817 A. From the Proceedings of the American S.P.R., vol. i. p. 397. Mr. M. writes to Professor Royce as follows:-

Boston, Nov. 16th, 1886. Some years ago, perhaps eight or nine, while in a city of Rhode Island on business, my house being then, as now, in Boston, I received news which was most unexpected and distressing to me, affecting me so seriously that I retired to my room at the hotel, a large square room, and threw myself upon my bed, face downward, remaining there a long time in great mental distress. The acuteness of the feeling after a time abating, I left the room. I returned next day to Boston and the day after that received a short letter from the person whose statement I enclose herewith, and dated at the town in western New York from which her enclosed letter comes. The note begged me to tell her without delay what was the matter with me "on Friday at two o'clock," the very day and hour when I was affected as I have described.

1 IV., 371, 372. Here the authority is Monstrelet, a Burgundian.

This lady was a somewhat familiar acquaintance and friend, but I had not heard from her for many months previous to this note and I do not know that any thought of her had come into my mind for a long time. I should still further add that the news which had so distressed me had not the slightest connection with her.

I wrote at once, stating that she was right as to her impression (she said in her letter that she was sure I was in very great trouble at the time mentioned) and expressed my surprise at the whole affair. . . . (Signed) M.

The accompanying statement from N., who is a physician by profession and writes from New York State, is as follows:-

[Postmarked, Aug. 16th, 1886].

In the convalescence from a malarial fever during which great hyperaesthesia of brain had obtained, but no hallucinations or false perceptions, I was sitting alone in my room looking out of the window. My thoughts were of indifferent trivialities; after a time my mind seemed to become absolutely vacant; my eyes felt fixed, the air seemed to grow white. I could see objects about me, but it was a terrible effort of will to perceive anything. I then felt great and painful sense as of sympathy with some one suffering, who or where I did not know. After a little time I knew with whom, but how I knew I cannot tell; for it seemed some time after this knowledge of personality that I saw distinctly in my brain, not before my eyes, a large square room, evidently in a hotel, and saw the person of whom I had been conscious, lying face downward on the bed in the throes of mental and physical anguish. I felt rather than heard sobs and grieving, and felt conscious of the nature of the grief subjectively; its objective cause was not transmitted to me. Extreme exhaustion followed the experience, which lasted forty minutes intensely and then very slowly wore away.

Let me note: (1) I had not thought of the person for some time and there was no reminder in the room; (2) the experience was remembered with more vividness than that seen in the normal way, while the contrary is true of dreams; (3) the natural order of perception was reversed; i.e. the emotion came first, the sense of a personality second, the vision or perception of the person third. . . . (Signed) N.

Mr. M. was unfortunately not able to find the letters that passed between him and his friend at the time.