"SUNDHILL, December, 1832."[Some account of a dream which occurred to John Williams, Esq., ofScorrier House, in the county of Cornwall, in the year 1812. Takenfrom his own mouth, and narrated by him at various times to several ofhis friends.]"Being desired to write out the particulars of a remarkable dreamwhich I had in the year 1812, before I do so I think it may be properfor me to say that at that time my attention was fully occupied withaffairs of my own--the superintendence of some very extensive mines inCornwall being entrusted to me. Thus I had no leisure to pay anyattention to political matters, and hardly knew at that time whoformed the administration of the country. It was, therefore, scarcelypossible that my own interest in the subject should have had any sharein suggesting the circumstances which presented themselves to myimagination. It was, in truth, a subject which never occurred to mywaking thoughts."My dream was as follows:--"About the second or third day of May, 1812, I dreamed that I was inthe lobby of the House of Commons (a place well known to me). A smallman, dressed in a blue coat and a white waistcoat, entered, andimmediately I saw a person whom I had observed on my first entrance,dressed in a snuff-coloured coat with metal buttons, take a pistolfrom under his coat and present it at the little man above-mentioned.The pistol was discharged, and the ball entered under the left breastof the person at whom it was directed. I saw the blood issue from theplace where the ball had struck him, his countenance instantlyaltered, and he fell to the ground. Upon inquiry who the sufferermight be, I was informed that he was the chancellor. I understood himto be Mr. Perceval, who was Chancellor of the Exchequer. I furthersaw the murderer laid hold of by several of the gentlemen in the room.Upon waking I told the particulars above related to my wife; shetreated the matter lightly, and desired me to go to sleep, saying itwas only a dream. I soon fell asleep again, and again the dreampresented itself with precisely the same circumstances. After wakinga second time and stating the matter again to my wife, she onlyrepeated her request that I would compose myself and dismiss thesubject from my mind. Upon my falling asleep the third time, the samedream without any alteration was repeated, and I awoke, as on theformer occasions, in great agitation. So much alarmed and impressedwas I with the circumstances above related, that I felt much doubtwhether it was not my duty to take a journey to London and communicateupon the subject with the party principally concerned. Upon thispoint I consulted with some friends whom I met on business at theGodolphin mine on the following day. After having stated to them theparticulars of the dream itself and what were my own feelings inrelation to it, they dissuaded me from my purpose, saying I mightexpose myself to contempt and vexation, or be taken up as a fanatic.Upon this I said no more, but anxiously watched the newspapers everyevening as the post arrived."On the evening of the 13th of May (as far as I recollect) no accountof Mr. Perceval's death was in the newspapers, but my second son,returning from Truro, came in a hurried manner into the room where Iwas sitting and exclaimed: 'O father, your dream has come true! Mr.Perceval has been shot in the lobby of the House of Commons; there isan account come from London to Truro written after the newspapers wereprinted.'"The fact was Mr. Percival was assassinated on the evening of the11th."Some business soon after called me to London, and in one of theprint-shops I saw a drawing for sale, representing the place and thecircumstances which attended Mr. Perceval's death. I purchased it,and upon a careful examination I found it to coincide in all respectswith the scene which had passed through my imagination in the dream.The colours of the dresses, the buttons of the assassin's coat, thewhite waistcoat of Mr. Perceval, the spot of blood upon it, thecountenances and attitudes of the parties present were exactly what Ihad dreamed."The singularity of the case, when mentioned among my friends andacquaintances, naturally made it the subject of conversation inLondon, and in consequence my friend, the late Mr. Rennie, wasrequested by some of the commissioners of the navy that they might bepermitted to hear the circumstances from myself. Two of themaccordingly met me at Mr. Rennie's house, and to them I detailed atthe time the particulars, then fresh in my memory, which form thesubject of the above statement."I forbear to make any comment on the above narrative, further than todeclare solemnly that it is a faithful account of facts as theyactually occurred.(Signed) "JOHN WILLIAMS." {42}When we come to dreams of the future, great historical examples arescarce indeed, that is, dreams respectably authenticated. We have toput up with curious trivialities. One has an odd feature.
