SCARBRO . 



199 



A season or two ago, there came a mesmeriser 

 to exercise his craft, and to astonish all his 

 audience, myself perhaps excepted: for I do not 

 believe in mesmerism, as an art to make me act 

 contrary to my own free will. On the morning 

 after, whilst making certain enquiries, I was cre- 

 dibly informed, that this cunning dogmatizer, 

 had a preconcerted arrangement with a young 

 person of the softer sex, to be ready in the crowd, 

 when he should require assistance : and she actually 

 came forth, apparently a volunteer to act the part 

 he wanted. A clever way to draw him out of the 

 mud ! 



Another mysterious operator, partly in the same 

 line, but of a still more complicated nature, seems 

 to have worked stiffly both on the faith, and on 

 the patience of the multitude. He talked of 

 phantoms, and of communicating with spectres 

 in the far distance. Unfortunately, I had not then 

 arrived at Scarbro', otherwise I should have craved 

 parlance with this singular man of business, to and 

 from the land of spirits. 



Somehow or other, when I apply to be mes- 

 merised, the mesmeriser starts objections. Pro- 

 bably, my nerves are too strong to be enfeebled, 

 and my tendons too springy to be stiffened, by 

 the passing hand of the performer. 



