MR HOME AT ST. PETERSBURG.

Otago Witness, Issue 1024, 15 July 1871, Page 3

MR HOME AT ST. PETERSBURG.

(Human Nature.)

The readers of Human Nature don't require to be told who Mr Home is. He has just returned from St. Petersburg, where he was so much occupied that he sometimes had four seances daily. He sat several times with the Czar, and constantly with the highest society in the empire. He gave a lecture on Spiritualism in the French language, which was so popular that he realised L 165, after paying all expenses. It would appear that the influential clauses in Russia are those who become spiritualists. Mr Eome is about to be married to a Russian lady. We have seen the miniature of this lady — a cousin of our correspondent, M. Aksakof. The marriage will take place in England this summer. That Mr Home, notwithstanding his good position, has been subjected to persecution, the following letter, which we cut from the Standard of April 14, shows. It is in reply to a wanton attack on Mr Home, which had appeared in that paper on the previous day: — To the Editor of the Standard. Sir — In a letter beaded "Russia (from our own correspondent), St. Petersburg, April 7," and published by you this evening, I find myself spoken of in a manner so utterly at variance with the truth, that I must request the publication of this my reply. I flid propose to meet some scientific gentlemen, but it was my stipulation not to see the room previous to the seance. It is untrue that "a lamp was arranged, wich a powerful reflector " (not that I would in the least have objected to any such arrangement). It is untrue that I, or anyone, " pretended to be aware of the arrival of the spirits by a peculiar rushing noise, which, on search being made, was found to proceed from a hot-air pipe being left open." It is untrue that I offered to change the weight of any object m the room, and that a pail was placed on scales, I am not certain that the latter part of his letter may not be treated as libel ; that it is an unwarranted and most grqps falsehood is certain. I had a sapphire ring presented to me by His Majesty, the Emperor, and one of trifling value, irom an old friend. In the latter was an emerald worth some two or three pounds, and this is the only emerald I had. I had remained in Russia six weeks longer than 1 intended, and for four weeks had accepted no invitations except with a proviso, my presence being required elsewhere. T left with the understanding that I am to meet the same gentlemen (one of wham is Professor Butleron, my future brother-in-law) next winter in St. Petersburg, and I may be allowed to express a hope that you will by that time have found a correspondent who can furnish you with the truth when he writes, and who will not insult men of whom he knows nothing. — ¥our most obedient servant, D. D. Home. 20 North Audley street, Groavenor Square, April 13. To the Editor of the Standard. Sir— ln hia letter of yesterday, Mr D. D. Home has so completely answered the unjustifiable statement of your St. Petersburg correspondent, that were this an ordinary case of misrepresentation the subject might safely be left to the judgment of your readers. Mr Home has, however, been the victim of such long continued and pertinacious abuse, that I consider it my duty, as one of his friends, to place before you evidence which will completely disprove your correspondent's allegations. Your correspondent states that Mr Home offered to oxhibit his manifestations before a committee of scientific men. He consented to all the conditions imposed, and the members, principally professors, met in a room prepared for the purpose at the University of St. Petersburg. This is substantially correct. I need not go into details of the experiments which were tried at these meetings, but that the dishonourable insinuations of your correspondent are utterly without foundation may be seen by the following extract from a letter which I have just received from A. Boutlerow, Professor of Chemistry in the University of St. Petersburg, and one of the scientific committee above alluded to. The letter is dated Apil sth, some time after Mr Home left St. Petersburg. Professor Boutlerow writes :—: — " Pendant cet hiver, et encore avanfc l'arrive"e de Mr Home, j'ai eu moimeme 1' occasion de me convamcre de la rdalito dcs pheI nomeues dela mediumnite ; j'ai fait plus tard la connaissance de Mr Home et assiste" & ses seances. Je buis done loin d'envisager Mr Home autrement que comme un homme parfaitement honnGte et serieux." When a Russian professor writes in this manner, and when his opinions are corroborated by those of many equally eminent men in this country, it would be more consistent with the proper function of the press to educate the public up to the point of believing that there are probably more forces in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in their philosophy, rather than to crush down free inquiry by throwing ridicule on every endeavour of competent investigators to push the boundaries of human knowledge a little further in a direction hitherto almost untrodden. — I am, Sir. your obedient servant, William Crookes, P.R.S., &c. Chemical News Office, Ludgate Hill, April 14.

A Tokomairiro paper stateß that ice five inohes thiok was aeea at "Warepa last week.