rities thinking it absurd to try one and not the other, again laid hands on him, and it fell to Mr. A. F. to be the defender of both. The difficulty was, not to separate their cases in his pleading; for however morally convinced of the different ground on which they stood, his duty, professionally, was to obtain the acquittal of both, in which he finally succeeded as regarded the charge of murder. They were therefore sentenced to two years' imprisonment, and so far as the dream is concerned here ends the story. There remains, however, a curious sequel to it.

'A few years afterwards the same gentleman, being in a boat on Loch Fyne in company with Sir T. D. L., happened to be mentioning these very curious circumstances, when one of the boatmen said that he "knew well about those two men, and that a very strange thing had occurred with regard to one of them." This one, on inquiry, proved to be the subject of the dream; and the strange thing was this-on being liberated he had quitted that part of the country, and in process of time had gone to Greenock, and thence embarked in a vessel for Cork. But the vessel seemed fated never to reach its destination; one misfortune happened after another, till at length the sailors said, "This won't do; there must be a murderer on board with us." As is usual when such a persuasion exists, they threw lots three times, and each time the lot fell upon that man. He

RIDING ON THIN ICE.

327

was consequently put on shore, and the vessel went on its way without him. What had become of him afterwards was never known.'-Night Side of Nature.

DREAM-THOUGHTS OF WAKING CIRCUMSTANCES.

BLANCHARD FOSGATE, M.D.

'Many years ago, when our family resided on the banks of the Mohawk, long before the thunder of the steam water-paddle echoed along the shores of the Hudson, or the shrill whistle of the locomotive startled the silence of glen and mountain; when the river in the summer was crossed by ford or ferry, and in winter upon the often treacherous ice; early in the spring, before the river had broken up, my father, on the eve of departure for New York, dreamed that he was in an ice-house, striving to get out by climbing up its slippery contents. The dream was barely related, and then forgotten. The succeeding day, on horseback, he commenced his journey, and was obliged to cross the river. The ice by evaporation having lost much of its strength, he was precipitated into the stream below. Timely assistance, however, rescued him from the impending

328

THE CROTON WATER-WORKS.

danger, but the accident and the dream were ever after coupled in his memory.

"This dream was the result of mental association during sleep, and was perfectly natural under the circumstances, but none the less a premonition of danger. Had it aroused the reflective powers when awake as strongly as it did during sleep, the accident would probably have been avoided.

'It is curious to observe how thoughts of the waking hours may be prolonged and modified in sleep. As an instance we will relate what occurred in our own case, on the night succeeding our writing the remarks on mysterious and prophetic dreams.

'Not long since, I was examining the Croton waterworks in New York city, including some pits which were open in the streets where the great iron trunks were exposed; and on the occasion just alluded to my mind was in part occupied with this subject. On falling asleep, I dreamed that in passing one of the pits I jumped down upon a tube about three inches in diameter for the purpose of inspecting the work more minutely; but when in this position, on casting my eyes below, an awful chasm presented itself, crossed in various directions by huge iron water-tubes, but the bottom was invisible. However, the depth was 90 feet. In what way this information was imparted is indistinct, but such appeared the awful depth under my slippery

A DREAM OF DREAMING.

to leap to the top. I

the place just left.

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footing. I could just fairly reach the surface above, but could lay hold of nothing, and therefore attempted failed, and in falling lodged upon This fall will never be forgotten so long as excessive fright commingled with horror can leave an impression on my mind. I then thought to cry for help, but dared not, lest my feet should slip and precipitate me down the dark chasm beneath. After reflecting long upon my perilous situation, I commenced feeling around the platform surrounding the top, and finally succeeded in fastening my fingers in a crevice between the planks, by which means I drew myself up. The dream ordinarily would have ended here, but my mind now turned upon the subject which had occupied my attention the preceding evening until a late hour. I thought in my dream that what had just transpired was a prophetic dream, and to what it might point my reflections were directed, as well as to what course would be the best to elude the impending danger. During these reflections I awoke excessively exhausted. In this instance, in a dream I dreamed that I was dreaming. It was a singular mental phenomenon, and of rare occurrence, but not alone on record.'-Sleep Psychologically considered with reference to Sensation and Memory.

DREAM TESTIMONY.

'On Saturday, the 30th of July, 1853, the dead body of a young woman was discovered in a field at Littleport, in the Isle of Ely. The body has not yet been identified, and there can be little doubt that the young woman was murdered. At the adjourned inquest, held on the 29th August, before Mr. William Marshall, one of the coroners for the Isle, the following extraordinary evidence was given :—

"James Jessop, an elderly, respectable-looking labourer, with a face of the most perfect stolidity, and who possessed a most curiously-shaped skull, broad and flat at the top, and projecting greatly on each side over the ears, deposed—'I live about a furlong and a half from where the body was found. I have seen the body of the deceased. I had never seen her before her death. On the night of Friday, the 29th July, I dreamt three successive times that I heard the cry of murder issuing from near the bottom of a close called Little Ditchment Close (the place where the body was found). The first time I dreamt I heard the cry it woke me. I fell asleep again, and dreamt the same again. I then woke again, and told my wife. I could not rest, but I dreamt it again after that. I got up between four and five