doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange."

But I must not pursue this, lest, in your wit, you find reason to
compare me to that great philosopher, who gravely asserted that he had
discovered how to make a mermaid, but abstained from using the
receipt; and I am quite sure you are not likely to resemble the
learned Dr Farmer, who folded down the page for future experiment.[37]

It is not very long ago that I was discussing subjects of this kind
with our acute friend S---- V----. I send you a letter received from
him, written, I presume, more for you than myself; for I told him I
was on the point of answering yours, which he read. His attempt to
account for any of his stories by common coincidences, is rather
indicative of his naturally inquisitive mind than of his real belief;
and I suspect he has been led into that train of argument by his
hostility to mesmerism, which he pronounces to be a cheat from
beginning to end; and he cannot but see that, granting mesmerism, the
step in belief beyond is easy. He would, therefore, have no such
stepping stone; and lest confidence in dreams, omens, &c., should make
mesmerism more credible, he has been a little disposed to trim his own
opinions on the subject. You will judge for yourself--here is his
letter:--

"My dear --------,--You desire me to give you a written account
of the dreams which I related to you when we lately met, and
amused ourselves with speculations on these mysterious phenomena.

"_Dream I._--Mrs X----, when a child, was attached to Captain
T----, R.N. She had been brought up from infancy by her uncle and
aunt, with whom she resided, and with whom Captain T---- had long
been on terms of the most intimate friendship and regard. At the
time to which I now refer, Captain T---- commanded a frigate in
the West Indies, where he had been stationed for some months;
letters had been occasionally received from him; his health had
not suffered from the climate, nor had any of his friends in
England the least reason to apprehend that a man of his age, good
constitution, and temperate habits, by whom also the service in
which he was engaged had been eagerly desired, would be likely to
suffer from the diseases of these latitudes. One morning Mrs
X----, (then Miss X----,) appeared at the breakfast table with an
expression of grief on her countenance, that at once induced her
uncle a