; we then proposed that he (the
mesmeriser) should place his hand over the card; in short, that the card
should be blinded and not the eye. Our reason will be obvious. According
to the known laws of vision, viz. the convergence of all the rays of
light to a focus in the eye, were the least part of this exposed,
vision, though imperfect, of every object within the visual angle, would
follow; but, were the object covered, a partial opening would assist
vision but little, and only _quoad_ the part exposed. The experiment
thus performed would have been optically conclusive; and we cannot see,
according to any of the mesmeric hypotheses, any mesmeric reason why it
should not have succeeded: it was, however, declined. We are obliged to
omit many other points in this evening's proceedings to avoid prolixity.
Though many facts were curious, and certainly not easy of explanation by
ordinary means, there was nothing which defied it; every _experimentum
crucis_ failed, and we, of course, remained unconvinced.

The third case which we shall instance, was one at which we were also
personally present. Having been invited to view the mesmeric experiments
of Dr B., we arrived at his house, with a friend, at about ten in the
morning, and having been duly introduced to the Doctor in one room, were
instantly ushered into another, when a scene presented itself certainly
one of the most extraordinary we have ever witnessed. There were seven
females in the room, and not one man. On a sofa near the fire-place, a
young girl sat upright, supported by cushions, her eyes were fixed, and
opposite her stood a middle-aged woman, slowly moving her hands before
the eyes of the patient. On the hearth-rug near this lay a woman covered
with a coarse blanket. She appeared sound asleep, was breathing heavily,
and looked deadly pale. A third patient was seated on a chair, also
undergoing the mesmeric passes from another woman; and on the opposite
side of the room from the fire-place, two others were seated on chairs,
with their heads hanging on their shoulders, and eyes closed.
Description cannot convey the mystic and fearful appearance of this room
and its inmates to the first glance of the unexpectant spectator. Not a
word was spoken; the solemn silence, the immobility and deathlike pallor
of the objects, was awful--they were as breathing corpses. The clay-cold
nuns evoked from their tombs, presented not a more unearthly spectacle
to Robert of Normandy. Th