WCP4160

Letter (WCP4160.4182)

[1]

Glenelg House,

Ardbeg,

Rothesay, N.B.

8th. Nov 1894.

Dr Alfred Russell Wallace L.L.D, F.R.S. etc.

Dear Sir,

I take the liberty to forward for your acceptance my work "Human Magnetism"1, which I hope your health and leisure will permit you to read. I have taken the liberty in the book to refer to you in the chapter on Phreno-magnetism. I also enclose you the critique of the Glasgow Herald of Saturday Nov 6th and trust while reading the book you will remember the criticism. I have the greatest pleasure in writing you, as I was personally acquainted with Mr Spencer Hall, in his latter days, when practising as a Homeopathic Physician in Barnley, and enjoyed the counsel & the friendship of that really able man. I have taught and practised Mesmerism in [2] conjunction with Phrenology, for nearly thirty years, but for the last sixteen years I have not given any public demonstration of mesmerism on the public platform, having arrived at the conclusion that the whole was subject to great abuse.

For references of repute, I can refer you to Mr. Stead,2 of the Review of Reviews, Mr. Rodgers3 of Light, & Mr. Redway,4 your own Publisher. The new edition of Miracles & Modern Spiritualism5 has charmed us all & I make good use in lending it, to those to whom the subject of Modern Spiritualism, act, as a red rag to a bull. I had the pleasure of reading the original edition when it came out some twenty-odd year ago.

Should you on reading my book, find time to drop me a line, as to its merits or demerits, I will treasure highly your esteemed criticism, which I will not use unless I have your consent.

Yours very sincerely | Jas Coates6 [signature]

Coates, James. 1907. Human magnetism: or, how to hypnotise: a practical handbook for students of mesmerism. Nicholas & Co.
Stead, William Thomas (1849-1912). British journalist, editor and publisher of The Review of Reviews.
Rogers, Edmund Dawson (1823-1910). British journalist and spiritualist. Played a key role in the British spiritualist movement, specifically as a founder and editor of the influential spiritualist journal Light.
Redway, George William (1859-1934). Partner of Kegan Paul Publishing.
Wallace, A. R. 1896. Miracles and modern spiritualism. Revised edition, with chapters on apparitions and phantasms. London: George Redway.
Coates, James (-). Writer and Lecturer on Mental Science and Hygiene.

Please cite as “WCP4160,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP4160