78 - J. V. HULTKEAÎCTZ 



A very curious circumstance occasioned the coffin-lid to be loose: — About 

 the year 1790, a Swedish philosopher, then in London, who was a great admirer 

 of Swedenborg's philosophical Avritings, but had no relish for his theological, be- 

 came acquainted with some of the members of the New church, and warmly 

 opposed Swedenborg's tenet — that the soul takes a final leave of the material 

 body at death, and enters on its new scene of superior activity in a spiritual 

 body more suited to obey its energies.' The learned Swede endeavoured to per- 

 suade them, that all great philosophers had, by virtue of their profound wisdom, 

 the power of taking with them into the world of spirits their natural bodies; and 

 he asserted his full conviction, that Swedenborg, whom he considered one of the 

 first philosophers, had taken away his body out of the coffin. 



In order to convince the Swede of his error, leave was obtained to have 

 the coffin opened; when, to the utter confusion of the philosopher, the body of 

 Swedenborg was presented to view. The lid was merely laid on, without being 

 refastened; and thus was afforded the facility of which Captain Granholm availed 

 himself 27 years afterwards. 



J. I. Hawkins. 



No. 5. 



Letter by »Tertius Interveniens» to the Editor of The Times» 



for April 5tli. 1823. 



A Further Statement concerning Emanuel Sivedenborg. 



To the Editor of the Times. 



Sir, — Two different statements having lately appeared in your journal, 

 concerning the re-interment of the skull of this extraordinary individual, neither 

 of which is exactly correct, 1 take the liberty of presenting the following to your 

 notice : — 



E. Swedenborg died in London in the j^ear 1772, and was interred in the 

 vault of the Swedish church in Prince's Square, Eatcliffe-highway. His death 

 havinglexcited considerable sensation among his numerous followers, one of them? 

 a native of America, came over to England for the purpose of ascertaining the 

 truth of the fact, being convinced, it is said, that such a spiritual man (if, indeed- 

 he had left this lower world) must at least have gone alive to Heaven. The 

 parish-clerk was l)i-il)ed, the vauU opened, and the coffin pointed out to him. 

 The admirer of Swedenborg could not, however, even then persuade himself that 

 the mortal remains of the venerated man were deposited there, till the coffins 

 were opened, and the mepliitic ^'apours did at the same time expel the sceptic 

 and his doubts upon the subject. Thus the fact is related in Mr. Broling's Tra- 

 vels in England, edited in Stockholm, 181(5 or 1S17. Be this, however, how it 

 may, it is a well ascertained fact, that Mr. Swedenborg's coffins had been opened 

 before 1816, when the skull was taken out. It is true, that this violation of the 

 tomb was not perpetrated by a follower or admirer of Swedenborg, the number of 

 whom among liis countrymen is very small indi-ed. (No prophet is honoured in 



