XXXV] MESMERISM TO SPIRITUALISM 289 



on the ground near my feet. I placed my feet round it in 

 the form of an angle, to catch any intrusive apparatus. The 

 bell did not ring ; but when taken across to a place near 

 Mr. Home's feet, it speedily came across, and placed its 

 handle in my hand. This was amusing." 



There is also a long account of the phenomena he saw 

 at Ealing in a still more jocular vein, which called forth a 

 very scathing letter from Mr. T. Adolphus Trollope, who had 

 been present. These letters and some others can all be 

 read in full in an appendix to Home's Incidents in my 

 Life," and as this appendix was drawn up by Dr. Robert 

 Chambers (as I know from private information), the reader 

 may feel satisfied that these letters are given as they were 

 written. 



But the chief reason why I have introduced the matter 

 here is, that we possess, fortunately, another account of Sir 

 David Brewster's seance at Cox's Hotel, written by himself 

 very shortly afterwards, while the facts were fresh in his 

 memory, in a letter to some member of his own family, and 

 published in the " Home Life of Sir David Brewster " by his 

 daughter, in 1869. At my request my friend Mr. Benjamin 

 Coleman sent me a copy of this contemporary account, dated 

 London, June, 1855. It is as follows : — 



" Last of all, I went with Lord Brougham to a seance of 

 the new spirit-rapper, Mr. Home, a lad of twenty, the son of a 

 brother of the late Earl of Home. He went to America at the 

 age of seven, and, though a naturalized American, is actually 

 a Scotchman. Mr. Home lives in Cox's Hotel, in Jermyn 

 Street, and Mr. Cox, who knows Lord Brougham, wished 

 him to have a siance^ and his lordship invited me to accom- 

 pany him, in order to assist in finding out the trick. We 

 four sat down at a moderately sized table, the structure of 

 which we were invited to examine. In a short time the table 

 shuddered^ and a tremulous motion ran up all our arms ; at our 

 bidding these motions ceased and returned, 



"The most unaccountable rappings were produced in various 

 parts of the table, and the table actually rose from the ground 

 when no hand was upon it. A larger table was produced, 



VOL. II. U 



