subject of it was a near relation of his own, a lady about fifty. On returning one evening from a party, she went into a dark room to lay aside some part of her dress, when she saw distinctly before her the figure of death, as a skeleton, with his arm uplifted, and a dart in hand. He instantly aimed a blow at her with the dart, which seemed to strike her on the left side. The same night she was seized with fever, accompanied by symptoms of inflammation in the left side; but recovered after a severe illness. strongly was the vision impressed upon her mind, that even for some time after her recovery she could not pass the door of the room in which it occurred without discovering agitation; declaring that it was there she met with her ill

ness.

So

A highly intelligent friend whom I attended several years ago, in a mild but very protracted fever, without delirium, had frequent interviews with a spectral visiter, who presented the appearance of an old gray-headed man, of a most benignant aspect. His visits were always conducted exactly in the same manner: he entered the room by a door which was on the left hand side of the bed, passed the end of the bed, and seated himself on a chair on the right hand side: he then fixed his eyes upon the patient with an expression of intense interest and pity, but never spoke; continued distinctly visible for some seconds, and then seemed to vanish into air. His visits were sometimes repeated daily for several days, but sometimes he missed a day: and the appearance continued for several weeks. The same gentleman on another occasion, when in perfect health, sitting in his parlor in the evening, saw distinctly in the corner of the room a female figure in a kneeling posture, who continued visible for several seconds.

In a lady, whose case is mentioned in the Edinburgh Journal of Science for April, 1830, there was an illusion affecting both sight and hearing. She repeatedly heard her husband's voice calling to her by name, as if from an adjoining room; and on one occasion saw his figure most distinetly, standing before the fire in the drawing-room, when he had left the house half an hour before. She went

The apparition of a skeleton. Effect upon the mind? The spectral visiter? Circumstances of his visits? Double illusion. Circumstances of the case?

and sat down within two feet of the figure, supposing it to be her husband, and was greatly astonished that he did not answer when she spoke to him. The figure continued visible for several minutes, then moved towards a window at the farther end of the room, and there disappeared. A few days after this appearance, she saw the figure of a cat lying on the hearth-rug; and, on another occasion, while adjusting her hair before a mirror, late at night, she saw the countenance of a friend, dressed in a shroud, reflected from the mirror, as if looking over her shoulder. This lady had been for some time in bad health, being affected with pectoral complaints, and much nervous debility. A remarkable feature of this case was the illusion of hearing; and of this I have received another example from a medical friend in England. A clergyman, aged fifty-six, accustomed to full living, was suddenly seized with vomiting, vertigo, and ringing in his ears, and continued in rather an alarming condition for several days. During this time, he had the sound in his ears of tunes most distinctly played, and in accurate succession. This patient had, at the same time, a very remarkable condition of vision, such as I have not heard of in any other case. All objects appeared to him inverted. This peculiarity continued three days, and then ceased gradually; the objects by degrees changing their position, first to the horizontal, and then to the erect.

V. To these sources of spectral illusions we are to add, though not connected with our present subject, those which originate in pure misconception; the imagination working up into a spectral illusion something which is really a very trivial occurrence. Of this class is an anecdote, mentioned by Dr. Hibbert, of a whole ship's company being thrown into the utmost state of consternation by the apparition of a cook who had died a few days before. He was distinctly seen walking ahead of the ship, with a peculiar gait, by which he was distinguished when alive, from having one of his legs shorter than the other. On steering the ship towards the object, it was found to be a piece of floating wreck. A story referable to the same principle is related by Dr.

Various apparitions. The case of the clergyman? His vision? Misconception. Anecdote of the ship's company?

Ferriar-A gentleman travelling in the Highlands of Scotland was conducted to a bedroom which was reported to be haunted by the spirit of a man who had there committed suicide. In the night he awoke under the influence of a frightful dream, and found himself sitting up in bed with a pistol grasped in his right hand. On looking round the room he now discovered, by the moonlight, a corpse dressed in a shroud reared against the wall, close by the window; the features of the body, and every part of the funeral apparel, being perceived distinctly. On recovering from the first impulse of terror, so far as to investigate the source of the phantom, it was found to be produced by the moonbeams forming a long bright image through the broken window.

Two esteemed friends of mine, while travelling in the Highlands, had occasion to sleep in separate beds in one apartment. One of them, having awoke in the night, saw by the moonlight a skeleton hanging from the head of his friend's bed; every part of it being perceived in the most distinct manner. He instantly got up to investigate the source of the illusion, and found it to be produced by the moonbeams falling upon the drapery of the bed, which had been thrown back, in some unusual manner, on account of the heat of the weather. He returned to bed and soon fell asleep. But having awoke again some time after, the skeleton was still so distinctly before him, that he could not sleep without again getting up to trace the origin of the phantom. Determined not to be disturbed a third time, he now brought down the curtain into its usual state, and the skeleton appeared no more.

The traveller in the Highlands. The apparition? Explanation of it?

PART IV.

VIEW OF THE QUALITIES AND ACQUIREMENTS WHICH CONSTI TUTE A WELL REGULATED MIND.

In concluding this outline of facts regarding the intellectual powers and the investigation of truth, we may take a slight review of what those qualities are which constitute a well regulated mind, and which ought to be aimed at by those who desire either their own mental culture, or that of others who are under their care. The more important considerations may be briefly recapitulated in the following

manner :

I. The cultivation of a habit of steady and continuous attention; or of properly directing the mind to any subject which is before it, so as fully to contemplate its elements and relations. This is necessary for the due exercise of every other mental process, and is the foundation of all improvement of character, both intellectual and moral. We shall afterward have occasion to remark, how often sophistical opinions and various distortions of character may be traced to errors in this first act of the mind, or to a misdirection and want of due regulation of the attention. "There is, indeed, every reason to believe that the diversities in the power of judging, in different individuals, are much less than we are apt to imagine; and that the remarkable differences observed in the act of judging are rather to be ascribed to the manner in which the mind is previously directed to the facts on which the judgment is afterward to be exercised. It is related of Sir Isaac Newton that when he was questioned respecting the mental qualities which formed the peculiarity of his character, he referred it entirely to the power which he had acquired of continuous attention.

Subject of Part IV? First quality? Its importance. Evils resulting from a want of it? To what two causes may differences in acts of judging be ascribed? Which most commonly the true cause? Newton's remark?

The following directions and cautions will very much assist the pupil in acquiring this intellectual habit.

1. Attempt but one thing at a time, and devote your whole attention exclusively to it. Many young persons continually violate this principle. They will try to study a lesson, and listen to an interesting conversation at the same time, hoping to secure simultaneously the advantage of the one and the pleasure of the other. But, in fact, the pleasure of the conversation is destroyed by the uneasy and distracting feeling which the circumstances occasion, and the attention to the book is of the most superficial and useless character; so that both objects are lost. In the same manner, a pupil engaged in some mathematical calculations will station himself at a window, where he may look down on some busy scene, the animating influences of which, he imagines, may cheer his labors; whereas, in fact, in such a case, he can neither enjoy the prospect nor perform his work.

2. Another most common way by which habits of inattention and wandering of mind are formed and fixed, is, not attempting exactly to do two things, but attempting one with the mind all the time perplexed with doubt whether it ought not to be doing another. This is a very common source of injury. The most ruinous consequences to the intellectual habits of the young, especially, often result from it; for they seldom have much plan or system in the arrangement of their time. He who acts from the impulse of the moment, must be always exposed to this difficulty; for this impulse will continually fluctuate and vary. He will take up one book, and after reading a page will think another would be more interesting, and changing from one to the other will lose all the benefit of both. Or he will be employed in studying a lesson, with his mind all the time distracted with the question which he continually stops to consider, whether he shall not give up his lesson and read a story, or he will read the story with a secret conviction that he ought to be studying a lesson. There cannot be practices more destructive to present enjoyment, or more ruinous to the habits of the mind.

3. Another most common cause of careless and superficial habits of attention is, undertaking what is not fairly within the powers of the individual. If a reader cannot fully understand and appreciate the work which he has undertaken, he insensibly acquires the habit of running over it with his eye, while his mind is really occupied with something else. He receives perhaps a few ideas, he catches a little of the train of thought, but he enters not into the spirit of the work at all. Thousands and thousands of books are read in this way, the reader taking merely what lies upon the surface, and having no idea. that there is any thing below. This too is destructive to all correct habits of attention.

By these three precautions, viz. carefully confining the attention to the single object which for the time being is before it,-regulating the selection of objects by some systematic principle, so that while we First principle? Common modes of violating it. Consequences? Second principle. Common ways of violating it? Consequences. Third principle. Consequences of vi olating it? Becapitulation of the three principles ?