The following is from my Work published May, 1843, p. 36 :"I had prepared by the magician's direction some frankincense and "coriander seeds; a chafing-dish, with some live coals in it. These were "now brought into the room, together with the boy who was to be em"ployed; he had been called in by my desire from amongst other boys "in the street, returning from a manufactory, and was about eight "or nine years of age.

In reply to my inquiry respecting the person who could see in the umagic mirror of ink, the magician said, they were: a boy not arrived "at puberty, a virgin, a black female slave, and a pregnant woman.

The chafing-dish was placed before him and the boy; the latter "was placed on a seat. The magician now addressed my servant to "put some frankincense and coriander seeds into the chafing-dish, "then taking hold of the boy's right hand, he drew in the palm of it a "magic square: in the centre he poured a little ink and desired the boy "to look into it and tell him if he could see his face reflected in it; the boy "replied that he saw his face clearly; the magician, holding the boy's "hand all the while, told him to look silently into the ink and not "to raise his head. He then took one of the strips of paper inscribed "with the forms of invocation, and dropped it into the chafing-dish "upon the burning coals and perfumes, which had already filled "the room with their smoke; and as he did this he commenced "indistinct mutterings of words, which he continued during the whole "process, etc, etc.

While this was going on, the magician put the second and third "of the small strips of paper, upon which the forms of invocation were "written, into the chafing-dish, fresh frankincense and coriander "seeds being repeatedly added, until the fumes became painful "to the eyes.

The object of placing the boy near the window was evidently for "him to inhale the fumes, it being the only window open, the vapours "would naturally be directed to that point.

A pure seer, to wit, a maiden's or a boy's eye was required. "These are constitutionally more susceptible to the influence of the "'Narcotic and Stimulating Vapours.' I find that, with very little "trouble, they are subdued by the nervous agency, whereas stronger "persons, as men and old women, are very hard to be affected."

The only difference made by me, was in the addition of poppy (for which I substituted the bowl of molasses), and the vapour from alcohol, with which was sometimes mixed ether. In many places, I was forced to give my lectures without the experiments, from the fact of the fumes being painful to the audience.

The reader must take all the extracts in connexion with the surgical operations constantly performed by me in public, during the anaesthetic state induced by mesmerism.

The Boston Daily Ledger of May 28th, 1842, is as follows:"Dr. Collyer's experiments were very successful. He first mesmerized "Frederick - when he showed the reality of his unconscious state by "exciting and depressing his pulse at pleasure (by acting on the heart).

A young lady was mesmerized for the purpose of having a tooth "extracted; the tooth was examined by several physicians, amongst "whom was Dr. Sampson, of Brewster, one of the Counsellors of the "Massachusetts Medical Society; they pronounced the tooth to be "decayed, but firm in the head. Dr. Kimball, who had consented to "extract it, then applied his instrument, but the tooth was so much "decayed that it crumbled and broke, but was extracted in a second "trial. During all this time those who stood near declared that they "did not observe the least change of countenance in the young lady."

One of the persons present was the self-same Wm. T. G. Morton who subsequently, in 1846 - four years after - claimed, in company with Dr. Charles T. Jackson, to be the discoverer of ether inhalation.

But the most important published document is from the Providence Evening Chronicle of March 17th, 1843 :"The lecture of Dr. Collyer, at Westminster Hall, last evening, was "on the Philosophy of the Nervous Force. Man must be called an "electrical machine - indeed he was so, most truly; he was governed "by its laws, and exhibited most of the phenomena connected with that "fluid. Magnetic sleep was a congestion of the brain produced by the "transmission of the nervous force from one person to another. To "illustrate this, in brain fever, where there is an over action of that "part of the body, we find the patient has cold hands and feet; here "is a withdrawal from those parts of the nervous force to supply this "extra action of the brain. He noticed the beautiful action of the lungs "in this connexion. Monotony would produce sleep on the most irri"table when all opiates fail; waking was only the result of the constant "stimulus of the variety which meets our gaze. Printers often experi"enced this in a blurred sheet, or a double impression on the same "sheet. By looking at any object for a long time, a dimness would "come over the eyes, languor, etc.: in fact, all the approaching attri"butes of sleep or a congestion of the brain, as in common sleep or "the mesmeric sleep, would be produced.

He further alluded to the "action of the nervous force as connected with the brain. Men in "strife received bruises and wound, and are not sensible of the fact at "the time, in consequence of the great excitement of the brain pro"ducing a deadness of the outer surface: or, in other words, a with"drawal of the nervous force to supply the increased action of the "central portions of the brain. Any excitement would produce the "same result; as we see in the Hindoo widow, in the Indian of the "forest, who seems at times wholly indifferent to pain, and will bear "the most apparently excruciating torture without a murmur. In "cases of religious excitement the same action is made manifest. "Persons under this religious frenzy do what, under ordinary circum"stances, they could not do, until at length the brain becomes ex"hausted, and the subject falls into a swoon, in which they lie for "hours and even days. By exciting a person's vanity we have the same "result; surgical operations have been performed, where the patient "has borne the pain with the greatest fortitude, when his feelings have "been appealed to. A Roman general once boasted of the great power "of the Romans to bear pain, and plunged his arm into the fire until "it dropped off.

In a condition where there is an equilibrium of the "system, the sting of a mosquito will almost drive one mad. Dr. "Collyer gave the statement of a celebrated French surgeon (Baron "Larrey), who accompanied Napoleon in all his campaigns, to substan"tiate his position. This surgeon stated that operations were always "better borne by the soldiers, if performed immediately after an en"gagement, while the excitement was on, than if performed at a later "period."

In April, 1843, the writer gave a course of lectures in the Museum lecture-room, Philadelphia. Those on the feats of the Egyptian magicians necessitated the inhalation of the narcotic and stimulating vapours. It was at this period, that Dr. Hare, Professor of Chemistry in the University of Pennsylvania, gave me his valuable aid, and the most powerful electro-magnetic battery was applied to the persons rendered unconscious, nervo-congestive state, by the inhalation of narcotic and stimulating vapours. At one of these lectures, a Miss Allen inhaled the fames of powdered poppy-heads, coriander, and olibanum, to which was added the vapour from rectified spirits of wine (alcohol). She was soon rendered unconscious, and during that state had a tooth extracted - painlessly. It was at this time that I wrote the passage in Psychography:- "The inhalation of narcotic and stimu"lating vapours produces a state of insensibility (anaesthetic state) "identical with that produced by the various other methods of bringing "about 'the same state of brain.'"

I also extract from the Liverpool Standard, October 17th, 1843, a partial report of one of my lectures ."Fakirs mesmerized by inhaling narcotic fumes, narcotizing; after "excitement in battle, mesmeric collapse - likewise in drunkenness, "wounds not felt, because nervous force is taken away by mental excite"ment; - Suttee, Hindoo Widow when burnt on the funeral pile of "her husband, does not feel, because excited, explains Scaevola's case "of arm thrust into the fire under stimulus of mind, etc. etc. Electricity "is vitalized by the lungs and assimilated."

The substances which I used to narcotize were: powdered poppy-seeds, coriander, olibanum, myrrh, etc. These, when powdered and mixed, were thrown on live charcoal, and a funnel was placed on the chafing-dish; these fumes were inhaled, and often produced the most profound anaesthetic state in one or two minutes. I used, on some occasions, the vapour from rectified spirit of wine, boiling the same in an oil flask, which was mixed with the narcotic fumes.

In Boston (1842) I repeated the experiments of the Egyptian magicians, before audiences from 1000 to 1500 persons, producing all the conditions of the anaesthetic state, by the inhalation of these narcotic and stimulating vapours.

The constant and persistent object was the application of the anaesthetic state to surgical operations, no matter how the unconscious or insensible state was induced. This fact is most important, in showing that Dr. Collyer did not confine the surgical application of anaesthesia to the so-called mesmeric state.

The Liverpool Standard, October 17th, 1843, says: - "To prove that "mental hallucination could be induced by the operator, he took a "young woman, only semi-mesmerized (waking-state), and placed a jug "in her hands, which she recognised to be a pig. By a pass of his "hand, she began to stroke it as a pet cat, which she declared was "such; and the influence being removed, her own surprise at her mis"take was pictured by a look and expression of shame before the large "audience, which could not be feigned. Again her mind was influ"enced, and she saw a large fish at her side, from which she endeavoured "to escape with every gesture of horror, until the influence was re"moved. A young man and young woman, both perfect strangers to "Dr. Collyer, were placed in a rigid or cataleptic condition of the "muscles (though otherwise perfectly awake). Dr. Collyer stated that "he knew of two operations having been performed in America during "this state - viz., extirpation of cancer from the foot, and adjustment of a compound fracture of the fore-arm. In the latter "case a portion of bone was removed, in order to set the limb (gene"rally a painful operation), and yet the patient was insensible."

The function of the lungs is specially called into requisition, when narcotic and stimulating vapours are inhaled. In the abnormal respiratory condition they supply the brain and nervous system with nervo-vital fluid. The following, published in February, 1844, in the Phrenological Journal, will explain my views at that date :-