Robert Owen:

Letters on Spiritualism

Item 44/1

Royal Oak Sevenoaks Kent

11 December 1853

Sir
I am obliged by the trouble
you have taken to write to me
on the subject of spiritual matters.
You have perhaps not seen the
pamphlet which I published
last month in which my seances
with the spirits are contained.
You do not mention the name of
the spirit who communicated
with you, but from the evidence
afforded by your letter compared
with my experience of the unvarying
consistency and truth, & of the
high moral tendency of all my
communications with the spirits
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& they have been very numerous
I am compelled to believe that
you have been misled by a
false or an undeveloped spirit.
I have had various means of
testing the truthfulness of the
spirits who come to me of their
accord without asking for them
& especially of the Duke of Kent
who always speaks exacting (?) to me
as he did in his life time. He
was one of my early & best converts
& most friendly & so his spirit
continues without change. Jefferson,
Channing, Shelley who were my
friends while on earth each
one speak to me in their respective
characters as I knew them when
living among us – & Benjamin

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Franklin who always comes with
Jefferson was his intimate friend.
The Duke on three occasions has
especially warned me to beware
of false spirits who would attempt
to mislead me if I was not
very much on my guard to
detect them.
        However on a subject so all-
important every fact should be
attended to & I wish to know
all facts which I can obtain that are
reliable. I should like to know the
name of your communicating spirit
& if you have obtained any new
information from subsequent
seances. I shall be here until Xmas (?)
when I intend to go to London & expect
then to have more seances & again
to try the spirits. But I must
add in conclusion that I have
not the slightest doubt of the
reality and truthfulness of all the
spirits with whom I have yet had
communications. I know their
spirits they are so individualised
in character, as well almost
as when they were with me
on earth.
        With again thanking you (sic) for
the trouble you have taken
to give me information.
        I remain Dear Sir
                yours truly
                Robert Owen

J Fred Hockley Esq.

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Item 44/2

Royal Hotel Sevenoaks Kent
19 January 1854

Many thanks My Dear Sir for
your interesting letter & to your
Guardian Crowned Angel of the 7th
Sphere who the first opportunity
that offers I will ask the favor
of his presence & his good offices
to instruct me.
        I send you by this post a
copy of my last pamphlet, a second
& cheaper edition much enlarged is
now in the press & when published
a copy shall be forwarded to you.
From the copy sent you will see
I have had many more communications
from my friendly spirits all of
whom when in life except Benjamin
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Franklin were my disciples & in
whose spirits I have great confidence.
        I have no medium here & do not
expect to meet with one before I
again visit London which may be
about the end of this month but
I think not later than the 1st (?) of
February. When there I am always
to be found or heard of at Cox's
Hotel Jermyn St. St James, where
should you be in Town I should have
much pleasure in meeting with you.
Mr Cox the Proprietor of the Hotel
is also like you an old experienced
spiritualist & I am (sure?) would be
glad to see you & to compare
notes together.
It appears to me that (there?) is yet much
to learn respecting these spiritual
manifestations & I am desirous of
learning all the facts known

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connected with this subject.
Have you yet met with Judge (?)
Edmonds (?) & Dr Dexters (?) joint work
upon this to many strange &
unbelievable new knowledge?
It went through four editions in
6 days in New York where it is
published by Partridge & Brittan (?),
the publishers of many highly
important spiritual works.
        Should you have communications
with your Guardian Crowned Angel
I wish you would if convenient &
proper ask his opinion of the
pamphlet now sent to you.
        Yours very faithfully
                Robert Owen.

Fr Hockley Esq