when put in action in the brain of one person, may act, as to a distance, with reference even to an inanimate object; and that, therefore, the state of clairvoyance, to a certain extent, as well as mere somnambulism, is a susceptible condition of the brain, with reference to the material conditions of other things external to itself.

Ninth, That this force, in acting from an object upon the organism of a person, may find its passage as readily through walls and other intervening substances, as is found to be the case with magnetism.

Tenth, That this agent can also act as readily, under a favorable condition, at a distance, as is found to be the case with the electric agent.

332. Everything asserted by Mesmer, then, relating to the action of the magnet upon the human organism, cannot, in reason, be cast aside as fabulous or imaginary. The cases we have given show that the fundamental facts of Mesmer on this subject are true, namely, that "magnets do act on the organism like the human hands; and that, when passes are made with them, the same sensations are experienced, as when the operator uses his hand.” *

333. The same fact of identity we have thus exhibited, was noticed, therefore, by Mesmer. Reichenbach has added. facts to the same purpose, but he found the same force that emanated from the magnet, to which certain organizations were peculiarly sensitive, reacted in the same manner also from other substances. The following are some of his more important deductions, which we present to the reader, and leave him to consult the baron's work † for the details.

334. First, This agent is found not only to emanate from the magnet, but also from crystals. That all bodies of matter, when in the regular form of crystals, give it forth, in such a manner as to produce a specific influence upon certain persons. The polarity of this force, which he found in magnets, he also found in crystals; thus showing that the phenomenon of polarity was attributable to the molecu

* See Professor Gregory's Letters on Animal Magnetism, p. 193. See his Dynamics of Magnetism. Redfield, Clinton Hall, N. Y.

lar arrangement of the matter of the crystal; for other substances, such as were not crystallized or regularly formed, gave emanation to this agent, but not in a polar

manner.

335. Of course, the scientific mind would naturally infer, if polarity of force depended upon the regular arrangement of the molecules or particles of matter composing a body, that any such agent in the animal organism must have its poles of action. The truth of this, however, was not left to rest upon mere inference; it is demonstrated by numerous experiments.

336. Second, The action of all the other agents, as heat, light, chemical action, electricity in its every form, frictional and voltaic, excited the development of this new agent, which he denominates odyle.

337. Hence, in all the numerous material processes in the earth and in the heavens, this odylic agent is set free or thrown into development. It is then constantly emanating from the earth, and as in some localities, owing to chemical processes, electric currents are excited by mineral veins, subterranean currents of water, &c., &c., this odic force must, of consequence, arise in more powerful currents, in such localities.

338. Now, is it at all surprising that the human organism, being peculiarly susceptible to this agent in such localities, is the more susceptible under derangement, and should exhibit strange phenomena heretofore unaccountable? Have we not already seen, in the case of the Seeress of Prevorst, that among the mountainous regions, where the subterranean forces were naturally more energetic, she was more subject to her mesmeric (rather odylic) trances, and her cataleptic conditions? Rhabdomancy is not so unaccountable under the light of the facts before us. It now, indeed, throws itself into our hands as a higher fact. For it is in this, that the forms of mere mundane force are made to meet the same agent as it plays its part in the organism of man; and is it not where the two meet, that the motion of outward bodies takes place? Here is room for speculation; we will not stop, however, to occupy it at present.

339. Third, This force is identical with that by which one individual affects another, as in mesmerism, &c., in as much as it has the like action from the human hand that it has from magnets, crystals, and the earth.*

340. Fourth, That it is, therefore, in immediate association with the brain of every human being, as well as with every other form of matter, and is thus the medium of a close and intimate relation between proximate, and even distant points of matter, and the living brain.

341. Fifth, That this identical, essential force of all dead and living matter may be (under proper conditions) transferred from one body to another, even without contact.†

342. Sixth, That, wherever this force emanates in a sufficient degree of intensity, flames and vaporous luminosity are made evident to the sight of persons, whose nervous systems are in the proper condition for appreciating them, and other necessary conditions are fulfilled.

343. Now, all these facts and principles of the new agent are more or less developed in the material phenomena of the modern manifestations. The physical question, then, is settied with regard to the latter; that their agent is material or physical, and is identical with that we have exhibited, identical with that witnessed by Arago, in the case of Angelique Cottin,- with that witnessed by Matteucci, in his experiments on the induced muscular contraction, —

*No part in the baron's researches is made more evident than this. "The parallel between the two," says he, "is evident and complete, and the agreement of the forces, in their general expression, so perfect, that they evidently become identified." (See Dynamics of Magnetism, p. 115.) Again, he says, "This force, which physicians have called animal magnetism, possesses the following properties :" after enumerating which he concludes thus: "All exactly as the crystallic force is, with which it thus coincides, and in all particulars, obeys the same physical laws." Thus, "the part of the force residing in the magnet, the crystallic force, and the force which is the basis of the so-called animal magnetism, coincide in their essential nature, under one common point of view." Ibid., P: 116.

† Ibid., p. 169.

This is not only beautifully demonstrated by the baron, but has been confirmed by Professor Gregory, of Edinburgh, and numerous others. See Gregory's Letter on Animal Magnetism.

with that observed by Thilorier and Lafontaine, in their researches on the nervous system, with that witnessed by Thouvenil, in his experiments and observations upon Bléton, -Ritter and Amoretti upon Campetti and others, — and with that discovered by Reichenbach, and named odyle, and demonstrated to be identical with the animal magnetism of Mesmer, and that it is a material force, differing essentially from electricity and magnetism proper.

344. It follows, therefore, that the agent which has been developed in the experiments of mesmerizers, is not an exclusive agent of the human organism, but is a universal force in nature. That, inasmuch as the human nerves and the centres of the brain are peculiarly susceptible to its influence, the whole outward material world is, through the medium of this agent, brought into an intimate relation to the centres of the human organism.

345. Furthermore, inasmuch as one human brain stands in a closer relation to another human brain than it does to a mere inorganic point, it follows, that it should be more. susceptible to its influence; and inasmuch as this influence. takes place without necessarily involving the action of the mind, that it is not, therefore, necessarily connected with the spiritual world.

346. Again; inasmuch as the tendency of the influence of this natural agent, when acting powerfully upon the brain, is, to suspend the conditions under which the selfconscious, self-determining, self-governing, thinking "intelligence has its freedom, and to open the brain to the influences of material changes, it follows, that the state of

As this was about going into the hands of the printer, we received the work of Mr. William Fishbough, entitled "Macrocosm and Microcosm," in which he endeavors to support, by an ingenious hypothesis, the spiritual theory of modern "spiritual manifestations." He, however, recognizes the material character of the force that acts directly in their production, and mentions, as a fact, the identity proved by Reichenbach. “Indeed,” says he, “Reichenbach actually proved its identity, in the general sense, with the medium through which one human being produces those effects upon another, commonly known as Magnetic' or Mesmeric;' and the world is indebted to that philosopher for physical demonstrations in this department, which place the fundamental doctrines of animal magnetism beyond all possible doubt." p. 106.

trance, somnambulism, ecstasy, clairvoyance, consequent upon this nervous condition, is directly opposite to a purely spiritual condition, as a state of disease is opposite to a state of health, as a state of fiction is opposite to a state of absolute truth.

347. The verity of this deduction will be still further demonstrated by additional facts and reasonings as we progress in this work. It is a painful thing to announce it, as it was indeed so when it was forced upon our convictions by the overwhelming accumulation of facts crowded upon us during this investigation. We had been a believer in the spiritual character of the clairvoyant and ecstatic condition, till driven to abandon the delusion by witnessing their material causes and earthly conditions, the effects of drugs in producing and removing them, and the suspension of the noblest powers in these conditions, and in observing the automatic susceptibility of nearly every organ of the brain. We have not hastily arrived at our conclusions, as will be seen when the reader comes to notice all the facts given in the sequel of this work.

348. We have now arrived at that point in our researches where we can see the relation of the material agent which reäcts from the organism upon external things, &c., to the unconscious psychological centres in the brain. We shall now, in Part Second, open upon the facts which show the government and control of this force from the same centres. This will be demonstrated to be the case, and we shall show also that the fact is virtually admitted by some of the most intelligent among the advocates of the spiritual theory.

349. There are many facts we have not considered in this first part, which will fall in as we pass along. And the reader will not expect that all the phenomena of the manifestations will be explained on a few pages, as they are very numerous and diversified, and involve many principles which must be considered in their proper relations in order to understand thoroughly the ground of their philosophy.