them, but it frightened the worthy academicians by its boldness and novelty so they only awarded it the second place, and I believe it has never been published, which is much to be regretted.*

5.-It may be objected to this hypothesis that it violates the law of continuity. This law supposes that through all creation there are no abrupt transitions, but only gradual changes, from one state of existence to another. I think this law very probable, when properly understood, and I must try to show how the above hypothesis is reconcilable with it.

In the preceding remarks I have used the word "mind " in a vague and indefinite way, to express any degree of intelligence found in human beings, from its earliest dawn in the child to its climax in such a mind as Newton's. Wide apart as the "mind" of a child is from the mind of a Newton, the difference is only one of degree-not of essence, and the change from the lowest to the highest stage is a gradual one. But between the "mind" of the child and the highest degree of "instinct" in brutes, there is a gap which can never be passed over: the difference is one of essential nature. So between the "mind" of a Newton and the X, of the next higher mode of existence, the difference is one of essence and not of degree. And yet "in some respects" the mind of the child, differs less from the instinct of a dog, than it does from the intellect of a Newton. If we knew exactly what this-" in some respects"-is, we should have solved one of the greatest mysteries of this world. Now, the lowest form of spiritual existence (ie the lowest form of X1) may also differ from the highest form of human intelligence, less "in some respects"-notwithstanding the essential distinction of nature between the two-than it differs from the higher degree of its own nature. If I may so express it, there seems to be a higher law of continuity, which comprises the lower law of continuity, in such a way as to allow of apparent breaks or gaps of continuity. The mathematician will here see something analogous to discontinuous functions.

A. W. HOBSON, M.A.

[There are many valuable hints in this Paper which are excellently stated. As to the writer's dissatisfaction with the received ideas as to "discontinuous functions, and the inability which exists amongst the learned to appreciate any law but that of continuity," we think he would find an entire solution of what he is evidently striving after, in the wonderful doctrine of "discrete degrees" of Swedenborg. In his work on the "Divine Love

* See pp. 221-229 of the work De La Certitude, par AD FRANCE, Paris, Ladrange, 1847.

and Wisdom" this will be found to be set forth in an orderly series, and it forms in fact the key with which will have to be unlocked the grand secrets which scientific men have hitherto prevented themselves from knowing. Without it all spiritual enquiry, and the highest branches of physical philosophy, cannot be reached or placed in a harmonious unity.

We do not, however, recognise the importance of the hints as to superior "kinds of beings," which we take to be distinct from the human kind of being; differing not only in degree, as between he finite and the infinite degree of mind or spirit, but differing in tind, as mind differs from matter. If there be such difference in tind or essence, man has no means of understanding it, and neither positive nor a negative solution can have any practical utility. Either there are no kinds of being but such as are revealed in Christ, the God-man, with whom we can commune, and eat and rink our fill of the Divine perfection, or there are kinds of being uperior to Christ, with which kinds we cannot commune until we se our present state of being, and become altogether and incomensurably different, as unfit to associate with our present selves -that is our former selves, as we are now unfit to hold_comunion with a little animalcule, or a lump of dirt.-ED. S. M.]

Correspondence.

SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALISM.

UGGESTIONS OF POSSIBLE "EXPLANATION" OF SOME OF THE Davenport Marvels, FOR THE CONSIDERATION OF SCIENTIFIC MEN.

SIR-In the Biography of the Brothers Davenport, just published by Dr. Fichols, in the 9th chapter is an account of their séance at the Harvard University, The Oxford of America," and concludes thus :-" Well, and what came of it ? Did the Professors of Harvard tell what they had seen? Not in the least. this day they have made no report whatever of the result of their investigation, nd are probably to this day denouncing it all as humbug, imposture, delusion, &c. What can a man of science do with a fact he cannot account for, except deny it? t is the simplest way of overcoming a difficulty, and avoiding the confession hat there is something in the world which he does not understand. Of all men n the world, men of science, and especially scientific professors, are the last to cknowledge that "there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt f in their philosophy." (page 90, 91.) Now I quite agree with Dr. Nichols in Considering the conduct of these Harvard Professors in suppressing their Report and concealing the evidence, to be most dishonourable, and utterly unworthy of

any real philosophers, i.e., lovers of wisdom. They were not bound to accept the spiritual theory as to these phenomena, but they were bound to acknowledge the facts themselves. And I must also agree with Dr. N., that there are too many men of science who deny all facts which they cannot explain, though I am not sure whether such conduct is not quite as common amongst the nonscientific men in the world. Dr. N. asks, what can a man of science do with a fact he cannot explain? I reply that what he can and ought to do with such facts is simple and easy enough, viz., first of all to carefully examine and verify them; secondly, to make a public record of them; thirdly, to inquire whether thes new facts are at all analogous to other and more familiar facts; and lastly, to wait patiently till the progress of our knowledge throws light on these novelties, and brings about their "explanation." But, as Professor De Morgan saya, (Preface to From Matter to Spirit, page 6,) "We, respectable decemnovenarians as we are, have been so nourished on theories, hypotheses, and other things to be desired to make us wise, that most of us cannot live with an unexplained fact in our heads." As a sort of indulgence, therefore, to this weakness, I am induced to throw out the following hints for the consideration of those unhappy people who are in distress of mind because they cannot explain the marvels of the Davenports, and especially such ultra wonders as those which seem to violate the known laws of matter. And here, I must in the first place protest against ope very common expression, used both by believers and unbelievers, viz., that the raising of heavy bodies (e.g. a table) without visible agency, is a "violation of the law of gravitation." It is no such thing; the "law of gravitation" remains as firm as ever; there is no more violation of this law when a table is lifted by un hands than when it is lifted by visible hands or any other means. In one case the force of gravity is overpowered by the muscular efforts (which themselves proceed from an invisible source) of a visible person, whilst in the other case, this force is overpowered by another kind of force exerted by invisible agents: but the gravitating force itself remains unaltered in both of these cases alike. I now go on to the more general question as to the "laws of matter," and her far such laws are consistent with the Davenport phenomena.

In Grove's Correlation of the Physical Forces, and many other recent treatises on physical science, it is shown how light, heat, electricity, magnetism, chemical and mechanical action are mutually interchangeable or convertible forces; and how, starting from any one of them, we can produce all the others in succession directly or indirectly. For example, starting with the mechanical action of rubbing together two solid substances, we can produce (1.) heat; (2.) light, as when wood is ignited by friction; (3.) electricity, as in the common electrical machine, or by rubbing sealing wax with cloth; (4.) thence chemical action and magnetism. Or, suppose we start with chemical action, as in the action of sulphuric acid on zinc and copper, we can produce (1.) electricity; (2.) heat; (3.) light; (4.) magnetism; (5.) mechanical action. As these different effects are exhibited by the well-known phenomena of galvanism; or again, starting with heat applied to two metals, we produce what is called thermo-electricity, and thence all the other forms of force as before. What constitutes the real orga or source of the various phenomena thus produced is often a debated question amongst scientific men. For instance, most of the continental writers on electricity ascribe galvanic action to the mere contact of dissimilar bodies whereas Faraday and most of the English school insist on the insufficiency af mere contact, and ascribe the effects to chemical action.

Now, since all these forces are thus mutually connected and dependent on esch other, it is clear that the presence of any one of them must interfere with all the rest, and disturb those results which would have followed had they been left to operate alone. For example, the presence of light interferes with chemical action, as in the photographic processes and many other cases well known to chemists. The familiar fact of the deadening effects of the sun's rays on an ordinary fre so well known to every servant girl, though doubted by some scientific men who have never noticed it, is an instance of the interference of light with heat I need not bring forward the various instances of the interference of electricity with chemical action, magnetism, &c., for such examples will occur in abundance to every scientific reader.

Again, the researches of animal physiology have shewn that muscular action -the contraction of muscular fibre-is accompanied by electrical currents along the nerves. Thus, when a man lifts a weight, this mechanical action is really the result of an electrical force, which force itself has its origin in an invisible source of power. If, then, the invisible agents to whom the Davenport phenomena are ascribed use means similar to those employed by human agents in moving heavy bodies, &c., we may expect to find a similar connexion between the electrical, mechanical, chemical, magnetic, and other conditions, including the condition as to light or darkness. Here, then, in the first place, is some ground for explaining why the presence of light interferes with the phenomena, disturbs the electrical conditions, and stops the mechanical results. At any rate, such considerations as these shew that there is no à priori absurdity or valid objection in the alleged necessity for darkness, in order to the production of the phenomena. The reader is referred to the 8th chapter of Mrs. De Morgan's From Matter to Spirit for further information and instructive suggestions on this subject.

I go on next to another of the seeming absurdities of the Davenport exhibition, viz., the apparent passage of one solid body through another, as in the removal of the coat or waistcoat, &c. If you stick a penknife into a piece of indiarubber, the opening or division of the solid substance thus made by the passage of another solid, is seen to close again immediately, and to leave behind it scarcely any perceptible trace of what has happened; the elastic forces have restored the particles of the indiarubber to their former position, or so nearly to that position that we do not see much alteration in the appearance of the rubber. Now this may serve as a rough illustration of the passage of one solid through another, without leaving any conspicuous trace of such passage. It will be said, however, that a coat is not an elastic substance like indiarubber. I reply that every substance in nature is more or less elastic, and may have its elasticity increased or diminished to an unlimited extent by the application of mechanical action-heat, electricity, &c. All solids are convertible into liquids by heat-all liquids into gases, i.e. elastic air, by the same agency. Conversely, all gases are condensable into fluids and fluids into solids by lowering their temperature with the aid of mechanical pressure, electricity, or some other form of force. If, then, we grant to the Invisible agents a sufficient command over these forces, they may be able to pass one solid body through another, without any violation of known physical laws, but only by a superior knowledge of and command over them.

One of the most astounding of all the phenomena said to have occurred in the Davenport séances is the apparent eating and drinking by the invisibles. But it is exceedingly improbable that this is really anything more than an apparent consumption of food, the articles supposed to be thus eaten and drank being merely caused to vanish out of the sight of the spectators. Dr. Nichols in his biography of the Brothers has made some remarks on this subject which deserve notice (p. 130-134). After relating the facts which he sees no reason to doubt, but which he interprets to be mere disappearances, and not actual eating and drinking, he says, "As to the disappearance of material objects, as in this case, those who know most of matter will have least difficulty. Destroy certain forces, or suspend their operation, and all material forms become as nothing. Loose the attraction which holds in their places the atoms of a globe of steel, or the great globe itself, and they would become invisible gases. In truth, we know so little of matter, and it is so difficult to prove that matter exists, that the most advanced physiologists of the present day are disposed to consider all material forms as nothing more than modifications of force. Abolish matter, and we have nothing left but force, and its governing intelligence." (p. 134)

Since writing the above, I have heard that during the process of removal of the coat or waistcoat, the Davenports feel a sensation of extreme heat, followed by one of extreme cold. If this is true, it confirms the suggestion which I have made as to the probable mode of action, viz., the " disintegration" of the coat into its component particles by the application of great heat, thus allowing it to be taken off from the person, followed by a condensation of these component particles into their former state of aggregation (viz., as a coat) by the application of great cold. And similarly the articles of food, &c., which are said to vanish may be thus attenuated or expanded into invisible vapour by heat, and again

made to re-appear by the condensing power of cold exactly as water is converted into invisible steam by heat, and the steam again brought back to the state of water by cold. These hints may serve, at any rate, to show in what direction we may look for the so much coveted "explanation" of these wonder.

Yours truly,

A. W. HOBSON, MA.

THE HAUNTED CASTLE.

A CONTRIBUTOR of the Monde Illustré-M. Albert de Lasselleknown as a writer and musician, a son of General Lasselle, who died in the battle of Wagram, is the writer of the following

letter:

The chateau of F—— is new, having been built on the ruins of an ancient feodal castle sixty leagues west of Paris, which commanded all the wild and wooded cozztry which the old histories, as well as local traditions, pretend iniaated by splints I found myself at F— recently. Toward ten o'chcia the evening was with the guests in the parlour of the chateau. The wom were at their needlework and the men were reading. There was not a whisper. Szalezy & vident pull of the bell was heard in the office below us. The servant Main & rom ring the bell No, John. But, madam i ཝི ཀ ཏི ཨུ wis the pariner be No one has teached it." "Listen." The bell is PAINEILLY SUBOK in series quick blows, then made a rolling noise like the beating e a drem which continued two minutes. We all descended to the office, and SOOT A WIS DIE one bell but twa, then three and finally the fourteen bells in the aussie were meging! Te increase the tumult the large bell of the house cons menced to exacte is part of the bass in the devilish symphony. Fear some #stication, I madertook to verify the facts by my own experience. ärmandel perza z take possessing of the house for an hour. This done! THE BOSTOÈ ÉPEZr person in the boose to descend to the room where the beils wen TheR & SUPERLU Exy ristad every chamber, which 1 locked, and put the keys m acket I then maat myself ertain that the bell wires passed between was so that me one evil touch them. Then I descended again to the ot ske in sight hai become tempestas. I took hold of the bell the daveier, and amamrced to bout it quiet; but all the force of my two arms yot sufficient-che bell had become the bot to bold in the hands. Soon the walls at the house began a tree is from the biows of an army of demolishers, and we do, i har ver disant the pickaxes breaking the stones. The doors WEN ATOMOČ, SMË STËmy cursed by te who passed into the air as the breath from a destrad 22 17 17 stairs, bet at every step a blow from an k Esther hear my feet which resembled the noise peculiar to that of a! Lipi: sas we then against my window shutters, ani 8. ngle at ireale king with heavy boots prezimenaded in the corridor in front 11umed a sullenly with a lamp in order to surprise the POLAZ SEE NAGHIZg: deverthers, his steps were still beard. " this sort 7th 1 m. no se saw, tet 1 hand it pass within three feet of m I dan prostand the mx sacchie pe pie in the neighbourhood; all hasn - spirits. me shat he chat NF