415 A. The following is a case of a lost object, where waking effort soon after the loss fails to recall any supraliminal knowledge of the place of deposit. The account is quoted from the Journal S.P.R., vol. iv. p. 142 (October 1889).

February 4th, 1889. On reaching Morley's Hotel, at five o'clock on Tuesday, 29th January 1889, I missed a gold brooch, which I supposed I had left in a fitting-room at Swan & Edgar's. I sent there at once, but was very disappointed to hear that after a diligent search they could not find the brooch. I was very vexed, and worried about the brooch, and that night dreamed that I should find it shut up in a number of the Queen newspaper that had been on the table, and in my dream I saw the very page where it would be. I had noticed one of the plates on that page. Directly after breakfast I went to Swan & Edgar's and asked to see the papers, at the same time telling the young ladies about the dream, and where I had seen the brooch. The papers had been moved from that room, but were found, and, to the astonishment of the young ladies, I said, "This is the one that contains my brooch; " and there, at the very page I expected, I found it.

1 Tissié, Let Rêves, p. 121.

A. M. Bickford-Smith.

We received a substantially similar account from Mrs. Bickford-Smith's brother-in-law, Mr. H. A. Smith, who was a witness of the trouble taken to find the brooch, both at the hotel, and by sending to Swan & Edgar's, on the previous evening.

Yet here, be it observed, Mrs. Bickford-Smith had not had an opportunity of herself inspecting the scene of the loss. Had she returned to Swan & Edgar's before the dream, it is possible that the sight of the books on the table might have revived some recollection of seeing the brooch between the leaves of the Queen.

415 B. The next case was given in the Proceedings of the American S.P.R. (vol. i. No. 4, p. 363) on the authority of Professor Royce of Harvard. The narrator was Colonel A. v. S. of Texas (whose full name was known to Professor Royce). This case is more complicated than that last given, inasmuch as the missing article was apparently revealed to the percipient by her dead brother in a dream - and revealed in a place where it had been previously looked for in vain. The "orthodox" explanation, however, would be that the position of the knife was first perceived by the subliminal self, which only succeeded in informing the supraliminal self through a dramatic dream.

In the New York Herald of December nth inst. I have noticed your interview, in which you say that you request any person having some unusual experience, such as an exceptionally vivid dream, etc. etc, should address you. The following seems to me a very extraordinary dream, for the truth of which I pledge you my word of honour.

About five years ago I lived with my four children, one boy and three girls, on a farm in Massachusetts. This only son, at the age of about fourteen years, lost his life in an accident, about six months previous to this narration. The youngest of the girls was the pet sister of his since her birth. My wife had died some six years previous to this story; being motherless, made these children unusually affectionate towards each other. One day I had occasion to buy for my girls each a very small lady's knife, about two and a half inches long. A few days afterwards the girls received company from our neighbours' girls, some five or six of them. My youngest one, some eight or nine years old, was so delighted with this, her first knife, that she carried it with her at all times. During the afternoon the children strolled to the large barn, filled with hay, and at once set to climbing the mow to play, and jumping on the hay. During the excitement of the play my little girl lost her knife. This terrible loss nearly broke her heart, and all hands set to work to find the lost treasure, but without success. This finally broke up the party in gloominess. In spite of my greatest efforts to pacify the child with all sorts of promises, she went to bed weeping.

During the night the child dreamed that her dead dear beloved brother came to her, taking her by the hand, saying, "Come, my darling, I will show you where your little knife is," and, leading her to the barn, climbing the mow, showed her the knife, marking the place. The dream was so life-like that she awoke, joyfully telling her sister that her brother had been here, and showing her where she would find her knife. Both girls hastily dressed, and running to the barn, the little girl, assisted by her sister, got on top of the hay, and walked direct to the spot indicated by her brother, and found the knife on top of the hay. The whole party said that they all looked there many times the day before, and insisted that the knife was not there then. This, I think, is a very remarkable dream. - Yours, etc.---------------

"In answer to a request for further confirmation," continues Professor Royce, "our correspondent writes, under date of December 29th, 1887:" -

Yours of December 22nd inst. to hand. According to your request I will give the statement of my girls. The little dreamer says: -

"I have a very vivid recollection of my dream up to this day. I could today walk every step that I walked in my dream with brother. I cannot recollect at what time of the night I had my dream. I don't think I ever was awake during the night, but, on waking in the morning, I had the feeling that I was sure I could go and get the knife. I told my sisters. They at first laughed at my dream, but I insisted that brother had shown me the knife, and I could not have peace in my mind until I went to the barn to get it. One sister went with me. On reaching the hay, I told her to let me go ahead, and walked direct to the spot without hesitating a moment, and picked up my knife! "

She never had any other similar experience, and no other similar experience happened in my family. The sister who went along with her says: -

"As we got up and were dressing, sister told me she knew where her knife was; that brother took her out to the barn during the night and showed it to her. I laughed and tried to persuade her that this was only a dream, but she said that she was so sure of seeing the knife that she would show it to me. She said that brother took her by the hand, and led her to the place, talking to her all the way, and tried to quiet her. She would not give peace until I went along. On getting on top of the hay she walked direct to the spot, saying, ' Here brother picked the knife up out of the hay,' and at once said, ' and oh, here it is,' picking up the knife. We had been looking this place all over, again and again, the previous evening".