The record-union., 1897-12-27

in his own mind of the place and of what
was taking place there. When this
image became impressed upon the mind
its tendency from the very first moment
was to transform itself into a reality.
This is so true that Captain on long
voyage, with perfectly sound and we'll
balanced mind, affirmed last year that
he saw Andree's balloon in August.
1896, northwest Of Newfoundland, and
several of the men of his crew also testi-
fed to the same thing with as much
energy as honesty. And, as a. matter OF
fact, Andree was obliged TO postpone
his ascension until this year. He had
not started in his balloon, and yet they
saw him.
Examples of collective hallucinations
are very numerous Let us cite one that
certainly is not generally known, and OF
which a Lieutenant in the French Navy.
NJ. Lestonnat, was the victim:
I'm May, 1891" said he, Il was on
board the bark Caroline. We had just
eft Iloilo, in the Philippines, and we
were travelling toward the Sunda Strait
One morning we were moving slowly,
at the rate of about four or five knots
in a very light wind, when the man on
the Lookout shouted to me that saw
pirogue or sharpie on the starpoard
quarter. Everything that we see at sea,
however insignificant, is always inter
esting. Consequently, / placed myseir
in position to see the object that the
man reported. But, on account or the
lower sails. was obliged to go forward
From there l saw, at about two points
TO starboard. the pirogue, which seemed
W.
Suddenly the mate shouted: 1t Is not
nirog,le:. il Is a yawl boat Then the
sailor came down from the rigging ana
renorted that he saw distinctly man
standing in the boat, and that he was
making signals. -. -
TT is not necessary to be aloft 10
see that replied the mate. caai Soe
him distinctly here
after having observed the poat win
attention. I saw as plainly as posslpie'
and all the crew saw just as oio' u
man making signals with something III
his hand that we could not yet recoss
nize but which evidently was gan
or an oar at the end OF Whlch was
fixed a piece Of cloth.
.eThere was no longer any doupt. we
had discovered an unfortunate snap-
wrecked man, whose vessel douptless
was lost upon the rocks of the SHORES
called. if my memory serves me COT
rectly the Thousand Isles. ] immedl-
atelv reported to the Captain, who took
his glasses and followed me to the 1or-
ward deck. He recognized, just as we
did a boat painted white, and in the
bow there was man dressed IN plue
ganzy. who was waving an oar. at the
end Of which was fastened a piece OF
sailcloth.
That poor devil is lucky, said the
Captain; for if we had had more wlno
Yesterday we would have passed him
in the night. and, of course, We could
not have seen him.
But as the current was drawing the
boat away from US, he gave the order
to the man at the wheel to let the YES
sci fall off so as to get the boat Well
to our starboard. In this way We could
easily reach it without the necessity
of lowering a boat, which is always a
tedious operation on board sailing ves-
sells. The man, seeing that we were
coming for him, ceased to signal, and
sat down in the stern, and with his
oar he steered the boat toward us. We
could distinctly see the boats mast was
broken at about three OF four feet
above the sailing thwart. When She
was about 800 meters from us, the Cap
tain, who was on the poop, asked the
mate If everything was ready, anq, on
the latters affirmative reply, he gave
the order to head her up a little to star
board At this moment the emotion
on board the vessel was intense. The
entire crew leaned over the rail. Then
suddenly. as if all had been aroused
from a dream, the man and the boat
turned into a block of pumice-stone on
which We're several branches Of banana
trees. After drifting slowly along the
side of the vessel before the stupefied
sailors, it vanished out Of sight. The
men We're 30 utterly astonished that
several Of them could not help crying
out. But, by jingo, there was man
on it, sure. We all saw himI'
If the sea had been rough, SO that
we could not reach that little floating
island, we would certainly have been
convinced that a fellow creature had
been left to perish.
Nevertheless. our mind was free
from all anterior preoccupation. Not
withstanding the spontaneity Of the
thing that had started 1t, the sugges-
ton was none the less vivid. Its in
tensity was as strong in the mind of
the officer as 1t was In the mind of
each sailor: and this goes to prove that
in the case of a crowd the mental quail
ity of the individuals that compose it
is without any Importance"
After that, what is anybody to think
of the fantastic news given to us about
Andree's balloon? Remember the sug-
gestions of the siege Of Paris, the sig
mails seen at perfectly innocent win
dows, and the furious cavalry charges
that the peasants could see at sunset
in the sky.-Paris correspondence Cour-
rier des Etats Unis.