400 Notices of Books. [July, 
works of Lee, Gregory, Teste, Deleuze, and others. How, then, 
can any number of individual failures aflecft the question of the 
reality of the comparatively rare successes. As well deny that 
any rifleman ever hit the bull’s-eye at 1000 yards, because none 
can he sure of hitting it always, and at a moment’s notice. Several 
pages are devoted to the failure of Alexis and Adolphe Didier 
under test conditions in England, ending with the sneering 
remark, “ Nothing, so far as I am aware, has ever been since 
heard of this par nobile fratrum .” Would it (to use an estab- 
lished formula) surprise Dr. Carpenter to hear that these gentle- 
men remained in England a considerable time after the date he 
alludes to, that they have ever since retained their power and 
reputation, and that both still practise successfully medical 
clairvoyance, the one in London, and the other in Paris? To 
balance the few cases of failure by Alexis, Dr. Lee has given his 
personal observations of ten times as many successes, some of 
them of the most startling kind (“Animal Magnetism,” pp. 255, 
277). We can only find room here for two independent and 
complete tests. The first is given by Serjeant Cox as witnessed 
by himself. A party of experts was planned to test Alexis. A 
word was written by a friend in a distant town and enclosed in 
an envelope, without any of the party knowing what the word 
was . This envelope was enclosed successively in six others of 
thick brown paper, each sealed. This packet was handed to 
Alexis, who placed it on his forehead, and in three minutes and 
a half wrote the contents correcfily, imitating the very hand- 
writing. (“What am I,” vol. ii., p. 167.) Now unless this 
statement by Serjeant Cox is absolutely false, a thousand 
failures cannot outweigh it. But we have, if possible, better 
evidence than this; and Dr. Carpenter knows it, because I called 
his attention to it in the “ Daily News.” Yet he makes no 
allusion to it. I refer to the testimony of Robert Houdin, the 
greatest of modern conjurers, whose exploits are quoted by 
Dr. Carpenter, when they serve his purpose (pp. 76, hi). He 
was an absolute master of card-tricks, and knew all their possi- 
bilities. He was asked by the Marquis de Mirville to visit 
Alexis, which he did twice. He took his own new cards, dealt 
them himself, but Alexis named them as they lay on the table, and 
even named the trump before it was turned up. This was 
repeated several times, and Houdin declared that neither chance 
nor skill could produce such wonderful results. He then took 
a book from his pocket and asked Alexis to read something eight 
pages beyond where it was opened at a specified level. Alexis 
pricked the place with a pin, and read four words, which were 
found at the place pricked nine pages on. He then told Houdin 
numerous details as to his son, in some of which Houdin had 
tried to deceive him, but in vain ; and when it was over Houdin 
declared it “ stupefying,” and the next day signed a declaration 
that the report of what took place was correct, adding, “ the 
