"'L'Homme a la Baguette, from experience, could with tolerable accuracy, tell the depth at which the springs were, and their volume, from the force with which the baguette turned; I can only give a rough guess. In strong frost, I think its powers not so great. On a bridge or in a boat, I think it has no effect--the water must be under ground to affect the baguette, and running through wooden pipes acts the same as a spring. I can neither make the baguette turn where there is _no water_, nor prevent it from turning where there is any, and I am perfectly ignorant of _the cause why it turns_. The only sensation I am conscious of, is, an emotion similar to that felt on being startled by sudden noise, or surprise of any kind. "'I generally use a baguette about six inches from the vertex to the ends of the twigs where they are cut off. "'I shall most probably be in London next winter, and will (if you wish it) afford you an opportunity of making your own observations on this curious fact.' "The lady arrived in London, wrote to Dr. Hutton to inform him that she proposed being in Woolwich on Friday, the 30th inst., (May, 1806,) at eleven in the forenoon. 'Accordingly,' says Dr. H., 'at the time appointed, the lady, with all her family, arrived at my house at Woolwich Common, where, after preparing the rods, etc., they walked out to the grounds, accompanied by the individuals of my own family and some friends; when Lady ---- showed the experiment several times in different places, holding the rods, etc., in the manner as described in her Ladyship's first letter above given. In the places where I had good reason to know that no water was to be found, the rod was always quiescent; but in other places, where I knew there was water below the surface, the rods turned slowly and regularly, in the manner above described, till the twigs twisted themselves off below the fingers, which were considerably indented by so forcibly holding the rods between them. "'All the company present stood close around the lady, with all eyes intently fixed on her hands and the rods, to watch if any particular motion might be made by the fingers, but in vain; nothing of the kind was perceived, and all the company could observe no cause or reason why the rods should move in the manner they were seen to do. After the experiments were ended, every one of the company tried the rods in the same manner as they saw the lady had done, but without the least motion from any of them. And, in my family, among ourselves, we have since then several times tried if we could possibly cause the rod to turn by means of any trick, or twisting of the fingers held in the manner the lady did; but in vain; we had no power to accomplish it.' "The annexed figure represents the form and position of the rod, about six inches in length, cut off just below the joint or junction of the two twigs.