r in the very existence of the state
in question, can add weight to my testimony, my reader, should he
also be a heretic on the subject, may be assured that his
incredulity in this respect can scarcely be greater than mine was,
up to the winter of 1836. That, at the time I mention, I should be
both ignorant and prejudiced on the score of mesmerism, will not
surprise those who are aware of its long proscription in England,
and the want of information upon it, which, till very lately,
prevailed there.

"In the course of a residence at Antwerp, a valued friend detailed
to me some extraordinary results of mesmerism, to which he had been
an eyewitness. I could not altogether discredit the evidence of one
whom I knew to be both observant and incapable of falsehood; but I
took refuge in the supposition that he had been ingeniously
deceived. Reflecting, however, that to condemn before I had
examined was as unjust to others as it was unsatisfactory to
myself, I accepted readily the proposition of my friend to
introduce me to an acquaintance of his in Antwerp, who had learned
the practice of the mesmeric art from a German physician. We waited
together on Mr K----, the mesmeriser, (an agreeable and
well-informed person,) and stated to him that the object of our
visit was to prevail on him to exhibit to us a specimen of his
mysterious talent. To this he at first replied that he was rather
seeking to abjure a renown that had become troublesome--half the
world viewing him as a conjurer, and the other half as a getter-up
of strange comedies; 'but,' he kindly added, 'if you will promise
me a strictly private meeting, I will, this evening, do all in my
power to convince you that mesmerism is no delusion.' This being
agreed upon, with a stipulation that the members of my own family
should be present on the occasion, I, to remove all doubt of
complicity from every mind, proposed that Mr K---- should mesmerise
a person who should be a perfect stranger to him. To this he
readily acceded; and now the only difficulty was to find a subject
for our experiment. At length we thought of a young person in the
middling class of life, who had often done fine work for the ladies
of our family, and of whose character we had the most favourable
knowledge. Her mother was Irish,