I may state my daughter does not know a word of Kaffir, having been born several years after I was last in that country. I inquired who influenced her hand to write, as the art of writing is generally unknown to Kaffirs, and was informed my old friend H. S., whose native name was "Nonquambeen," had written the message at the request of the Kaffir's spirit-friends. I may add H. S. was a well-educated man, whose memory I hold in regard, and who when in this life could talk the Kaffir language fairly, having been an old settler in Natal. I explained to my Kaffir visitor that the Insleseea, or souls of his friends, were present, at which he seemed rather terrified. I assured him there were numbers of my spirit-friends present also, and that my children frequently described both the spirits of my friends and of some of his countrymen who were in my employ, and others whom I knew many years ago. This only seemed to increase his fear. I think I have referred to Chinese having been written through my daughter's hand imperfectly, and on my remarking that I did not think it was like the Chinese characters, I was informed by one of my Anglican spirit-friends that it was the first time the Chinese spirit had influenced a medium to write, and that he would improve by practice.

On showing it to a Chinese (there were thirteen or fourteen pages of it) he could not make out many of the characters, but here and there he said, "That means sound," "That means twenty," and so on, and remarked, "This like little China boy's writing, not know write good".

One day, while receiving communications through my daughter's hand, I observed written, "Put down that balloon." I remarked to my wife, "What on earth have they to do with balloons in spirit-life?" She smiled, and told me that our daughter had in her left hand one of those pink india-rubber toy balloons, which she, childlike, had been trying to inflate with her breath whilst her right hand was writing the communications. I was sitting on the medium's right-hand side, and was so interested in the communications as written that I had not taken notice what she was doing with her left hand, on which side my wife sat. At another time, in reply to a query by me on some deep theological matter, through my daughter's hand it was written, "How can you expect an answer to such a question through a child's organisation?" I have several reams of paper filled with communications received through my daughter's hand.

The incident of the young child's writing is given in the same book (p. 71), being then of quite recent date. I will, however, give here the account, of course much later, but concordant, and in some points fuller, which was given to me at the interview mentioned in section 871.

October 3rd, 1891.

When our daughter Nelly was nearly five years old, she had not learned a single letter of her alphabet. She had certainly received no instruction whatever. One day her elder sister was writing automatically. To please the child, we put a pencil in her hand. Presently we observed that she had written some words, and on looking we saw that the words were, "I am a mesmeric medium." [Words "I am a" not present in earlier account.] She had been under our eyes all the time. The words were written in a small angular lady's handwriting. I then asked my elder daughter's "guide," the late Dr. Godfrey Howitt, to explain this. Instead of the accustomed writing, a message came in the writing of my elder sister, the late Mrs. Colonel Kelso, to the effect: [here I give the correct wording as in earlier record] "She will be very mediumistic, but is too young to be influenced; do not let her sit until she is older, or you will injure her health." We did not let her write automatically for some years afterwards; then she did write for some little time, and then the power left her.

Hugh Junor Browne.

Elizabeth Browne.

872 A. From Proceedings S.P.R., vol. ix. pp. 122-24.

The following case came to Dr. Hodgson from a group of persons who may not be very critical, but who are plainly sincere. The phenomenon alleged, however surprising, involves but a simple act of observation, and should have been easy to note and remember.

Flushing, July 19th, 1890.

Mr. Richard Hodgson, - Dear Sir, - It affords me pleasure to respond to your inquiry concerning the item of spirit writing through the hand of a little child just four years of age who had no knowledge of its letters, unaided and untaught.

My wife had a niece who passed to spirit-life twenty years ago, who was in life strongly attached to her, and whenever we come in contact with a medium-istic person she invariably makes her presence known to us. My daughter, fifteen years of age, and another young lady of the same age, opened a school for small children in a little room used for a Sunday School by the Baptist society, where the event took place. It was approaching Easter, and to add to the coming exercises, the little girl was especially invited to join them in rehearsing their pieces, as most all the pupils were members of the Mission Sunday School. The first morning of her attendance a slate and pencil were given her to keep her quiet; she scribbled awhile, when it was noticed that she had written very distinctly the name Emma. As it was known that the child had never been inside of a school before, and that she knew no single letter of the alphabet, it was a great surprise. The slate belonged to some of the pupils, hence was not preserved by the young ladies. I regretted the loss of such a rare test of spirit control, and urged them, should such a thing ever occur again, to preserve it. The child attended the day following, and instead of slate a leaf from a tablet and lead pencil were given her.

After she had amused herself awhile she returned the paper, and it was seen that a number of attempts to write the name Emma had been made. As she handed in the paper she said, "Nozer," and another sheet was given, with an improvement; the third was given, when upon either side was written with bold running hand, "your aunt Emma," quite as large and perfect as the above.