282 EXPERIMENTS RELATIVE TO THE STRENGTH OF THE HUMAN FRAME. 
Without meaning lo impute ignoble motives 
to so eminent a philosopher, and so acute an 
observer, as Sir David Brewster, it is, at least, 
surprising to see him expose himself to a 
charge of this nature, and that, too, in a work 
whose very intention seemed to be the clearing 
of the mind’s eye, the strengthening of its 
vision, and the increase, to borrow an astrono- 
mical phrase, of its penetrating power, so that 
it might pierce more thoroughly the mistiness 
which superstition and knavish cunning, some- 
times for base, and frequently for criminal, 
purposes, envelop some simple, but little 
known operation of nature, or some refined, 
but only partially exposed, process of art. 
Sir David had also an abettor, if not an accom- 
plice in the late Sir Walter Scott, but in him 
the love of mystification, and the practice of 
ingenious deception,*^ were so predominant, 
that we rather wonder he was content to play 
so second-rate a part in the case which we 
are about to refer to. 
In the “ Letters on Natural Magic, addres- 
sed to Sir Walter Scott, Bart., by Sir 
David Brewster, K.H., LL.D., F,R.S., 
V.P.R.S.E., &c..” p. 255, &c., is the follow- 
ing passage: — 
“ One of the most remarkable and inexpli- 
cable experiments relative to the strength of 
the human frame, which you have your- 
self seen and admired, is that in which a hea- 
vy man is raised with the greatest facility, 
when he is lifted up the instant that his own 
lungs and those of the tiersons wdio raised him 
are inflated with air. This experiment was, 
I believe, first shown in England, a few years 
ago, by Major H., who saw it performed in a 
large party at Venice, under the direction 
of an officer of the American Navy. As Major 
H. perfomed it more than once in my pre- 
sence, I shall describe, as nearly as possible, 
the method which he prescribed. The heaviest 
person in the party lies down upon two chairs, 
his legs being supported by the one, and his 
back by the other. Four persons, one at 
each leg, and one at each shoulder, then try 
to raise him, and they find his dead weight to 
be very great, from the difficulty they experi- 
ence in supporting him. When he is replaced 
in the chair, each of the four persons takes 
hold of the body as before, and the person to 
be lifted gives two signals by clapping his 
hands. At the first signal, he himself and 
the four lifters begin to draw a long and full 
breath, and, when the inhalation is comple- 
ted, or the lungs filled, the second signal is 
given for raising the person from the chair. T o 
his own surprise, and that of his bearers, he 
rises with the greatest facility, as if he were 
no heavier than a feather. On several oc- 
casions, I have observed that when one of the 
bearers performs his part ill, by making the 
inhalation out of time, the part of the body 
which he tries to raise is left as it were behind. 
As you have repeatedly seen this experiment, 
and have performed the part both of the load 
and of the bearer, you can testify how remark- 
able the effects appear to all parties, and how 
complete is the conviction, either that the 
load has been lightened, or the bearer strength- 
ened, by the prescribed process. 
” At Venice, the experiment was performed 
in a much more imposing manner. The 
heaviest man in the party was raised and 
sustained upon the points of the fore-fingers 
of six persons. Major H. declared that the 
experiment would not succeed if the person ! 
lifted were placed upon a board, and the 
strength of the individuals applied to the board. 
Fie conceived it necessary that the bearers 
should communicate directly with the body 
to be raised, I have not had an opportunity 
of inaking any experiments relative to these 
curious facts; but, whethei the general effect I 
is an illusion, or the result of known or of 
new principles, the subject merits a careful 
investigation. 
The circumstances under which this nar- 
ration is given to the public are such, that if 
the feat, said to have been performed, was not 
so utterly incredible, they would be amply 
sufficient to procure for the “ wonder,” ready 
circulation and unhesitating acceptation even 
among scrupulous observers of truth. Here 
a Major H, is stated to have performed the ex- I 
periment successfully in Sir David’s presence ; j 
and Sir David Brewster, F.R.S., addressing i 
Sir Walter Scott, F.R.S.E., speaks of the 
feat as one you have seen and admired ” de- ' 
scribes the experiment: as one“ you repeatedly ' 
have seen, and performed the part both of the 
load 07} d the hearer,” can testify how 
remarkable the effects appear to all pai'ties,” 
&c. 
As Sir Walter never in his life-time publicly 
noticed this appeal nor contradicted the 
statement, he united his testimony to that of 
Sir David, and as if even this united evidence 
could be strengthened, there comes “ over 
sea” another circumstantial account of the 
same feat, and that from a quarter in which 
no confederacy could be suspected, unless 
indeed the American naval officer, who taught 
it to Major H., at Venice, had carried it 
across the Atlantic, and up the St. Lawrence. 
In an American periodical, Silllmn7ds Jour- 
^fl/. No. 57, published in April, 1835, there 
is the following communication to the 
Editor : — 
Kingston, Upper Canada, OctoberSl, 1834. 
“ Sir,— As a subscriber to your valuable 
journal, I take the liberty of asking of some 
of your scientific readers the rationale of the 
following experiment. 
“An individual is to place himself on a 
stool or a table on his back , with his arms and 
legs crossed, keeping the whole body stiff; 
four or six others are then to place themselves 
at about equal distances, by the sides of the 
first,— say tw’o at the shoulders, two about 
the middle of the body, and the others by the 
hips and thighs. Extending the fore-fingers 
of each hand so as to touch the body, some- 
what underneath. At a given signal, the 
whole party are to take as full an inspiration 
as possible, and at another given signal, 
simultaneously to respire very slowly, gently 
pressing the body upwards at the same time, 
when it will be found to rise with a very 
slight effort, and to continue rising until the 
