ceive, at a glance, the combinations on the board, would be no easy matter; yet this he did with rapidity, completely bandaged as he was.

6thly. I threw over the patient's head two thick and large towels, which covered him in front down to the hips. Through these he has read, holding the book at an angle with his forehead, and has distinguished cards with perfect accuracy. This kind of experiment was occasionally varied. Sometimes the sleepwaker has been bandaged, and, in addition to this, a towel has been thrown over his head; but the result was equally satisfactory. This power, however, seemed to have its limits. The addition of a third towel greatly impeded the patient's vision, yet even thus he has distinguished cards. On one occasion, a visiter, instead of covering up the patient's eyes, enveloped the object to be seen in the folds of a napkin. The experimenter, in order, if possible, to mislead myself, the sleepwaker, and all who were present, gave us to understand that he had placed one card only in the napkin, (he had performed the operation with his back turned,) but the patient was not to be deceived. At first, indeed, he seemed puzzled; but even this transient perplexity elicited a curious proof that he saw not only through the triple folds of the napkin, but through the back of one of the cards. He said, "There seems to me to be a five, but the points are not of the same colours -"Oh!" he exclaimed, after a pause, "how could I be so stupid! there are two cards. One is the ace

of hearts, the other the four of clubs."

He was perfectly right. The four of clubs had its face uppermost, the ace was laid under it, and, in order to form a five, the sleepwaker must have seen the ace underneath the other card.

7thly. One day I was curious to observe whether my patient could discriminate colours or forms, on apparently flat surfaces, by the touch, as the blind sometimes have been known to do. To this end, I held an open book over a little round French paper box, which had no distinction of top or bottom, except that there was a picture on what was meant for the upper side. I gave the sleepwaker the box into his hand, (holding the book always so as to screen the object from him,) and asked if he knew whereabouts the picture was. He immediately turned it right side uppermost, and with his finger pointed out the principal features of the little painting - a shepherdess sitting under a tree, &c. "Then," I said, "you do perceive by your fingers." I see through the book.” more perfectly, I held open a large book exactly before his face, and, taking up, at hazard, a card from a pack that lay near me, I kept the figured side concealed against my hand, until I could turn it towards the sleepwaker, immediately behind the book. Stooping his forehead forward, till it nearly touched the back of the volume, he told correctly what the card was. This experiment I frequently repeated, with equal success; sometimes varying it,

"No," he replied, "but Desirous of testing this

Madeley litho 3 Wellington St Strand.

by bandaging the patient's eyes before I held the book before them. The additional obstacle seemed to make no difference. Sometimes I have placed a card, with due precaution, in the midst of a book which I kept open only by the interposition of a finger, holding the face of the card pressed against the leaves of the book, and thus entirely concealing it. I have then held the book upright before the patient, who has bent his forehead forward, as usual, till it was parallel to the cover of the book, and has then told the card correctly. What is singular is that, if I withdrew my finger and quite closed the book, the experiment failed. The sleepwaker said that the reason of this was that the vibrations of the medium, by which he pretended to perceive objects, were too much intercepted by the perfectly closed book. I should observe, once for all, that, when I record the sayings of my sleepwakers, it is not because I give faith to them, but for reasons to which I shall advert hereafter. Indeed, nothing can be more contradictory or unsatisfying than the account which mesmerised persons render of their own mode of sensation. For instance, E. A. told me once that he saw through the book that was held between him and an object; but at another time he propounded a long and confused theory, by which he made it appear that his sight did not penetrate the obstacle, but received an impression from certain rays, that did not come to his eye in direct lines, but were bent round the edges of the book.

8thly. Another class of precautions which I have