At the time of the dispute between England and Russia, caused by Penjdeh, a Greek naval officer showed a slightly indiscreet attachment for England.  Shortly afterwards he was removed for a time from the post he held, as he was considered not quite sane; he had been at Copenhagen, He was, however, restored to the navy, as it was considered rather good for his health than otherwise that he should go to sea.  He and an English diplomatist at Copenhagen had been at Fiume together on duty, and the former was undoubtedly tricked by hypnotists, pretending to be acting for freemasonry, a trick played since on another person, and before in England on a third.  It has also been played in Italy long ago.  The voices would be taken for ventriloquists, whilst scenes heard would be considered to be perceived in catalepsy by a person in good health, and in full possession of his faculties, if not a doctor.  At Fiume is the Whitehead torpedo manufactory, but as the hammering and other noises connected with it would prevent the chief persons in charge of the factory from being got at, the hypnotists were doubtless foiled there.  Of course they may have got some information indirectly, but nothing of high value.

The alarm produced at B——­ House was brought about less by the phenomena than by the pressure on the vagus nerve or heart.  Whether fatal syncope can be produced by modifying the heart beats, as Mr. Vincent suggests it can, is of course a question for a doctor.  He seems to think such cases not uncommon.  A gentleman attacked by hypnotists twice suffered from syncope.  He was previously suffering from exhaustion brought on by rowing a party for their lives in a squall, and took strychnine at a doctor’s orders; that medicament, as is known, makes the nerves more sensitive.  Further rascally attempts were a failure in better-situated houses.  The terror of hearing a voice suddenly is in those circumstances very great; against one in good health it is less, no doubt.  The trouble given at B——­ was particularly great in the case of Miss Moore,[23] who scarcely slept for a week; she was Miss Freer’s comrade in No. 1, the S.W. corner room of the house at B——­, and the most exposed room where voices were chiefly heard; and that, too, by almost every one who slept there, Miss N., the Rev. Mr. Q., Father MacL., and Madame Boisseaux.  The road ran nearest to it there.  The writer believes that the remarkable fact that No. 1, the S.W. room, No. 2, the W. room, No. 3, the N.W. room, showed a far higher average of phenomena than the other five—­i.e. the three eastern and the north and south centre rooms—­is accounted for by the following circumstances.

[Footnote 23:  “Alleged Haunting of B——­ House,” p. 118.]

No. 8, the south room, was much exposed, but unlike No. 1, it had no door in a line with another door and a window.  Upon No. 1 an almost direct attack could be made from northward or southward; for the partition walls of the house, as well as the outer walls, were very thick.[24]