Westmoreland Place, Westbourne Grove North, W. Bayswater, Sir,-Seeing in a leading article of the Times last Saturday, that you have a means of testing the table movements at spiritual séances, I venture to leave this note, asking as a favour that you will allow our small circle (three in number) to sit in your presence, either at our residence or your own, yourself joining it or not as you think fit. My object, indeed I may say our object, is to ascertain by the strict scrutiny of competent judges of magnetic forces, the verification of the communications, undoubtedly made to us, as being of a spiritual nature or otherwise. Until this last six months we were Tyros in matters of this kind, but our experiences since then, have been (to us at least) so surprising, that I have kept a list of them, which at some time will be interesting for perusal. I beg to say we are not connected in any way with the recognized mediums, and sincerely hoping you will give your consent for our sitting as before mentioned. I have the honour to be, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, M. Faraday, Esq., F.R.S., &c., &c. P.S. Our circle consists (with myself), of my sister (the medium), and her husband. Mr. Faraday's compliments to Mr. Sherratt-he refers him to the Times of June 30th, 1853, and to the Athenæum of July 2nd, 1853, for the method he employed for the investigation of table motions. He has no intention of returning to the subject. 17th March, 1862. 9, Westmoreland Place, Westbourne Grove North, Bayswater, 31st October, 1864. Sir, I wrote to you some two-and-a-half years since about certain manifestations which had occurred to myself and relatives, of a kind generally known as of a spiritual character. I have been induced to keep an account of them, and the two numbers of the Magazine, which I take the liberty of inclosing, contain each a paper of mine on that subject. Iwould beg to call your attention more especially to that in No. 10, as being, as far as it goes, a result of our experiences; Magnetism being the means of producing them, but as that is a comprehensive word, I must leave others more skilled than myself therein, to define the peculiar kind of production of those phenomena. Mr. T. J. Pettigrew, whom I have the pleasure of knowing, stated some time back in his Obituary of the Associates of the British Archaeological Association, that Mr. W. Newton (whom I also knew), had been, when young, a member with himself of a society formed for the investigation of scientific subjects and which had resulted in much good to all; and if I am rightly informed, you was also a member thereof. I hope, therefore, that you will look on the inclosed as an effort to follow in that direction, humble and distant though it be. Allow me, with the greatest respect to remain, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, THOMAS SHERRATT. Professor Faraday, F.R.S., &c., &c., &c. 1st November, 1864. Sir, I beg to thank you for your papers, but have wasted more thought and time on so-called spiritual manifestation than it has deserved; unless the spirits are utterly contemptible they will find means to draw my attention. How is it that your name is not signed to the testimony that you give? Are you doubtful even whilst you publish? I see no evidence that any natural or unnatural power is concerned in the phenomena, that required investigation or deserves it. If I could insult the spirits or move them to make themselves honestly manifest I would do it, but I cannot, and am weary of them. I am, Sir, your obedient Servant, Thomas Sherratt, Esq. 9, Westmoreland Place, Westbourne Grove North, Bayswater, 3rd November, 1864. Sir, I have just had your letter, and trust you will pardon me for saying a few words in reply. I believe, Sir, that the power, spiritual or magnetic, or whatever it may be ultimately found to be (although from my experience of it, I believe it to be spiritual), would manifest itself to you, if you could be induced to sit at a séance with your mind prepared to do justice to any manifestations which might occur; it may be that you have sat, and possibly nothing occurred as such things often happen to us-all I can say is, try again, and again, and you are sure to obtain them ultimately. Respecting my name not being in full to the papers in the Magazine, I beg to say that it is not customary in those publications to put the name in full. The editor, of course, knows me; and that particular Magazine has somewhat of a local status, it being undertaken by the clerks of the Great-Western Railway Company. I am consequently well known to the majority of its readers. But besides that, I have inserted communications in the Spiritual Magazine and Spiritual Times, in several instances with my name and address in full. I am also a member of the Spirit Power Institute, and can assure you that in my own mind there are no doubts whatever of the nature of these manifestations. At the latter part of your letter you say if you could move the spirits to manifest, you would do so. I hope you will not be offended with me by again asking you to sit, depend upon it they would manifest themselves if you did so. Nay, more, you might possibly become a medium, as we term it, in which case all doubts would vanish from you as to the truth of these things; the grand point would then only be for a mind like yours to lead them into a proper channel. In conclusion, I must again ask your indulgence for thus intruding on your valuable time, but I also know the-or think I know the-importance of the subject on which I write, and that induces me to do so. With my respects, I remain, Sir, Your most obedient Servant, Professor Faraday, F.R.S., &c. THOS. SHERRATT. Royal Institution, 4th November, 1864. Sir, I beg to acknowledge your letter of the 3rd, but I am weary of the spirits-all hope of any useful result from investigation is gone; but as some persons still believe in them, and I continually receive letters, I must bring these communications to a close. Whenever the spirits can counteract gravity, or originate motion, or supply an action due to natural physical force, or counteract any such action,- whenever they can pinch or prick me, or affect my sense of feeling, or any other sense, or in any other way act on me without my waiting on them, or, working in the light, can shew me a hand, either writing or not, or in any way make themselves visibly manifest to me,-whenever these things are done-or anything which a conjuror cannot do better-or, rising to higher proof,-whenever the spirits describe their own nature, and, like honest spirits, say what they can do; or pretending, as their reporters do, that they can act on ordinary matter,- whenever they initiate action, and so make themselves manifest,-whenever, by such like signs, they come to me, and ask my attention to them, I will give it; but until some of these things be done, I have no more time to spare for them or their believers, or for correspondence about them. I am, Sir, yours very truly, T. Sherratt, Esq. M. FARADAY. 9, Westmoreland Place, Westbourne Grove North, Bayswater, 5th November, 1864. Sir,-Permit me once more to reply to yours of this morning. I feel greatly honoured by the exposition of your views as to the utility of this spirit-power, and will briefly state what I have experienced, as in the cases of this kind, personal knowledge alone is reliable. 1. This power can counteract gravity.—I have repeatedly seen tables lifted from the floor, and kept suspended for some minutes, and, by an undulatory motion, keeping time to music: the hands of the sitters being on the top thereof, the room perfectly light. 2. It can originate motion. I have seen a table move about a room without any person being near it, and this at my own residence. 3. In supplying an action due to natural physical force, or counteracting it.-I think this may be exemplified by the phase called "Writing or Drawing Mediumship," the hand being acted on without the knowledge by its possessor of its performance: in one instance, this has happened to myself. 4. It can pinch or prick to my knowledge. 5. It can also affect the senses.-I can testify to hearing, seeing, feeling. I do not know how these things can occur to your experience, unless you seek for them per séance; so far, therefore, you must wait on them. There are exceptions, however, to this rule, that is, when the person is a medium: in that case, they seek such person. I am not a medium, but my sister is. 6. They can show their hands, &c.-I have seen and been touched by them in several instances, and this in the daylight. There are works published, in which their nature, &c., are described. I beg to inclose a catalogue; and I can bear witness to the fact of direct spirit-writing. I have a specimen, written when I was at a séance. Of course, the before mentioned operations cease when the magnetic, or other force which called them into activity is lost. That, however, is the case with all applications of motive power. What I consider to be the defect of this power is, its non-reliability, as, for instance, say six persons hold a séance, and have communications; perhaps the next evening they hold another, and get nothing, and so on for a few times, when again comes the power with, probably, additional force; the conditions, both mental, bodily, and atmospheric, &c., being apparently the same. These are a few of the perplexities which only one like yourself can solve, that is, if you would induce yourself to do it. The only instance I am aware of, where the power seems continuous, is that of the Davenports, and although there is much in their manifestations open to criticism, yet having been to a séance, all my observations, combined with what I have seen in other instances, have failed to cause me any doubts of their truth. I have written as much as the paper allows, as I know not whether I shall have the pleasure and honour again. You can always command my attention, my time, and with my best respects, Sir, I am your most obedient Servant, Professor Faraday, F.R.S., &c. THOMAS SHERRATT. Whilst we are on the subject, and to clear up once for all this Faraday question, we will reproduce some other specimens of his letter-writing of the same kind, asking in a derisive tone to see phenomena, which he might have seen any day by taking the ordinary means. "Royal Institution, "31st January, 1863. "Sir,-My opinion is in no way changed in character, but greatly strengthened. Nobody has ever been able to shew me the effect, therefore, I have no occasion to shew a cause. I do not believe those who say they have seen it. I doubt their competency to examine facts and evidence of facts, and think their statements as of no value for the cause of science and simple truth. When they can lift a table into the air in the presence of parties adverse to them in opinion, and can subject what they think can be done to strict and cross-examination, then it may be worth while to think about the cause. "R. Cooper, Esq., Eastbourne." "Very truly yours, "M. FARADAY. The following letter from the late Professor Faraday is later in date than the one given by Professor Tyndall as the last expression of his opinion, and it may be interesting to reprint it on that account, and to shew to what extent the same feeling of blind acerbity continued in his mind. "Royal Institution of Great Britain, "8th October, 1864. "Gentlemen,-I am obliged by your courteous invitation, but really have been so disappointed by the manifestations to which my notice has at different times been called, that I am not encouraged to give any more attention to them, and therefore leave those to which you refer in the hands of the Professors of Legerdemain. "If spirit communications, not utterly worthless, should happen to start into activity, I will trust the spirits to find out for themselves how they can move my attention. I am tired of them. "With thanks, I am, very truly yours, M. FARADAY. "The Brothers Davenport." |