The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-07-02 00:00:00

MESMERISM AND CLAIRVOYANCE.

A young gentleman, known as Alexis the Somnambu-
list, has just arrived from Paris under the care of M.
MaScellet, and was exhibited on Monday, for the first
time (we believe) in London, at the residence of .Dr. El-
liotson. Alexis has for some period excited much inte-
rest in Paris by -the Wonderful powers of clairvoyance
which he manifests whilst in a state of magnetic sleep:
Through the kindness of Dr. Elliotson, a large number
of ladies and scientific and distinguished persons had an
opportunity on Monday of witnessing M. Marcellet's
experiments. It is but just to Dr. Elliotson to observe,
that, previously to the commencement of the experiment;
he stated that he did not hold himself at all resoonsible
for what M. Marcellet had advanced. Knowing M. Mar-
cellet to be a gentleman of undoubted respectability, Dr.
Elliotson permitted him to hold his first levee in Conduit;
street, taking no part whatever in the proceedings.
Without admitting that we have become believers in the
possibility of producing such a condition as that known
by the name of " clairvoyance," we must nevertheless
honestly confess that we have been much staggered by,
what we saw after M. Marcellet had thrown his patient
into the magnetic state, and exhibited the tetanic spasm,
or ricidity of the muscles of the arms and legs, which
usually accompanies this condition of the nervous system.
Preparatory to the phenomena of clairvo)ance being
shewn, the patient's eyes were bandaged. We pledge
ourselves that we did this effectually. To see, in the or-
dinary sense of the'wdrd, a ray of light was physically im -
pdssible. Two large pieces of wool were placed over each
eye, and above this were bound* with great care two linen
hanelkerchiefs folded several times. Thus blindfolded he
was placed at a table and commenced playing &ark" with
a strange gentleman in the room. It was, indeed, won-
derful to see with what accuracy he played, not only
knowing every suit he had in his own hands, but by a
species of divination being able to detect the condition of
his opponent's hand. Several persons played with him,
and amongst others Dr. Jerden, who, however, was for-
tunate enough to beat the somnambulist. To exhibit the
man's extraordinary powers, a large hook of plates, nearly
two inches in thickness, was placed between Alexis and
his opponent, and, notwithstanding this physical impe-
diment, the somnambulist was able to tell the person with
whom he was playing the cards he held in his hand. It
may be said there was collusion. We know such was not
the case. Alexis then had a letter placed in his hands by
Colonel Gurwood, with the view of ascertaining whether he
could make out the name of the party who had written the
letter. It appears that Col. Gurwood had placed himself in
communication with Alexis, some time back, in Paris, in
order to discover whether he had it in his power to
give him any hint by which to enable him to discover the
residence of a French soldier, whose life Colonel Gurwood
had saved during the siege of-Badajoz. Alexis during the
magnetic state gave Colonel Gurwood some valuable in-
formation on the subject of his inquiry, and acting upon
this, he was fortunate enough to find not only the name
of the person, but his place of abode. Colonel Gurwood
wrote to the soldier,' and the letter which he placed folded
in Alexis' hands was the answer which he had received.
Alexis, after a little examination, wrote down the person's
name, and told Col. G urwood the purport of the letter which
he held in his hand. Ile made one mistake in the final letter
of the person's name, but this did not in the slightest degree
detract from his extraordinary penetration. Another gen-
tleman, who had not seen Alexis previously, (Colonel Gar-
dener, we believe.) asked the somnambulist to describe
his residence. This he did with great accuracy, telling
him the number of pictures he had in his drawine-room,
their peculiar • position, and the subject of the pictures.
Watches were then placed in his hand, and, by merely
feeling on the back of the case for a few minutes he pointed
out, with one exception, the exact position of the hour
and minute hands. A• large book of plates was subse-
quently held to the back of his head, and to the amaze-
ment of every person in the room Alexis was able to de-
scribe the various prints to which his attention was directed.
We have thus endeavoured' faithfully to record the
facts which we witnessed. it is our belief that the expe-
riments were performed fairly, and that in no single in-
stance did anything like collusion exist. We do not pre-
tend to account for the strange, the wonderful phenomena
which this youth certainly manifested. Of course there
were many present who refused to admit the possibility of
any person seeing under such circumstances. One gen-
tleman, more incredulous than the rest, declared most
emphatically that Alexis was able to see down his nose—
an hypothesis, we must- confess, at variance with our
anatomical and physiological knowledge. With his eyes
almoit hermetically sealed he IRIS able to read a book
taken from among a number, of works on the table. In-
dependently of this, a handkerchief twice folded was
placed over the printed page of a large volume, and
through- this' the somnambulist was able to read with,
facility. We draw no conclusion from the' facts; we
confess they are mysterious and inexplicable—beyond our
comprehension.
Let those who are disposed to be scep-
tical examine the matter for themselves ; they. will, we
understand, have frequent opportunities• of doing so.
Times.

LOVE OF TITLES IN Am ERICA.-A well-known gentle-
man at . Winchester, .in this State (Virginia); related an
amusing anecdote, to the on this subject. Crossing the
Potomac into Virginia, with his horse, in a ferry-boat, the
ferryman said, " Majcr;,l wish you would lead your horse
a little forward,': which he immediately did, observing to
the man, " I am not a major,-'and you .need, not call, me
one." To this the ferryman replied, " Well, Kurnel, I
ax your pardon, and not call you so no more." Be-
ing arrived at the landing-place, he led his horse out of
the • boat, and said, My good friend, lam a very plain
man, I am neither a colonel, nor a•major, I have no title
at all, and rdon't like them. flow much have I to PaY?"
The ferryman loOked at hiM and said, ", You are thertirst
white Man? ever crossed this ferry that warn't jilt nobody
at all, and I swear I'll not charge you nothing.'—Pea-
theratonhauyh'B Excursions..