Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-02-07

true as that B is tie fsI ctter {: De
shem.
Mr.. c. whose name is at your s,.r,.
when ever required, tlom his f. a,..
view with Miss MAvOy,. whicl ,..r,
company with me, suspected y. w..
could see, notwithstanding the baF-r
through which he could not disc. Al,
thing, prevailed upon very iEtci-,.r
frien,l to accompany him on his rr,I ..
sit, in order thar his copiectures rig,
be confirmed or removed. This licbj
vas Mr.. Bradbury, author of the recent.
iv published Travels in America man
Il sober judgment and philcsOpbic MUD
as any with who II ! have ever hsi t.,
pleasure to be acquainted. After n,
ycung lady had gone through the usu.l
rou,ipc of performances with Che goggles.
he was asked to name the color Of
pcice of cloth placed behind her, which
,hc attempted 30 DO for some tOe, With
out success. In the mean time Mr.. E.
had taken Up the goggles which she had
placed apon the table, and had fixed npm
upon his own face, declaring that Tie
iisht WAS thereby completely obscured.--
During the time he was this biirdcd, and
whilst Mr. Bradbury was seated by IT,
fire, apparently takr z no nUticr Of what
was going forward lie saw tie lady Cuirk.
ly withdraw the cloth from behind Lcc.
and place it Tor moment, before her -
after which she AS rapidly rel ccd i,
and then examining it with her finger,
for few moments longer, she correctly
named the cclor.
Upon another occasion, a gentleman
on his way to Wit Miss M'ivuv, ra,.
chasedFu commop valentine, painted ia
the usual vulgar, taudty style Of thee
amatory illusions. Having offered tpis
to the young lady, she proceeded to OK.
plain the device, by pla,ing it in the pO.
sition which she generally prefers har-
ing the object stationed but Whether
the paper slipped unobseryed. or what
ever was the occasion, so it happened,
that whilst she WAS describing the f..
cures. &c her fingers were actually ira
cling the blank paper, at some distance
from those figures. The gentleman,
mode Of explaining this wiS, that under
some favorable ci cumstunce she caught
Gimp of tie valentine which having
again lost sight Of, she attempted 10 Ge.
scribe entirely from recollection.
At This visit there was also strange
confusion made, by the substitution Of
one watch for another, TO which it bore
perfect resemblance except in The hCsr
of The dav, as the fingers had been rur-
posely varied whilst the fingers Of tic
lady are said TO have len aiued unCCn-
sciuus g! the stratsgem.
shall describe one further experiment,
distinguished by what was either SIN
rnllr Glance or very happy thought
During the visit Of the gentleman last
mentioned, in company with severa! o.
Tiers. sops colored silk was given to her,
which she had undertaken to ascertain,
with her hands placed behind her. Not
succeeding in this at first. she occasion
ally brought her fingers near her mCuth,
rs they we're not sufficiently warm fer
her purpose, until they had been breath
ed upon; when, 10 it was discovered
that small shreds Of that silk accoTplni.
ed her fingers, perhaps attached TO lie
mails; and as these shreds approached 50
near the mouth, the gentleman concluded.
with what reason | will not presume 70
determine. that they could not be very
lar removed from The eyes.
Having succeeded, as trust, my dear
.ir. in showing that my disbelief in scme
of the prodigies related Of Miss M'Avcy
rest upon better grounds than bare o.
sertion, founded upon The opinions Of O
TIERS" must further observe, that az
tribute no motives to the lady in 9urs.
ten, upon whose case should feel t!s.
rosed TO put as favorable constitution,
if possible, as that suggested bv Pcrc.
grinator, in his letter Of the l7th VII.
within. after protesting himself "unwli-
ing to charge her with wilInl impOs'ore,'
he asks, " is it not possible that .hc IS
de!uding herself; ard that she labors un-
der the hallucinatiOn Of imaginary blind
| DaSS