When the slate was shaken no sound of the rattling of the pencil was heard—­a pencil-scrap having been enclosed as usual in the slate when it was sealed.  The Medium had declared that the pencil was gone, but said she did not know whether there was writing on the slate or not.

The seals were first examined and declared intact.

Then Dr. Leidy pushed a thin knife-blade between the slates at the unprotected corner, marked by the arrow on the sketch.

Then Mr. Sellers pushed in a thick knife-blade a little to one side of Dr. Leidy’s. (The exact place is marked on the rim of the slate itself.) Both the blades were thrust straight in—­Dr. Leidy’s exactly at the corner, and Mr. Sellers’s at the point marked, and neither of them was worked about between the slates.

The slates were thus separated by the thick knife-blade about one-tenth of an inch.

The seals were not broken by this.

While the slates were thus separated, it was noticed that the wood was discolored and rubbed glossy on the sides of the crack.

Mr. Sellers then removed the tape, seals and screws.

The slate being opened, no pencil was found and no pencil-marks appeared on the slate.

The rims were worn smooth and blackened at the corner where the slates could be separated; this was very distinct.

Some soap-stone dust, which Dr. Koenig identified under a microscope as the same with a remaining fragment of the pencil inserted (which Mr. Furness had preserved), was found rubbed into the same corner, showing that the slates had been separated and the piece of pencil worked out.

Mr. Furness then produced three slates of the same sort (with hinges, and about 8 in. by 6.) to be used in the presence of Dr. Slade.

They were screwed up with a bit of pencil inside, in the presence of the Commission.  Each was marked on the inside by Mr. Sellers, with a scratch from a diamond.  To Mr. Furness was delegated the work of sealing them. [As Dr. Slade, however, refused to use any of our sealed slates, our labor was wasted.]

GEO. S. FULLERTON,

Secretary.

* * * * *

The following is a stenographic report of a meeting of the Commission, to consider the reports offered by several members of seances with Dr. Henry Slade, who came to Philadelphia to meet the Commission.  As he refused to sit with more than three of the Commission at a time, it was necessary to visit him in sections.  Arrangements had been made to have all the members sit with him in turn, but it was soon decided that continuity of observation was valuable, and certain members were appointed to do the whole work.

(A record from the notes of the Stenographer, Mr. J.I.  Gilbert.)

PHILADA., February 7th, 1885.

A formal session of the Seybert Committee was held to-day at 8 o’clock
P.M., at the residence of Mr. Furness, No. 222 West Washington Square.