Wavellite is a very pretty mineral, containing about thirty-six of alumina, and thirty-four of phosphoric acid. It is, in fact, a sub-phosphate of alumina. It was first discovered in Devonshire by Dr. Wavell, and since then has been found in Ireland, and on the Continent. It is generally found radiated and fibrous, or massive. It is generally green, grey, blue, or white. my own is of a bluish white, in bright, radiated circles, on a piece of dark Devonshire rock.

Common alum is obtained from the alum stone, or sub-sulphate of alumina, found in Italy, Hungary, &c. X. Q.

MESMERISM.

(Concluded from our last.)

'ADMITTING that Mesmerism is so beneficial to mankind as its Advocates represent it to be; we are sure they have given it too high a standing in associating it with the name of God; by saying God has revealed it to man for the benefit of the afflicted.

'We have however proved its source is not from God, and that He gives no assistance to persons in the mesmeric sleep. Neither is the power and intelligence exhibited on such occasions derived from the holy angels, who are God's ministering Spirits, (Heb. i. 14.) this we are sure of from the nature of many of the statements that are communicated. "Can a good tree bring forth evil fruit?" And would the holy unfallen angels give out things contrary to the mind of God?

'Miss Martineau, in her Work on the subject of Mesmerism, informs us, that her Maid Servant, in one of her trances stated, "The soul is independent and self-existent, and therefore lives for ever; It depends upon nothing:" this she contradicted by her very next expression, in adding, "God takes care of it, to reunite it with the body at the day of judgment." Miss Martineau acknowledges she was forcibly and painfully struck with the incompatibility of the two sayings; she should have added, and with the presumption and blasphemy of the former one.

This fact proves that mesmerized individuals are not assisted by the holy angels; and yet it seems evident they are acted upon by some invisible supernatural agency. We once more ask the Advocates of Mesmerism, What agency is it? The Sacred Oracles will help us in this answer: they describe, very fully, a class of

Beings who surround us, both on the earth, and in the air above us: The following is a selection out of many passages, that illustrate their character, 1 Cor. iv. 4; 2 Cor. xi. 14. John xii. 31. Eph. ii. 2; vi. 12. Job i. and ii. Rev. xii. These quotations from God's blessed word are too clear and distinct not to be understood; they inform us of evil spirits who are under the direction of one ruling mighty sagacious spirit, called Satan; also named the God of this world; the Prince of the power of the air: the locality of these Spirits is said to be the earth, and the air, or heaven, that is the expanse above us, which for aught we know, may extend to the planets and stars. It is further stated that Satan has great influence over the minds of men, in keeping them in darkness, and in leading them captive at his will. It is also declared that he is wily, subtle ;—a serpent full of artful stratagems, whereby he deceives and ensnares; an old serpent, having had now nearly six thousand years' experience since he seduced into sin our first mother Eve. It is moreover mentioned that he is spiritual, therefore an unseen enemy, and the more to be dreaded; he is powerful, he can raise storms and hurricanes, but of course no further than God permits him. The word principalities, also denotes numbers, order, and government.-Christ cast out of one man a legion. We may form some idea of their mode of temptation from the way in which the devil assaulted Christ, Matt. iv. It is generally by taking advantage of the circumstances around us, suiting the temptation to the evil dispositions and propensities of our nature, exciting us to distrust, presumption, and ambition. We are warned not to be ignorant of Satan's devices, when he appears as an angel of light; nor to be surprised at his malignity against us, when, as a roaring lion, he seeketh whom

he may devour. The expressions, wrestling with principalities and powers; putting on the whole armour of God, and the standing in His strength in the combat ; the necessity of being on the watch; and the exhortations to prayer, for help and perseverance; sufficiently denote the severity of the Believer's struggle with these evil spirits, when he is in full command of all the faculties of his body and mind, under Divine assistance.

'What language then can fully describe the Christian's impotence and folly in the mesmeric sleep? There he has voluntarily submitted to have all these faculties prostrated at the feet of the enemy; he can neither watch nor wrestle. There he has presumptuously stepped upon ground where he has no right to expect God will meet him with his strength: there he has vilely cast away his spiritual weapons of warfare; his girdle of truth, his breastplate of righteousness, his shoes of peace, his shield of faith, his helmet of hope, and his sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; and the mighty is fallen in the midst of the battle, a lamentable spectacle to men and angels: there he unconsciously lies bound hand and foot, a passive organ in the hands of Satan, and a line of communication between him and his Mesmerist. How tremendously appalling the thought of being assisted by Satan in the mesmeric sleep! Who knows whether he who leads captive men's minds, keeping them in darkness, may not lead the soul of an individual, set at liberty in his wide usurped dominions, into some far distant inextricable labyrinth, surrounded by the blackness of darkness, to worry it for ever; and, that the sleep thus artificially produced may be the last fatal sleep of this infatuated individual; or, can the Mesmerist himself guarantee, when the soul returns to take possession of its body at

his call, that Satan shall not intrude himself uninvited into the tabernacle, and there pervert the convolutions of the brain, filling its mental capabilities with madness and distraction, and add to this unhappy maniac's affliction, to the end of his days, acute chronic agonies, exhibited in bodily distortions, as a punishment for his presumption? There were most frightful possessions of the devil in the days of our Lord; and it is not improbable there will be again, in these last days of evil, when so many appear to be giving way to seducing spirits. 1 Tim. iv. 1.

'We trust our readers will form an impartial conclusion, from the arguments we have brought to bear upon Mesmerism, how far we have proved the points, that it cannot be supported by sound philosophy, and, that it is contrary to the Scriptures; and if this be the case, Mesmerism is wrong, unscriptural, and presumptuous; and it behoves us to reject it.

'We now direct your thoughts to a favourite argument of the advocates of Mesmerism to justify its practice, viz. "That it cures diseases, it maketh the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak." This is a very fallacious argument, since Satan is too politic not to permit some apparently good results to the body, when he can thereby secure a greater dominion over the mind, and support the system in question. Witchcraft on the same footing is good, many have been cured of the ague, and other bodily diseases by the use of charms and incantations. Satan, as an angel of light, is feignedly most bland and bountiful when he means to do the most harm. Herod-like in his saying to the wise men with courteous subtlety, "Bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also;" while in heart, he was meditating the murder of Him who was