"They appear to be intelligent persons, and there is little, if anything, in their manner that looks like simulation or imposture. We are a perfect heretic in all such beliefs, and never did have faith in anything that we could not understand. As to ghosts, spectres, witchcraft, or Spirits from the other world, we have never believed in any of them, consequently it cannot trouble us if we are occasionally deceived; and we are seldom vexed at being hoaxed in anything. We have attained a period of such wonderful discoveries in science and the arts--we accomplish so many extraordinary triumphs and unaccountable enterprises in the present age--that our motto is 'nil admirari.' Let us see all that is to be seen as quickly as possible, before we shake off this 'mortal coil.' After steam and the telegraph, we are ready to believe anything. The Spirit who makes knocks for these young ladies seems to be a familiar one, for it has followed them from Rochester and knocks in every part of Barnum's Hotel, corner of Broadway and Maiden Lane. "The sounds, on the occasion of our visit, seemed to proceed from several parts of the room, near the table and in the next apartment. We thought with Hamlet, 'Be thou a spirit of hell or goblin damned,--Bringest thou airs from heaven or blasts from hell,--Be thy intents wicked or charitable,--Thou com'st in such a questionable shape, that I will speak to thee!' "The first idea that struck us was to inquire of our old friend, Tom Paine. "We wrote down his name and the names of several cities, and asked where he died. The Spirits knocked 'at New York.' We then inquired how old he was when he died. The familiars knocked seventy times. This was pretty near. We asked if he voted for the death of Louis XVI.? It rapped 'No.' The old sinner! This was perplexing and strange, yet it made no impression upon us. A clergyman whom we have known as possessing a clear, strong mind, brought in his pocket a family daguerrotype, and respectfully requested the Spirits to state how many figures were in it, when the number was rapped correctly. He then asked how many of the six had died, and the number was again rapped correctly. We saw the table at which we sat and the door opposite vibrate with the knocks, and yet we saw none that we could suspect of collusion. It is evident, however, that the minds of all present must harmonize, and there must be quietude and union of the nervous fluid to develop striking and wise answers to questions--particularly of a domestic character. The young ladies moved about the room, apparently independent, and it was clear that _they_ were not knocking, _whoever was_; and as to concealment and emissaries in a large bustling hotel, with bells ringing, waiters running about, chambermaids and lodgers constantly on the move, it is entirely out of the question. So we came away utterly disbelieving in all supernatural agency, and, at the same time, unable to say how any human means could