The Express.
London, England, 1864-10-19 00:00:00

THE "DAVENPORT BROTHERS.

The Messrs. J. and W. Davenport, with Mr.
Fay, Mr. Ferguson, and Mr. Palmer, having had their sp.
parsec* prepared for pretty well by Mr. Dion Boncicanit
and others, are now about to commence business as public
and private conjurors. They have availed themselves to
the utmost of what is technically known as the " puff in-
direct,* and to obtain • mere direct recognition of their
merits, they issued the following card wholesale to the
" prime " and ite bangers-on :
" Fireantens OP rue Davreporr BBOTIMIS 121
1111-111Z-PAPOLLL PHILOBOPIIY.—The phenomena occurring
in their presence have been differently ascribed by some to
what is termed ' spiritual agency'—by others to legerde-
main. Some attribute them toe power analogous to mes-
meric influence, and resident in the human body, the im-
ams of which is at present unknown. The operators them-
selves ere in ignorance of the means employed, and of the
source of the power they possess. The pleasure of your
company is requested at • seance to be held on Tuesday.
Oct. 18, e►ening, at 7i o'clock, Hanover-equare Eooms.—l
am, yours, he., H. D. num, Manager of the Davenport
Brothers. Admitting one person only—not transferable."

The experiments which took plane at this Mance (it was •
" meeting" when the showman's art was in its infamy) were
not so startling as those which Mr. Boucicanit described in
hie recently published letter. The two brothers were tied
with thin Manilla ropes of their own providing inside their
cabin/A, a structure like an oaken wardrobe, with a seat
Axed round its interior. They were tied by two gentlemen,
selected from amongst the audience, who were too well.
known to be suspected as confederates. One of those gen.
Omen was Mr. Charles Reads. The brothers est opposite
each other at each mad of the cabinet, and were tied ac-
cording to their own directions. The ropes were secured
tightly round their writhe and ankles, and also
fastened through boles in the amts. Their writs were laid
behind them, but be whole mama& system of each man
was let t practically free, this being • 000dition which the
performers insist upon. The knots, of which there IMO
many, were not sealed, as described in Mr. Boncicault's
letter, and one suggestion that they should be bound with
packihreed was not acceded to. The floor of the cabinet
being covered with • tambourine, a fiddle, • guitar, a beU, •
•peeking trumnet, and an offensive-looking battered weapon,
which a something between • bludgeon sad • Kent bugle,
the three swing doors of the cabinet were closed, and the
noises—deseribed in former notiose—immediately began.
The instruments were kioked and sounded, one or two were
thrown out of a Mal loophole in the oinks doers
end after this there was • wild concert, accompanied by
battering on the panels of the cabinet. When thia noise
cased the doors were thrown open by Mr. Ferguson and
the two gentlemen appointed by the audience, and the two
brothers were discovered seated, and tied to all appeerance
as they were before the doors were closed. The doors were
again shut, and after the tepee of about three minutes the
brothers were discovered free, with all the ropes lying at
their feet. Once more they were shut in, and in about five
minutes they were discovered securely tied mein in a
very similar fashion, thus proving—perhaps unwisely—
that they were 1 able Ito get in and out of their bonds.
The rune performances were repeated when their bands
were filled with (Icor, thus proving—perhaps on.
wisely—that they can slip out of their bonds without on.
tying the knob. Mr. Charles Reads took • met in the
cabinet between the two brothers with hie hands secured as
tightly as theirs, aad when the doom were opened he was
discovered decorated with all the musical and discordant

instruments. The tambourine was placed on his head in
the form of a crown, and he said that he had felt hands
passing over him in the dark.

The coat-trick, described by Mr. Bondman, wan
not attempted, and • ring of the visitors wee
famed in the dark, bat no " mandadatioes
could be obtained. After the roan was cleared of
one-half the vintners, another ring was formed, but not even
a " dying guitar" could be prevailed upon to take a flight
round the room. Thin was the only part of the performance
which reminded us of the affectation of the Medium Forster,
except that there was nom of his fat madly breathing, bed
acting, and affected agony. The Brothers Davenport, to do
them justice, are two rather gentlemanly young man, aged
about 24, short and wiry, fairly muscular, and weighing
about eight stone each. What we eaw them do is • very
clever variation on the well-known rope-tying with.
performed in a cabinet which can be fitted op In
any room, and is open to any ordinary examination.
If they will get rid of that statement in their prompectue
about their iguoranoe of the means employed, they will be
entitled to • fair notice of their performances. With their
(needs and managers they are numerous enough to form a
joint-stock limited company, but trade bow they may they
mast hide quickly. The public is very fickle in them mat-
ters, and some time has been lost in beginning. Their terms,
we believe, are ten guineas • nano, and their address is
308, Begent-etreet.

FOREIGN-OPTIC; OCT. it —The Queen has been
toat
aim"
tar as
Zit at
i.ntirdTown or dalb.. Highness
pleased been
to prove
of H. Carl Shoos Poops as Osier at Cape Town for the
Free Hanseatic City of Lubeck. The Quern has also been
pleased to approve of M. Carl Simon l'oppe as Consul at
Cape Town, and Mr. William Thompens r Consul fur the
Province of New Brunswick, for the Free Harriet City of
Bremen.—Gazette.

A RAJAH • CANDIDATE FOR A MILITARY COM-
MISSION.—WO neat that a mug and wealthy Bengal rajah
is a asatlidate for a in the military service of her
Majesty the Queen. The rajah in question takes his title
from Natters, which, according to Thornton, "is a town on
the route from Buskampore to Jumal in the British
disliked Itajeshabye, and distant, n from Calcutta, 196
miles." The application, we are itformed, has been well
received by the military branch of the government of India.
Sir Robert Napier regards it vory favourably, and as mili-
tary member of the Council of the Governor-General, placed
it before government for recommendation to the Secretary'
of State for 'edit. This Lu been done, end should Sir
Charles Wood fuel as favourably disposed, the next step will
be the recommendatory Pubreisrioc of the young rep. li's ap-
plication for her Majesty's ordeal thereon. It is unlikely the
Secretary of State will evince any indeposition to do this ;
bat it is not so certain the Horse Guards and War.
office will be found as favourably inclined. There are, how-
ever, so pounds for signaling". that either the Duke of
Cambridge or the minister at the War-office will oppose
r erc:rsusuperable obstacle. Even now, there are several
in the service who cannot claim to be British bore,
and some whine very colour proclaims they an not suck ;
and, all things coneklared, an Indian rajah, if physically
and educationally qualified, is at lent as wall entitled to
the honour of earring the Quest) is the commissioned
grades of the army, as if he were of creole blood, to say
nothing of the superiority of his claims to thous of outlets
from Germany, or from the self-expatriated royalist
families of Frau....—Tian of India, August 29.
ROYAL FEES HOSPITAL, OWni-tnn-nocri.-The
number of patients relieved at this hawks,' during the week
ending 154 k October was 3,314, of which 1,284 were new
WSW