MR. HOME'S AFFIDAVIT In the Chancery suit of Lyon v. Home, for the recovery of certain monies given by Mrs. Lyon to Mr. Home against the advice of her lawyer and her friends, Mr. Home made an affidavit, from which the following is an extract: “I Daniel Dunglass Home, of 22, Sloane-street, in the County of Middlesex, one of the above-named de fendants, make oath and say as follows: “I was born in Scotland on the 20th of March, 1839, and from my childhood have been subject to the occa sional happening of singular physical phenomena in my presence, which are most certainly not produced by me or by any other person in connection with me. I have no control over them whatever: they occur irregularly and even when I am asleep. Sometimes I am many months, and once I have been a year without them They will not happen when I wish, and my will has nothing to do with them. I cannot account for them further than by supposing them to be effected by intelli gent beings or spirits. Similar phenomena occur to many other persons. ... These phenomena occurring in my presence have been witnessed by thousands of intelligent and respectable persons, including men of business, science, and literature, under circumstances which would have rendered, even if I desired it, all trickery impossible. They have been witnessed repeat edly and in their own private apartments, when an contrivance of mine must have been detected, by their Majesties the Emperor and the Empress of the French their Majesties the Emperor, Empress and late Empress Dowager of Russia, their Imperial Highnesses the Grand Duke and Dnchess Constantine of Russia and the mem bers of their august family, their Majesties the King of Prussia, the late King of Bavaria, the present and late King of Würtemberg, the Queen of Holland, and the members of the Royal Family of Holland; and many of these august personages have honoured, and I be lieve still honour, me with their esteem and goodwill, a I have resided in some of their palaces as a gentleman and their guest, and not as a paid or professional per son. They have had ample opportunities, which the have used, of investigating these phenomena, and of inquiring into my character. I have resided in America, England, France, Italy, Germany, and Russia, and in every country I have been received as a guest and friend by persons in the highest position in society, who were quite competent to discover and expose, as the ought to have done, anything like contrivance on my part to produce these phenomena. I do not seek, and never have sought, the acquaintance of any of these exalted personages. They have sought me, and I have thus had a certain notoriety thrust upon me. I do not take money, and never have taken it, although it has been repeatedly offered me for or in respect of these phenomena, or the communications which appear to be made by them. I am not in the habit of receiving those who are strangers to me, and I never force the subject of Spiritualism on any one’s attention. ... Some of the phenomena in question are noble and elevated, others appear to be grotesque and undignified. For this I am not responsible, any more than I am for the many grotesque and undignified things which are undoubtedly permitted to exist in the material world. I solemnly swear that I do not produce the phenomena aforesaid, or in any way whatever aid in producing them," &c. “I have been subjected to much persecution through out my life, because of my conscientious belief as to the meaning and great purpose of spiritual phenomena taken as a whole. That belief I have not, like the plaintiff, foresworn. I have always courted the strictest investigation, although I have not condescended to notice all the attacks and anonymous slanders that have been circulated respecting me. The book shown to me at the time of swearing this affidavit, marked H 8, con tains a correct list of upwards of 1,300 letters, with the writers' names, which I still retain (after having de stroyed about 10,000), written to me by persons of ever, rank and class, including persons of the highest social, political, literary, and scientific position, who have in vestigated these phenomena, and corresponded with me about them. After the fullest opportunitics of examina tion, they have formed different opinions as to their origin and meaning; but I believe that all are thoroughly satisfied of my entire honesty in the matter and lately, while the plaintiff’s basc and unfounded charges of fraud and imposition have been hangin, over me, and during the months of January and February, 1868, these phenomena have been thoroughl tested by another scientific man, named Mr. Hawkins Simpson, the inventor of electrical apparatus, including one for printing at a distance by the telegraph—a drawing and description of which were, as I am in formed and believe, given in the Engineer newspaper of the 15th November, 1867." Omitting the remainder of Mr. Home's affidavit, the following evidence given by him before the Dialectical Society, is of interest: “He had seen a pencil lifted by a spirit hand write on paper in the presence of the Emperor Napoleon. This took place in a large room, the Salon Louis Quinze. The Empress was also present. The hand, after writing, went to the Emperor, who kissed it ; it then went to the Empress; she withdrew from the touch, and the hand followed her. The Emperor said, Do not be fright ened, kiss it!' She then kissed it, and it shortly after wards disappeared. The writing was an autograph of the Emperor Napoleon I. The Emperor of Russia had also seen and handled spirit hands, which after wards seemed to melt away into thin air. The Emperor Napoleon has been at a great many of Mr. Home's séances, and Mr. Home was asked by members of the Dialectical Society te state other things which had been observed on those occasions. Mr. Home said that he did not feel at liberty to state any more than the Emperor was in the habit of telling himself.