intended to
have, and it demonstrated pretty clearly that some strange being was
inside the cupboard playing these tricks, although quite invisible and
intangible to us except when she made certain portions of herself
visible.

When Miss C. was complaining of being hurt by the tying we could hear
the whispering voice soothing her in the kindest manner, and also heard
kisses, and Miss C. afterwards declared that she could feel hands and
face about her like those of a real person.

During all the face exhibitions singing had to go on to a rather painful
extent.[60]

A Dr. Purdon was present, an Army surgeon, who has been much in India,
and seems a very intelligent man. He seemed very intimate with the
family, and told us he had studied them all, and had had Miss Cooke a
month at a time in his own house, studying these phenomena. He was
absolutely satisfied of their genuineness, and indeed no opportunity for
imposture seems to exist.

The children of the house tell wonderful tales of how they are lifted up
and carried about by the spirits. They seem to enjoy it very much, and
to look upon it all as just as real and natural as any other matters of
their daily life.

Can such things be in this nineteenth century, and the wise ones pass
away in utter ignorance of their existence?--Yours very sincerely,

ALFRED R. WALLACE.

* * * * *

At the Glasgow Meeting of the British Association in 1876, Prof. (now
Sir) W.F. Barrett read a paper "On some Phenomena associated with
Abnormal Conditions of Mind." Wallace was Chairman of the Section in
which the paper was read, and a vigorous controversy arose at the close
between Dr. Carpenter, who came in towards the end of the paper, and the
Chairman. The paper set forth certain remarkable evidence which Prof.
Barrett had obtained from a subject in the mesmeric trance, giving what
appeared to be indubitable proof of some supernormal mode of
transmission of ideas from his mind to that of the subject. The facts
were so novel and startling that Prof. Barrett asked for a committee of
experts to examine the whole question and see whether such a thing as
"thought transference," independently of the recognised channels of
sense, did really exist. This was the first time evidence of this kind
had been brought before a scientific society, and a protracted
discussion followed. The paper also dealt with certain so-called
spiritualistic phenomena, which at the