417 A. Here is a case in which a difficult problem in bookkeeping, which had baffled the narrator's waking endeavours, was solved during sleep. I quote it from the Zoist, vol. viii. p. 328. It was communicated to Dr. Elliotson, with the dreamer's name and address, by Dr. Davey, of the Colney Hatch Lunatic Asylum.

January 14th, 1850.

My dear------, - In accordance with your request, I herewith transmit you particulars, as they occurred, of the peculiar dream, if such it may be called, which proved of so essential service to me.

As I mentioned to you, I had been bothered since September with an error in my cash account for that month, and despite many hours' examination, it defied all my efforts, and I almost gave it up as a hopeless case. It had been the subject of my waking thoughts for many nights, and had occupied a large portion of my leisure hours. Matters remained thus unsettled until the 11th December. On this night I had not, to my knowledge, once thought of the subject, but I had not long been in bed, and asleep, when my brain was as busy with the books as though I had been at my desk. The cash-book, banker's pass-books, etc, etc, appeared before me, and without any apparent trouble I almost immediately discovered the cause of the mistake, which had arisen out of a complicated cross-entry. I perfectly recollect having taken a slip of paper in my dream and made such a memorandum as would enable me to correct the error at some leisure time; and, having done this, that the whole of the circumstances had passed from my mind. When I awoke in the morning I had not the slightest recollection of my dream, nor did it once occur to me throughout the day, although I had the very books before me on which I had apparently been engaged in my sleep.

When I returned home in the afternoon, as I did early for the purpose of dressing, and proceeded to shave, I took up a piece of paper from my dressing-table to wipe my razor, and you may imagine my surprise at finding thereon the very memorandum I fancied had been made during the previous night. The effect on me was such that I returned to our office and turned to the cash-book, when I found that I had really, when asleep, detected the error which I could not detect in my waking hours, and had actually jotted it down at the time....

P.S. - I may add that, on a former occasion, nearly a similar occurrence took place; with, however, this difference, that I awoke at the conclusion of the dream, and was perfectly aware, when certainly awake, of having made the memorandum at that time. This, however, was not the case in the occurrence I have above detailed.... C. J. E.

Mr. E. wrote later: -

I have no recollection whatever as to where I obtained the writing materials, or rather paper and pencil, with which I made the memorandum referred to. It certainly must have been written in the dark, and in my bedroom, as I found both paper and pencil there the following afternoon, and could not for a long time understand anything about it. The pencil was not one which I am in the habit of carrying, and my impression is that I must have either found it accidentally in the room, or gone downstairs for it. C. J. E.