The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-12-24 00:00:00

what stupid, and it was some minutes afterwards before he
could rise from his seat.

Mr. ROBERTSON, of Ludlow, here presented himself at
the front of the stage, and stated that, having on the prece-
ding Saturday read Mr. Braid's first lecture in Manchester,
he fixed his eyes on an object and found that they speedily
closed. He then sat at a table, on which he placed a decan-
ter, and on the top of it a cork, and in a few minutes his
eyes again closed. and he was unable to open them. His
assistant, however, whom he had in the room, and whom he
requested to attend to him while he was making the experi-
ment, opened them for him. Mr. R. concluded by saying
that he should be happy to submit to Captain Brown's expe-
riments, if that gentleman had no objection, as he had previ-
ously been a disbeliever in the science.

Ife then submitted to the experiment; so also did another
gentleman at the same time. They both sat upon chairs,
with the corks fastened to their foreheads. In a short time
Mr. Robertson's eves closed, and his breast heaved intensely.
The experiment was received with loud cheers.

The bellows having been applied, Mr. Robertson opened
his eyes, and walked about the stage. Before the process
commenced, his pulse was 120; at the close it was 150.

. .
The other gentleman who submitted to the experiment with
Mr. Robertson declared, after sitting for some minutes, that
he had not felt the slightest effect.

Mr. ROBERTSON explained the manner in which he had
felt during the process. In the first instance, he said, his
eyes were directed towards the cork, which in a short time
appeared to dance about. At last he felt some difficulty in
keeping his eyes open ; neither, after shutting them, could
he open them again. He had felt difficulty in respiration.
He knew that several gentleman were about him. He also
felt that his arm had been raised, but he did not feel any par-
ticular frigidity in it, except partially.
Captain BROWN said that the hearing became exceedingly
acute in most of the cases.

Another GENTLEMAN inquired whether it was true, as
reported in a Manchester paper, that it was not necessary
the patients should keep their eyes in a particular position,
but that it was only necessary they should keep their heads
in such a position. _ _

Captain BROWN asked whether the inquirer alluded to
Lafontaine's effects.

The GENTLEMAN replied in the affirmative.
Captain BROWN said, it had certainly occurred that pr-
sons bad been mesmerised while keeping their heads, and
not their eyes, in a particular position.
The GENTLEMAN next asked what was the object of
Lafontaine's passes of the hand over the patients, if, as was
stated in the lecture, the effects were produced by the efforts
of the brain, &c.

Captain BROWN said, that Lafontaine's passes were a
complete humbug. lie had no hesitation in saying that they
were a complete humbug, and he added, that Mr. Braid's
system differed altogether from that of Lafontaine.
Mr. GREEN said that Captain Brown had acted during
the evening fairly. openly, and far differently from Mons.
Lafontaine; for while the latter was quite reserved, the
former gave the fullest explanations in his power. (Hear,
hear.) Under such circumstances, he thought Captain
Brown ought to be given a fair hearing, whenever he made
his appearance in Liverpool again.
Captain Bno-ws then promised to repeat the lecture on
some future occasion, of which due notice would be given,
and said he would endeavour to bring Mr. Braid along with
him at the same time, who was far better able to explain the
subject than he could possibly pretend to be.
The audience separated shortly before eleven o'clock.