Dr. R., 1860.-"The accordion again played, and gently floated by itself through the air. It touched my forehead in passing."

THESE several risings were in sight of all the sitters, sitting as any family would, round the family table, with the ordinary lights in the room. The incidents I am now about to relate I would not have given if I had not been present, and been one of the parties who tied and held the medium, Mr. Squire. I say this because the sitting was in the dark. During the whole course of my examinations of the manifestations of spirit-power, ranging over several hundred sittings, I have only sat in four dark cirlces,-two of them were total failures, the third was almost a failure, the fourth I give as under. There may be times when it may be as necessary to have a dark circle to produce phenomena, as when the chemist in the lecture-room puts out all the lights, to show the effects which may be produced by the union of chemicals. But as a rule, I am opposed to dark circles. Christ was carried up into heaven in the daylight. So may all needful spirit phenomena take place in the light. It has been under such conditions that I have seen, heard, and felt. Notwithstanding this strong protest against dark circles-I attest the genuineness of the incidents which transpired in my presence on the 16th of July, 1860. But let no one disgrace his manhood by lying to his fellowmen, and assert that darkness is the rule for the production of evidences of spirit-power.

PERSONAL, 1860.-Dr. Ashburner, Dr. Goodeve, of Bristol, Mr. Newton, Dr. R, Messrs. Waterhouse, Norton, Hurrey, self and son, had a sitting with J. R. M. Squire (Junior editor of the Banner of Light, a weekly newspaper published in America), at the residence of Mr. Waterhouse in Russell Square, London, at eight o'clock P.M., on Friday, the 16th July, 1860. Shortly after sitting down at a large dining-room table (about twelve feet long), we heard clicks or tappings on different parts of the table: they were not loud, but distinct; something like the sounds produced by the telegraphic clock when in action.

The table twice moved from its position a little. Mr.

Squire then placed a pencil on a sheet of paper we had marked, and then as he held it in his hand under the table, I heard a movement underneath; and then it seemed as if the pencil and paper were forcibly taken away, and dropped to the floor. On picking the paper up we found some letters scrawled on it, which, on looking through the paper on the blank side, we found read, "God bless you all." Dr. R-- felt the pulse of Mr. Squire while this was going on, and the rate was 138 beats per minute; his ordinary pulse is 60-65.

We then went to a large room: there was in it an uncurtained French bedstead, which Mr. Squire removed a little from the wall, and placed nine chairs in a row against one side of the room, opposite the foot of the bed. There was a very heavy oval-shaped table in the room (seventy-two pounds weight), which we turned over and examined to see that there was no machinery connected with it. This table was placed by Mr. Squire at such a distance from the bed as to allow a chair for him to sit upon, between him and the bed; he then placed another chair by the same side of the bed, and requested me to sit on it; he then sat on the chair before the table, rested one hand on it, and requested that his legs be tied to the chair, which was done with two handkerchiefs by one of the company; he then stretched out his disengaged right hand towards me, and I held it firmly till the close of the incident I am about to relate. The nine gentlemen present then sat on the chairs in a row, holding each other's hands, so that no movement by any one of them could be made without detection; the jet of gas at the side of the room was then put out by our host, and in about half a minute I felt something like a rapid current of air pass me. Mr. Squire said, "It is gone." The gas was then lighted, and the table was found top downwards, lying on the bed-clothes at the back of Mr. Squire, it having passed over his head. The company then loosed hands, came up, saw my hands still holding the right hand of Mr. Squire, and his legs still tied to the chair. This movement of the table was repeated, two others of the company holding the hand of Mr. Squire. He then asked for a pocket-handkerchief to tie his wrists. I took mine; tied one end tightly round one wrist, and the other end round the other wrist, leaving the free use of the hands for stretching about six inches. He then desired a gentleman, who had evidently been puzzled with what he had seen, to come and stand with him at one end of the table, and place his hand firmly on one of his, on the top of the table, so that

it was impossible for him, so tied and bound, in any way to lift the table. We all, except the two so standing, retired again to the row of chairs, held each other's hands, and the outermost one with his left hand put out the gas. In about half a minute, a violent blow from the leg of the table struck the floor; and shortly after Mr. Squire asked us to light the gas. When this was done, a funny spectacle met our eyes; the table top was resting on the heads of the two gentlemen who had been left standing; the legs of the table being towards the ceiling, and the gentlemen's hands still pressing against the top of the table. I took down the table, which, from its weight, I found to be no easy task. The gentleman who had placed his hand on the table, stated that he had pressed his whole weight on the table to prevent its rising; and that it was which caused the legs to come down with so much violence before the resistance was overcome. Of those present, only our host, Dr. Ashburner, Dr. R- and myself were at all accustomed to these phenomena; and Dr. Rtill a few weeks ago, opposed by voice and pen all belief in the subject. Now he frankly acknowledges its truth; but is sorely puzzled with-" what is the use of it?" A question to which we have no doubt he will in time find a satisfactory answer, as numbers have done who have passed through that state of mind in which he at present is. The others were the personal unbelieving friends that Dr. Ashburner and I had brought to the sitting, in the hope of something being done, which by its physical character would uproot their theories of cerebral hallucination and mind acting on itself, and so producing fantasies.

The weak point in the portion of the manifestations which took place in the dark is, that they throw a shade of doubt on the minds of those who were not present. Mr. Squire states that the spirits say they cannot produce those powerful manifestations through him in the light; he supposes because he is not so powerful a medium as some are. To his personal friends, and their friends, he cheerfully, now and then, sits for their pleasure and profit.

I have read this account to Dr. Ashburner, and he thinks that the above facts plainly show: First, unseen intelligence; Secondly, the benevolence of that intelligence-for the table must have been raised at least four feet off the ground to pass >ver the head of Mr. Squire without hurting him; Thirdly, reat power, in conjunction with intelligence, in overcoming Tr. Newton's resistance-raising the table off the floor, and

gently resting it on the heads of those who were standing. The height the table was lifted must have been at least six feet.

I could continue the incidents for the next fifty pages, but of what use would it be? None. The evidences given in this section are ample. They declare and prove the existence of a wonder-working, invisible, intelligent power; given by God in the majesty of his wisdom to angels, for the guidance and control of that defaced image of his―MAN.

SECTION IV.

TOUCHING BY ANGELS.

THE extraordinary statements in the three previous Sections, prepare the mind for minor manifestations of spirit-power. If a human body can be raised off the ground, and be floated at our own residences, in the quiet of domestic life, and in the presence of our intimate friends and relatives; we are prepared to understand how a part of the human body can be acted upon-say the arm, the wrist, and fingers. How the power which can raise a person, must have the power to produce a sensation on any part of our bodies, which we may feel as a touch or a grasp; and that, as forcibly as we feel the air when it blows a gale. Air currents are felt, by denser airs being round the passing current which form into and are air tubes; and in proportion to the compression, so is the force of the current increased. Carry this idea with us, and we perceive how spirits, in the soul or apparitional form, can make an impression such as can be felt as touch; and how that power can, by the possession of the "motor nerves," govern a human body, so as to control the hand, and cause it to move up and down as a semaphore telegraph; and by signs, in answer to questions, give answers, lift the hand, and direct the individual which way to go, or cause the hand like a pen to write as a man, the spirit's thoughts, wishes, or instructions on paper.

I know scores of persons who are thus acted upon more or less forcibly. It is with some continuous; with others, it only comes on when some pressing event in the man's life requires special guidance-when the man is anxious to do right, but every way seems closed up; and then, suddenly, he feels a movement in his arm; he, knowing the reason, asks his angelguide advice in his perplexity, and the answer comes-that answer is frequently totally against the person's opinion and wishes; but past experience has taught him wisdom-he trusts, acts, and prospers.