General News. Mr. JAMES BURNS has during the past fortnight been lecturing in Wales on Spiritualism and kindred subjects THE British and Foreign Mechanic has been printing some inaccurate statements about spirit photographs. The articles are so poorly written as to be not worth quoting. The watching of the Welsh fasting girl by four profes sional nurses from Guy’s Hospital, began yesterday week, and up to the present time, they have not detected her taking an food. MR. S. C. HALL, F.S.A., will give a lecture at the Literary Institute, Newington Causeway, on the evening of the 10th of February next. The subject he has chosen is, “The Fairy Legends of Ireland.” The chair will be taken a half-past eight o’clock. Mr. C. F. VARLEY, C.E., has been in the course of the past fortnight, assisting in the work of laying a submarine cable between the south coast of England and Cape Finisterre, for the purpose of establishing more direct communication between London and New York, via the French Atlantic cable. VISCOUNT ADARE is one of the Committee of “The Rev. Charles Voysey’s Defence Fund.” Among the other member of the Committee are Sir Charles Lyell, Bart., F.R.S., and Dean Stanley, of Westminster. Subscriptions are received by Messrs. Robarts, Lubbock, and Co., 15, Lombard-street E.C. ; and subscribers are not considered to pledge them selves to any of the Rev. Charles Voysey’s opinions. Mr. JOHN DE MORGAN, public lecturer and trance medium, Cork, is about to publish a “Guide to Health,” in which he says that all the systems of medical treatment will be reviewed and explained in clear and simple language ; instructions wil be given as to the treatment of diseases, and the best methods of keeping the body in good condition. SPIRITUALISM IN EAST LONDON.—For a long time the circle of of Mr. R. Cogman, 22, New-road, Whitechapel-road E.C., has been one of the best known and most popular in East London. Mr. Cresswell writes that Mr. Cogman’s mediumship has begun to change ; the physical manifestations are on the decline, and trance speaking has begun, though as yet it is only at times that the spirits have their vocal organs under full control. At one seance he poured forth streams of de votional poetry, “of a character that fully established its origin ality.” Mr. Herne, medium, was present, and was influenced in like manner. This mediumship is of the character men tioned in the November number of Temple Bar Magazine but not having been present at the manifestations, we cannot say whether the poetry is of the same high character as that quoted in the periodical just mentioned. SPIRIT IDENTITY.—Mr. R. Pearce, of 34, Halliford street, Downham-road, N., first had evidence of the truth of Spiritualism in the January of this year, through a good trance medium, Mrs. John Olive, 6, The Junction, Cambridge road, Kilburn, W. While he was present, Mrs. Olive passed into the trance state, and letting down her back hair, she motioned him to a low seat in front of the fire, then sat down by his side, and chatted to him at a madcap rate, every now and then calling him “ Dicky.” Mr. Olive asked Mr. Pearce whether he knew what it all meant. He said, “Yes, my little sister before she died, was in the habit of sitting like this, and playing with me nearly every Sunday. Afterwards while in her normal state, Mrs. Olive’s hand was moved by spirit influence, and she drew a picture of the front of Mr Pearce’s early home in Cornwall. There were three window above, and two below, with a door in the corner. The bottom windows had a few large panes of glass, and the upper windows many small ones. A creeping plant growing up the front of the house, was also represented ; and a willow-tree, as well as shrubs, and a garden path, were all drawn in their proper places. Since then he has followed up the subject and is now the Hon. Secretary to the St. John’s Association of Spiritualists in Clerkenwell. TRANCE MEDIUMSHIP.—In this number of the SPIRI TUALIST there is very much about trance-mediumship, and many persons may very reasonably ask “ What is the evidence that such manifestations are genuine?” The evidence that trance manifestations are real, is of the same nature as the proof that headaches are real. If an individual who all his life had not heard of such a thing as a headache, nor had met anybody so afflicted, were introduced to a person who said lie suffered from the complaint, the listener might think it was not true, it being contrary to his experience. But when he saw headaches breaking out among his own friends and rela tions, he would gradually know that they were real, and by ex perience would begin to know pretty accurately the symptoms which indicate whether they are real or assumed. The com munications received by trance-mediumship, are often very much higher and more intelligent than could be given by the medium in the normal state, and sometimes they are lower. We have been told of a fashionable lady who was suddenly convinced of the truth of trance-mediumship by seeing one of her daughters influenced at a circle, and made to whistle a tune with great vigour, to the great horror of the mother at the vulgarity of the act. Experienced Spiritualists do not care so much for the physical manifestations as strangers do, be cause so much time is saved by getting communications through the higher forms of mediumship. Signalling by table movements or raps is slow work. EAST LONDON ASSOCIATION OF SPIRITUALISTS. — On Tuesday, December 7th, Mr. R. Cogman, who intended to deliver a lecture to the East London Association of Spiri tualists, upon “Facts and Gleanings from the Science of Mind,” was unable to be present. Mr. S. C. E. Goss kindly supplied the place of Mr. Cogman, and gave a lecture upon “The Pioneers of Human Regeneration." He said that in examining the growth of a tree, its progress would be watched from the bursting of the germ-seed, to the development of trunk, branches, leaves, blossom, and fruit. In like manner he would trace the growth of the different religions of the earth, and show how they improved in quality as man grew sufficiently advanced to be able to appreciate higher teachings. After reviewing the religions of Buddha, Zoroaster, and man other teaehers, he spoke of Christianity, pointed out the