CHAP. xvn. HYPNOTISM AND PSYCHICAL RESEARCH. 201 



ceeded. The result was therefore purely negative; but 

 as there were in some cases suspicions of imposture or 

 attempts at imposture, the report was, of course, against 

 the existence of clairvoyance. This was only what 

 might have been anticipated by all who had really inves- 

 tigated the subject. Professor William Gregory, of the 

 University of Edinburgh, after twenty years' study of 

 animal magnetism and an extensive personal experience, 

 wrote as follows : 



" In regard to clairvoyance, I have never seen it satis- 

 factorily exhibited except quite in private; and in this 

 point my experience has simply confirmed the statements 

 made by the best observers. I feel confident that every- 

 one who chooses to devote some time and labor to the in- 

 vestigation may meet with it, either in his own cases or 

 those of his friends." 



In his " Letters on Animal Magnetism " Professor 

 Gregory gives several indisputable cases tested by him- 

 self. Dr. Haddock, Major Buckley, Sir AValter Trevel- 

 yan, Miss Martineau, Dr. Esdaile, Dr. Lee, and Dr. 

 Elliotson, have all obtained evidence of the most con- 

 vincing kind, much of which has been published; while 

 many eminent physicians and men of science on the Con- 

 tinent obtained equally convincing results all confirm- 

 ing the positive evidence of the French Commission of 

 1831, and proving that the negative results of the Com- 

 mission of 1837 were due to the inexperience and preju- 

 dices of the members. Yet, notwithstanding this 

 cumulative proof, modern writers against the higher 

 phenomena produced by hypnotism appear to be either 

 totally ignorant of the existence of the five years' inquiry 

 and elaborate report of the first commission of the 



