This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1894 edition. Excerpt: ...at being discredited, sent for the man, and requested we would witness the experiment. A large party of French and English accordingly attended. The man was quite a peasant in manners and appearance. "He produced some twigs cut from a hazel of different sizes and strength, only they were forked branches, and hazel was preferred as forking more equally than other trees; but it is not necessary that the angle should be of any number of degrees. He held the ends of the twig between each forefinger and thumb, with the vertex pointing downwards. Standing where there was no water, the baguette remained motionless; walking gradually to the spot where the spring was under ground, the twig was sensibly affected, and as he approached the spot began to turn round, that is, the vertex raised itself and turned towards his body and continued to turn until the point was vertical--it then descended outwards and continued to turn, describing a circle as long as he remained standing over the spring, or till one or more branches were broken by the twisting, the ends being firmly grasped by the fingers and thumbs and the hands kept stationary, so that the rotary motion must of course twist them. "After seeing him do this repeatedly, the whole party tried the baguette in succession, but without effect. I chanced to be the last; no sooner did I hold the twig as directed than it began to move as with him, which startled me so much that I dropped it and felt considerably agitated. I was, however, induced to resume the experiment, and found the effect perfect. "On my return to England, I forebore to let this faculty (or whatever you may term it) be known, fearing to become the topic of conversation or discussion. But two years afterwards, being...