Camille Flammarion in his well-known book Uranie answers this question in the affirmative. The hero of his story, Spero, and Teléa, after having met their death by a fall from a balloon, leave their bodies on this earth and become reincarnated on the planet Mars. Spero returns and communicates with his friend, giving a description of life on Mars, such as may be taken for a product of the great astronomer’s imagination, although some highly developed occultists and mystics, for instance, H. P. Blavatsky, have attributed to Flammarion the possession of clairvoyant powers, or at least a great deal of intuition. Moreover, there are appearing from time to time supposed spirit communications, believed to come from inhabitants of Mars, which go to corroborate Flammarion’s statements, and they come through mediums who never read his books or even antedate the writing of his Uranie. One such case is the following:—

 The Baroness R, when very young, had a friend by the name of Ch—, a gentleman of high standing. At the time of which I am writing, he lived in a distant part of the country and the Baroness had not corresponded with him for a considerable time. On a certain day she had a vision of a funeral procession, which was accompanied by the solemn music of a funeral march. On the next day disturbances began in her house, which consisted of rappings and moving of furniture, steps as if a man were walking in the room were heard, and it was as if a voice was bidding her to write to Mr. Ch—. This continued for several days and nights, until she at last wrote the letter to her friend, although she had no other reason for doing so, as she believed him alive and in good health. After the letter was sent off, the manifestations ceased, and a few days afterwards an answer came from that gentleman’s sister, saying that her brother had died. The funeral had taken place on the very day when the Baroness saw it in her vision.

 All this took place at a time when spiritualism first became known in this country, and owing to her experience the attention of the Baroness was attracted to it. She held sittings with some of her friends, and an intelligence purporting to be the spirit of her friend Ch— manifested and gave proofs of his identity by speaking and acting in the same manner as when he was alive, speaking of events that were known only to him and the Baroness; but the most remarkable thing was that he claimed to have become an inhabitant of Mars and that his description of his condition, of the planet Mars, its life and inhabitants were about the same as were afterwards found in Flammarion’s book. He, for instance, said that he could not show himself in his Martean shape, as it had no resemblance to that of human beings on this earth, and that the inhabitants of Mars were far more advanced and spiritual than we. The visits of that spiritual entity continued for several months, after which they ceased, as the spirit was said to be entering a higher sphere, from which a communication with earth was not possible. It may be added, that neither the Baroness nor any one present at these sittings knew of Flammarion or his writings.