18 
Strictures on the Divining Rod. [Aug* L 
continued till past thiee o’clock. The 
company were highly entertained 
with the illumination in the gardens, 
which had a fine effect from the front 
wing of the house. Facing the tempo¬ 
rary room was erected a large Ionic 
portico, supported by four large trans¬ 
parent columns of a bright pink colour. 
On a scroll on tile pediment were the 
following words:— 44 Sacred to pro¬ 
pitious Venus.” In the centre of the 
pediment was a shield, with the Hamil¬ 
ton and Stanley arms quartered, the 
whole supported by a band of Cupids, 
who appeared to great advantage by the 
assistance of four pyramids of light. 
Several pyramids of light were like¬ 
wise erected in several parts of the gar¬ 
dens. The whole of this festival was 
conducted by Gen. Burgoyne. The 
company were so highly pleased that 
they did not leave till four in the 
morning. Many who had been at Fete 
Champetres in France, declared they 
never saw any one equal to Lord 
Stanley’s. 
This Fete Champetre was afterwards 
imitated at Drury-lane Theatre. 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine . 
SIR, 
OUR correspondent Mr. William 
Partridge, in No. 351, page 136, 
having stated his object to be, the 
calling of 44 the attention of scientific 
men” to his assertions of 44 being in 
possession of the gift of working the 
Divining Rod,” for the discovery of 
hidden springs of water, and above all 
his having mentioned the names and 
addresses of six or eight respectable 
individuals, to whom he appears to re¬ 
fer, as vouchers for the reality'of his 
pretentions, I cannot refrain from re¬ 
plying to his letter. It is worthy of 
remark, that the 44 low, cunning, sot¬ 
tish fellow,” from whom Mr. P. seems 
to wish it to be inferred that he obtain¬ 
ed 4 * the gift,” rather than that this fel¬ 
low should lose a justly expected pe¬ 
cuniary reward, and to be branded as 
the practise]' of 44 a mere trick” into 
the bargain, is not said to have other¬ 
wise intended any such gift , or that he 
made, in fact, any communication to 
Mr. Partridge, besides exhibiting with 
the forked peach stick, in his presence: 
on his own shewing, therefore, I think, 
it appears that Mr. P. scarcely came 
honestly by 44 the gift,” of which now 
he boasts the profitable possession. 
Whether in making his first experi¬ 
ment, Mr. P. complacently shut his 
eyes or looked another way, while the 
44 cunning’’ Mr. Rankin hooked down 
the end of the stick, and broke it off 
at the forks, I will not pretend to say, 
but I appeal to the 44 Common Sense” 
of your work, Mr. Editor, whether such 
an impulse from Mr. R.’s hand be not 
a cause more adequate to the effect de¬ 
scribed by Mr. P. than the nonsensical 
cause 44 attraction,” so much scouted in 
your pages ; and more probable also, 
than that, as Mr. P. mentions in de¬ 
scribing the cunning operations of Mr. 
R. 44 the stick suddenly pressed down¬ 
wards ;” what but an absurd and im¬ 
possible cause, can be said, at one time 
to draw or attract , and at another, and 
under the very same circumstances (ex¬ 
cept the change of hands from Mr. R>. 
to Mr. P.) to press or repel. 
In describing his brother’s well, Mr. 
P. says, 44 if means had not been used 
to prevent the water running off 
through the walls, there is little doubt 
but it would have risen to and run over 
the top of the wellall this is to me 
a mystery ; as is also, 44 the proper 
lines for divining,” near to the top of 
the next colmmn.” I can have no doubt 
of the truth of Mr. P.’s assertion, 
a little further on, that a diviner 
(whether having the gift or not) may 
try 44 almost eveiy kind of wood with¬ 
out a perceptive difference nor have 
I the least doubt but 44 the divining rod 
will indicate the presence of metals as 
well as waterequally so, I firmly 
believe. 
At the notable performance by the 
Mendip gentleman, Mr. P. has informed 
us, that besides Messrs. Jones and Da¬ 
vis, there w’ere others present; this is 
a fortunate circumstance, since, as 
confederacy must, in my opinion, be 
referred to, for accounting for the pre¬ 
tended facts, it relieves me from a~ 
dilemma with respect to the parties 
named. 
In short, Mr. Editor, I am entirely 
without faith in the reality of Mr. Par¬ 
tridge’s pretensions; I am not of opinion 
from any thing which he has stated, 
that he possesses any supernatural or 
other 44 secret” means of judging of the 
situation of subterraneous springs of 
water, or other means than those of 
which experienced well-diggers, divi¬ 
ners, and others avail themselves daily, 
in almost every district in England ; 
indeed, the cause and operation of 
springs, as connected with the stratafi- 
cation, as originally taught by Mr. 
William Smith, the author of many 
maps, 
