purpose." " Oh," said she, " it is a nice little place 
 — I should like to shut myself up here too ; come, 
 you go out, and leave me alone — I want to read these 
 books. But," she continued, " if you built this on 
 purpose, why did you not make it wider while you 
 were about it 1 It is so long and narrow, and so 
 close — it wants some air." Now, these are exactly 
 the criticisms upon my private u den," made by all 
 my waking friends ; for it so happens, that, in its con- 
 struction, having but a small lot, I made a sad mis- 
 calculation as to the width of the room. 
 
 I explained the matter to her, and told her I would 
 leave her with the books as long as she pleased af- 
 ter we had looked at the pictures. I then asked her 
 to look at that upper painting above the fire-place. 
 Now, I must remark in this place, that that was a 
 picture which I had recently purchased, and which 
 had only been sent home on the preceding Tuesday 
 or Wednesday. No person in the room, excepting 
 
40 
 
 myself, knew of its existence. She looked at the 
 picture, and became instantly pensive. Presently 
 her bosom heaved with sighs. I asked her what she 
 thought of it. She said she did not like to look at it 
 any more. I then requested her to look at the pic- 
 ture below. She did so, and in a moment was ab- 
 sorbed with curious interest. But, as before, she 
 would not describe it to me, farther than to say it 
 was the portrait of a dark colored man ; but she 
 brought her hand round her head, as much as to say 
 there was something peculiar about the head. I 
 then again directed her attention to the upper pic- 
 ture. She immediately became pensive, and affected 
 as before. The experiment was repeated several 
 times, until, in contemplating the upper picture, she 
 sobbed and wept. " Well," said I, "if that picture 
 affects you so much, Miss Brackett, you need look at 
 it no more. I have here a picture, in this drawer, 
 which I prize highly, and will show it you." Saying 
 which, I opened the drawer, and handed her the pic- 
 ture. She (in imagination, of course,) took the pic- 
 ture, and observed in a whisper, as if talking to her- 
 self, " oh, it's a miniature." I asked her what she 
 thought of it J She replied it was very beautiful — 
 but would not describe it, for the reasons I have al- 
 ready several times mentioned. 
 
 I now requested Dr. Capron to take her from me, 
 and resume his sway over her for the purpose of the 
 suggested cross-examination through him as to what 
 she had seen. He took her by the hand, and the fol- 
 lowing scene ensued : — 
 
41 
 
 " Ah, Loraina, are you here 1" 
 
 " Why, Doctor, how do you do 1 When did you 
 come from Providence ?" 
 
 " I have just arrived.'' 
 
 " I am glad to see you." 
 
 " And I am very glad to see you. When did you 
 come to New-York V 1 
 
 I forget the reply to this question. The conversa- 
 tion, however, was upon the common topics which 
 would he naturally suggested by an actual meeting 
 of friends, under the circumstances imagined. The 
 Doctor continued : 
 
 " How have you been engaged since you came to 
 New- York 1 Have you seen any thing V* 
 
 " Oh yes. Mr. Stone has been taking a walk with 
 me, and shown me a great many things." She then 
 informed him, in answer to questions, of her walk 
 through Broadway — mentioned the lions— the Astor 
 House — and other matters, not necessary to be re- 
 peated for the purpose of this narrative. Doctor 
 Capron continued : 
 
 " Well, Loraina, when Mr. Stone was in Provi- 
 dence, a few days since, he spoke to me of some pic- 
 tures which he prizes highly. Did you see any of 
 them r 
 
 " Oh yes. I went to his house and saw a great 
 many. I took down one, and handed it to him ; and, 
 what do you think ? — he wanted me to tell him what 
 it was, when he had it in his own hands !— -but I 
 wouldn't, — he pestered me with so many questions W 
 
 I here suggested to the Doctor, that he should ask 
 
 6 
 
42 
 
 her whether she saw a fruit piece. He did so. " Oh 
 yes," was the reply. " That was the very picture I 
 took down and wouldn't tell him what it was." 
 
 This was correct. From what I could gather, 
 when she began examining the paintings, I supposed 
 she referred to a beautiful fruit piece by Ward, of 
 London. 
 
 The Doctor continued — " Mr. Stone told me there 
 was a painting over the side-board — what kind of a 
 picture w T as that 1" 
 
 " It was a lake, with mountains around it. I 
 thought it very beautiful." 
 
 Such is the fact. The picture is a charming moun- 
 tain landscape, the scene being a beautiful lake 
 among the Catskill mountains, by Hoxie. 
 
 " Well, what other pictures did you see 1 What 
 is that picture which Mr. Stone told me was hanging 
 over the settee V 
 
 u Oh, it was a curious picture. It represents three 
 Indians sitting in a hollow tree, which looks as 
 though it had been dug out on purpose. And the 
 tree is filled with marks." [Hieroglyphics.] 
 
 This was the most wonderful reply we had had 
 yet. The picture is a composition landscape, by 
 Hoxie, containing the portrait of the decaying trunk 
 of an enormous sycamore tree, standing in the neigh- 
 borhood of Montezuma, N. Y. The artist has intro- 
 duced a group of three Indians, and has likewise 
 traced a number of hieroglyphics within the open 
 tranke These hieroglyphics are seldom noticed by 
 • visitors, unless specially pointed out. And jet this 
 
43 
 
 blind lady, with bandaged eyes, who had never been 
 in New- York, nor heard a whisper of the existence 
 of the picture, had discovered them ! The fact seems 
 not only incredible, but absolutely impossible. But, 
 as I believe, it is nevertheless true. 
 
 " Did you notice particularly any other pictures 1 
 Mr. Stone told me he had several in his library, upon 
 which he set a high value. Did you see them V 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 " What were they?" 
 
 Here she again became affected, as she replied — 
 " One of them was Christ in his agony, with a 
 Crown of Thorns." 
 
 This reply was astounding. The picture is an ad- 
 mirable copy of the Ecce Homo by Guido. It had 
 only been sent home a week before, and I had cau- 
 tiously avoided mentioning it to my most intimate 
 friends present at this extraordinary interview, until 
 she thus proclaimed it. 
 
 " What other picture did you see in the library V 1 
 
 " There was a portrait of an Indian Chief." 
 
 This was another wonderful reply. The picture 
 is an admirable copy, by Catlin, of a capital portrait 
 of Brant, the great Mohawk Warrior, which has 
 recently been procured, to be engraved for the forth- 
 coming life of that celebrated chieftain. 
 
 " How was he dressed ?" 
 
 « Why, I can hardly describe it. His head was 
 shaved, and I don't know exactly whether there was 
 any hair left on or not. There was something on 
 the top, but I could scarcely tell whether it was hair." 
 
44 
 
 This description was very accurate. The knot on 
 the crown is the scalp-lock ; and the war-paint around 
 it, and something like a ribbon tying it, would ren- 
 der it doubtful to a superficial observer, unacquainted 
 with Indian customs and costumes, whether there 
 was* any hair there or not. 
 
 " Was there no other picture in the library V 1 
 
 11 Oh yes : he took out of a drawer, a miniature." 
 
 " Did it resemble the large picture ?" 
 
 " I thought it did, somewhat." 
 
 [I believe I had put this question to her when she 
 was under my control.] 
 
 " How was it dressed ?" 
 
 " It was a very handsome picture, and had a cap 
 and plumes." 
 
 This was another wonderful reply. The picture 
 in question is a very beautiful miniature likeness of 
 Brant, composed by N. Rogers, from two pictures of 
 the chief, taken when he was a young man, and first 
 in London — in his court dress. The picture is de- 
 signed to embellish the forthcoming work referred 
 to, and lies yet in the drawer, where it was seen and 
 described by Miss Brackett — blind — previously un- 
 conscious of its existence — and two hundred miles 
 off when she saw it. 
 
 The Doctor now transferred the somnoloquist 
 back to me. Taking her hand again, quick as a flash 
 we were restored to the place and position occupied 
 at the moment of the Doctor's intervention. I re- 
 sumed the conversation, by asking her if she had ever 
 heard of Wall-street '-111 She replied that she had not. 
 
45 
 
 " You have heard of the great fire in New- York V 1 
 
 " Yes," 
 
 " Would you like to take a walk down there, and 
 see how it has been rebuilt, and where they are build- 
 ing the new Exchange ?" 
 
 " I should like to go there very much." 
 
 The imaginary walk was immediately commenc- 
 ed. 9 Here," said I, " is Trinity Church — the oldest 
 in the city. Perhaps you would like to take a look 
 into it T 
 
 She replied that it would afford her pleasure to do 
 so — adding, " but I guess you will be obliged to get 
 the doors open before we get in." I told her the sex- 
 ton would open them at once. " Come," I added, 
 " I will open the gate, — and there, — you see the doors 
 are opened." 
 
 The moment she had crossed the threshold, and 
 arrived at the inner door, she paused, and looking 
 half round, smiled, and, as it were, bit her lip. 
 
 " What attracts your particular attention now, Miss 
 Bracket^" 
 
 " I was looking at these awkward pews. I never 
 saw such inconvenient pews." 
 
 " What is the difficulty with them V 
 
 " Why, how they look !" 
 
 a But the richest people in New- York attend 
 Church here." 
 
 " Then I should advise them to tear away these 
 old pews, and build new and better ones." 
 
 Now, it happens to be a fact, that the pews in this 
 
46 
 
 church are just the worst looking, and most incon- 
 venient, in the city. 
 
 " How do you like the pulpit V\ 
 
 u I think it wants new drapery ; only see how old 
 it looks. The cushion where they lay the Bible is 
 quite threadbare." 
 
 I have examined these draperies since my return, 
 and should advise the vestry of that church to take 
 the hint of the somnoloquist. The cushion is not ex- 
 actly " thread-bare," but the drapery of both the pul- 
 pit and the desk needs renewal. 
 
 I asked her to look beyond the pulpit, and exa- 
 mine the sculpture. She did so, and was deeply in- 
 terested. But she did not describe it. I asked her 
 which figure she liked best? She answered the 
 standing figure. I inquired whether she understood 
 the design of the figure? She said she did. I am 
 not certain whether I told her that it was a monu- 
 mental structure, but I think I did say that the stand- 
 ing figure was a personification of Religion. How- 
 ever, she gave no evidence that she fully compre- 
 hended the work. I asked her how she liked the 
 lights behind ? She replied very well, and added 
 that she had never seen the light let in in that way 
 before. 
 
 On leaving the church, I suddenly remarked — 
 " why, Miss Brackett, after all, I omitted one thing 
 at my house, which I very much desire you should 
 see. In our little basement room — the little snugge- 
 ry where we breakfast — I have two pictures — one 
 very curious, which you must see. Will you walk 
 
47 
 
 back with me, and look at it V She replied in the 
 affirmative, and I immediately added — H well, here 
 we are." "That's likely," said she, playfully— 
 " you have got there before I have started !" " Very 
 true," said I, " but I will come back and walk with 
 you." * * * " Now, Miss Brackett, 
 
 we are here at all events." 
 
 " And is this your family breakfast-room V 7 
 
 " It is." 
 
 " It is a nice little place." 
 
 " Now, Miss Brackett, look at that picture, and 
 tell me what you think of it." 
 
 She looked and began to smile, and was evidently 
 much amused. Bnt, as before, she would give me 
 no description of either. Doctor Capron here ob- 
 served to me, that if I charged her particularly to 
 remember what she saw, she would do so, and tell 
 me about it when awake. I then remarked—" If 
 you will not tell me now, will you be careful to re- 
 member what you see— what pleases you so — and 
 tell me afterward?" She promised faithfully that 
 she would. 
 
 We had now been occupied nearly four hours, and 
 my engagements were such as to render it necessary 
 to bring my travels with this most interesting com- 
 panion to a close. I therefore proposed returning to 
 Providence, to which she assented. 
 
 " How will you go V* I asked. 
 
 " We will fly." 
 
 " Very well — I am used to that mode of travel- 
 ling." Clasping both my hands in hers, she went 
 
48 
 
 through the same process of ascending into the air 
 by my assistance, as before, 
 
 11 Oh, how beautiful it is," she exclaimed, " to look 
 down upon the city. How vast— how grand !" Lin- 
 gering a moment, as if hovering over the town, I di- 
 rected her attention to several objects— the land and 
 the water. " That dark mass of buildings is the 
 Bellevue Alms House. That high column is the 
 Shot-Tower — it is the highest structure on the isl- 
 and." 
 
 " And we are so much above that !" she inter- 
 rupted. 
 
 " Ah, here we have New-Haven." 
 
 " How beautiful !" she exclaimed. " Stop, I must 
 look at that. It is very beautiful." 
 
 " And this is New London — -How are you pleased 
 with it?" 
 
 " I don't like its appearance very well." 
 
 " Nor does any body else," I replied. 
 
 " And here we are in Providence," I continued. I 
 then assisted her in descending, as from the first flight, 
 and asked her how she had been pleased with her 
 visit to New* York ? She replied that she had been 
 exceedingly gratified — that she liked the route home 
 very much, as it was one she had never travelled 
 before. 
 
 Dr. Capron now again willed her away from me, 
 resumed his control, and by the peculiar mental pro- 
 cess of Animal Magnetism, together with a few 
 brushes of his hand over her forehead, awoke her. 
 She at first complained of being somewhat confused ; 
 
49 
 
 but in the course of one or two minutes resumed her 
 self-possession, and was as cheerful, and intelligent, 
 and diffident, withal, as before she had been magnet- 
 ised. The Doctor had charged her to remember the 
 circumstances of her visit, and he now questioned 
 her respecting several incidents heretofore detailed 
 at large. Among others, he inquired again what was 
 the particular object that had attracted her atten- 
 tion/and seemed to annoy her, at the Bowling-Green 
 opposite the lions ? She blushed to the eyes, and said 
 she must be excused from answering. 
 
 He then asked her what was the picture in the 
 basement-room of my house, which seemed to please 
 her so much ? 
 
 She laughed outright, as she replied — " It was a 
 funny looking fellow pulling a cat's ear." 
 
 This was another remarkable answer, affording a 
 still farther and most striking illustration of the mys- 
 terious power of this potent though unknown prin- 
 ciple. The picture in question is an old and admi- 
 rable painting, recently purchased by my friend, the 
 Rev. J. C. Brigham, and loaned to me. It had but just 
 been returned from the hands of the picture-framer, 
 and had not yet been hung in the drawing-room. 
 Its existence, I am perfectly confident, was unknown 
 to any of the party present except myself; and the 
 subject, that of a sly, mischievous fellow, full of wick- 
 ed laughter, as he is teazing some antiquated lady by 
 pulling or pinching the ears of her favorite tabby ! 
 
 Such were the results of this extraordinary inter- 
 view, and such the actual phenomena attending a 
 
 7 
 
50 
 
 single nap of magnetic slumber, under circumstances 
 where every thing like ostentation, or a desire of dis- 
 play, or even of a private exhibition, was avoided ; 
 and where, I repeat without hesitation, deception, 
 fraud, collusion, misunderstanding, and mistake, were 
 alike utterly impossible. I have written fully and 
 faithfully, omitting, as I believe, nothing essential to 
 a full illustration of the interview — preserving so 
 much of the very language used, as a practised and 
 pretty retentive memory has enabled me to recall — - 
 giving the substance, where the identical language 
 is lost — and presenting a simple and unadorned nar- 
 rative of the truth throughout. 
 
 In the early part of this communication I have ad- 
 verted to the extraordinary power of this young la- 
 dy — blind though she be — of reading, while in the 
 magnetic slumber, letters within several envelopes, 
 without breaking the seals. This was a point to 
 which I likewise directed my attention, and circum- 
 stances occurred most opportunely to favor my de- 
 sign. On Sunday, Aug. 27th, while I was in Provi- 
 dence, and the day before my interview with Miss 
 Erackett, a small package was received by Mr. Isaac 
 Thurber from Mr. Stephen Covell, of Troy, contain- 
 ing, as he wrote to his friend, a note, which he wish- 
 ed Miss B. to read while under the magnetic influ- 
 ence, without breaking the seal, if she could. Mr. 
 Covell had been induced to try this experiment, in 
 consequence of having heard of extraordinary per- 
 formances of the kind, which, of course, he doubted. 
 The package, or letter, was evidently composed of 
 
51 
 
 several envelopes. The outer one consisted of 
 thick blue paper. On Sunday evening Miss B. was 
 put into a magnetic slumber, and the letter given her 
 with instructions to read it. She said she would take 
 it to bed with her and read it before morning.* On 
 Monday morning, she gave the reading as follows : — 
 
 " NO OTHER THAN THE EYE OP OMNIPOTENCE CAN READ 
 THIS IN THIS ENVELOPEMENT, 1837." 
 
 I made a memorandum of this reading, and exa- 
 mined the package containing, as she said, the sen- 
 tence. She said then, viz. on Monday morning, that 
 there were one or two words between the word " en- 
 velopement " and the date, as I understood her, which 
 she could not make out. I examined the seal with 
 the closest scrutiny. It was unbroken, and to open 
 the letter or to read it without opening, with human 
 eyes, was impossible. After my return to the city, 
 viz. on Wednesday, Aug. 30th. I addressed a letter 
 to Mr. Covell, to ascertain whether the reading of the 
 blind somnambulist was correct. The following is 
 his reply : 
 
 " TROY, September 1, 1837. 
 11 Dear Sir, 
 
 " Your's of yesterday I received by this morning's 
 mail, and as to your inquiry relative to the package 
 submitted to Miss B. while under the magnetic influ- 
 
 * So I understood the matter at the time of the interview. By a statement of 
 Mr. Thurber himself, however, contained in the publication of Mr. Hartshorne, 
 it appears that the clairvoyante did not take it to bed with her, but retired into a 
 dark room to make it out, from choice, and read it to Mr. Hopkins and a num- 
 ber of others, on her return. 
 
52 
 
 ence, I have to say the package came to hand yes- 
 terday. The sentence had been written bya friend, 
 and sealed by him at my request, and in such a man- 
 ner as was supposed could not have been read by 
 any human device without breaking the seal. We 
 think the seals have not been broken until returned. 
 The sentence as read by Miss B. is : — " No other than 
 the eye of Omnipotence can read this in this envelope- 
 ment — 1837." And as written in the original, on a 
 card, and another card placed on the face of the 
 writing, and enclosed in a thick blue paper, was : — 
 " No other than the eye of Omnipotence can read this 
 sentence in this envelope. — Droy } New-York^ Aug, 
 1837." 
 
 " Respectfully yours, &c. 
 
 " STEPHEN COVELL." 
 " William L. Stone, Esq." 
 
 I also left a note, hastily prepared, for the blind 
 lady to read, the contents of which were known only 
 to myself. It was carefully folded, so as to preclude 
 the possibility of reading it, by the natural sight, 
 without opening, and sealed with seven wafers and 
 two seals of wax, with my own private signet. By 
 the mail of the following Saturday I received the 
 letter ; the seals were unbroken, and exactly in the 
 condition I had left them, with the answer written on 
 the outside, in the hand- writing of the friend who had 
 assisted me in obtaining the interview, which answer 
 is correct, as far as it goes. I have already remarked, 
 that I was in great haste at the time of preparing the 
 
53 
 
 note, yet I was determined to leave something so 
 much out of the ordinary track as to puzzle the lady 
 if possible. Accordingly, having the odd title of a 
 queer old book in my pocket, printed in a small Italic 
 letter; I wrote a part of the note with a pencil, and 
 stuck on two and a half lines of the small Italic print- 
 ing, with a wafer. The note, written and printed, as 
 I left it, was in these words :— 
 
 " The following is the title, equally quaint and 
 " amusing, of a book which was published in Eng- 
 land in the time of Oliver Cromwell :— ' Eggs of 
 " Charity, layed by the Chickens of the Covenant, and 
 " boiled by the waters of Divine love. Take ye and 
 " eat: » 
 
 I subjoin the answer sent by Miss B. through an 
 intimate friend: — 
 
 "The following is a title, equally amazing (or 
 " amusing) and quaint, of a book published in Eng- 
 " land in the time of Oliver Cromwell :— 
 
 " Eggs of Charity"— 
 
 " Miss B. does not know whether the word is 
 " amazing or amusing. Something is written after 
 " the l eggs of charity,' which she cannot make out." 
 
 Why the clairvoyante did not read the whole note 
 as readily as she did the part which she did read, I 
 am at a loss to give an opinion. On a minute exami- 
 nation of the paper, I find that, accidentally, in fold- 
 ing it, there was one thickness of paper over the lines 
 which she did not read, more than over a portion of 
 what she did read. But the same additional thick- 
 ness of paper was over the first line which she did 
 
54 
 
 read, and the two thick wax seals, and a number of 
 wafer seals also, intervened over nearly the whole. 
 Those seals were strong and deep impressions of my 
 family crest, with the motto distinctly shown ; and 
 the whole returned to me so perfect, and in every re- 
 spect entire, as at once to put at rest every suspicion 
 of foul play, had such suspicion been entertained. 
 
 I am perfectly aware, my dear Sir, that in allow- 
 ing the preceding statement, which is no more than 
 a simple and unadorned narrative of facts, to go forth 
 to the world, I am setting myself up as a target at 
 which scores of witlings and brisk fools will be sure 
 to let fly successive showers of arrows. Indeed, I 
 have already been assailed, from various quarters, 
 through the public journals, and in the conversations 
 of individuals, in consequence of a recent and very 
 partial and imperfect publication, announcing my vi- 
 sit to Providence and the experiments of the sealed 
 letters. The " Chronicle of the Church," published 
 at New-Haven, has arraigned me with grave severi- 
 ty as a convert to " humbuggery and mystification," 
 and as an easy dupe in respect to transactions " bear- 
 ing upon their face the impress of gross imposition." 
 Other journalists have freely applied the phrase, 
 more expressive by far than elegant, that I have been 
 " outrageously humbugged." Others, again, have 
 plied me alternately with raillery and grave rebuke. 
 Well — be it so. However well stored may be their 
 quivers, and however thick and fast their missiles 
 may hurtle through the air, I should feel myself but 
 a sorry knight of the quill, to complain at receiving 
 
55 
 
 back a small portion of the change of which I hav r e 
 dispensed so much, though I should be pierced like 
 another St. Sebastian. If I am correctly informed, 
 the editor of the Church Chronicle will soon find a 
 far abler exponent of the mysterious principle the 
 existence of which he decries, than I can ever hope 
 to be, in the Bishop of his own diocese. Still, whe- 
 ther that distinguished prelate should take the field 
 or not, the facts recorded in this communication will 
 remain the same. Meantime your own reading must 
 have taught you, that neither theories nor principles 
 are the less philosophical or the less true, because of 
 unbelief or ridicule. The original projector of the 
 employment of steam for the movement of machine- 
 ry, was denounced as a lunatic for the suggestion, 
 and confined as a madman for persistence in his folly. 
 Galileo was twice imprisoned in the dungeons of the 
 Inquisition, by the learned doctors of Rome, for op- 
 posing the astronomical theories of Aristotle, and as- 
 serting, with Copernicus, that the sun remains sta- 
 tionary in the centre of the universe, while the earth 
 revolves around it in annual and diurnal motions. 
 And in your own profession, you cannot be ignorant 
 of the persecution of Harvey, the great medical revo- 
 lutionist, who discovered the circulation of the blood ; 
 or of the fact that Jenner was at first denounced as 
 a quack, for a discovery which has constituted him: 
 one of the greatest benefactors of modern times. 
 
 Mistake me not as citing these illustrious names 
 with a view of inscribing my own in the same cate- 
 gory. My object is merely to show, that scepticism, in 
 
56 
 
 regard even to the most valuable discoveries, is no new 
 thing under the sun ; and that satire, however biting, 
 and ridicule, however pungent, although they may 
 deter the timid from the avowal of an honest opi- 
 nion until the world shall have decided for them, or 
 raise a laugh at the expense of those who march in 
 advance of the public voice, are nevertheless no 
 test of the soundness of a theory, the value of a dis- 
 covery, or the correctness of a principle. " What I 
 know to be true, that will I declare ; and what I feel 
 it to be my duty to represent, that will I have the 
 boldness to publish ;" was a memorable manifesto of 
 the late Timothy Pickering when about to make cer- 
 tain political revelations; and I know nothing to de- 
 ter the exercise of a like degree of moral courage, in 
 giving utterance to facts connected with the philoso- 
 phy of the human mind, involving the phenomena of 
 ordinary sleep, dreaming, and somnambulism, — the 
 independence of our spiritual nature of the bodily or- 
 gans which subserve the purposes of the present life, 
 — and, in one word, eliciting new and enlarged views 
 of the perceptive faculties of the mind and the na- 
 ture of the soul. 
 
 Were it my desire to enlarge upon this subject, or 
 rather, were it not my design to confine the present 
 communication strictly to a narrative of facts trans- 
 piring under my own eyes, I might easily fill a hun- 
 dred pages more with incidents and illustrations of 
 the most surprising character, which have occurred 
 at Providence and in its vicinity within the last few 
 months, in the course of the experiments that have 
 
57 
 
 been made — as well attested, too, as the battle of 
 Bunker Hill or the Declaration of Independence. 
 These facts might be gathered by hundreds, from the 
 most authentic sources — arising, not from two or 
 three cases of nervous, debilitated, and practised fe- 
 males, nor under the auspices of one, or even two, 
 magnetisers, — but in the course of hundreds of ex- 
 periments, upon as many subjects, of different ages 
 and sexes, under the care of gentlemen of the first 
 character — lay and professional. One example only, 
 of the many to which I refer, will be added at the 
 close of this communication. The case was very re- 
 markable, and the circumstances created a deep sen- 
 sation when they transpired in Providence — support- 
 ed, as they were, by the testimony of so able and ex- 
 emplary a physician as Dr. Brownell. 
 
 In regard to the imputation, that a gross imposture 
 has been played off upon me, I will not detain you 
 by its refutation. I have already said, repeatedly, 
 that the character of all the parties to the interview 
 forbids the idea of fraud, collusion, or imposture. It 
 surely will not be contended that I shall prove what 
 I saw and assisted in performing. The strongest evi- 
 dence possible, and the most convincing to an indi- 
 vidual, is that of his own senses. " When awake, 
 and in our perfect mind," says Dr. Beattie, " we ne- 
 ver mistake a reality for a dream. Realities are per- 
 ceived intuitively. We cannot prove by argument, 
 that we are now awake, for we know of nothing 
 more evident to prove it by ; and it is essential to 
 every proof to be clearer than that w x hich is to be 
 
 8 
 
58 
 
 proved."* I will not, therefore, distrust the evidence 
 of my own senses, where all the circumstances were 
 such as to render deception impossible. The weight 
 of other testimony depends upon the character of the 
 witnesses for truth and veracity, and their means of 
 knowledge of the facts related, and their exemption 
 from such interests and motives as might sway them 
 from the truth. These are the important attributes 
 of evidence ; and witnesses sustaining such a charac- 
 ter, are entitled to full credit. Such was the charac- 
 ter of the parties with whom I was in communica- 
 tion during my visit to Miss Brackett. What I saw, 
 I know to be true ; and what was told to me as truth 
 by Dr. Capron, Miss Brackett, and those of her 
 friends with whom I conversed, I as fully believe. 
 
 There are those who disbelieve in the principle of 
 Animal Magnetism altogether, and who would not 
 believe though one rose from the dead. They con- 
 tend that the whole thing is morally and physically 
 impossible. There are others who are incredulous 
 because the experiments are not attended by uniform 
 success. Such is, doubtless, the fact, as the magneti- 
 sers admit, for causes assigned which are abundantly 
 sufficient. There is yet another class, who are not 
 only disbelievers themselves, but are determined that 
 the science shall not prevail. These, instead of act- 
 ing like ingenuous searchers after truth, attend the 
 exhibitions for the express purpose of defeating the 
 operations, by interposing obstacles, embarrassing 
 
 * Elements of Moral Science, Sec. viii. §. 1£6. 
 
59 
 
 alike to the magnetiser and the subject. In order 
 to a successful experiment, perfect composure and 
 tranquility of mind, it both magnetiser and sub- 
 ject, are understood to be necessary, if not absolutely 
 indispensable. If, then, objectors and sceptics visit 
 an exhibition for the express purpose of passing off 
 deceptions upon the illustrators of the principle, — 
 intentionally distracting their attention and inter- 
 rupting their mental operations — the want of success 
 under such circumstances is no argument against the 
 science; and only proves that the objectors are no 
 gentlemen. Again, there are those who fear to be- 
 lieve, lest an argument shall be derived from the ad- 
 mitted existence of the magnetic influence, against 
 the miracles sustaining the divine origin of the Chris- 
 tian religion; whereas, in my apprehension, the 
 very reverse is the fact ; since, if testimony like that 
 to which I have referred, is to be rejected, where are 
 we to look for the proof of those very miracles? Would 
 not the sceptic, by the adoption of such a rule, bring 
 himself upon the identical ground assumed by Hume, 
 who disbelieves all the evidence of miracles, upon 
 the principle that we cannot believe any thing con- 
 trary to our own experience? I am aware, however, 
 that others think differently. Indeed, an intimate 
 friend of my own, on reading the preceding narrative, 
 observed to me, " Were I to believe in the reality of 
 what you have written, I should become an infidel." 
 Now, the scruples of such are doubtless to be respect- 
 ed. But I must repeat, I can perceive no good foun- 
 dation for them. " How common," says Knight, in his 
 
60 
 
 Wayward Criticisms, "when we have just spoken and 
 thought of a person, to see him immediately afterward. 
 If it be even more than casualty, is it unphilosophical 
 to suppose that there may be a certain attractive, 
 although invisible emanation, not unlike that of the 
 magnetic, electric, gravid, or cohesive influence ; each 
 emanation being peculiar to, and characteristic of, 
 each individual, coming from the body into the air, 
 which prompts the forethought ?" And is it any more 
 unphilosophical to believe in the activity of the hu- 
 man soul during the suspension of the external senses 
 by that species of slumber, equally peculiar and pro- 
 found, produced by the magnetical influence, the ex- 
 istence of which, to a greater or less degree, I take 
 it for granted can no longer be denied by any one ? 
 We know that somnambulism, or the faculty of loco- 
 motion, of speaking, of holding conversation with 
 others, and even of sustaining an argument, does ex- 
 ist. Of this fact, the Rev. Mr. Finney, whom you 
 probably know, affords a striking example. Why, 
 then, should we deny the possibility of the unusual 
 physiological phenomena attributed to the influences 
 of Animal Magnetism, acting upon persons of pe- 
 culiar nervous susceptibilities 7 Why deny to the soul 
 the faculty of recognizing external objects through 
 unusual ways, without the help of the senses, and of 
 annihilating time and space in its movements ? Or 
 why deny to the etherial spirit, when in such a state, 
 the power of visiting, in its imagination, other climes 
 and other spheres, for its amusement, its wonder, or 
 its instruction ? Is it more wonderful than the trance 
 
61 
 
 of Tennant, whose spirit, without controversy, did 
 thus leave its tenement of clay, and behold things 
 more glorious than that holy man dared to describe ? 
 But I am transcending the purpose of this communi- 
 cation, and will forbear. 
 
 After all, my dear Sir, I am not without apprehen- 
 sion that you may yet inquire of me what is my own 
 belief upon the subject'? The question would be a 
 poser. I cannot deny the evidence of my own sen- 
 ses, and therefore I must believe in something. But 
 how much to believe, or what, I am puzzled to tell. 
 Fraud, deception, imposture, I once more repeat, in 
 the matters I have related, were entirely out of the 
 question. On the whole, therefore, I must end as I 
 began, by quoting the sage conclusion of Hamlet, al- 
 beit his brains were zig-zag, that there are more 
 things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in 
 our philosophy. 
 
 I am, with respect, &c. &c. 
 
 WILLIAM L. STONE. 
 
 To Doct. Amariah Brigham, M. D. 
 
POSTSCRIPT 
 
 It was the purpose of the author, in presenting a second edition 
 of the preceding letter to the public, to record a few additional 
 facts, connected with this interesting subject, equally wonderful, 
 and in some respects even more so, than those already de- 
 tailed. A brief reply to some of the criticisms that have 
 been made upon this pamphlet by a portion of the daily 
 press, had also been meditated. But the first edition, of two 
 thousand, has gone off so rapidly, and the demand for the second 
 is so pressing, that the design has in both respects been relinquish- 
 ed. One only of the criticisms referred to will the author stop to 
 correct. The editor of the American, in his liberal notice of the 
 first edition, seems to suppose that the only subjects of the mag- 
 netic influence are females. This, in the full extent of the posi- 
 tion, is an error. It is doubtless true, that, as a general rule, the 
 female system is more susceptible of this mysterious influence 
 than the male. But such is not uniformly the case. Several in- 
 stances have occurred in Rhode Island, particularly in Pawtucket, 
 in which robust men have been effectually magnetized. The 
 operator at Pawtucket is Mr. Daniel Green, a man of respectabil- 
 ity, who, from what I can learn, is capable of exercising a greater 
 magnetic power than any other gentleman who has yet attempted 
 an experiment. I can also state, that, on the evening of Tuesday, 
 the 3d day of October instant, Mr. Grant, of Providence, then and 
 now giving experiments in the city of Albany, put a healthy young 
 man into a profound slumber, in the midst of a crowded auditory, 
 and contrary to his own counteracting efforts. 1 was in Albany at 
 the time. The Governor, and several Senators and other distinguish- 
 ed gentlemen, were present. The young man was a sceptic upon the 
 
63 
 
 subject, and challenged the operator to a trial of his power, which, 
 in ten minutes, was not only irresistible, but so powerful, that the 
 subject was, in the end, thrown into convulsions. The experiment 
 was not only convincing to himself, but, as I happen to know, to 
 several gentlemen of education and character, who were unbe- 
 lievers when they went to the exhibition. 
 
 Several very striking illustrations of somnambulism and clairvoy- 
 ance, or clear-sightedness, when in a state of magnetic slumber, were 
 also given at Albany on the same, and also the preceding evening. 
 Among them was an imaginary journey, performed by the niece of 
 Mr. Grant, in company with one of the Senators, to visit his own 
 family at the place of their temporary residence, (Norwich, Con.) 
 The house in which his family were lodged is very peculiar in its 
 construction, having, among other eccentricities of architecture, 
 three front doors, all of which were exactly described, with various 
 other features and circumstances, and in the absence of leading 
 questions. 
 
 Another very striking case occurred at Saratoga Springs, at 
 which place Messrs. Grant and Potter were experimenting last 
 week. A gentleman, an entire stranger, came into the room, and 
 asked the magnetized lady to visit his house in Plattsburgh. She 
 did so — described the place — the house — its apartments and furni- 
 ture, not only with general, but very minute accuracy. Among 
 other inmates of the family, she astounded the gentleman by 
 describing his aged father-in-law, who has but one arm ! Collusion 
 or imposture, in this case, was entirely out of the question, and 
 the fact cannot be contradicted. 
 
 I am in possession of a variety of other surprising facts, but 
 have not yet permission to publish them with that particularity 
 which I could desire. Meantime I beg leave to introduce the fol- 
 lowing article from the Boston Morning Herald, of September 
 29th ; premising that I was in Providence at the time of the visit 
 of the two medical gentlemen referred to from Boston, and have 
 no doubt, from what I learned on the spot, of the essential accu- 
 racy of the statement here given. The statement of Miss Brack- 
 et's ideal visit to the hall of the Franklin Society was also re- 
 
64 
 
 lated to me in Providence, in a such a manner as to leave n© 
 doubt of its substantial truth :• — 
 
 " Animal Magnetism. — Strong and Incontrovertible Testimony I — Many- 
 may think that enough has been said upon this disputed subject, and turn away 
 in disgust from any further discussion ; especially will those be apt so to think, 
 who, on account of the apparent absurdity of the matter, pronounce it to be a 
 complete humbug, and consider themselves insulted, to have conversation or 
 written argument upon it thrust into their faces. So was our decision once — 
 but while we cannot believe so strange a theory until we have had the demon- 
 stration of our own senses to its truth, we are forced, by the weight of incon- 
 trovertible testimony, to be silent and refrain from scoffing, until the ' perfect 
 day ' of the revelation of its existence or falsehood shall dawn upon us. 
 
 We present the following new facts to the public, and our readers may be- 
 lieve or not. We will only say, that when it comes to bold denial of a sup- 
 posed honest man's assertion, argument is useless — but to those who are not 
 willing to think that a man who has ever proved himself true, will at once 
 falsify, the following relation will at least surprise, for what we have to say is 
 reduced to this — Will you believe our witness or not 1 
 
 We hope we are not taking an unwarrantable liberty in mentioning the 
 name of the individual, from whom the particulars below given are derived. 
 Since the subject is an all-important one, a solemn one if it be true, an exciting 
 one at any rate, we feel confident that he will be willing to have his testimony 
 held up, a light set on a hill, as a guide to the searchers of the truth. We refer 
 to Rev. Mr. Hall of Providence. 
 
 A short time since, two physicians of this city, Drs. J. & W., went to 
 Providence, in order, by their own senses, to be convinced. They have re- 
 turned, not fully satisfied. They are confident of some strange effect produced 
 — 'of the existence of the magnetic sleep— but were not able to content them- 
 selves in respect to the wonderful magnetic vision of distant or concealed ob- 
 jects. We will state the assigned cause. 
 
 The patient is Miss Brackett of Providence, who is, and has been long, to- 
 tally blind — of course, unless there is actual communication with her, to inform 
 her of the existence or position of the objects or places she describes, her testi- 
 mony is of the very strongest nature — it is adamant proof. The examination 
 took place in the house of Rev. Mr. Hall. 
 
 Previous to questioning the patient, Mr. Hall took the physicians into aback 
 parlor, in which were no chairs, and disarranged some articles, one of which 
 was, to take a picture down from the wall, and lay it with its face on the table. 
 The three gentlemen then returned to the room in which Miss Brackett, who 
 had been magnetised, was sleeping. One of the physicians first questioned 
 her, but almost at the outset, he said, after going with her in spirit into the 
 room, — ' Take care, or you will stumble over the chairs and beds.' The other 
 physician then went with her to some house or other in a distant town, and 
 said — ' Be careful, or you will hit your head against the gate;' and he could 
 not make her speak after. Now the case is, taking the premises for granted that 
 1 such things are,' those who are sleeping are, in their perceptions, in reality 
 standing with you beside an object which you wish them to describe — and it is 
 often an answer to inquiries, ' What do you ask for — you can see as well as I 
 can.' It is evident, then, that much caution and tact must be exercised ix> pro- 
 cure the necessary information. No trifling will be submitted to — and there- 
 fore it was, when the physicians referred to articles which they knew were not 
 there, that the patient became offended. 
 
 The physicians having retired, Mr. Hall, Miss B. being still in her sleep, led 
 her in spirit, into the back room again, and after asking her what she saw, she 
 mentioned, among the first things, ' a picture lying on the table on its face' — 
 aad added, f I will speak with you, Mr. Hall, for you treat me properly, but I 
 
65 
 
 would not have any thing to say to that other gentleman, for he laughed at me. 
 He knew as well as I, that there were no chairs or beds in the room /' 
 
 From another occasion, Mr. Hall furnishes still stronger testimony. There 
 is, in Providence, a room, occupied by the Franklin Society. This Society is 
 a private one, with few members, and but few know of the occupancy of the 
 room. In it are sundry matters, such as a case of stuffed birds, a stuffed cat, 
 gray squirrel, &c, a preserved turtle, and other curiosities of the like kind. 
 Mr. Hall went to the room, unlocked it, took some lamps from the stove, which 
 was in the centre of the room, and placed on it the turtle — and then returned, 
 locking the door, and putting the key in his pocket. He then, without com- 
 munication with mortal being, went directly to Miss Brackett, whom he had 
 requested previously to have magnetised, turned the magnetiser from the room, 
 and went with the patient, of course in spirit, to the room of the Society. As 
 soon as they were in the room, the patient started. ' Why do you start V asked 
 Mr.. Hall. ' Why, don't you see, look on the stove there in the centre of the 
 room. It will bite me .'' ' Bite 1 — go closer — it won't bite.' She then seemed to 
 smile at discovering the foolishness of her fears. ' What is it V asked Mr. 
 Hall. ' You can see as well as I, 5 was her answer. l Yes — but I wish to know 
 what you call it. Is it ever eaten 1 ' Yes— a part of it — in soup: ' Well, 
 what do you call it V 'A turtle, to be sure !' 
 
 Mr. Hall then led her to the bird case, and asked her what she saw. She re- 
 turned much the same answer as before — but said, evidently taking down the 
 birds and looking at them — ' How pretty this is. What a bright ring round its 
 neck ! Oh, here is a dear little bird .'' 
 
 She soon started again. ' What is the matter now V asked Mr. Hall. 
 ' Why,' said she, ' only see that cat — that's a pretty place to put a cat, in the 
 midst of birds !' 
 
 1 Oh,' said she, ' here is something in the corner like a rabbit. What is it V 
 
 Mr. Hall had not observed it when in the room, and could not answer. He 
 left her, convinced that if there was any thing there, he should feel satisfied — 
 if not, all was uncertainty again. He hurried to the room, unlocked it, and 
 went in, and found in one corner, a stuffed grey squirrel ! 
 
 We present the above to the consideration of the public. Of Mr. Hall's ve- 
 racity there can be no doubt. What disposal then is to be made of it 1 Time 
 alone can reveal the end." 
 
 The following statement, also related to me as a fact in Provi- 
 dence, has since been published by Dr. Hartshorn, of that city, 
 on the authority of Mr. Benjamin Cozzens and Mr. Joseph 
 Balch, Jun, : — 
 
 " A child, about nine years of age, attending the school of Miss S***, in this 
 city, was, about a month ago, during an intermission, found to be sleep in the 
 school-room. One of the young scholars came and gave information. Miss 
 S*** and others tried to rouse her, but not succeeding, they became alarmed. 
 A young medical student, a son of Commodore John Orde Creighton, being 
 called in, soon perceived that she was in a magnetic sleep. A little girl about 
 ten years old immediately burst into tears. It was evident that she had done 
 it ; but she was so much terrified at the result of the mischief, that Miss S*** 
 called her into another room, soothed her distress, and told her she need not be 
 frightened ; she had only to go to Anne, and ask her to wake up. This was 
 done. She merely spoke to her, and she came out of her magnetic state, with 
 that smile upon her visage which is peculiar to those who are gently roused 
 from it. 
 
 The child had been, once before, and only once, put into the somnambulic 
 state. It was effected in about five minutes, by a lady who had never before 
 tried her hand at this business." 
 
 9 
 
66 
 
 In a preceding page of this Postcript, I have referred to some 
 still more recent illustrations of these phenomena, the particulars of 
 which I am not at liberty to record, although of a very striking 
 character. The truth is, there is a lamentable want of moral cou- 
 rage in the community, which prevents gentlemen from admitting 
 facts, which from their own positive knowledge they know to be 
 such, lest they should encounter the ridicule, and the small wit 
 of the little minds which control but too large a portion of the 
 public press. I am not to be thus deterred, however, from speak- 
 ing out upon this, or any other subject, by the taunts, or the sneers, 
 of any one. All I ask is fair play — and this I expect to receive 
 from all controversialists who are gentlemen. When editors and 
 critics are. so stupid as to misunderstand what is said, or so mali- 
 cious and unprincipled as to misquote and misrepresent an an- 
 tagonist, there is no dealing with such. Nothing is easier than to 
 assume a position for an author whom it is wished to assail, which 
 he has never assumed, and then to overthrow it. Nothing is 
 easier than to assert for an antagonist what he has never asserted, 
 and then refute the assertion. And of course it is equally easy to 
 hold a man up to ridicule, for language or opinions he has never 
 uttered. All this treatment I have received from the stupid malice 
 of the Journal of Commerce, the vapid loquacity of the Express 
 and the ill-natured perversions of a writer in the Courier and En- 
 quirer. While these sheets are passing through the press, how- 
 ever, a more sensible and respectful writer has appeared in the 
 Journal of Commerce, whom it may be well to set right upon his 
 main objection to my original narrative. He says : — 
 
 " The cat's ears and other things which after a great deal of 
 effort Miss B. was induced to mention in Col. Stone's picture, 
 were probably only the reflection of the description he had given 
 of them in her presence ; but in the full conviction that she could 
 hear no conversation except that addressed to herself, and that so 
 the circumstance was of no consequence in the story." 
 
 Some other critics have assumed the same position — which 
 shows either that they have not read my letter with attention, or 
 that they purposely misrepresent me. I have said, expressly, that 
 in regard to the examination of three of those pictures, which I 
 
67 
 
 had reserved as the principal tests, I had held no conversa- 
 , tion with either or any of the party present at the examination. 
 In regard to the Ecce Homo of Guido, and the portrait of Brant, 
 and also of the cat, I was particularly careful that not a soul should 
 know of their existence, but myself, until the somnambulist de- 
 scribed them. 
 
 A few words more : Since this second edition was put to press, I 
 have been present at two private exhibitions of somnambulism by 
 Mrs. Andros, from Providence. One of them was on Friday night 
 last. It was at about nine o'clock in the evening, that a clerical 
 friend called at my residence, in behalf of another friend, who is 
 a physician, and who has been in great distress for many months 
 past, by a grievous nervous affection. His object was, to ascer- 
 tain whether there be any virtue in animal magnetism, as assert- 
 ed by its professors, for a disease like his. I called immediately 
 with the gentleman who came with the message, upon Mr. and 
 Mrs. Andros. The latter was thrown into apparent sleep, where- 
 upon I requested her to visit my sick friend, and describe his 
 case — telling her that neither of us knew the number of the house. 
 Mr. Andros here remarked that that would make no difference. 
 And it was even so. She went in imagination to the house — de- 
 scribed its exterior correctly — but did not describe correctly the 
 next house adjoining. I asked her to enter. She did so, and 
 described the stair- way exactly, although I attempted to mislead 
 her upon that subject. I then asked her to walk into the drawing- 
 room. This I supposed to be entirely unfurnished, as it was naked 
 when I had last seen it. I asked her to say what was in the 
 room. She replied — a pier-table, centre-table, chairs, a portrait, and 
 a very beautiful carpet. I then told Mr. Andros that his wife was 
 entirely wrong. My friend, however, said he believed they were 
 putting in the furniture the day before. Mrs. Andros was positive, 
 particularly in regard to the carpet. She was right as to that 
 article, and wrong as to the others. She then ascended the 
 stairs, entered the sick room, and described the situation, the pecu- 
 liar disease, and the extraordinary sufferings of my sick friend 
 with great minuteness, much emotion, and surprising accuracy. 
 She was wrong, however, in saying that he was sitting up in a 
 
68 
 
 cushioned chair, he being at the time on the bed, as I have since 
 ascertained. 
 
 One case more : On Monday morning, the 9th of October in- 
 stant, Mr. Andros called, and requested me to meet my friend Dr. 
 £***** at -y g rooms> a t 12 o'clock. A few minutes after he had 
 gone, Dr. C***** himself called, and renewed the request. He 
 told me, with great emphasis, that I was the victim of imposition 
 — that it was all nonsense — that there was no reality in this new 
 system of Animal Magnetism — and assured me, that if I would go 
 with him, in ten minutes he would prove to me that it was quackery 
 and moonshine. His object, he said, was to take her upon an 
 ideal visit to a patient of his, a few miles in the country. The 
 case, he added, was so marked and extraordinary, that there could 
 be no mistake upon the subject. Under these circumstances I 
 made the visit. The Doctor was particularly careful not to in- 
 dicate to any one the nature of the case or the location. There 
 were present at the trial, four gentlemen besides the Doctor, 
 Mrs. Andros, and myself. Mrs. A. having been magnetised, Dr. 
 C. took her hand, and for the first time mentioned the village in 
 which the patient resided whom he wished to visit. But he gave 
 no intimation as to the location of the house, the sex of the pa- 
 tient, or the character of the disease. In less than five minutes 
 the somnambulist said she was there. Her description of the ex- 
 terior of the house, however, was at first incorrect ; but substan- 
 tially correct as to the interior ; and afterward, on a re-examina- 
 tion of the premises, she described the house with general accuracy. 
 But this was not the main feature of the experiment, which was 
 the description of the case itself. And in this, which involved a 
 complication of the disease of scrofula, embracing a large tumor upon 
 one side, severe lameness, the contraction of a limb, <fyc. fyc, the 
 Doctor frankly declared that she astounded him by describing it as 
 well as he could have done it himself In the afternoon I visited 
 the patient with Dr. C*****, and had ocular demonstration of the 
 truth of the description of Mrs. Andros. Here, again, was a case 
 where collusion, fraud, and imposition were out of the question. 
 And here, too, it is to be particularly noted, that there was an 
 entire absence of leading questions. On the contrary, in order to 
 
69 
 
 avoid the possibility of collusion, Dr. C***** had given Mr. An- 
 dros in the morning to understand that his patient was in a differ- 
 ent village, lying in a different direction ; and while Mrs. Andros 
 was describing the case, he endeavored to mislead her as to the 
 seats of the several strong and unequivocal developements of the 
 disease. I leave it with the public. 
 
 WILLIAM L. STONE. 
 
 New.York, Oct. 10, 183T. 
 
 POSTSCRIPT TO THE THIRD EDITION. 
 
 In answer to the objection raised by many others, as well as the 
 editor of the American, that females alone are used as subjects of 
 the magnetic influence, I have two very recent, and very strong 
 cases, in addition to those referred to in the preceding postscript. 
 One of these cases occurred in Albany, after my departure from 
 that city last week. It was at a select meeting of a few gentle- 
 men and ladies, for the purpose of seeing a few private experiments 
 by Messrs. Grant and Potter. Several senators were present, one 
 of whom, Mr. Spraker, of Montgomery, was magnetised soundly to 
 sleep, and the experiment was repeated, on a subsequent day, with 
 the same success. 
 
 Another case has occurred in this city, as can be proved by tes- 
 timony of the first character, in which a gentleman was magnetised 
 into a profound slumber by another gentleman, who is an amateur 
 only — not a professed magnetiser. The subject in this case was 
 also a somnambulist — visiting various places and private rooms in 
 the city, and describing fixtures and furniture with great accuracy. 
 He then made an imaginary voyage to France, spoke a ship at 
 sea, described the passengers, &c. — visited Paris, and described 
 many places and things with entire and wonderful correctness, 
 according to the testimony of a Paris gentleman who was present. 
 The subject in this case shrinks sensitively from notoriety in the 
 matter, or I would go more into particulars. 
 
70 
 
 I am also in the possession of some very remarkable facts elicited 
 at another experiment — transpiring at Providence the day after 
 my adventure with Miss Brackett, at an interview between a dis- 
 tinguished clergyman of the Episcopal Church and the somnolo- 
 quial patient of Dr. Brownell— a lady whom I have never seen. 
 The lady having been thrown into a state of magnetic slumber, 
 was transported, in the imagination, to a distant city, the residence 
 of the clergyman. He took her to the church of which he is the 
 rector. After a surprisingly correct description of the interior of 
 the church, on opening a closet in the vestry-room, she exclaimed — 
 " Here are three dresses — one black and two white." These were 
 a clerical gown and two surplices, which always hung there when 
 not in use. Upon being asked whether nothing else was in the clo- 
 set, she answered, " Yes — there is a basket." This the clergyman 
 was confident was a mistake, as he had no recollection of such an 
 article ; on his return home, however, he had an examination, and 
 found that on the spot which she had named as the location of a 
 basket, stood a demijohn of communion wine. Its neck was so 
 covered by the skirt of one of the surplices, that it resembled a 
 basket much more than it did a demijohn. 
 
 Again ; there are several vaults adjacent to the church. Into 
 a particular one of these the patient was requested to descend and 
 examine its contents. She did so, and immediately began 
 weeping. Upon being asked the cause, she stated that she was 
 looking on the coffins of five children. The clergyman, and he 
 alone, was aware that five children had been buried there, and were 
 its sole occupants. In her description of the church, and the fur- 
 niture of his own house, although there were some errors, the gene- 
 ral accuracy of the statements were such as to convince him, that, 
 at least, there was something extraordinary in the principle of 
 Animal Magnetism. 
 
 So I believe. But I also believe that experiments and illustra- 
 tions are, and ever will be, very fallible and uncertain. I am also 
 convinced, that all public exhibitions are not only improper, but 
 more liable to prove entire failures, than experiments made in a 
 private social circle. In order to a fair and successful experiment, 
 there should be an absence of all excitement, on the part both of 
 
71 
 
 the magnetiser and the subject. Perfect calmness and tranquillity 
 should reign in the apartment ; and even then, the chances are 
 more than even, that an experiment will be comparatively unsuc- 
 cessful. But the results are sometimes wonderful, beyond the ken 
 of man to fathom or comprehend. 
 
 W. L. S. 
 New.York, Oct. 16, 1837. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 No. I. 
 
 The following statements are copied from the Appendix to Hartshorne's recent 
 edition of Deleuze. The extraordinary medical case occurred under the 
 eye and care of Dr. Brownell of Providence, the Somnambulist being another 
 lady — not Miss Brackett. Its strict truth cannot be questioned : — 
 
 In order to prove whether a somnambulist can really visit a place where he has 
 never before been, and describe the present appearance of things there, the Rev. 
 E. B. Hall went, without the knowledge of any one, into the room in which the 
 Franklin Society deposit their curious collection, and disarranged several con- 
 spicuous articles. He then went to confer with a young woman who resides at 
 the distance of half a mile from the house occupied by the Franklin Society, and 
 she being in the magnetic state, he sent her into it in spirit without informing 
 her of the disarrangement he had made. She had previously been sent there in 
 the same state, so that she knew immediately what alterations had been made, 
 and stated them so satisfactorily as to establish the fact investigated. This is 
 only one out of many proofs which might be adduced to the same effect. 
 
 Still the suspicion very naturally remained, that the somnambulist derives all 
 his notions from the mind of the person in communication, which, though it be 
 an astounding circumstance, would induce us to view the subject in an entirely 
 different light. To try this, I one day put an old spike into a gun-barrel, and 
 placed it about four or five feet from my writing desk against the wall. I then 
 sent a note to Dr. Brownell, who was then with one of his patients in the som- 
 nambulic state, requesting him to ask her what was in a gun-barrel lying on 
 my desk. The lad who carried the note did not know its contents, and did 
 not go into the house, but came back immediately : in about thirty minutes, 
 a line came from Dr. Brownell, stating that there was no gun-barrel on my 
 desk ; but that there was one leaning against the wall a short distance from it. 
 Other facts affording similar proofs are abundant. It is proper to state that the 
 gun-barrel had probably never been in the room before. 
 
 A still more interesting proof is exhibited in the following relation ; which, I 
 am authorized to say, is true in all its important facts, and is known to have 
 created a great sensation at the time. Fortunately the witnesses are gentle- 
 men of high standing and of scientific attainments, whose words are the cur- 
 rency of truth. The relation is extracted from a long and interesting article in 
 the Salem Gazette. 
 
 "Dr. Brownell, of Providence, operated upon a young lady, who, during 
 the period of magnetic sleep, frequently left the body, and could see a nd hear 
 without the aid of eyes or ears. She could tell correctly the time by a watch, 
 though enveloped in a cloth, and at the same time having a bandage over her 
 eyes. The doctor had a patient, sick, as was believed, of the liver complaint, 
 and bade the girl, who was sitting near him, go (in spirit) to the man's house. 
 Arrived, she, at the doctor's request, described the house that there might be no 
 mistake, and then entered. What do you see ? asked Dr. B. ' A man sick.' 
 Now I want you to tell me what ails him. First look at his head : is that 
 
73 
 
 well ? ' Yes.' How do you know ? Do you mean to say that you see 
 the internal organization? 'Yes.' Is the liver, heart, &c. well? 'Yes; it 
 looks just the same as yours, or anybody's else.' Well, do you see any thing 
 wrong? 'Yes, there is an enlargement of the spleen.' Several questions 
 were then put to confuse her, and also to ascertain if she knew what the spleen 
 was, and where situated ; to all which she gave satisfactory replies. Still the 
 doctor was incredulous. But now comes the proof. In four days the man died, 
 and Dr. B. having obtained permission to institute a post-mortem examination, 
 called on every physician in the city, and narrated the story of the girl. In 
 presence of several of them the body was subsequently opened, when, to their 
 surprise, the girl was right — all that ailed the man was an enlargement of the 
 spleen. 
 
 What shall we say to this fact ? It is substantiated beyond the possibility of 
 a doubt, as may be learned by any one passing through Providence. Shall we 
 set it down among the list of curious coincidences, or admit that the girl ac- 
 tually possessed a supernatural sense of vision, and that for the time being, her 
 immortal spirit, released from the body, roved freely and at the will of the 
 operator ? 
 
 As in the state of vision, the fact is no more strange, than in the well-attested 
 case of the famed Springfield somnambulist. Now, if we admit that the soul in 
 this case saw without the aid of eyes, why not admit that, in certain states of 
 the nervous system, other senses or faculties of the mind may also act independent- 
 ly of their material organs ? We know the soul thus exists after death, and why 
 not in the state of temporary death caused by animal magnetism ? What know 
 we of the nature of that deathless spark within us ? And if we allow that it 
 may, without the body, enter the next room, we cannot deny the possibility that 
 it may in the same manner annihilate time and space, and travel hundreds of 
 miles as easily and as quickly as it can so many feet. 
 
 But some say, we cannot believe that God has given such a dangerous power 
 to the human will. It is out of the common order of nature ; it is a miracle ; 
 we cannot believe it. But who can set bounds to the dominion of the human 
 will. Man — before the steady gaze of whose eye the forest king trembles and 
 flees ; whose power extends to the huge dwellers in ocean's unfathomed infi- 
 nite; man — at whose nod the giant oak, which for centuries has braved hea- 
 ven's thunderbolts, falls prostrate, and rises again in beauty to adorn his mansion ; 
 who lays his will upon the everlasting rock and it becomes as wax ; whose high- 
 way is earth, and air, and ocean ; whose servant is the lightning ; whose intel- 
 lect spans earth and encircles heaven — thinking, reasoning, godlike man — who 
 can set bounds to the untried power of his mysterious will ? Who say to it, ' thus 
 far shalt thou come and no farther ?' 
 
 Now, though in the above-mentioned cases, our will operates through more 
 tangible means, the facts, were they not so common, are as wonderful as the al- 
 leged fact that this same mighty agent operating through the nervous system, pro- 
 duces all the wonders of animal magnetism. If actual experiment demonstrates 
 the fact, fools may laugh but wise men believe ; and believing, bow down and 
 adore with deeper reverence that Great Being from whose almighty will these 
 millions of human wills emanated." 
 
 On reading this communication," say Mr. Hartshorne, " which nearly accord- 
 ed with what I had heard stated, I conversed wijh Dr. B., who is one of our 
 oldest physicians, and asked him whether the statement there made was cor- 
 rect. He replied that it was, in substance ; but some of the particulars were 
 imperfectly stated. He gave me the following account. 
 
 The patient lived more than a quarter of a mile from my house. 1 requested 
 a somnambulist, then at my house, to see if she could find such a man, at the 
 same time pointing out to her the situation of the house, which was not in sight 
 from the room where we continued all the time. She saw him. On being asked 
 in what room, she replied, in the third room back from the street. She wa& then 
 requested to describe the situation of the furniture in it, in order to discover 
 
 10 
 
74 
 
 whether she had got into the right place, and whether her clairvoyance might be 
 trusted to at that time ; she described it very exactly. 
 
 I then told her my patient had been sick a long time, and desired her to exa- 
 mine him, and tell what the disease was. 
 
 She said, " He looks so bad, I do not like to do it." I replied, " Never mind 
 that ; it looks bad to you, because you have not been accustomed to looking at 
 the interior of a body." 
 
 As I supposed him to be affected with a diseased liver, and with indigestion 
 arising from a diseased state of the stomach, I asked her to look at the stomach 
 to see if that was diseased ; she answered, " No." 
 
 Is the liver diseased ? " No." 
 
 Well, examine the whole intestinal canal, and see if there is any disease there. 
 " I do not see any," said she. 
 
 Examine the kidneys. " Nothing is the matter with them." 
 
 Not knowing what other part to call her attention to, I requested her to look 
 at every part of him. 
 
 After some little time, she says, " His spleen is swelled ; it is enlarged." 
 
 His spleen ! said I ; when we speak of a person who is spleeny, we suppose 
 he has an imaginary complaint. What do you mean ? 
 
 She said, " The part called the spleen, is enlarged." 
 
 How do you know it is enlarged ? 
 
 " It is a great deal larger than yours." 
 
 Do you see mine ? " Yes." 
 
 How large is his spleen ? 
 
 " It is a great deal longer and thicker than your hand." 
 
 I then asked her to put her hand where the spleen is situated. She imme- 
 diately placed her hand over the region of the spleen. 
 
 I then asked her what shape the stomach was : she replied that it was like a 
 flower in the garden. I was not. acquainted with that flower, and do not recol- 
 lect the name she gave to it. 
 
 I then requested her to recollect all about this, saying I wished to talk with 
 her about it when she awoke. 
 
 After she came out of the somnambulic state, she was asked whether she re- 
 membered having examined the sick person. She remembered it. 
 
 What part did you tell me was diseased ? After a little consideration, she 
 replied, " I believe I told you the spleen is enlarged." 
 
 How came you to call it the spleen ? 
 
 "I do not know." 
 
 Did you ever hear any description of the internal organs, or see any plates of 
 them? "No." 
 
 Should vou know the plate representing the stomach, if you were to see it? 
 
 " I think I should if it looked like it." 
 
 I will go into the library and bring out some plates, to see whether you know 
 the internal organs. 
 
 While I was gone into the library, she said to a lady present, " Every once in 
 a while I saw fluids pass from his stomach into his bowels." 
 
 On returning with the volume of plates, in order to ascertain whether she 
 really distinguished the different organs, I showed her a plate somewhat resem- 
 bling the stomach, and asked her if that was what she saw for the stomach? 
 She said, "No." Turning to several plates in succession, she declared that 
 neither of them resembled the stomach. 
 
 Then turning to the true plate, as if accidentally, while throwing open the 
 leaves, intending to pass it by unless she noticed it, she immediately cried out, 
 " That's it ; that's what I saw for the stomach." 
 
 I then conversed with her in relation to the other viscera ; and she gave a very 
 correct description of them, as she had done in her sleep. 1 asked her if she had 
 conversed upon the subject, or seen any plates of the internal organs. She de- 
 al ared she never had> 
 
75 
 
 Seven days after this, the patient was taken more seriously ill, and died on 
 Saturday, the third day following. 
 
 On Monday, a post-mortem examination took place ; previous to which I invit- 
 ed all the physicians whom I could find in the city. 
 
 Eighteen persons were present, of whom sixteen were physicians. 
 
 I then stated all the particulars of the examination by the somnambulic patient ; 
 and requested the physicians to examine the body to see if they could discover 
 the diseased spleen from external examination. They, with one voice, declared 
 they could not. 
 
 I then opened the body, and, to the utter astonishment of the physicians pre- 
 sent, found the spleen so enlarged as to weigh fifty-seven ounces. Its usual 
 weight is from four to six ounces. 
 
 No other disease was perceptible except a general inflammation, which, no 
 doubt, came on about three days before his death. 
 
 No. II. 
 
 In regard to the power of Mr. Green, of Pawtucket, mentioned 
 in the Postscript a few pages back, the following correspondence 
 between Doctors Hartshorn and Webb, of Providence, is taken 
 from the Appendix of Hartshorn's edition of Deleuze : — 
 
 " Providence, August 25lh, 1837. 
 
 Sir, — In the Practical Instruction in Animal Magnetism, which I am now 
 publishing in English, the author mentions the power that some magnetizers 
 have of paralyzing the limbs of a patient in the magnetic state. But the in- 
 stance which you recently related to me is so much more extraordinary, that I 
 wish to obtain from you in writing, a statement of the facts in relation to it, 
 with permission to make use of it in a note. I shall esteem it a valuable addi- 
 tion to the authentic matter to be embraced in the Appendix of each number of 
 that work. Yours, respectfully. 
 
 T. C. HARTSHORN. 
 
 Dr. Thomas H. Webb." 
 
 " Providence, September 1, 1837. 
 
 Dear Sir, — My time has been so much occupied of late, as to have rendered 
 it impossible for me, until the present moment, to reply to your note of the 25th 
 ult., and even now I am so circumstanced as to be unable to do more than 
 write a very brief reply. 
 
 In conversation with Mr. Daniel Greene, of Pawtucket, who, as you proba- 
 bly well know, is the most powerful, as he has been the most extensive, mag- 
 netizer in this country, I inquired if he were able to magnetize and thereby 
 obtain control over a single limb, whilst the rest of the body remained in a natu- 
 ral state. He said that he had done it, in the case of Miss J., with whom you 
 are acquainted, and would attempt it on another patient that we were going to 
 see that afternoon, if reminded of it. 
 
 The individual alluded to had never been magnetized but three times, and did 
 not present a very striking exemplification of the usual magnetic phenomena. 
 After trying various experiments that consumed several hours, we left the house, 
 having forgotten the subject matter of my interrogatory. But upon recollecting 
 
76 
 
 it, we returned, and the patient reseated herself upon being requested so to do^ 
 without any reason being given her for making the request. 
 
 Mr. Greene then went through the usual manipulations some dozen or twenty 
 times, confining them to the space reaching from the top of the left shoulder, to 
 the extremities of the fingers on the same side. He afterwards requested her to 
 raise the left hand to the head. She said she could not. There was evidently 
 a powerful effort made to do this, as was shown by the working of the muscles 
 inserted into the upper portion of the shoulder ; but the limb remained power- 
 less and motionless, not obeying the dictates of the owner's will. She was ask- 
 ed to raise her right arm to the head, which was done promptly, and with perfect 
 ease and freedom. Again she was directed to stretch out the left hand, but un- 
 availingly. It was completely paralyzed ; devoid of motion and of sensation. 
 I gave it a severe pinch, nipping with the thumb and finger, as hard. as I deem- 
 ed it prudent to, leaving deep impressions with my nails. Upon inquiring if it 
 did not hurt her, she, with an incredulous smile, observed, that I had not done 
 any thing to her. I then, without saying any thing, pinched, in the same man- 
 ner, though less severely, the other hand, when she drew back from me with a 
 sudden start, and complained that I hurt her. The arm, to one lifting it, was a 
 perfect dead weight. I poised it on my fingers, and Mr. G. restored it ; and there 
 was a very marked difference in it and about it, as it passed from the magnetic 
 to the natural state. 
 
 To a person not acquainted with the magnetizer, magnetizee, and the gentle- 
 men present, there will of course appear nothing conclusive upon the subject of 
 magnetism in what is here detailed ; but to those of us who had previously ex- 
 amined other patients, and satisfied ourselves of the existence of a power by 
 means of which, to a certain extent, one individual may obtain mental mastery 
 over another, the experiment was satisfactory. 
 
 Should a suitable opportunity hereafter present, I may furnish you with a 
 statement of some singular cases which I have witnessed. In the meantime I 
 remain, 
 
 Yours, &c. 
 
 THOMAS H. WEBB. 
 
 Mr. Thomas C. Hartshorn." 
 
 Erratum. — First line, page 29, dele the words — " they are like figures." My 
 impression is strong that Miss B. said something equivalent, if not those words 5 
 but on reflection 1 cannot recall the exact phrase she used. 
 
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