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Mr. W. Crookes. On the supposed [May 26, 



small cylinder of ivory by a fibre of cocoon silk, forming a small 

 pendulum, which hangs freely over the centre of a table. The cylinder 

 having become motionless, M. Thore brings a second cylinder, called 

 the " pillar," about a millimetre from the first cylinder, when the latter 

 begins to rotate clockwise if the pillar is on the left, and counter- 

 clockwise if the pillar is on the right of the cylinder. The observer 

 is supposed to face the cylinder and pillar. M. Thore says that the 

 rotation is independent of the nature of the cylinders, of their mass, 

 or the dimensions of the pillar ; light, heat, electricity, magnetism, 

 gravity, and air currents, he says, are also inadequate to explain the 

 phenomena. 



The author has repeated M. Thore's experiments in apparatus shown 

 in the accompanying figure. It consists of a glass case, A, B, C, D, E, 

 F, 6J inches square and 7 inches high, with a rising glass window, A, 

 B, G, H, in front and similar windows at the sides. The top is of card y 

 in the centre of which is a small hole. The cylinder, I, is suspended 

 in the middle of the case by a very fine cocoon silk fibre, 5 feet long, 



