national evils which now appear to be permanent, it is not a very pleasant task to quit the consideration of these higher principles, to deal with the scientific laws which govern the phenomena. Yet the duty must be performed, and while the majority of people are occu pied in witnessing the varied phenomena of thrilling interest seen in spirit circles, men of science will for long ages to come have to plod steadily at their work, collecting stones in the shape of facts, and gradually building up a staircase of knowledge and common sense, till the nature of the border-land between this world and the next is thoroughly understood. In the unknown region into which Spiritualism has so sud denly introduced its first students, there is so much resembling “ the stuff that dreams are made of,” that but for the physical phenomena research would appear to be hopeless. But, as in every other portion of God’s universe, let the observer but investigate carefully, the shadowy region around gradually begins to yield up to him some of those laws and truths which are ever con cealed from idle and superstitious spectators. Any opinions about the facts which are advanced at this early date are necessarily put forward with caution, and are liable to error, so the succeeding portion of this article should be accepted only with due reservation. One great established fact is that spirits have the power, to a very great extent, of reading the thoughts of those in the same condition of life as themselves and among the higher spirits especially thought-read ing rather than speech seems to be the ordinary method of conversation. The eye of the human body can see only within a given distance and within a limited radius, whereas to the clairvoyant eye of the spirit distance offers little obstruction, nor does the interven tion of common matter intercept vision. In many other respects also, spirits have powers or senses of a superior nature to those appertaining to the human body; so much higher indeed, that observers are as much perplexed upon witnessing such great and unex pected powers, as a caterpillar would be, were a butter fly to settle on the leaf before it, and say, “ As I am so shall you be." These two facts of the power of thought-reading and clairvoyant vision possessed by spirits, have been selected from a vast number of others, to help to prove the point which it is probable that future research will establish, namely—that the spiritual world is as high above the animal world, as the animal world is higher than the vegetable world. Assuming this simple explanation to be true, there is nothing surprising that the greatest intellects should feel overwhelmed for a time by the apparent hopeless ness of attempting to gain accurate knowledge as to the method of production of spiritual phenomena. Suppose a vegetable could think, and that a cabbage saw an animal, say a horse, for the first time, how utterly overwhelmed the cabbage would feel, to see a new vegetable walking about on four stalks, with its roots in its stomach. The cabbage would be obliged either to adopt the theory that it was a miracle, or that the animal world was as high above the vegetable world, as the vegetable world is above the mineral world. The latter assumption on the part of the cab bage would show most sense, especially when it saw that the horse, like itself, was influenced by material conditions, such, for instance, as temperature. This brings us to the true relation of spiritual phenomena to experimental natural philosophy. Mathematics is the highest and purest form of science, demonstrating its positions beyond all doubt or question. Who, for instance, can doubt that two and two make four, or that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points? Experimental science comes next in order, for by weight, calculation, and measurement, its chief points can be established. Notwithstanding this, the experimental sciences are surrounded by a penumbral region, and are based upon the assumption of the reality of vibrating atoms; that there are such atoms cannot be proved, and if there be none, many of the theories in the books of the leading members of the Royal Society fall to the ground, although of course their experiments stand firm. Out side the experimental sciences, come ethnology, political economy, and other studies, where the influences at work are so numerous, that an approximation only to accuracy is seen in the results. Physical science