A VERY REMARKABLE EXPERIMENT. 
283 
breath is exhausted, when it will suddenly 
fall down with great force. The operators 
must be prepared for this circumstance, and 
immediately pass their arms under the body 
to break its fall ; it will also be well for one 
individual to hold a pillow under the head 
for the same purpose. The experiment ap- 
pears to succeed best in a closed room, and 
if the inspirations and respirations are not 
uniform, it will fail. I first saw it tried about 
twenty years ago, but have never yet heard 
or seen any satisfactory explanation of it. 
“ I am not aware that it involves any prin- 
ciple adverse to the known laws of gravitation, 
but it certainly appears for a short time to 
act independently of them. If you deem it 
(this letter) worthy of a passing notice, I 
should be glad to see it ; if otherwise, let it 
be deposited in the Archives of the College 
ofLaputa. “ lam, Sir, respectfully yours, 
“ James Nickalls, Jr.” 
In this account respiration is one of the 
conditions, and the experiment differs in some 
other respects from SirDavid’s, not materially, 
however ; but so far as it does, the feat is ren- 
dered still moreimprobable, This gentleman 
also states that he “ saw it tried about twenty 
years” before, and still, in 1834, “ he had 
never yet heard or seen any satisfactory expla- 
nation of it !” 
What shall be believed, then, of § this extra- 
ordinary fact, so extensively promulgated in 
the Old Hemisphere, and echoed back from 
the New? We agree with the editor, in the 
journal above referred to, that“ it is desirable 
that it should be decided either that the ap- 
pearance is illusory, or that a reasonable 
cause should be assigned,” and also with Sir 
David Brewster, who says, at the conclusion 
of the extract given, that“ the subject merits 
a careful investigation,” 
We have the satisfaction of laying before 
our readers an investigation and decision, 
made with a most careful attention to all the 
circumstances described by Sir David Brews- 
ter. We have been permitted by an “ Ex- 
perimental Society,” which holds its meetings 
in London, to have access to that part of their 
minute-book, in which the introduction and 
investigation of this very subject, and the 
final decision of the Society, are recorded. 
In order that the weight due to this investiga- 
tion and decision may be properly estimated, 
we shall state, that though none of the mem- 
bers possess names which are to be compared 
with the splendour of those of the knight or 
of the baronet in question, yet some of them 
have distinguished themselves in the scientific 
world, and they all have a reputation for vera- 
city, sufficient ability, habits of observation 
and patient inquiry, quite sufficient to qualify 
them to form a competent jury to try the 
question. 
Though the members of this society systema- 
tically avoid notoriety as a body, the name 
of the members who assisted in this experi- 
ment may, in this particular case, be known, 
if any person should think it worth while to 
express the wish for them. 
We also, for the same purpose of proving 
the confidence that maybe placed in an in- 
vestigation by these gentlemen, shall state 
shortly their mode of proceeding. When a 
subject is decided by them to be worthy of ex- 
periment, a director of the investigation is ap- 
pointed, at whose command all the means that 
the society, as a body, or each individual so 
disposed, can furnish ; and to avoid distraction 
and confusion, and ensure effective co-oper- 
ation, his instructions are implicitly followed. 
At the conclusion of an experiment, made un- 
der these circumstances, the whole of the mem- 
bers present discuss the proceeding, and sug- 
gest any omissions they may have observed ; 
if these are important, the experiment is re- 
peated, and so on, until every doubt of every 
individual is removed, and unanimity ob- 
tained. This result cannot always be arrived 
at by one experiment, or in one meeting jit 
was not on the subject in question, but the 
process is repeated until itis accomplished. 
It was under such a procedure that the fact 
described by Sir David Brewster was exa- 
mined. Almost every member of the society 
was, at one time or other, “ t/ie load or the 
bearer,” hut particularly the heaviest and the 
lightest persons of the number were always 
lifted. As might be expected, the opinions 
were various in the first experiments. The 
differences however became less and less as 
the investigation went on and the proofs were 
multiplied; and at length they entirely va- 
nished. The final unanimous verdict of the 
society being, that no such effect was pro- 
duced as that described in the Letters on 
Natural Magic, that there was nothing what- 
ever remarkable produced by the mode of 
lifting: and that the facility which was ac- 
quired in the lifting was no more than might 
be expected from the promptness which the 
bearers, by practice, acquired in acting 
uniformly together, upon a given signal. The 
feat of raising and supporting even their 
most minute member upon the fore-fingers 
of six persons, they found quite impractica- 
ble. 
If this verdict should, by any accident, 
reach the ear of Sir David Brewster, and 
he should think any further trial necessary, 
we are authorized to say, that the“ Experi- 
mental Society” wish it to be understood 
that they are ready to undertake it, under 
any modification that he may be kind 
enough to suggest; and, after following his 
instructions with the most scrupulous ac- 
curacy, to state the result to the public.* 
Until some such re-agitation of the ques- 
tion should take place, we think after 
the above investigation, it must be admitted 
that the appearances described by Sir David 
Brewster were illusory and that no reason- 
able cause can be assigned which will pro- 
duce such effects. VVe think, also, that 
* Notwithstanding the conclusions at which 
the Experimental Society have arrived, we 
recommend to our readers a trial of the expe- 
riment, and they will be satisfied that the effects 
are really astonishing .—Ed. India Review- 
