far beyond what any mere unassisted human being could possibly accomplish; and must of necessity have been wrought by demoniacal power. Take the following as illustrations in point.

In an article on the "Autobiography of the Emperor Jehangueir," which appeared about 40 years ago in a number of "The Quarterly Review," the following account is given of some of the wonders, which were performed by several Bengal jugglers before that Emperor. Among many other things, they "in a moment covered a pond with ice sufficiently strong to bear an elephant." "They caused two tents to be set up, the one at the distance of a bow shot from the other, the doors or entrances being placed exactly opposite; they raised the tent-walls all around, and desired that it might be particularly observed that they were entirely empty. Then, fixing the tent walls to the ground, two of the seven men entered, one into each tent, none of the other men entering into either of the tents. Thus prepared, they said they would undertake to bring out of the tents any animal we chose to mention, whether bird or beast, and set them in conflict with each other. Khaun-e-Jahaun, with a smile of incredulity, required them to show us a battle between two ostriches. In a few minutes two ostriches of the largest size issued, one from either tent, and attacked each other with such fury that the blood was seen streaming from their heads; they were at the same time so equally matched, that neither could get the better of the other, and they were there

fore separated by the men, and conveyed within the tent. In short, they continued to produce from either tent whatever animal we chose to name, and before our eyes set them to fight in the manner I have attempted to describe; and although," says the writer, "I have exerted my utmost invention to discover the secret of the contrivance, it has been entirely without success."

Continuing his narrative, he says, "they were furnished with a bow and about fifty steel-pointed arrows. One of the seven men took the bow in hand, and shooting an arrow into the air, the shaft stood fixed at a considerable height; he shot a second arrow, which flew straight to the first, to which it became attached, and so with every one of the remaining arrows, to the last of all, which striking the sheaf suspended in the air, the whole immediately broke asunder, and came at once to the earth. They produced a chain of fifty cubits in length "-I suppose about seventy-five feet-" and in my presence threw one end of it towards the sky, where it remained, as if fastened to something in the air. A dog was then brought forward, and being placed at the lower end of the chain, instantly ran up, and reaching the other end, immediately disappeared in the air. In the same manner a hog, a panther, a lion, and a tiger, were alternately sent up the chain, and all equally disappeared at the upper end of the chain. At last they took down the chain, and put it into a bag, no one ever discovering in what way the different animals

were made to vanish into the air in the mysterious manner above described. This I may venture to affirm," says the narrator, was beyond measure strange and surprising;" as indeed it was.

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This power of fixing things in the air, seemingly without support, we shall see frequently possessed, and exercised, by Spiritualistic mediums: and indeed some marvellous instances of this kind have been exhibited in public, from time to time, by so-called professors of mesmerism. A lady told me that about six or seven years ago, she witnessed in a large town in the North of England a sight which very greatly astonished her. A professor of mesmerism was operating upon a young girl of between sixteen and seventeen years of age. She was called "The beautiful Astarte "-Astarte being the name of the Assyrian Venus! She was a lovely girl, with a very beautiful figure, which was shewn to perfection; as she was dressed in flesh-colored silk tights, with a short tunic only round her waist, which reached no more than one-third of the way down her thighs. Among other things, the mesmerizer put her into the mesmeric sleep, whilst she was standing upright; when she remained in that position perfectly rigid. He then placed a thick wand under one of her arms, and gently lifting up the lower part of the arm, he reclined her head gracefully upon her hand. Then retiring from her to a short distance, he waived the other arm in a horizontal position away from her body; in which position it remained perfectly motionless. He then in a similar manner, waived up one of

her legs, which remained suspended horizontally, level with the arm. After which he waived up her whole body into the same horizontal position: when she actually remained thus rigidly fixed in the air, as if suspended upon nothing: while her head still rested upon the hand of her other arm, which remained leaning upon the wand: the wand itself still continuing to stand in an upright position, and perfectly motionless, as if it had not been in the least degree subjected to any strain whatever! My informant told me that the people present seemed awe-struck; and that they all retired from the building in silence, as if they had (as she herself felt that she had), seen something weird and supernatural: as no doubt they had.

Take another instance. Several sects in Persia and Hindostan regard the art of apparent death as part of their religious ritual, and practise it with the assiduity of devotees. In the ancient books of the Hindoos it is called "stopping the breath." The writer of an article in Scribner's Monthly for December, 1880, quotes the following facts from Sir Claude M. Wade, political resident at Ludianah, and agent to the British Government at the Court of Runjeet Singh. A fakir, he says, was buried for forty days, then disentombed and resuscitated. Sir Claude says, that although he arrived at the spot a few hours after the fakir was interred, he had the testimony of Runjeet Singh himself, and the most credible witnesses at his Court, as to the truth of the fakir having been so buried before them; and having been present himself when he was

disinterred and restored to vitality, in a position so close to him as to render deception impossible. Sir Claude firmly believes that there was no collusion in producing the extraordinary fact which he relates. When the forty days were ended, Sir Claude accompanied the Rajah and suite to the spot where the fakir was interred. The building was first examined. It contained four doors, three of which had been hermetically sealed, and the fourth fastened by a strong door, plastered with mud up to the padlock and sealed with the Rajah's private seal, in his own presence, at the date when the fakir was entombed. The walls and door-ways bore no marks of having been disturbed. Runjeet Singh, himself a little sceptical, identified the impression of the seal. Besides these precautions, the Rajah had kept two companies of his personal escort stationed near the building, from which four sentinels were furnished and relieved every two hours, night and day, to protect the fakir from intrusion. One of his principal officers also regularly visited the spot, and reported to the Minister of State; whilst the Rajah himself kept the key of the padlock.

On the door being opened, Runjeet Singh and Sir Claude entered the dark room, accompanied by the servant of the fakir. In a cell three feet below the surface of the square apartment was a wooden box containing the body of the experimentalist. This box was locked and sealed in the same way as the outer door. The cell was so small that, on trying to sit down, their hands and knees came in contact with the body of the