years; it would enable us also to calculate by the eye how far the precession would carry any star in a given time. The present proposed nomenclature, or, indeed, any new nomenclature whatever, would not be required by practical astronomers, who have no need of maps, and scarcely ever use them; its great use would be for those who follow, at a humble distance, and to whom mere figures in catalogues are of no use. It may be that the growing interest in nebula and the interesting peculiarities which are observed in particular stars, will, at last, render it necessary to be able to give names, and, in that case, it is probable that some such plan as the present, modified or extended, will be brought into use. G. DEMONIACAL TEMPTATION. DURING the mesmeric sleep it is quite possible to awaken one or more of the faculties or instincts of the mind, while the others continue partially or even altogether in a state of repose; and as the means usually employed for this purpose is touching or causing the fingers to point energetically towards some part of the patient's head where the faculty is supposed to reside, the process has received the name of Phreno-mesmerism. During these phreno-mesmeric experiments, very interesting and even wonderful manifestations are produced— the reality of which, in general, it is impossible to doubt. The person speaks and acts as if he were in a dream, or rather in a state of somnambulism. The most usual and the most remarkable result is the working of the imagination in a particular direction. For example, when the instinct of fear (called caution by phrenologists) is excited, a strange undefined sensation of danger or horror is induced. "In thoughts from the visions of the night, It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof." The imagination conjures up objects of terror with scarcely any assistance, but still more powerfully if they be suggested. Thus, if we say, "Do you not see that serpent in the corner?" the patient will not only believe that he sees it, but will fly from the supposed danger. If, on the contrary, the instinct of fondness for children (called philoprogenitiveness by phrenologists) be called into action, and if a pillow be put into his arms, he will believe it to be a child, and will fondle it with a delight that is exceedingly amusing; and so also it is with all the other instincts, the imagination is excited in the direction of each one as it is called into action, and a sort of waking dream is the consequence. Another evident and important effect of calling out particular faculties during the mesmeric sleep, is their immediate tendency to run into action. For example, when the faculty of number is excited, the patient begins to count, and feels an evident pleasure in counting; if tune be excited, he begins to sing; if combativeness, he begins to fight; if veneration, he begins to pray. Very interesting effects also are sometimes produced by the combination of different faculties. Thus, veneration and tune combined will incline the patient to sing psalms. Self-esteem and language will unite in causing the patient to boast; and so on with all the others—the one either modifies or counteracts the others. Those who have had opportunities of witnessing these experiments, must have been struck with the light which they shed upon the science of the human mind. On one occasion, two young gentlemen, on returning from a phreno-mesmeric lecture, and, believing that the experiments which had been exhibited were merely a well executed piece of imposture, proposed, as a frolic, to repeat them on one another. Neither of the two was a believer either in mesmerism or phrenology; and when, to his surprise, one of them succeeded in throwing the other into a mesmeric sleep, he proceeded to experiment upon the phrenological organs. Still more to his surprise, on putting his finger to those organs the position of which he knew, the corresponding dispositions and faculties manifested themselves exactly in the same manner as had been done in the experiments of the lecture. The most remarkable circumstance, however, was this, that, being acquainted with the position of only a few of the organs, none of the organs of which neither of them knew the position would come into action; whereas those which either the one or the other knew responded at once to the call. On another occasion, during a private but rather extensive exhibition of phreno-mesmeric phenomena, two gentlemen, who were rather sceptical on the subject, were among the company, walking up and down the apartment surrounded by sleeping patients, of very varied characters. They stopped before a little boy who was fast bound in mesmeric sleep, and one of them said aloud, "Here is a fine little fellow; let us try the new organ of tune on him," and immediately he laid his finger lightly on the boy's nose-forthwith the boy began to sing. This incident convinced the gentlemen that the boy was an impostor; a conclusion by no means likely, and certainly not justified by the circumstances. It proved this, however (and the previous anecdote seems to corroborate the doctrine), that the faculties of the mind may be called into action, not merely by touching particular parts of the head, but by directing the attention of the patient to the faculty which is appealed to. Nor is it even necessary that the patient should know what is expected from him. If the mesmeriser's attention be directed to the faculty, the "rapport" which is established between the two is sufficient to excite the faculty into action. If the patient be capable of feeling the taste of salt put into the mesmeriser's mouth, and will start when the mesmeriser is pricked with a pin (and such cases have been well established), it is quite possible that the act of the mesmeriser's mind may be sufficient to destroy the repose of a particular faculty, and call it into exercise, while the other faculties are still at rest. In this view, it becomes a question whether all the experiments which seem to establish the truth of phrenology by means of mesmerism, are, in reality, admissible as proof. It would almost be necessary to have them tried by two persons (the mesmeriser and the mesmerised), neither of whom had ever known anything about phrenology. In making this statement, however, the author does not mean to offer any opinion on the truth of phreno-mesmerism, because, although this precaution seems to be necessary, he must acknowledge that the experiments he has witnessed, and in which he is certain there was no collusion, made a very deep impression on his mind. One particular instance will never be forgotten. A middle-aged man, in humble life, but a professed atheist, was introduced at a private meeting, and thrown into the mesmeric sleep. A number of organs were appealed to, and came into action with considerable variety of energy; and, when little or no action was exhibited, the question was put, "What are you thinking about?" the reply was then always in character. One |