IX. The next case which I shall give is a curious one, as involving (1) raps, (2) a crystal-vision, (3) an apparition seen by two persons, viz. Miss A. herself and Mr. Harry de Windt (brother of the Ranee), well known as a traveller in Russia. Unfortunately no notes were taken, but I heard of the incident a few weeks afterwards from Lady Brooke (the Ranee), Mr. C. D., Mrs. A., and Miss A. (all present at the time), and a letter from Mr. de Windt confirms two of the main points.

In September 1892, on the occasion of the first meeting of Mr. de Windt and Miss A., the latter wrote the word Doishowalinksky, which at first was thought to be a sentence, but turned out to be a name well known to Mr. de Windt.

On the same day a face appeared near Mr. C. D. which was clearly seen by Miss A. and Mr. de Windt, and recognised by the latter, as stated in a letter to me, dated October 5th, 1892: "I can only tell you that I distinctly saw the face of an exile I am acquainted with, one Dombrowski, who is (or was) located at Tomsk, in Western Siberia. A message was also sent me" [from a Russian source; but Mr. de Windt explains the inexpedience of printing further particulars of this].

Miss A., on being afterwards shown a photograph of Dombrowski (not, however, mixed with other photographs, as it should have been), recognised it, but said that the face as seen by her looked older and more worn; in which Mr. de Windt concurred. It is not known whether Dombrowski is dead or alive.

On the same day Miss A., looking in the crystal, saw a small man with bright red hair and red face, a big stick, a long petticoat, and a fur cap, walking in front of a little hut. Mr. de Windt recognised this figure as resembling a hill-man set to watch an isolated prisoner. These stunted hill-men dye their hair with red clay.

A few days later (September 15th, 1892) a message was given by raps to Lady Brooke (the Ranee): "Tell your brother (Mr. de Windt) that Shiskine is the man to help him." Neither Miss A. nor Mr. de Windt had ever consciously heard of Shiskine, but in the St. James's Gazette of September 24th they observed that M. Shiskine had received a certain high appointment, which explained the message. His appointment had also been mentioned in the Times of August 31st. It is, of course, possible that subliminal memory may externalise itself by raps, as by other means.

X. Among the habitual "controls," "Lord Chancellor Hardwicke" is almost the only one of sufficient historical mark to admit of our testing the truth of his statements. He gave a list of the surnames of sixteen of his friends. . . . Most of the names (though not all) appear in Harris's "Life of Lord Hardwicke"; but in several cases there are reasons, not apparent in the Life, which make it probable that there was more intimacy than the incidental mention in the Life would imply. The case resembles the biographies of musicians written automatically by Mr. Stainton Moses (see 947). The tone of boisterous humour which runs through these messages is unlike Miss A., but it must be remembered that in the "objectivation of types" so often obtained by hypnotic suggestion, a part quite alien to the hypnotised subject's character is often surprisingly well maintained.

In a more recent case connected with the control known as "Semirus," through whom medical advice has often been conveyed to Miss A., a boy's career was saved by the advice thus given. The documents relating to this case were shown to me by Sir Lawrence Jones, who was personally acquainted with all the circumstances.

The boy was at school, preparing for a profession which involved a severe medical examination. In May, 1900, about a year before the examination, a serious physical defect was discovered, and a well-known medical authority advised that the defect could not be sufficiently remedied to enable the boy to pass. Arrangements had actually been made for changing his career when it was suggested that his parents, who were then abroad, should consult "Semirus." They wrote to Miss A., with whom they were slightly acquainted, but who had never seen the boy, and begged her to ask "Semirus" to go to the school - distant about thirty miles from where she was living - look at the affected limb, and give an opinion on the case. "Semirus" insisted that "some really good surgeon could set it right." A specialist was then consulted, and a delicate operation was successfully performed. The boy has since passed his examination without any difficulty.