CHAPTER VIII.

 

RUSSIA, PARIS AND ENGLAND.

 

IN two weeks after our marriage we left to visit some of my brother-in-law's estates, some of which were situate on the Crimean coast, and others in the interior of Russia. The journey lasted about six weeks, and we then returned to a country house of his in the neighbourhood of Moscow. At the end of November, 1868, we were at St. Petersburgh, in the house of my brother-in­law, the Count Gregoire Koucheleff Besborodko, from whom and the Countess I have ever met with the readiest sympathy and brotherly welcome, and to whom I owe, and ever shall owe, a debt of the deepest gratitude. Here from time to time my power returned, but generally only faintly. Still a great deal of good was done. As all instance, I may mention that a young officer, who having been convinced of the truths of immortality by what he saw in my presence, gave a supper to his friends, at which he publicly announced that in place of laughing at religion as he had done, he had seen in these phenomena what convinced him of the reality of a future life, and that thence forward he should lead a different life.

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In the middle of January, 1859, I fell ill with severe internal inflammation. This lasted some time, and was increasing to an alarming extent, and beyond the power of the physician who attended me, and the dangerous symptoms were greatly increased by my usual nervous debility. Friction was recommended, but the extreme pain which it caused precluded its use. I was in this state when one evening my wife and a friend, the Baron de M——, were present, and my hands were suddenly seized by spirit influence, and

I was made to beat them with extreme violence upon the part which was so extremely sensitive and tender. My, wife was frightened, and would have endeavoured to hold my hands, but my friend who had had sufficient knowledge of spirit manifestations prevented her. I felt no pain, though the violence of the blows which I continued giving to myself made bed and the whole room shake. In five minutes time the swelling had visibly decreased, and the movements of the hand began to be more gentle. In an hour I was in a quiet sleep, and on awaking the next morning I found the disease had left me, and only a weakness remained. The expression of the doctor's face baffles my description when he visited me early that morning, expecting to have found me worse, and felt my pulse and saw that a great change must have occurred beyond his skill to account for.

 

On the 26th April, old style, or 8th May, according to our style, at seven in the evening, and as the snow was fast falling, our little boy was born at the town house, situate on the Gagarines Quay, in St Petersburgh, where we were still staying. A few hours after

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his birth, his mother, the nurse and I heard for several hours the warbling of a bird as if singing over him. Also that night, and for two or three nights afterwards, a bright star like light, which was clearly visible from the partial darkness of the room, in which there was only a night lamp burning, appeared several times directly over its head, where it remained for some moments, and then slowly moved in the direction of the door, where it disappeared. This was also seen by each of us at the same time. The light was more condensed than those which have been so often seen in my presence upon previous and subsequent occasions. It was brighter and more distinctly, globular. I do not believe that it came through my mediumship, but rather through that of the child, who has manifested on several occasions the present of the gift. I do not like to allude to such a matter, but as there are more strange things in Heaven and earth than are dreamt of, even in my philosophy, I do not feel myself at liberty to omit stating, that during the latter part of my wife's pregnancy, we thought it better that she should not join in seances, because it was found that whenever the rappings occurred in the room, a simultaneous movement of the child was distinctly felt, perfectly in unison with the sounds. When there were three sounds, three movements were felt, and so on, and when five sounds were heard, which is generally the call for the alphabet, she felt the five internal movements, and she would frequently, when we were mistaken in the letter, correct us from what the child indicated.

 

Our boy was christened a fortnight after his birth,

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his godfather being the Marquis de Chateaureynard, at present Minister of France at Hesse Cassel, and his godmother his aunt, the Countess Luba. His second godfather was his uncle, the Count Gregoire, and his second godmother was his relative Sophie.

 

A week after the christening, we went to the residence of the Count in the immediate environs of St. Petersburgh. Whilst here, there were many striking manifestations which were witnessed by many, who investigated as others had done before, and with the same results. One evening I remember, one of my friends was converted from his previous unbelief by seeing a female hand, which was visible to all of us in the room, slowly forming in the air a few inches above the table, until it assumed all the apparent materiality of a real hand. The hand took up a pencil which was on the table, and wrote with it a communication which deeply, affected my friend, who recognised it as being from his mother. The general belief is, that the spirit hands always appear from beneath the table, and already formed, but this is incorrect, for on many occasions in the presence of several persons at a time, they are seen to be formed in full sight of all, in the manner I have just described, and to melt away, as it were, in the same way. Often too, they have been seen to form themselves high above our heads, and from thence to descend upon the table, and then disappear.

 

The anniversary of our wedding-day found us on the steamer 'Baltic' bound for Dunkerque, from whence we went to Ostend on a visit to my mother-in-law, who was there for her health. On seeing her, at the moment of our embracing one another, I had another of

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those singular impressions which so often come to me at the moment of external contact. It has seemed to me as if they were caused by the disturbing element of a physical substance which causes some secret chord of the soul to vibrate and awaken what I may call a memory of the Future, or that a flower of the springtime has been shadowed forth among the chill blasts of autumn, as a token of the never ceasing care of God, our loving father, for His children whether in the Past, Present or Future, all being alike known to Him. My sensations are so peculiar at the time when such foreshadowings are granted me, that words can but feebly express them. I distinctly saw at the first moment of touching my mother-in-law, that after I should leave Ostend, we should meet no more on earth. This impressional prediction, did, as has ever been the case with those which have come to me in this way, prove correct.

 

We arrived in Paris in August 1859, and whilst there, I paid a short visit to a friend then in Switzerland, and there we had one or two sittings. On returning to Paris, a friend had kindly offered us the use of the Chateau de C——, where we remained about two months, at the expiration of which time we came to England. This was in October. My power had left me for some weeks. One evening in November while I was absent, my wife being in the room with the child and his nurse, loud raps were heard upon the ceiling. They both supposed that the sounds proceeded from some one walking overhead, when they changed their position, and were heard upon the wall of the room, and in a few moments they came on the table. My wife asked

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who was the medium upon the occasion, and the reply was given that it was the sleeping child. It was further said, that they had power to manifest through him, but that they would not, "as the atmosphere which they made use of was necessary for his physical development in the natural world." From this time we have but once had any external evidence of any spirit presence through him, though he has given up many indications of his being a seer.

 

In the latter part of November we were in England, and the power returned, and I began to hold seances as usual, and continued to do so until the. 24th of July in the following year. During this time, the manifestations were seen and investigated by persons of all ranks and classes, from statesmen down to those in humble life, and to them again I would rather refer for the accounts of what they witnessed, than to give my own descriptions. I select, therefore, portions of their writings, a few of which have already been published in "The Spiritual Magazine" and other Journals, and the others now eppear for the first time. These will give the reader an idea of the nature and extent of my mediumship during this period.

 

The subjoined is a portion of a letter from Mr. Pears, who was accompanied by my friends Mr. and Mrs. Cox. He now saw the manifestations for the first time. "Almost immediately the table tilted towards Mr. Home, who, raising his hands from the table, which still retained its inclined position, invited me to look under it, to see that no material means were used to produce this result. I did look, and saw none. On resuming my seat, the table returned to its position,

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and then it passed into an undulatory movement, as if it were in motion on waves; it seemed, indeed, almost as if the top of the table were flexible: then from this movement it passed into a perfectly horizontal state, so that a vessel filled to the brim, would not, I think, have spilled a drop, and it rose from eighteen to twenty-four inches clear from the floor, all hands at the same time continuing on the top of the table; and finally with perfect evenness it gradually descending to its place.

 

"Raps were then heard on the table, in the vicinity of Mrs. Cox, which, by reference to the alphabet, purported to be produced by a deceased child of hers. Then faint deliberate raps came near to Mrs. P., purporting—by the same mode—to come from Phoebe, our deceased little daughter to whom I referred before.

 

"Raps were then heard under my own hands, and at the same time the depending cloth covering the table seemed to be moved up by something under it, and was made thus to strike against my wrist. I called my wife's attention to this, and she confirmed the fact, that it really did seem as if some one's hand was under the cloth, trying to touch my wrist. I said, half laughing, which you might expect from my scepticism, that I should not wonder if there were not some one for me also. Immediately there were raps under the same hand, strong enough to shake the table.

 

"Perhaps I looked dubiously at a phenomenon so unexpected, for Mr. Home said, 'I should like Mr. Pears to be convinced that we do not make these sounds; perhaps he would get under the table and

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observe.' I did so; and while I saw that they were not produced by any visible agency beneath, they were sounding as vigorously as ever; Mrs. P. being witness to their not being produced by the hands, or any other visible means above board.

 

"When I found that the raps under my hand purported to come from my grandfather's 'spirit,' I asked if he could take the large bell from me if I held it. It had already been taken out of Mr. Home's hand and rung under the table. The response to my question was given by strong knocks. I held it under the table, being careful to hold it in the direction of my wife, whose hands were on the table, and I felt it tugged with strength out of my hand; it was rung, and then deposited on the floor.

 

"Many little things which struck me at the time, occurred during our seance, which lasted between two and three hours. But there was one part of the seance which forcibly struck me, and which I must relate. Mr. Home, soon after I had assumed the presence of my grandfather's spirit, passed into a singular state—half unconscious as it were and said, 'Here's a tall, old, upright, Quaker-like man, yet not a Quaker;' then he seemed to take on the manner and gesture, as closely as a young man can, of those of an old one—held out his hand to me, and grasped it in a way that further reminded me of my grandfather, and addressed me in words somewhat characteristic of him, and went on to speak of one whom he had held very dear, but from whom he had been long separated to his great grief, but that they had happily met in the other world and were reconciled. All upon this point was said in a

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broken way, but with gestures and allusions which were intelligible solely to myself, as the person and events so alluded to touched closely upon my grandfather's history in conjunction with my own. My astonishment was increased, when, from Mr. H.'s lips, fell the name of her to whom the allusion had been made— my grandfather's daughter! both dead when Mr. Home must have been a boy in America! Long as I have known you, friend Dixon, I think I never told you that my grandfather was of a Quaker family, which was the case.

 

"I was by this incident, astonished beyond expression, and acknowledged to Mr. Cox, that the history which had been sketched, and the reflections upon it, were just what I should have expected might have been made by my grandfather.

 

"I have not yet found a place in my system for these phenomena, but that they are genuine phenomena, is settled in my mind."

 

Another account is given by Mr. J. G. Crawford, a gentleman who had for years resisted all belief in such phenomena as being impossible and absurd. It happened that a friend of his from Liverpool was coming to meet me at the house of Mr. Coleman, in Bayswater, and he induced him to accompany him. He shall tell the story in his own frank and truthful words:

 

"Mr. Home laid his left hand on the table and with his right lifted an accordion, which he held under the table. My friend and I were asked to look below, when

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we distinctly saw it move up and down, apparently held and touched by one hand only.

We continued to sit round the table. The room was made so dark that we could not see each other. The table gave a violent stamp upon the floor; still we kept our hands upon it. Then it rose in a mass, twelve or fifteen inches quite off the floor, so far as I could judge.

"Mr. Home now said that he held the accordion under the table by one hand only, when it played our beautiful English tune, 'Home, sweet Home!' in a most finished style.

"Shortly after this occurred, a very curious affair took place, in explanation of which I cannot hazard a conjecture. Mr. Home remarked, 'I feel as if I am going to rise.' The room was quite dark. He said, 'I am getting up,' and as I was only a few feet from him, I put out my hand to him; I indubitably felt the soles of both his boots, some three feet above the level of the floor. On my doing so, he said, 'Don't touch me, or I shall come down;' of course I instantly desisted, but down he came. In less than five minutes after this, he remarked, 'I am again ascending,' and from the sound of his voice, we could not but infer that he was actually rising towards the ceiling of the ante-room.

"He then appeared to float under the archway, then to rise to the cornice of the room we were sitting in, and we heard him quite distinctly make three cross marks on the ceiling, besides doing some other writing. Then he came softly down, and lay stretched out with his back upon the table, in which position we found

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him when the gas was lighted, and when we distinctly saw the marks on the ceiling, which we had heard him make.

 

"I am well aware there is a ready answer by many well-disposed persons to what I have written—that it is all done by collusion and trick. In many countries at the present time, and in our own not a century back, all phenomena of a then extra-ordinary kind, were quickly put down to the account of the devil. He prompted Galileo to the adopted system of astronomy; Harvey to the circulation of the blood; he was the cause of witchcraft in Scotland, and had much to do with the wonders of chemistry, before it attained its present scientific certainty and value to the arts and agriculture. But the testimony of thousands of excellent witnesses cannot be set aside by any such plea. Not many years ago it was fashionable to deny the facts and uses of chloroform, homoeopathy, hydropathy, magnetism, mesmerism, &c.; now the curative powers of these agents are commonly received amongst us as household words! There appears to be a law of progressive development in the universe. Should the supposed facts of Spiritualism be found to be real, after oft-repeated experiments, we cannot doubt but they also will have a permanent place with recent discoveries. No one, now-a-days, who thinks at all, can be so bold and unwise as to deny that 'there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophy.'

 

"In the simple statement I have given, of what my friend and I were satisfied occurred on the evening of our visit to —— Villas, I have avoided colouring the

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events, and for the sake of greater definiteness, have given figures of sizes, which, however, must be taken merely as a near approximation to the actual measurements."

J. G. CRAWFORD.

 

Mr. Crawford mentions the circumstance of my immediately coming to the ground again on his touching my feet. I have observed that this is invariably the case when I am touched, or even anxiously gazed at, until I have risen above the heads of those who are in the room, but after I have attained that height, their looking at me, or touching me, has no effect upon me. What the cause may be I cannot explain, but it may perhaps be some break in the magnetism which is caused in the former case, and which does not occur in the latter.

 

On the 3rd of April, 1860, I had been with some friends to a lecture given in St. John's Wood, by M. Louis Blanc, "On the Mysterious persons and agencies in France towards the end of the eighteenth century." His lecture was a good deal occupied with Cagliostro, and during the time he was speaking, I had the strongest impression of the presence of Cagliostro, and the lady who was sitting next me, was also aware of some strong spirit presence by having her dress pulled, and by other manifestations.

 

On returning home, I found that my wife had retired earlier than usual in consequence of a severe headache. In the course of conversation together, she having asked how I had liked the lecture, I said, "I have been haunted all the evening by Cagliostro," on which

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she exclaimed, "Pray do not use that word haunted, it sounds so weird-like, and quite frightens me." I had by this time, extinguished the light, and was now in bed, when to my amazement the room became as light as if the sun had for an instant shone fully in at the window. Thinking that this effect might have been only on my spiritual perception, I said, "Sacha, did you see anything?" Her reply was, "No, nor could I, for my face was quite buried in my pillow, the pain in my head is so intense." I asked her to observe, and I then mentally asked that if the light had been external, it might be reproduced. Almost simultaneously with the thought, came the light again, so distinct, and with such brilliancy, that no noon-day was ever brighter. My wife asked if this was the spirit of Cagliostro, and the affirmative reply was instantly given by three flashes of light, so vivid as almost to be blinding and painful to the sight. Answers were given to various questions in the same wonderful manner, and then in answer to a question asked, came a musical tinkle, as if a silver bell had been touched directly over our heads. In this way our farther answers were now given, and we then heard a footstep on the floor, falling so gently as if it feared to disturb us by its approach. My wife asked that it should come nearer, and it approached us till we felt a form leaning over the bed. In doing this, it pressed upon the bedclothes just as an actual material presence would have done. We asked him if he had been a medium when on earth, and a distinct voice, audible to both of us, said in answer, "My power was that of a mesmerist, but all-misunderstood by those about me, my biographers

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have done me injustice, but I care not for the untruths of earth." Both my wife and myself were by this time so impressed by such startling and almost terribly real evidence of the presence of one who was in no way related to us, that for a few moments all power of utterance seemed to have left us. We were, however, soon recalled to ourselves by a hand being placed on our heads, and she, seizing my hands in hers, held them up, saying, "Dear spirit, will you be one of my guardian angels—watch over me with my father, teach me what you would have me do, and make me thankful to God for all his mercies?" Our hands were clasped by a hand, and her left hand was gently separated from mine, and a ring, which was the signet-ring of my father-in-law, was placed on her third finger. This ring was previously in the room, but at a distance of at least twelve feet from where the bed stood. "Good night, dear ones, and God bless you," was then audibly spoken, and simultaneously with the sound came three wafts of perfume, so delicious that we both exclaimed, "How truly wonderful!"

 

Her headache was perfectly cured, and although our nerves had been greatly agitated, we slept soundly. The following day, and indeed for several days afterwards, my wife had occasional proofs of the presence of this spirit, and he remained with her up to the time of her passing from earth, and during the last months of our stay in England she frequently saw him.

 

About the middle of May, 1860, my mother-in-law wrote to us from St. Petersburgh, as follows:

 

"Dear children,—You may not be aware that to-morrow

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I am to undergo a surgical operation. I have seen my confessor; I have taken the sacrament, and I now feel quite happy. Do not be alarmed, but do as I do—trust in God."

 

On the morning of Monday, the 29th May, my wife being then engaged at a bazaar held at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, I proposed to visit with a friend the establishment of Messrs. Barclay and Perkins. We drove there, and had gone over Dearly all the establishment, when in the barrelling-room one of the workmen proposed our tasting the porter. My friend was tasting it, and the attendant brought me a pot. I put out my hand to take it, and as my fingers came in contact with the metal, a deep shudder convulsed my frame, and I suddenly knew that my dear mother-in­law, who had been for many years a patient sufferer, had been released from her earthly troubles. I refused the porter, and requested my friend to accompany me home. He wished to remain with me, but I begged to be alone. In an hour's time I was calm, and I reasoned with myself how I could best conceal the painful intelligence from my wife. That evening at a seance she asked how her mother was. The reply given was, "It is well with her now." All present but herself understood well to what this alluded, and a friend on my left did all she could to conceal her tears.

 

On the Thursday afterwards I heard my wife running up to my room. As she opened the door, and before she had time to speak, and indeed before I had seen her, I said, "Why, Sacha, I knew it last Monday." She came to my bedside, and gave me a letter

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addressed to me from my sister-in-law containing a telegraphic dispatch, announcing that my mother-in-law had passed from earth on the Monday, and this letter my wife had opened. Two nights after this, at, a seance where the Count T—— and an atheist friend of his were present, her dear spirit came, and her hands were made visible, resting on her daughter's head, and afterwards on mine. She wrote in her own peculiar handwriting, "You will love her always, won't you?" and she signed it "Nathalie." He who came an atheist, was one no longer.

 

I take the following account of some new manifestations from the "Spiritual Magazine." It is called "Two Evenings with Mr. Home," and is introduced by the editor, who says:—

 

"We have received from two correspondents, well known to us, the following account of manifestations on the evening of the 1st and 9th of May last, each evening in the presence of nine persons, whose names have been furnished to us, and which we are permitted to supply privately to any inquirer who feels that the knowledge of the names is necessary for his belief. In the meantime we can vouch publicly for the perfect confidence which the narratives inspire us with, having heard the whole account from the lips of the narrators, previous to receiving the MS. from them.

 

"May 1st, 1860.

"The party was composed of Mr. and Mrs. Home and seven otter ladies and gentlemen. We sat at the round table in the large drawing-room. Mr. Home's

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hand was moved to write:—'The spirit of John is one who was kind to your father during the voyage to America.' No one understood this; but Mr. —— entering the room a minute afterwards, expressed his conviction that it was intended for him, as his father had been to America. Three loud raps gave assent to what he said. The table then moved away from us, and we enquired if they wished us to draw it to the window. It was answered, 'Yes.' We accordingly did so, leaving a vacant space against the window, unclosing the shutters, and by their directions extinguishing the candles. The fire burned brightly. It was spelled out, "There is a little too much light." Mr. —— and —— screened the fire as much as possible, and the moon and gaslight from the street then alone lighted up the table; but did so completely as the moon was very bright. The spirit of Albert then took the accordion, and played a beautiful air of unearthly harmony. Mr. Home and I held the accordion together under the table, for the power was very strong, and the music loud; and the instrument at times was nearly carried away from us.

 

"After a short time there rose slowly in the space made by the window a most lovely hand of a female—we saw also part of the beautiful arm as it held it up aloft for some time—we were all greatly amazed. This hand was so transparent and luminous, and so unearthly and angelic, that our hearts were filled with gratitude towards the Creator for permitting so wonderful a manifestation. The hand was visible to us more from the internal light which seemed to stream as it were out of it, than from the external light of the

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moon. As soon as it slowly vanished, Mdlle. ——, who sat next to the open space, saw another hand forming itself close to her; and a man's hand was raised and placed on the table, far more earthly and life-like in appearance, and one that I thought I recognized, (we were subsequently told that I was right in conjecture). Then came a dear baby-hand: then the baby (Mrs. L——'s adopted child) showed its head; and finally, spirit-hands held up the little child, so that all nine of us saw her shoulders and waist. After this, a hand and arm rose luminous and beautiful, covered with a white transparent drapery; and this hand remained visible to us all for at least five minutes, and made us courteous and graceful gestures.

 

"Then spirit-hands held up to us an exquisite wreath of white flowers. I never saw any wreath made by human hands so perfect in form and design; and calling for the alphabet said, 'The spirit emblem of William's mother.' Then we were told they would shew us 'The emblem of superstition;' and a black shrivelled hand arose. On some of us remarking that we could not see it well, the curtains were at once moved aside, and the blind drawn away from the top of the window. It was beyond the reach of any of us; and they then showed us the hand again, so that we all could see it. The 'emblem of truth' was then shewn. This was more beautiful than all the rest—a fairy-like fountain of apparently clear sparkling water which threw up showers of silvery rays, vanishing from our sight like mist, and dwelling on the memory as perfection. After this it was rapped out, 'We can do no more.'

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"Mr. Home was put into a trance, and as he fell back in his chair a gleam of the most vivid light fell upon me. This light fell over my shoulders, and gleamed on my right hand, and came from a direction whence no earthly light could have come. It came from a part of the room where the spirit of one who was a friend of mine when on earth has often stood before, and from whence he has communicated to us. This light was seen by no one but myself; but as I turned round in hope of seeing the spirit, Mr. Home said to me, 'Yes, he is there;' and added a communication from him. He then told us that the first hand that we saw had been that of his own mother; the second was my father's, as I had silently expected; and the hand and arm in drapery that remained so long, came for Prudence, and was the same that she had seen one night when alone, several years ago, at Paris, before she had ever heard of spirit-manifestations. He also gave us the full name of the 'spirit John,' who had gone to America with Mr. A——'s father; and added some private information, which Mr. A—— confirmed as true.

 

"The events of this evening having been so wonderful, I have begged my friends present on the occasion to read over this account, and to sign it as witnesses to the truth of what I have stated."

 

"May 9th, 1860.

"Mingling with those interested in witnessing evidences of spirit power, I gladly accepted an invitation to meet a few friends on Monday the 9th of May, 1860, at a house at the West-end. At a quarter after eight

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o'clock, we went into the adjoining back drawing-room, and sat down to a loo table. There were Dine of us, Mr. Home being one of the number. Immediately the table commenced vibrating and gently lifting itself off the floor I say lifting itself, because no human beings in human clay were the actors. Nothing occurred for a few minutes, during which conversation was kept up, and then the table gradually rose up off the floor about four feet, or rather more than a foot beyond our outstretched arms, the hands of which had rested gently on the table before its ascent. It then descended. Mr. Home took the accordion in his right hand, by the rim at the bottom of the instrument, leaving his left hand on the table, and then were played some beautiful voluntaries, exquisitely attenuated, yet clear and melodious. They then came out gradually fuller, and yet more full, till the room seemed filled with the volume of sound like a pealing organ, and still no false note. A friend, sitting next to me, forgetting himself, exclaimed, 'My God, how wonderful!' and after a breath, asked I if they would give us some air we knew?' and having asked for 'God save the Queen,' it was played at once.

 

"A lady present, whose little boy had recently died, had indications of her son being in the room; and the accordion suddenly commenced playing a well-known air, which on earth the little boy was very fond of, as tallying with his mamma's name. Reader, was not there a truth of life and of love in the incident? The mother thought so, and her tears betrayed her thoughts.

 

"The detonations on the table, and sometimes under

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my hands, were as sharp, and as clear, and as loud, as if struck vigorously with the edge of a penny-piece.

 

"It was then rapped out by the sounds—'Go to the window;' we rose, and moved the loo table to about eighteen inches from the window. We sat down again, but more closely, so as to allow a vacant space at the side of the table, opposite the window. The sounds then gave out, 'Put out the lights,' which was done. We found that though the room was dark, yet the light from the window was sufficient for us to faintly see each other. The window-blind then commenced moving up and down—no one near it—evidently to tone the light; and while we were remarking the singularity of the phenomenon, and how high it went, all looking at it—suddenly it sprung up to the top, and then came gently down to its original position. Mr. Home felt something on his head, and found it was a leaf. Suddenly the leaf of a geranium was taken and dropped into the lap of a lady sitting at the table. We heard the snap as if breaking off the stem of a flower, and immediately came down past the left ear of my friend, and on to his knee, a sprig of geranium; while he held it up for us to see, I expressed a wish to have one, when a sprig came past my right ear on to my knee. I picked it up, and while showing it, another came past my face as if from the ceiling. The geranium plant was in the room several feet from any of us, and the sprigs came down both on the right and left of me.

 

"After a pause, Mr. Home said he felt as he were about to be lifted up; he moved from the table, and shortly he said, 'I am rising'—but we could not see

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him—'they have put me on my back.' I asked, will you kindly bring him, as much as possible, towards the window, so that we may see him; and at once he was floated with his feet horizontally into the light of the window, so that we all saw his feet and a part of his legs resting or floating on the air like a feather, about six feet from the ground, and three feet above the height of the table. He was then floated into the dark; and he exclaimed: 'They have turned me round, and I am coming towards you.' I saw his head and face, the same height as before, and as if floating on air instead of water. He then floated back, and came down and walked up to, and sat on the edge of the table we were at, when the table began to rise with him on it. Mr. Home was then taken behind to the settee next to me, and while there, we heard sounds several times as of some one giving utterance to a monosyllable in the middle of the room. Feeling a pressure against my chair, I looked, and saw that the ottoman had been brought along the floor about six feet, no one touching it, and close to Mr. Home. He said, 'I suppose it is for me to rest on,'—he lay down, and the ottoman went back to its original position—'Oh! I am getting excited, let some one come and sit with me.' I went, and sat beside him; he took my hand; and in about a minute, and without any muscular action, he gently floated away from and was lost in the darkness. He kept talking to let us know where he was. We heard his voice in various parts of the further end of the room, as if Dear the ceiling. He then cried out, 'Oh I they have brought me a cushion to sit upon—I am sitting on it—they are taking

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it away.' Just then the tassel of the cushion of another ottoman in the room struck me on my hair and forehead as if coming from the ceiling, and the cushion was deposited at my feet on the floor, falling as if a snow flake. I next saw the shadow of his body on the mirror as he floated along near the ceiling. He said, 'I wish I had a pencil to make a mark on the ceiling. I have made a cross with my nail.' He came down near the door, and after a pause, he was again taken up; but I did not see him, but heard his voice as if near the ceiling. Again be came down, and shortly returned to the table we were at; and the sounds on the table bade us 'Good night.'"

 

This is an account of "Another evening with Mr. Home." It is given us in the words of the lady at whose house the manifestations occurred. I have not, for good reasons, the liberty to give her name, but I can answer for her position and character, and for the perfect truthfulness of the narrative. I have, in addition, the names of the nine persons who were present.

 

"May the 3rd, 1860—The table was moved away from the remaining seven of us, and we followed it; suddenly it rose in the air, and without any help from us was placed on a large sofa that stood before the window. The spirits told us to move this sofa away, which we immediately did, and the table then moved of its own accord up to the window where the hands had appeared to us on former occasions, The shutters were opened and the candles extinguished by their desire. Mr. Home sat next to the window, and I sat next to

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him with Miss H. on my other side. After sitting a few minutes quietly I felt a form glide behind me: it touched my chair, placed two hands on my shoulders, and then drew the heavy silk curtain from a window behind me (we sat in a bow formed by three windows) and folded the drapery round me like a cloak. The hands and arms which enfolded me felt as palpable as human arms would feel. On one of the party guessing the Dame of the spirit, it was answered in the affirmative by three startling raps, which shook the table, and felt as if produced by a bar of iron—no human hand could have knocked with such force. As I was intently listening to catch any sound, and straining my eyes to see any form that could make itself visible, my comb was taken out of my hair by a spirit hand, and laid on the table at a distance from me. By tiny gentle raps my darling spirit child told me that he had taken it. Then a hand rose under the window, and pulled down the blind. We distinctly saw the fingers clutch the string—this is a green transparent blind, through which the light can flow softly. The hand then made graceful gestures and pointed upwards, and when it disappeared it was followed by another, and then by a child's hand. Suddenly I was touched on the shoulder, as if by some one standing behind me and wishing to draw my attention. I thought it was my daughter, and turned to speak to her, but I found no one. I had hardly turned round, when my left shoulder was more strongly touched, and on turning my head a spirit-hand held out to me a box taken from a table at the other end of the room. I received it with emotion, and as a precious gift; and the sweet hand that gave it

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was placed on my shoulder with a loving pressure. The spirit of A— G— then showed his hand, touched his sister with it, and played on the accordion, which by degrees was moved up in Mr. Home's hand over his head, the knocks at the same time beating measure, like a drum, very loudly on the table. The accordion was finally taken entirely away by the spirits, who played on it at a distance from us, the drumming continuing all the time on the table, whilst another drum accompanied it from the other side of the room. As soon as this ceased the table rose up in the air, and floated away from us high above our heads, passing over sofas and chairs in its way. We were naturally greatly interested at this wonderful manifestation, and followed it into the darker part of the room, and here arose a scene of indescribable confusion, but still producing feelings in no way unpleasant, though we knew not when we touched each other, who were spirits, and who were fleshy human beings. The four cushions of the ottoman were virtually hurled in the air at once, and flew to the other side of the room. In answer to a remark made, a hand came down on my head, as from a spirit floating above me, and pressed my forehead and stroked my hair. As we gathered round the table nine or ten chairs flew up like lightning, one behind each of us; the chair next to me was empty (to the sight), but when I tried to move it I could not do so, it appeared as if nailed to the ground, and by raps we were told that L—— sat there. The united strength of several could not move this chair. The heavy sofa on which G—— sat was moved suddenly to the other end of the room, and the spirit of her brother placed

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his hand in hers, and held it for several minutes. Before leaving her he gave a most touching manifestation. He blessed her by making the sign of the cross on her forehead. He then came to me and did the same. During these manifestations almost every article of furniture in the room was moved out of its place."

 

My dearly valued friend, Mr. Wason, who after twenty-nine years of outer scepticism, takes pride in dating his new birth to the belief of a spiritual life and a spiritual philosophy, from his observations of the phenomena which he witnessed in my presence, wrote at this time the interesting letter which I now give.

 

"In July, 1860, I was at a seance at the mansion of a person of distinction, in Hyde Park Terrace, London.

 

"Two baronets—one an M.P., and the other the heir and representative of a deceased M.P. of eminent ability; the wife of a distinguished living M.P.; and others, including Mr. Home, making eight in number present. The hour was a little after nine, p.m. Neither of the three first-named parties had ever seen any spirit manifestations, and were evidently sceptics: the rest of the party were mediums of greater or less power, and seemed as much interested in watching the effects of the spirit manifestations on the three new comers, as in the manifestations themselves. We all made a circle round a heavy loo table, capable of seating nine persons comfortably (crinoline included). It was covered with an ordinary damask cloth, (a powerful non-conductor of electricity, completely negativing the theory that spirit manifestations were brought about by electricity); and we were desired by Mr.

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Home to chat and talk as naturally and cheerfully as we could, and not to be too eager or expectant of spirit manifestation, which he stated had a strong tendency to defeat the object. There were six lights burning in the room. The floor (a first floor) shook and trembled in a manner that all thought resembled the vibrations or tremulous motion on a small steamer's deck when the paddles are in full work: some said it more nearly resembled the tremulous motion on a screw steamer's deck, in which I concurred. This tremulous motion ceased at intervals and was renewed, and this seemed to strike the new comers very forcibly; it was amusing to notice their startled looks, though they said but little beyond concurring in the observations as to the tremulous movements. The walls also shook at times with a tremulous motion. The table, which was a very large and heavy one, was frequently lifted a few inches from the ground, and at last it rose from the ground at least three feet, and remained thus suspended 'twixt heaven and earth, like Mahomet's coffin, for a minute or thereabouts, probably more than less. The gentlemen were invited by Mr. Home to ascertain if ally machinery was underneath, and the two gentlemen who were new comers swept with their legs under the suspended table, to catch any prop or other machinery that might be applied to raise the table, and they confessed that no such machinery or prop was present.

 

"This seance, wonderful as it will appear—'stranger than fiction'—was not considered to be an entirely successful one and the lady of the house, with characteristic kindness, after speaking of the meagreness of the manifestations, invited me to another seance on

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the following evening, an invitation I most gladly accepted, although it kept me in London an extra day, and overthrew my previously arranged movements. At this second seance we met rather earlier, a little after eight o'clock, p.m., in the same first­floor room. The seance consisted of a barrister of eminence and standing at the bar, and well known to the public, a literary man— an author of established reputation, and others to the number of eight; all on this occasion being believers, except the author.

 

"The same tremulous motion of the floor and walls as on the preceding evening, took place; and the table was tilted and turned with even greater power than before, and rose perpendicularly from the floor, from three to four feet, and remained in this position suspended (Mahomet's coffin fashion) for about a minute, and then descended to its original place as softly and gently as the fall of a snow flake. An accordion was played by an unseen hand, whilst it was held by one of the party present, and afterwards by myself. I held it over the back of the chair on which I was sitting, using the back of the chair as a rest to my arm, the accordion hanging over the back of the chair. I sat on the opposite side of the table to Mr. Home and the lady of the house. The accordion was also played whilst lying on the floor, and also on the table, and was lifted without visible means from the floor on to the table. The music was of a solemn and impressive character.

 

"A small spirit-hand, warm and soft like that of a child, touched my hand, and placed in it a small hand-bell, and, at my request, took the bell from my hand

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underneath the table to its mother, who was the lady of the house. She seemed perfectly satisfied that it was the spirit-hand of her little boy, who died three or four years since, aged about eight years, and she received repeated responses, spelt out through the alphabet, such as might be expected from the spirit of a deceased child to its mother.

 

"The bell was carried to several of the parties present and placed in their hands; and lastly, was elevated above our heads, and rung in mid-air, revolving round and touching our heads (my own included). I could see the bell when it passed round my head opposite the window. I could see the bell occasionally as it passed between me and the window, the blinds of which had been drawn down by invisible agency. Pieces of mignionette and geranium flowers were placed in my hands by spirit hands, and inside my waistcoat. I saw one of the hands distinctly, which, as it came between me and the window was distinctly visible, as the blinds did not altogether exclude the light of a summer evening and of the gas lights in the street.

 

The curtains at last were drawn by invisible means, and then Mr. Home stated he was being lifted up in the air, and he crossed the table over the heads of the parties sitting around it. I asked him to make a mark with his pencil on the ceiling. He said he had no pencil. I rose up and said I would lend him mine, and by standing and stretching upwards I was enabled to reach his hand, about seven feet distant from the floor, and I placed therein a pencil, and laying hold and keeping hold of his hand, I moved along with him five or six paces as he floated above me in the air, and I only let