her case as hopeless, and for four years they had ceased to prescribe for her. And so thoroughly convinced was she that her dissolution was at hand, that she purchased the mourning cloth for her family. One night, when she was thoroughly resigned to her fate, a vision of a female appeared to the lady, and after stating who she was, &c., pronounced the invalid cured. And from that moment she regained her health, and has remained in the same state ever since. Hundreds of men and women, who knew the lady, have testified to the truth of the story. Indeed, a number of men went over from France to visit her, and all were thoroughly satisfied that the cure was instantaneous.

Case 2. "A well-authenticated story of an Irish lady of rank, who, having married a second time, was visited in the night-time by the spirit of her first husband, from whom she received a notification of the appointed period of her own death. The lady was at first terrified, but regained her courage. How shall I know to-morrow morning,' said she boldly to the spectre, that this is not a delusion of the senses, that I am indeed visited by a spirit?' 'Let this be a token unto thee for life,' said the visitant, and, grasping the arm of the lady for an instant, disappeared. In the morning a dark mark, as if of a fresh burn, was seen on the wrist, and the lady kept the scar covered over while she lived, She died at the time prophesied."

Case 3. About three years ago, a servant girl in an extensive pastry shop in Glasgow, either dreamed, or some vision told her, that she would die at a certain date, and she died at the hour prophesied.

Case 4. A young lady, who was beloved by an officer in the army who had gone to the wars, after spending a very pleasant evening retired to her bedroom, but she had not been there many minutes when she beheld her lover standing at a short distance from her. She very sharply rebuked him for his treacherous conduct, and ordered him out of her presence. He remained stationary, looking upon his lady-love with a peculiarly sorrowful expression of countenance. The lady was inexorable; she insisted upon his departure, threatening at the same time to call up her mother. The lover still gazed, but moved not. The lady screamed out for her mother, who soon came up to her assistance, and found her daughter in a state of great excitement. On the old lady inquir ing what was wrong, the daughter related to her what she had just witnessed-the sudden appearance of her lover, and his equally sudden departure. The young lady took it as a sign of his death. And she was right for her lover had died that very night.

Case 5. Andrew Jackson Davis agreed with another gentleman, that whoever died first would come back and visit the survivor. The latter gentleman died soon after, and has often appeared since unto Mr Davis.

-I do not know how to designate Emmanuel Swedenbourg's visitations. Were they spectral illusions? He professes to have conversed with thousands of the mighty dead. Swedenbourg was no weak-minded man, but a ripe scholar. Was he deceived? His deception must have been a mighty and continuous one. Nor do I know how to designate the appearance of Samuel unto Saul-the angel to the imprisoned apostle-the vision to Paul on his way to Damas cus-the visions of Christ after his resurrection-the vision of Cæsar unto Brutus-the spirit attendant of Socrates the strange career of Joan of Arc-the remarkable experiences of Madame von Krüdener, and a great number of men and women, such as D. D. Home, Jacob (the healer), the Davenports, Dr Newton, &c., who seem to be in daily rapport with intelligences of another sphere of existence than the earth one. I say that it is most difficult to account for any of these phenomena-nay, impossible, if we retain the popular theory of mind and brain. Indeed, I believe that the reception of this theory has caused many otherwise intelligent men to repudiate altogether these facts, because they could not be reconciled to their theory. Thus hastily formed theories are a barrier to progress.

These cases of "spectral illusions," spiritual manifestations, or by whatever name you may choose to designate them, have taken place actually and really. They have been attested to by credible, trustworthy,

and competent witnesses; and, above all, these apparitions have prophesied, and their prophesies have seldom or never failed, so that the fact of their coming is beyond doubt. They can make themselves seen by us in spite of our senses. We see and hear them when the organs of these senses are shut. The mind, or spirit itself, can see, hear, &c., without their aid. Lord Bacon seems to have been conversant with this fact. He says "It certainly is agreeable to reason that there are some light effluxions from spirit to spirit, when men are in presence one with another, as well as from body to body." It is often asked, "If we can see without our sense of sight, hear without our sense of hearing, &c., why are we possessed of these senses?" Men that would ask a question of that nature deserve no answer, neither would I give myself the least trouble to convince them of its truth. What we have to do with in the meantime, is the fact that, under certain conditions, we have functions without the aid of the reputed organs of those functions. This, I consider, I have proved, admitting, at the same time, that much can be said by my opponents against my position-indeed, we cannot retain a position on any subject without there being ample scope for controversy. But I must now draw my remarks to a conclusion, as I have already outstepped the usual bounds.

CHAPTER VII.

GENERAL SUMMARY-CONCLUSION.

ET us recapitulate. We have seen that physio logy by no means bears out the materialists' theory, that the mind is the function of the brain, or that insanity is the result of brain disease, because men and women have been insane without any brain disease whatever, and the brain has been extensively diseased when no insanity resulted from such disease; that the materialist statement "that we have no conception of anything but matter and the properties of matter" is false (not only has he failed to prove his assertion, but the contrary has been proved: that our conception of mind is as clear as our conception of matter, and that mind is unimpaired and strong even when the bodily functions and operations have to all appearance ceased; furthermore, the statement that we have no conception of matter, &c., is absurd if it has any meaning, and if it has no meaning, why reiterate it?); and that well-attested messages from