General News. MRS. HARDINGE'’s History of Spiritualism will be out next month. THe DIALECTICaL SOCIETY.—Last week a general meet ing of the Dialectical Society was held at 1, Adam-street Adelphi, to pass the accounts, and to transact other routine business. The Committee of Inquiry on Spiritualism holds no meetings at present, but in a short time the work will be resumed. SPIRIT IDENTITY.—During the recent visit to England of Mr. J. M. Peebles, the medium, and the consul at Trebi zond to the government of the United States, Mr. Peeble went to York to test the identity of a spirit, who had given him very truthful communications for some years. The result was that the descriptions given of York and its old cathedral by the spirit proved true, and upon searching in the Will Office at York, an entry of the last century, relating to a brother of the spirit, was found there, as the spirit had stated would be the ease. Mr. Peebles has now reached Trebizond. CARLYLE ON SPIRITUALISM.—The eccentric writer, Mr. Thomas Carlyle, recently called Spiritualism, “The Liturgy of Dead Sea Apes.” Mr. George Tommy, of 12, Clare-street Bristol, wrote and asked him, “ Have you at any time, by the aid of your own senses, investigated the phenomena of modern Spiritualism?” Carlyle replied, “ By volitn. or except pas sively or by accidt. I never did; nor have I the least intentn. of ever doing.” A fac simile of this brief document is pub lished this month, both in the Spiritual Magazine and Human Nature. MRS. GERALD MASSEY.—Mr. Gerald Massey, poet, in the course of his evidence on Spiritualism before the Dialectical Society, said that the late Mrs. Gerald Massey was a medium and that her powers had been tested before the Duke of Argyll and others. Once the spirits referred him to some old editions of Shakspeare for some literary information which he much wanted ; and he found it there. He also had some unpleasant experiences connected with spiritualism ; on one occasion the spirits told him where to find the bones of a child buricd in his garden, and they were dug up accord ingly, to prove the truth of the statement. THe SPIRITUAL MAGAZINE.—The Spiritual Magazine for December, has some interesting contributions, including “A Remarkable Cure of M. Leon Favre,” and a description of the voice and musical manifestations at one of Mr. Child’ séances. Mr. Coleman gives an article on an attack upon Spiritualism, made by Mr. Holyoake at the Dialectica; Society Mr. William Howitt also gives a short contribution to the effect that the recently-deceased Rev. W. Harness, Prebendary of St. Paul’s, and a warm friend of Byron, was a firm believer in spiritual phenomena. He told Mr. Howitt, at the house of Miss Burdett Coutts, that he had published accounts of the appearance of departed friends to those left behind on earth and that he knew sueh things to be true ANTI-SPIRITUALISM IN WEST HARTLEPOOL.—A corres pondent writes that a lecturer, Mr. George Duncan, of Glasgow recently gave a course of lectures in the Temperance Hall West Hartlepool, on “ Modern Spiritualism a Delusion and a Snare.” The point of his remarks was to the effect that spiritual manifestations are not due to the known forces of nature, but to unknown forces, not however employed by beings out of the flesh. He could not explain their origin himself. He tried to obtain some of the manifestations in the presence of the audience, and failed. Three lectures were given, and there was a thin attendanee at each, LECTURES ON SPIRITUALISM.—Mr. John Jones, of Enmore Park, is about to begin the work of lecturing very actively in different parts of London, on Spiritualism. Most of these lec tures, he says, will include the three following ranges of sub jects :—“ 1. The blending of the natural with the supernatural 2. What do the phenomena teach? 3. Spiritualism and its witnesses.” The lectures will be short, to let a few speakers address the audience afterwards, and he will answer any ques tions that may be proposed. In his last lecture he said that “Spirits do not think as we do.” Other close observers have come to the same conclusion, and some very condensed infor mation about this and otber facts or possibilities, which he has noticed during his long experience at spirit circles, would be interesting to read. EAST LONDON ASSOCIATION OF SPIRITUALISTS.—This Association was first formed in June, 1868, under the presi dency of Mr. James Burns, and the first large general meeting took place in Stepney, on the 8th of July of the same year under the chairmanship of Mr. J. M. Speard. Monthly séances were from that time held regularly, and the finances of the association were much aided by Mr. Luxmoore, as well as by Mrs. Emma Hardinge, who gave some of her excellent lectures in aid of the funds. Meetings were afterwards held weekly, Messrs. Shorter, Cogman, and Goss, also assisting in the work, and at last the pressure on the part of the public for admission to the séances became greater than the circles could bear, but it is not so heavy now. The secretary is Mr. W. Cresswell, 11, Emma-street, Hackney-road. SPIRIT CIRCLES IN LONDON.—The pressure for admission to circles in London, where thoroughly good manifestation are obtained, is now very great. Séances in connection with the St. John’s Association of Spiritualists at Clerkenwell are overcrowded by the presence of strangers, who are admitted as freely as possible, but the pressure and the unfavourable conditions militate against getting the best results. Mr. Pearce, the secretary, writes that one of the circles is of a more private nature, although the public are not entirely ex cluded, and that the consequent quietness and freedom from interruption give superior results.—Mr. Cresswell, the secre tary of the East London Association of Spiritualists, writes that their numerous circles were at first completely unable to meet a tithe of the demand for admission on the part of the public, but that since less has been published about the locali ties of the circles, the pressure has been brought within reasonable limits.—Mr. Everitt, of Penton-street, Pentonville, has so many letters asking permission to see the very wonder ful manifestations that take place through the mediumship of Mrs. Everitt, that he is compelled, much against his will either to keep a clerk or to leave the letters unanswered. He reluctantly adopts the latter alternative, as Spiritualism has always been a commercial loss to him, though in itself it is a great boon and source of happiness. Mrs. Everitt says that the spirits out of the body, known to her, are much kinder and better than spirits in the body. This is good testimony coming, as it does, from one who has had so much experience. It is difficult to get sittings with Mr. Childs, because of the pressure.—There are only three or four paid media in all London, and one of the best of these, Mrs. Mary Marshall has been sitting at circles so much to meet the public de-