The Sun.
London, England, 1853-08-22 00:00:00

AN EVENING WITH MRS. HAYDEN.

"You are dining, for instance, with Mrs. Leo. Hun-
ter. When you ascend to the drawing room you find
a new face among the ladies ; an intelligent, mobile, not
undesirable face, probably at the moment pushed for-
ward in rather voluble conversation. There is some-

thing a little not quite bon ton in the lady's manner, and
there are grammatical difficulties in her phraseology ;
but we must allow for the peculiarities of her position.
Moreover, she mixes in so many circles. Perhaps she
has just been en rappart with Colonel Crockett, or has
been charged with bad grammar by Cobbett's ghost, who
has been running a saw' upon her. However, she is
lively, agreeable, intelligent, and well-looking ; so, in
spirits or no spirits, we have no cause to be displeased
with our new acquaintance. She is, of course, intro-
duced as Mrs. Hayden, the American medium.'
" There is a large 100 table in the middle of the back
drawing-room, and Mrs. Hayden is reclining in a com-
fortable chair at about three feet distance front it. Mrs.
Leo Hunter is seated on one side of her, and a senti-
mental-looking young lady is on the other—a lion of
unmistakeable pretensions, who is bearded all over to
conceal his ugliness, and who speaks very bad English,
with a strong German accent, leans upon her chair, and
struggles to monopolise her attention. But—a rceuvre—
'Tis time the performance should begin.
" Mrs. Hayden now draws her chair forward quite up
to the table, takes up a white China silk scarf that lay
in her lap, and spreads it over the back of her chair,
passes her hand down to her knee, as though to smooth
her dress, and then settles herself to her work. Of
course, our idea of the audience is quite imaginary ; we
describe Mrs. Hayden, however, exactly as we have
seen her. These movements are all natural enough.
We only record them as an observation for future ob-
servers.

"The German gentleman, who tells the company
that he is a convert after long investigation, and that,
in fact, he is himself a medium, and who is evidently
one of those fetch-and-carry tame animals of society who
run to and fro between drawing-rooms and circulating
libraries—the German gentleman demands pen, ink,
and paper, writes out the alphabet from A to Z, and
the numerals from Ito 0. Mrs. Hayden's fair round
face and twinkling eyes move round the circle as she
places her hands upon the table and begs that the com-
pany will not disturb her by conversation.
" Then she addresses her supernatural friends, who
make it their peculiar habit to live always under a table ;
and after long expectation some one hears a faint knock.
The ice once broken, the little just audible sounds be-
come more frequent. The alphabet is asked for in the
usual way. Mrs. Leo Hunter takes the pencil and the
German's alphabet. A knock arrests her hand as she
'Ants to S,' another as she points to a third as
she points to ' L,' and so on, until the full word Silences'
has been spelt. Mrs. Hayden looks on the paper all the
time with a quiet smile, and remarks that the spirits are
quite right—it is impossible to proceed amid such a buzz
of conversation.

" And now numerous candidates take paper and pen-
cil in hand, summon a spirit by a wish, and ask the ini-
tial letter of his name. Some are very wrong, some are
quite right. The majority are certainly altogether
wrong, but a fully sufficient number are right to demon-
strate that it cannot be by mere random guesses that
the results are obtained. Those who get wrong answers
are usually inclined to sneer, and are scowled upon and
scolded at by the busy and enthusiastic German. Those
who get right answers declare how wonderful it is, and
believe in the spirits right off. Then comes the turn of
the sentimental young lady on the left. She throws up
her fine eyes and thinks of a friend, a departed com-
panion of her tenderest woes. With tremulous hand
and expectant heart she passes her pencil over the let-
ters until she reaches ; a tiny rap is heard, the letter
is noted down, and the alphabet is recommenced, the
young lady looking astonishment and awe through all
her features. This time, however, she pauses in the
middle of the alphabet, and says that the proper letter
has been passed—recommences, 'A," rap, the 'A' is
noted down. Again, B,' rap, the B' is noted down.
Again, Y,' wrong, try again. Again, E,' right, the
E' is noted. L,' right. L,' right again. A,'
right. The letters form Sabella.' The other name is
Macintyre, and is spelt out with only three mistakes.
Sabella Macintyre was the name of the young lady's de-
ceased friend.

Conticuere omnes, intentique ora tensbaut—
but the, demonstration is complete ; Mrs. Hayden rises
and the séance is ended. The German is in ecstasies, the
sentimental young lady in tears, about one-third of the
company are seen to smile, and the rest are in a great
passion with them."
As to table-turners the tables have never before
been turned upon themselves more effectually than
by this contribution to the New Quarterly ; while,
as to spirit-rapping, the media have never before re-
ceived such smart and stinging raps over the
knuckles.

INQUEST ON A SOLDIER OF THE 3D DRAGOONS.—
GRAVESEND, Aug. 19.—This day an inquest was held at
the workhouse, before Mr. G. Arnold, deputy coroner
of this borough, on the body of a man picked up in the
river, who, by the medals found upon his person, was a
private in the 3d Light Dragoons, a large portion of
which regiment had been about three weeks since dis-
embarked at this port from India. The name of de-
ceased was John Galloway. At the time of the disem-
barkation of these troops it was stated that a soldier
was missing, supposed to have fallen overboard, and
been drowned. It appeared from the evidence that the
body was picked up last evening off the entrance to the
canal below the Terrace•pier, and was apparelled in
the undress of a soldier. Mr. Aitkins, coroner's officer,
deposed that he saw the body on is 3 being brought on
shore, and on searching it found three medals, which he
now produced, and which indicated the name of the
soldier, as well as the battles for which he had obtained
them, viz., Sabraon, Sutlej, &c. • and on the buttons
of the undress military jacket which deceased had on
was inscribed 3d Dragoons. On the medals witness
found the name John Galloway, 3d R.O.L.D.—Ver-
diet—Found drowned.
DEATH OF MAJOR-GENERAL LORD SALTOUN.—This
gallant nobleman died on Thursday last, at his shooting
seat, near Rothes, N.B. The noble lord had been ailing
for some months, but, until a few months prior to his
death, no immediate danger was apprehended. His
lordship was in his 69th year, and was highly esteemed
by the late Duke of Wellington for his gallant defence
of Hugomont, at which place he commanded the light
companies of the Guards, and had four horses killed
under him. Lord Saltoun served with Moore, and
throughout the Peninsula. The 2d Regiment of Foot
becomes vacant, of which he was colonel. His lordship
was a staunch patron of most of the musical institutions
of the metropolis, president of the Madrigal Society,
chairman of the Musical Union, &c. The Duke of
Wellington had once publicly described the gallant lord
as a pattern to the army, " both as a man and a sol-
dier." His lordship is succeeded in his titles and estates
by his nephew, Major Alexander Fraser. The fun eral
of the deceased lord is expected to take place at Fraser-
burgh, in Aberdeenshire.

SINGULAR ELOPEMENT.—Elizabeth Gibbon a young
lady of considerable personal attractions, 22 years of
age, highly educated, and the daughter of a deceased
major in the army, the other day eloped from Dublin with
a man named Anthony Flannigan, a loader of turf flats,
near to her father's residence, where he (Flannigan) became
acquainted with his inamorata. He wooed, and wooed
successfully, and the lady yielded ; and, as already stated,
eloped with him. Her friends sent a relative in pur-
suit. He arrived here the other day, and the runaway
lovers were found consorting together ou board the
Esmeralda, having taken a passage in that vessel to
New York. The relative induced them, in compliance
with the earnest request of her friend to go on shore,
and get united in wedlock before departure. All ne-
cessary preliminaries were arranged, the marriage
license procured, and they Were indissolubly united at
St, hul'a Church OA Saturday,