Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1838-10-04

The following allusion by Baron Smith to
one of those extraordinary sensations on
whose existence Plato grounded his beautl
fu fantasy, that all knowledge is only re-
membrance, is exceedingly elegant:
"In connection with the phenomens Of memory, mal
be- hero permitted to take notice OF certain mystery
marvel which has occasionally presented itself To me
and IN voucher OF the existence Ot which have the eN
pcrencc oi others, in addition Ia my own mean IN
strange impression, which viii occasionally come viii
Unexpected suddenncss the IA nd that the nov
passing aud in which We slnro s one wlich, the yerl
words with the same persons, aud with the same iecl
iigs, had accurately relcarscd We know not wher
before IL Is the most extraordinary OF sensations, an,
il which will occur wherein what IL gong forward
there IL nothing remarkable or Of particular interest in
volyed. While speak, our former words ringing
in our ears aud the sentences which form ia.
faint echoes of conversation had in oldcn time. Ou
thoughts too as they rise seem 20 whisper I,
zach other that this is their first appearance in this
place. In short, all that IL now before It's ,soes the
partition Of dialogue long dcparte-he spectral resu
Tection Of scenes and transactions long gone by.
Or may he said by the moncntary CLEAN ofn flash
or "Reminiscences to be reviewing IN mysterious mirror
the dark reflections OF times past, and living over In
minute aud shadowy detail, duplicate oi the incidents
Of some prc-eNistent state
Tho above is very beautiful and accurate
description Of phenomenon which every
one, whose mind is not entirely matter OF
fact, has experienced at some time or other.
There are few indeed who will not recognize
in the description feelings which they, per-
haps had supposed were peculiar to them
selves, and will be astonishcd to find that the
supposed mental idosyncracy is character.
isic of the human mind. We have seen it
stated that the Baron Smith was the first to
pourtrny this phenomenon. This is not so.-
When but boy, we were startled To find a
description of what we had often felt in the
recent novel of Guy Mannering. Brown
alias Berram, when standing before the cas-
tie Of Ellangowan, from which he had been
stolen when mere child, thus soliloquizes:
"Why IL il that some scenes awaken thoughts, which
belong IL were To dreans oi early aud shad""y recol
lection, such M my old Bramin Moonshne would have
ascriLcd a state of previous existence Is II the Wis
OF sleep thai hoat cunilIscdy IN our memory
and recalled by the appearance Of such roal objects
in respect correspond to the phanfos they
scented to our Imagination How oiicn do we find our
selves in society which we have never before met ana
yct feel impressed with scriOus and idefned con-
scousncss that neither tho scene, the speakers, the
subject entirely nay feel as il We could anri-
pate hnt part the conversation which has not Yet a
Ken place
Dugald Stewart, in the last edition of his
great work on the Mind alludes to this para
graph, and says Scott is the first writer who
has embodied in words this strange feeling
When, before, did the Melapbyscian conde-
scond to quote as authority the pages OF a
romance and yet the Waverly Novels, care
fully studied, are calculated to unfold the
workings of the human mind better than the
pages of all the Metaphysicians that ever
wrote.--Frcd .drena.