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EXPERIENCES IN SPIRITUALISM WITH MR. D. D. HOME. BY VISCOUNT ADARE, [Windham Thomas Wyndham-Quin 1841-1926] WITH INTRODUCTORY REMARKS BY THE EARL OF DUNRAVEN. [Viscount Adare's father]  [1869]

No 4 Seance-London, November 21st-Recorded by my Father.

Mr. Home came to my house, only Miss Gallwey and Adare being present. We sat round a small table in my study. We talked upon indifferent subjects, which Mr Home says is preferable to silence, or to thinking or wishing too much on the one subject. Soon slight raps were heard, followed by slight vibrations of the table. We all agreed that the noise in the street was very disagreeable, so we adjourned to the dining room, which Mr. Home had never been in.

I took in the table and, placing it near the fire place, we sat round it.

Raps soon came again, and slight vibrations. Someone remarked that the table was rather creaky, when Mr. Home observed, “ I have taken a dislike to this table; let us sit at another. Here, this dining table will do."

“What” I said. “surely that huge table will not move !”

“ Oh, I daresay it will," he replied.

The table was very large, above seven feet long and five feet wide, and very heavy, requiring considerable force to move it at all. Under it is a Turkey carpet; there were also quantities of Adare's things upon it. Mr. Home and I sat opposite each other at the sides, and Adare and Miss Gallwey at the ends. Raps were heard at different parts of the table, and near the fire place, and on the round, table we had brought in.

Presently the table vibrated very strongly - this was a most strange phenomenon, the vibration was so uniform and powerful. The table then moved at right angles to Mr. Home. I may remark that there was a green cloth on the table, and when pressure was used, the hand would simply slip on the polished mahogany.

The table moved towards Adare about a foot; and it soon moved towards Miss Gallwey, that is, in exactly the opposite direction. She said, “May I stop it?”

“I don’t think you can,” Home replied.

“Yes I can,” she said, as she pressed her hands forcibly against the edge; then suddenly withdrawing them from the table.

It made one move, or rather spring forward, of nearly one foot in length, thus shewing the great strength of the pressure which must have been exerted by some mysterious power.

We heard sounds from the little table, and I saw it moving by itself. It had advanced more than a foot towards Mr Home; and it came still nearer afterwards. He sat rather back from the table, with his hands laid lightly on it.

I expressed a hope that the power would become stronger.

These messages were given :- -“ We would fain do more if we could ; did love give strength, we should be strong indeed.”

And then “God bless you all !”

The indications for “God” differed from the others, being three strong vibrations of the table. After this we heard or felt nothing more. As to collusion or contrivances, none such could have taken place; the change of room, and, our close observation, rendered this impossible. The idea of our hands being able to move such a table is simply absurd.

The table, too, moved at right angles to where Home was sitting.

The vibration was very singular; the candles shook, and other things trembled visibly. Once the candles very decidedly diminished-in brightness for a short time.