“On going to see him, I was determined to examine the matter with minute attention, at the same time that I divested myself of every previous bias, either for or against his pretended powers. A party having been made up to witness the exhibition, we met, according to previous agreement, at Mr. Lewis’s house on Wednesday evening, the 8th of December. The magician was ushered in, and having taken his place, we all sat down, some before him, others by his side. The party consisted of colonel Barnet, our consul-general, Mr. Lewis, Dr. Abbott, Mr. Samuel, Mr. Christian, M. Prisse, with another French gentleman, and myself, four of whom understood Arabic very well; so that we had no need of any interpreter. The magician, after entering into conversation with many of us on different subjects, and discussing two or three pipes, prepared for the performance. He first of all requested that a brazier of live charcoal should be brought him, and, in the mean while, occupied himself in writing upon a long slip of paper five sentences of two lines each, then two others, one of a single line, and the other of two, as an invocation to the spirits. Every sentence began with ‘Tuyurshoon.’ Each was separated from the one above and below it by a line, to direct him in tearing them apart. A boy was then called, who was ordered to sit down before the magician. He did so, and the magician having asked for some ink from Mr. Lewis, traced with a pen on the palm of his right hand a double square, containing the nine numbers in this order, or in English--making fifteen each way; the centre one being five--the evil number. This I remarked to the magician, but he made no reply. A brazier was brought and placed between the magician and the boy, who was ordered to look stedfastly into the ink, and report what he should see. I begged the magician to speak slowly enough to give me time to write down every word, which he promised to do, without being displeased at the request; nor had he objected, during the preliminary part of the performance, to my attempt to sketch him as he sat. He now began an incantation, calling on the spirits by the power of ‘our lord Soolayman,’ with the words ‘tuyurshoon’ and ‘haderoo’ (be present) frequently repeated.