The  rapidity  of  mental  action  occurring  in  dreams,
where  events,  which  in  their  actual  development  would
occupy  hours,  days,  nay,  even  years,  are  compressed  and
comprehended  sometimes  in  a  few  minutes,  or  even
seconds,  is  finely  illustrated  in  the  dream  of  Count
Lavalette.  "One  night,"  he  says,  "while  I  was
asleep,  the  clock  of  the  Palais  de  Justice  struck  twelve,
and  awoke  me.  I  heard  the  gate  open  to  relieve  the

not  agreeable  to  fact,  the  truth  of  the  latter  seems  to  follow  as  a  n«*wry
consequence.
"  That  the  power  of  volition  is  not  suspended  during  sleep  appears  from
the  efforts  which  we  are  conscious  of  making  while  in  that  situation.     Wd
dream,  for  example,  that  we  are  in  danger ;  and  we  call  out  for  innitnni
The  attempt,  indeed,  in  in  general  unsuccessful,  and  the  sounds  whi<
emit  are  feeble  and  indistinct,  but  this  only  conBrms,  or  rather  i*  a  neoe*
consequence  of,  the  supposition,  that  in  tleep  tht  connexion  between  the  i
and  our  voluntary  operations  is  disturbed  or  interrupted.     The  oontinuan
of  the  power  of  the  volition  is  demonstrated  by  the  effort,  huMIW  M
tual."— ("  Philosophy  of  the  Human  Mind.")


42  PREMONITORY  SYMPTOMS    OF    INSANITY.
sentry,  but  I  fell  asleep  again  immediately.  In  tins
sleep  I  dreamed  that  I  was  standing  in  the  Eue  St.
