The Sun.
London, England, 1864-10-14 00:00:00

Tricks of Travellers.

(Irony the Builder.)
Under the heading of " The Brothers Davenport," a party
of adventurers from America five in number, here to exhibit

certain "manifestations," have been so fortunate as to obtain
such prominent notice by well-known writers in leading

journals as will doubtless send numbers of persons to them.
Written with candour, and describing, we have no doubt,

truthfully what occurred, the unquestionable inference to be

drawn from the notices nevertheless is, that the writers
believe they witnessed an exhibition of some unknown in-
telligence and force, " an annihilation of what are called

material laws ;" and the notices are thus calculated to do
much mischief. A week ago the write: was present at a
seance with the party in question, in the private house of a
distinguished gentleman; lords, ladies, naval captains,
poets, artists, and public writers formed the circle; two of
the mediums—not the Davenport Brothers, by the way, to

whom the power was at first attributed, as one of them
being unwell bad his place supplied—were tied to their
chairs in a manner that seemed quite secure, and then very
complete darkness being produced, guitars were strummed,
bells were rung, and individuals touched ; while, on the
candle being lighted, the two mediums were seen still tied
in their chairs.

Other acts followed, such as have been described in the
newspapers ; thus the coat of one of the performers was
whisked uff (in the dark), and a loose coat, opportunely in
the room, was whisked on. Again darkness, and the
removal of the cords was heard ostentatiously grating, anti
a light showed the performers unbound in their chairs, to
which afterwards they were again tied up by "an unknown
force 1"

When we say that half the eminent persons in the room
professed themselves thoroughly assured that other than
ordinary agencies had been at work, it will be supposed,
and rightly, that the tricks were cleverly played. The whole
affair, however, is too gross and preposterous to stand a
moment's reflection. On y admit that one of the two me-

diums so contrives, when being tied that he can free his
hands, and all else is perfectly simple. The whole proceed-
ing is not half so difficult to comprehend as some of the pro-
fessional conj urors' tricks, and it might be thought we were

wasting space in thus stepping beyond our province to de-
nounce the imposition; but when it is found that a Master
of Arts more than hints that these adventurers belong to a
quiet society, " the silent heralds of a social revolution,
which must shake the world I" and we know the extent of
the "colossal self-dee it," which permits itself to he made
stronger by such exhibittions—it becomes the duty of every
man who can obtain a hearing to assist in exposing the inju-
rious imposture.
By what curious shutting up of the reason intelligent
men and women can bring themselves to believe that those
cords were noisily pulled through the loops into wich they
had been twisted, and were afterwards put round the per-
former, and tied clumsily to the table, without hands, it is
difficult to say. Just reflect on one of their assertions,
that unless a circle is formed by the spectators, if people in
the dark can be so called, holding each other's hands. no-
thing can be done; and that if broken some one's head will
be so too; and recollect that after all it is no circle at all,
only a part of a circle, and it must surely suggest that this
threat is merely to prevent detection. It the writer, when
his own hand WAS pinched by a hardish thick hand with
very tangible nails, recognised with tolerable certainty as
that of one of the mediums, had sprung out and seized hold
of the arm beyond, he woull probably have received a blow
on the head with a handbell or guitar, but the trick would
have been made obvious to those who were willing to be
convinced. The entertainment closed by the table rapping
out the word " Retire," much as they say " Farewell" in
coloured fires at the close of a pyrotechnic exhibition; but
the slovenly manner in which this was done by the opera-
tor showed in what contempt he held the common sense of
his audience—running rapidly on with the alphabet when
the letter sought was at the end of it, and pausing when he
came to the letter itself, so that it positively did not need
the raps, which were once or twice in the wrong place, to
make out the word that was desired. These practitioners
were chased out of Canada, according to a most circumstan-
tial statement in Toronto papers ; one of them, it is asserted,
was formerly in the employment of the Wizard of the North;
and the whole affair will doubtless be blown in England
presently ; but in the meanwhile they are aiding an evil
delusion which is much more widely spread than some be-
tieve, and will walk off sneeringly rejoiceful with pockets
lull of John Bull's guineas.

........--
11ffEATRE ROYAL, DRURY.LANE,--
Managers, Messrs. E. Falconer and F. B. Chatterton.
THIS EVENING, AN APRIL FOOL. Mr. R. Roxby,
3I r, G. Belmore, Mr. Fitzjames, Mr. G. Weston, and Miss
udspeth.
After which, at a quarter to Eight o'c'ock, Shakspere's
tragedy of OTHELLO. Mr. Phelps ; Messrs. Creswick,
Walter Lacy, G. F. Neville, A Rayner, Raymond; Mrs.
Vezin, and Miss Atkinson.
Poors open at ha f-past Six —Commence at Seven.

THE A TRE ROYAL, H AYMARKET.-
Lessee. Mr. Buckstone.
THIS EVENING, MADEMOISELLE D E BELLE ISLE.
Messrs. Howe, Farren, Gordon, Baird, ‘tc , Mesdames
Beatrice, Ange', &c.
Alter which, PRESENTED AT COURT. Me
d, ssrs. Buck-
stone, 80, W. Farren, Rogers, Clark, Bra' &c. ; Mes-
wdames Snowdon, Griffith, Ili 1, Wrialit, Lovell, &c.
And 3ACCHUS AND ARIADNE.
To commence at 7.

ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE.
Under the sole management of Mr. Fechter.
This Theatre will OPEN on SATURDAY. October 22,
with a New Drama, entitled the KING'S BUT PERFLY,
in which Mr. Fechter will pertorm the principal character,
The Scenery painted by Mr. William Cailcott.
The Box-office will open on Monday, October 17, from
Kiev n till Four.