The Sun.
London, England, 1859-04-25 00:00:00

SPIRIT-RAPPING.

At the sitting of the 18th of the Academy of
Sciences, Dr. Jobert de Lamballe read a very in-
teresting paper on the curious practice of mediums,
by which they play on the credulity of the believers
in spirit-rapping. A short time ago Dr Jobert was
requested to visit a young girl, who, although not
seriously ill, was labouring under a curious affec-
tion, consisting in a certain noise, like a succession
of knocks, issuing from her person. Her friends
had already begun to attribute these knocks to a
supernatural cause; but Dr. Jobert, after some in-
vestigation,discovered that they were caused by the
peronmus, a muscle of the leg. There are, indeed,
two muscles of this name, the longus and brevis, the
former arising from the fore part of the head of the
fibula, and ending at the root of the metatarsal
bone of the great toe, and the other arising from
the external part of the fibula, passing under and
ending at the metatarsal bone of the little toe.
Both these muscles aid in turning the foot outwards,
and extending it a little. The tendon of the former
runs along a groove in the os suboides, and it seems
it is there it may produce the noise described. In
the case of Dr. Jobert de Lamballe's patient the
noise was involuntary, and owing to a slight local
imperfection, but with a little practice it may be
produced at will ; and this acquired faculty, as Dr.
Jobert showed, is the whole secret of mediums and
spirit-rappers. The muscles and tendons, both of the
leg and shoulder, are equally liable to produce
such noises. A lady has been known to produce
them from her hip by assuming a certain posture.
Certain conjurors are so clever at this kind of
exercise as to produce a kind of harmony by a
succession of knocks. Some have been known to
imitate the tune of a dance, or of a popular
march ; others to make their audience believe they
heard the dead rising from their tombs, or soldiers
reviving from the dust of the battle-field, and falling
into rank again to continue their march. Some
years ago Dr. Schill, in the United States, made a
similar discovery, and delivered several public lec-
tures, in which he showed that what wero supposed
to be the replies of spirits were nothing more than
the effects of muscular motions caused by some local
injury. But credulity is so tenacious that few paid
any attention to him, although he accompanied his
lectures with practical demonstrations. We cannot
foresee whether Dr. Jobert's fresh exposure of such
impostures will put an end to the superstition of
spirit rapping, but his communications produced an
immense effect at the sitting, some wishing him joy,
others, on the contrary, giving him to understand
that his disclosures were by no means palatable to
them.

SWINDLING.—Four females named Moreau, Lam-
bourg, Bosse, and Gendron, wero three days ago tried by
the Tribunal of Correctional Police of Saumur for swind-
ling. The case was somewhat anions from the credulity
of the dupes. The women arrived at that place from
Nantes some weeks back, and took up their residence in a
low lodging-house. They soon scraped acquaintance with
two fishwomen, named Delhumeau and Durand, and then,
under a solemn promise of secresy, they stated that the
woman Moreau was wife of Henri V., daughter of Charles
X., Archduchess of Valence, Princess of Lorraine, &c.,
&c., that the woman Lambourg was Baronne d'Ervilhers,
lady of honour to "her Majesty," and that the other two
were ladies of rank who from devotedness to the Queen had
consented to follow her. The two fishwomen, not doubt-
ing what was said, readily supplied "the Queen" with
money, of which she was in pressing need ; but they
stipulated for their reward when her Majesty should be
raised to the throne, one requiring a pension, the other the
place of lady superintendent of the palace, with the title of
Marquise-de Mont-Thabor, and in addition the title of
Duke de Marigny for her son Having got all the money
they could, they condescended to accept from the poor
women wine and food. At last they loft the town. The
fishwomen, notwithstanding their promise of secresy,
could not refrain from boasting of the grandeur that
awaited them. This came to the knowledge of the po-
lice,. and they, having no respect for royal dignity, sent
after the Queen and her suite, and had them arrested. The
tribunal condemned her Majesty to 3 years' imprisonment,
the baronne to 15 months, and the ladies to six months
each.

MICIIAEL ANGELO AND TUE POPES.—Pisa sent
an expedition to Greece for art-specimens ; but when Rome
was subsequently ransacked, many fine Grecian works were
found among the ruins. It was at this time that Michael
Angelo appeared upon the stage. His father wished to make
him a wholesale clothier ; but he had a thirst for art, and
his father, finding it impossible to make him a clothier, was
obliged to comply with his son's request, and allow him
to become an artist. The character of Michael Angelo
might be' drawn from the manner in which he deported
himself with reference to the powerful pontiff Julius 11.
The Pope hearing of his extraordinary abilities, and con-
ceiving the project of erecting a magnificent mausoleum for
his own remains, sent for the artist, to execute the works.
Michael Angelo was, however, kept waiting in the Vatican, as
the Pope was not "at home ;" and so offended was he at
this discourtesy, that he sold his goods to the Jews, and
returned incontinently to Florence. The Pope sent messen-
ger after messenger to him, and finding he would not
come, undertook the conquest of Bologna. It was then,
and not till then, that Michael Angelo consented to be
reconciled to his patron, and subsequently executed the
celebrated statue of Julius, in bronze, of which, however,
there is now no trace left. His next great work was paint-
ing the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel, a surface of 132 feet
by 44 feet. This was done by his single hand; and al-
though it contained between 200 and 300 figures, any one
of which might make the fortune of a modern painter, the
whole was concluded within the space of about 20 months.
Leo X. a man of elegant mind and refined taste, succeeded
Julius 11. ; but he and the great artist could not get on
together ; and the latter was virtually banished for years,
on an expedition to search for marble insome distant quarry.
—Mr, .4, Kerr, in The Builder.

LIVERPOOL, SATURDAY, APPAL 23.
The screw steamship Kangaroo has arri•Jed with
the United States' mails of the 9th and 29,20508 dols
on freight.
The screw steamship Alps, which left New York
on the Bth, has also arrived, with 2140,000 dols. on
freight.
The Royal Mail steamship Cana:da had arrived at
Halifax.
The trial of Sickles had fairly commenced. On
the 6th .a full jury (out of 1 le, persons summoned)
was obtained. The majority of those disqualified
.expressed sympathy for the prisoner. Ori the 7th,
before the commencement of the proceedings, the
following conversation took place :
" The Judge—After the jurors were dismissed
yesterday one of the 11. came up to the bench and
asked if he could say a word to me.' I told him
`No, not about this case.' However, he went onto
say, ' I answered the question put to me, but since
I have been sworn and been in the jury box I have
been reflecting on this thing. I am not quite satis-
fied with myself.' On which I said, ' I cannot re-
lieve you.' -Turning round, he went off. I think
it right to mention this publicly, in case counsel
may think proper to move about it. So little im-
pression did the man's appearance make on me, that
I cannot recognise him now, but he is one of the 11.
" Mr. Moore, the juror, standing up, said—l was
impressed with the responsibility that rested on me,
and felt a kind of shrinking from the duty. • '
" Judgd—l hope you were.
" Juror—lt made me feel unpleasant ; but this
morning I can say to the Court that I feel perfectly
satisfied in my own mind.
" Judge—Very well, I am glad to hear it ; it was
the duty of the Court to state this.
" Juror—l am very glad I have this privilege Q 1
making explanations.
Mr. Ould then opened the case for the presecu-
tion, which occupied about 40 minutes, after which
witnesses were examined, one of whom, the medical
man who examined the body of Mr. Rey, pro-
duced a portion of the deceased's garments. The case
for the prosecution closed on the 84,,h, An effort
was made on the part of the defenre to compel the
District-Attorney to call Mr. Butterworth, -Mr.
Wooldridge, and the Hon. Robert J. Walker, but he
refused, and he was sustained in his refusal by Judge
Crawford. The grounds on which the Judge based
his decision were the personal friendship of Mr.
Butterworth for the accused, and the fact that
Messrs. Walker and Wooldridge were, not actual
witnesses of the act of killing.
The Washington correspondent of the New York
Times gives a sketch of Judge Crawford :
"As for Judge Crawford, before whom the case
is heard, he seems to have so far agreeably disap-
pointed the expectations of the defence. Except in
the matter of cooping up the prisoner, his decisions
have been marked by firmness and impartiality.
He is evidentlyau old gentleman of strictly routine
habits, which he displays most satisfactorily in ad-
journing regularly at three o'clock. His great age,
extended apparently beyond the threescore years
and ten, has not dulled his reason or impaired his
faculties. On the contrary, he observes the case
and recalls the evidence with as much acuteness and
clearness as any of the counsel at the bar."

The Washington correspondent of the New York
Courier and _Enquirer gives a favourable account of
the relations with England respecting the Central
American question. He says :
" The President stated to a friend to-day, that on
the reassembling of Congress no important foreign
question would remain unadjusted. The policy of
co-operating with England as an American Power,
in settling disputes relative to Central America, has
at length been adopted, and with gratifying success.
The Monroe doctrine, never very clearly understood,
has been definitely abandoned, and will probably
no more be heard of in our diplomatic discussions.
It must necessarily soon cease to furnish pabulum
to those disposed to use it as a cause of contention
with other nations. It has been discovered that
British interests on the continent do not conflict
with American interests. The consequence
is a compact for the suppression of Fill-
busterism, and a mutual guarantee for the security
of the various transits between the Atlantic and
Pacific Oceans which will prove equally beneficial
to American and European commerce. This has
been done in quiet disregard of the traditions of the
Democratic party, and in hostility to all its maxims
and rules for the conduct of our foreign relations.
And it has been done in such a way that it is not
even necessary to conciliate Democratic antipathies
by the submission of the treaties in which these
difficult matters have been arranged to the Senate.
Mr. Buchanan has adopted the really ingenious
expedient of using the agents and the power of the
British Government to procure for us privileges
which we could not obtain by direct action for our-
selves."

Intelligence of the settlement of the dispute be-
tween the United States and Paraguay had reached
Washington.

Lord Lyons and suite, accompanied by Lord
Napier, who had met the new Minister at Anna-
polis, arrived at Washington on the 7th. He had
been presented to General Cass.
Advices from Fraser River, British Columbia, to
the 29th February, state that the Americans con-
tinue to resent the Governor's prohibition respect-
ing the celebration of Washington's birthday. Her
Majesty's steam corvette Satellite; 21 guns, was
under orders to visit Nettinette Sound and punish
the Indians who committed the recent piracy upon
the brig Swiss Boy, if upon investigation the facts
of the case were as represented. The revenue offi-
cers had seized five or six canoes and their cargoes,
bound up the river, without either a sufferance to
navigate the river or paying duty upon the goods
they were carrying into. British Columbia. The
parties were taken to Langley.
The fugitive slave case referred to in The Sun of
Tuesday last had resulted in the discharge of the
prisoner by the Philadelphia Court. The decision
was founded principally on the failure of the pro-
secution to establish the identity of the alleged
fugitive. The claimant says that he escaped in
Novembei, 1854, while it was in evidence that he
was in Harrisburg as early as the winter of 1853,
or the spring of 1854. The height of the negro also
varied three inches from the description in the
power of attorney. The decision was greeted with
immense applause. Daniel was carried on the
shoulders of his friends through the streets, intense
excitement prevailing in the city. The Aboli-
tionists proposed a public celebration. _ _

Four men were executed on the same scaffold at
Baltimore, on the Bth, for murder.
The Montreal Herald announces that Sir Wm.
Eyre had sent in his resignation of the command of
the forces on the ground of ill health.
SUNDAY, April 24.
The royal mail steamship Persia has arrived with
'the American mails of the 13th, and 1,209,829 dols.

The City of Baltimore and Lebanon had arrived
at New York.

The trial of Sickles was proceeding. On the 9th
counsel for the defence opened the case. He went
at length into the question of adultery, and con-
cluded that Sickles, in killing Key, but obeyed the
sudden and uncontrollable impulse of his passion.
He quoted very freely from the Scriptures and from
other sources to show the heinousness of the crime
of adultery. On the 11th prisoner's counsel con-
cluded his address, and the examination of wit-
nesses commenced. No new facts of interest were
elicited. On the 12th, as a friend of Sickles was
giving his testimony he was so overcome that he
had to leave the court. Mrs. Sickles' confession of
guilt was put in as evidence. She states that the
criminal intimacy with Key commenced in April.
It is stated that the Paraguay squadron on its re-
turn would be employed on the Nicaraguan coast.
Advices from Vera Cruz to the Bth had reached
New Orleans. Telegrams from the latter place
report that Miramon, after reconnoitring Vera
Cruz on the 18th ultimo, retired to his main
army, which was encamped nine miles off. The
women and children in Vera Cruz were transferred
to the ships, and the Liberals prepared to make an
animated defence. Miramon sent 1,200 men
against Al4earado, but finding the place strongly de-
fended, they retired without attacking it. Mira"

At Havannah;on the 10th, sugar was buoyant,
at 9c. to 91,c. for clayed, and 72c. to 81c. for infe-
rior to good qualities of muscovado. Molasses de-
clined le. Sterling exchange, 11 to 111 per cent.
premium.

An extensive fire had occurred in the western
portion, of Cuba, destroying a large quantity of
sugar and much other property.
The Canadian mail steamer Nova Scotia has ar-
rived with mails to the 9th.