Notices respeclhig Mew Books. 53 



rea'-;oning ahop.t them than in ascertaining whether such powers 

 really exist at all. Indeed Dr. R. himself ehewhere inform? us 

 that, hut " for the fact of blindness nol being unanimously agreed 

 upon, he would have endeavoured to have .i;iven an explanation 

 of some of the phaenomena detailed a!jove." 



The chief antagonist of the reality of the powers ascribed to 

 Miss MacAvoy is a Mr. Sandars, a merchant of Liverpool, the 

 title of whose pamphlet on the suijject is also prefixed to this 

 notice. Some facts contained in this pam|)hlet are certainly of 

 a very stubborn description ; and until contradicted or explained, 

 wliich the parties whose credibility is attacked will certainly 

 feel it their duty to do, if it is in their power, the case of Miss 

 MacAvoy must, notwithstanding all that has been said and 

 believed al)out it, be considered as only one cliapter more added 

 to the apocryj)ha of Philosopliy. The spirit in which these 

 *' Hints to Credulity" are written we are far from approving, — 

 as, relating to the individuals concerned, tiiey are acrimonious, 

 and, with a view to the interests of science, more remarkable for 

 their egotism than philosophical acumen. But at the same time 

 there is a verital)leness and an explicitness about the matter 

 of fact details contained in them, which entitles them to every 

 attention. A few of the more prominent passages we .shall sub- 

 join, arid leave the case for the present in that state, in which it 

 can only be allowed to remain, if these passages are true both in 

 point of fact, and of inference. 



" 1^(11 ticuluis of u'lial passed on the 13//j October. 



" A number of experiments were tried on Miss M'Avoy, in 

 some of which she w s successful, in others quite the reverse. 

 She had two glass phials put into her hands, in one of which 

 was water, and in the other spirits of wine ; she named each 

 very accurately, which Dr. R. regarded as a very extraordinary 

 circumstance ; but upon examination, it appeared, that although 

 the phials n\ighl be of equal weight, they were not of equal size, 

 one being much longer than the other, and the corks were not 

 (as they ought to have been) sealed with wax ; indeed they had 

 not the least covering over them, to prevent any one, who had 

 a peculiarly fine .iense of smelling, from ascertaining the diflfe- 

 rence. A gentleman present gave into Miss M'Avoy's hands a 

 seal, and requested her to tell him the colour of it ; he placed 

 his hand between the seal and her face, and she declared the seal 

 to be black, whereas it was white. At the close of the exjieri- 

 ments, another person present expressed an opinion that Miss 

 M'Avoy could see; up. on which Dr. R. proposed that the gold- 

 beater's skin and the adhesive plaster should be applied to that 

 person's eyes, which was assented to, and unconnnon pains were 

 taken by Dr. R. in placing them, so as to prevent all possibility 



D3 of 



