1 874.] SPIRITUALISM. 187 



Queen Anne Street, under the auspices of a well-known 

 medium : 



"... We had grand fun, one afternoon, for George hired a 

 medium, who made the chairs, a flute, a bell, and candlestick, 

 and fiery points jump about in my brother's dining-room, in a 

 manner that astounded every one, and took away all their 

 breaths. It was in the dark, but George and Hensleigh 

 Wedgwood held the medium's hands and feet on both sides 

 all the time. I found it so hot and tiring that I went away 

 before all these astounding miracles, or jugglery, took place. 

 How the man could possibly do what was done passes my 

 understanding. I came downstairs, and saw all the chairs, 

 &c, on the table, which had been lifted over the heads of 

 those sitting round it. 



The Lord have mercy on us all, if we have to believe 

 in such rubbish. F. Galton was there, and says it was a good 

 seance. ..." 



The seance in question led to a smaller and more carefully 

 organised one being undertaken, at which Mr. Huxley was 

 present, and on which he reported to my father :] 



C. Darwin to Professor T. H. Huxley. 



Down, January 29 [1874]. 



My DEAR HUXLEY, — It was very good of you to write so 

 long an account. Though the seance did tire you so much 

 it was, I think, really worth the exertion, as the same sort of 



things are done at all the seances, even at 's ; and now to 



my mind an enormous weight of evidence would be requisite 

 to make one believe in anything beyond mere trickery. . . . 

 I am pleased to think that I declared to all my family, the 

 day before yesterday, that the more I thought of all that 

 I had heard happened at Queen Anne St., the more convinced 

 I was it was all imposture .... my theory was that [the 



