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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. 17.-Seance.

On the 30th of August we had a séance at Mrs. Hamilton's.  Present: Mr. Home, myself, Mrs. Hamilton, her daughter, Lady Fairfax, and Mrs. Gregory.

Very soon after sitting down, a strong influence became apparent, and raps were heard upon the table. My hands were a good deal agitated; I felt the cold air very plainly. Home's hands were taken possession of, and he was caused to get up.

He went behind Mrs. Hamilton and began tapping her very rapidly with both hands on the ears and back; while doing so he went into a trance. He continued to tap her ears and to make passes over her. He then walked up and down the room leaning his head upon his hand as though thinking deeply, and making gestures quite strange to him in his natural state. He went behind Lady Fairfax,  stooped down, and holding her shoulders with both hands pressed his head against her back.

He then stood behind her, pressed his hand to his side on the region of the liver, and looked as though he was suffering great pain or inconvenience;  he then opened the door and went into the other room. From there he said, “Mary (Miss Hamilton) and Adare, come in here." We went in and found Home on the sofa, leaning his head upon his hand. He said, “Adare, take a Pencil and paper.” I did so, and wrote down what he said.

Home said, “Mary, the drum of your mother’s ear is surrounded by wax; the nerve is not paralyzed. Take some plain sweet oil in a phial, place it in hot water until the oil is warm, and drop one drop into the ear every night  After some time a discharge will take place, that is, the wax will become softened and come away. It is untrue that the nerve is paralyzed: there is nothing wrong with that, or it would have been cured at once. You may remember once that the hearing came back; that was because the wax broke away slightly. Lady Fairfax has an over secretion of bile - the liver is inactive; this causes irritation of the nerves, great loss of appetite - in fact, a complete loathing of food. Take in the morning, every other day, one drop of tincture of digitalis."

Home then came to my chair, sat down beside me and pressed me close against him.

He sat down again upon the sofa, and said, “You must prepare some little powders composed of as much cayenne pepper as will lie upon the point of a penknife, the same quantity of ipecacuanha, and twice that quantity of carbonate of soda: take it immediately after meals. You could have it made up into pills if you like, but the powders are best. You suffer from indigestion - the bile is faulty; that causes nervous irritability, which extends to the brain, and causes sleeplessness and other results. You should avoid heavy suppers and strong drink late at night; but this, of course, must be left to your own good sense. We have no remedy for that: lead a plain natural life."

Home then got up, told us to go back to the other room, and not to tell him when he awoke what he had been doing. We sat down again, and he placed himself in exactly the same position behind Mrs. Hamilton as he had occupied when he became entranced. He then awoke and said, “Is it not funny, all the power has left my hands !" and sat down.

We then had some physical manifestations; the table was moved, tilted, and raised off the ground; my chair was a little moved, as was also Home's.

“Good, night" was then said. While he was in the trance, some one asked whether he could see. I said “No ;" but, as if to prove he did not use his eyes, he took out his handkerchief and blindfolded himself, and did not remove it until just before he awoke.

He was also elongated while in the trance.

Mrs. Hamilton has been deaf for some time;  the doctors have declared that the nerve is injured. Mrs. Hamilton told me that Mrs. Weldon, of London, being in a clairvoyant state, told her that her deafness was owing to a secretion of wax, and recommended oil. Lady Fairfax is very unwell, and I had been suffering from sleeplessness, unpleasant dreams, and nervous uncomfortable nights.