7 OCTOBER 1871, Page 3

As we mentioned in July Mr. Crookes' paper in the

"Quarterly Journal of Science" on psychic force, and also the very uncom- plimentary criticisms of some eminent men of science on his experiments, and on our own provisional judgment that a case for further inquiry was made out, we are bound to report that in the new number of the same periodical Mr. Crookes has returned to the charge, and described several other still more crucial experi- ments made not only with Mr. Home, but with another person pos- sessed of like physical characteristics, experiments which, if truly described, certainly seem to demonstrate that a physical force goes out of some persons without any direct connection with the object on which it is exerted, or with, at least, no further connection than the medium of the atmosphere affords. In one of these experi- ments the operator or medium was placed three feet from the scien- tific apparatus to measure the force elicited, his hands and feet being tightly held ; a careful scientific apparatus for mea- suring the effect of any force exerted on the balance was used, and the curve describing the movements of the index under the force which streamed from the organization of the 'medium' was carefully traced, and is reproduced in Mr. Crooke& article. We can only say that, assuming the report to be accurate, as we have a right to do, it seems to us almost im- possible to account by any known natural causes for the physical disturbances produced. Of course, the experiments ought to be often repeated, under the most careful and impartial scrutiny., before the result is accepted.