112 JOURNAL OF THE [April, 



eye, but even the atoms of Epicurus, the subtile matter of Des 

 Cartes, the vapours of the earth, those which flow from our own 

 bodies, and such as derive to us here the influence of the stars." 



"The first experiment I made," he continues, " was looking 

 on the person from whom I receiv'd it, at the distance of four 

 or five paces, which gave me the opportunity of discerning an 

 infinite number of little worms that were feeding most vora- 

 ciously upon his cloaths, by which I perceived that contrary to 

 the common opinion it is not we who wear out our cloaths but 

 they are fairly eaten off our backs by these invisible insects." 



Amongst other astonishing performances of this remarkable 

 instrument was its disclosing the secret of personal sympathy 

 and antipathy, which is set forth by the imaginative Frenchman 

 in the following words :, 



" Going out of the house, we saw four young men playing at 

 ball. I, at first sight, felt a strong inclination in favour of one, 

 and as strong an aversion against another, whence I began 

 earnestly to wish that this might win and that might lose. I ex- 

 amined both with the microscope and thereby easily distin- 

 guished the source of these passions. As the men were ex- 

 tremely heated with their exercise, they perspired strongly, so 

 that clouds of the matter flowing from them reached us. My 

 glass shewed me distinctly that the matter perspired by him for 

 whom I had an inclination was exactly similar to what was per- 

 spired by myself ; whereas the matter flowing from the other 

 person was absolutely unlike to mine in all respects, and so 

 jagged and bearded that it seemed to wound and pierce me like 

 so many arrows. Hence I discerned that the true cause of our 

 sudden inclinations and aversions consists in the figures of the 

 matter perspiring from us and from others, and in the similarity 

 or contrariety of these insensible vapours." 



It may be that the writer of this ingenious narrative was deal- 

 ing only in allegory. But, without doubt, it is in the utmost 

 seriousness that the author of a book but lately published in 

 Boston puts forth even more astounding revelations,^ profes- 

 sedly in the words of an anonymous " Scientist," who, by means 

 of an original arrangement of lenses, hit upon the awful dis- 

 covery of "the departing soul with its astral covering." But 



1. The Hidden Way Across the Threshold^ by J. C. Street, 



