MATHEMATICAL FICTIONS. 251 



builds his "fundamental tenet," and explaining them in 

 some other manner, constitutes conversion to Spiritualism, 

 then the reviewer is a far more thoroughgoing convert 

 than Mr. Crookes, who only attempts to explain the mild 

 phenomena of his own experiments, while the reviewer 

 goes in for everything, including even the apotheosis of 

 Mrs. Guppy and her translation through the ceiling, a 

 story which is laughed at by Mr. Crookes and everybody 

 else, excepting a few of the utterly crazed disciples of the 

 " Lamb's Conduit Mediums" and the " Quarterly" review- 

 er, who actually attempts to explain it by his infallible and 

 ever applicable physiological nostrum of "unconscious cere- 

 bration." 



No marvelous story either of ancient or modern date is 

 too strong for this universal solvent, which according to 

 the reviewer, is the sole and glorious invention of Dr. Car- 

 penter. Space will not now permit me to further describe 

 "unconscious cerebration" and its vast achievements, but 

 I hope to find a corner for it hereafter. 



I may add that the name of the reviewer is kept a pro- 

 found secret, and yet is perfectly well-known, as everybody 

 who reads the article finds it out when he reaches those 

 parts which describe Dr. Carpenter's important physio- 

 logical researches and discoveries. 



MATHEMATICAL FICTIONS. 

 (BRITISH ASSOCIATION, 1871.) 



THE President's inaugural address, which was going 

 through the press in London while being spoken in Edin- 

 burgh, has already been subject to an unusual amount of 

 sharp criticism. For my own part I cannot help regarding 

 it as one of the least satisfactory pf all the inaugural ad- 

 dresses that have yet been delivered at these annual meet- 

 ings. They have been of two types, the historical and the 

 controversial; the former prevailing. In the historical ad- 



