^{page 254 note *} Lest it might be supposed, that this procedure of the father implied a suspicion on his part of some deception being practised by the young woman, it may be proper to state, that it was suggested by his own experience in the case of another daughter, who had been affected many years before in a very extraordinary degree, with St VITUS'S dance, or, as it is termed in this country, “The “looping ague;” and who was almost instantaneously cured by the application of terror.

^{page 256 note *} On the morning of September 21. 1816, Margaret Lyall, whose case is described above, was found in an out-house at Dunninald, hanged by her own hands. No cause could be assigned for this unhappy act. Her health had been good since the month of October 1815; and she had been comfortable in her situation. It was thought by the family, that, a day or two preceding her death, her eyes had the appearance of rolling rather wildly; but she had assisted the day before in serving the table, and been in good spirits that evening. On the following morning, she was seen to bring in the milk as usual, and was heard to say in passing rather hurriedly through a room, where the other maids were at work, that something had gone wrong about her dairy; but was not seen again till she was found dead about half an hour after. She is known to have had a strong abhorrence of the idea of her former distress recurring; and to have occasionally manifested, especially before her first long sleep, the greatest depression of spirits, and even disgust of life.