When writers refer to artificial somnambulism, a term often used before 1900, they mean the same thing as what is now called a hypnotic trance, produced by a hypnotist acting on some subject, trying to put the subject into a state of trance. There is very much written evidence for clairvoyance occurring during such a state of artificial somnambulism or hypnotism. You can read about such evidence in my post here and my post "Taboo Truth: The Reality of Hypnotic Clairvoyance and Hypnotic Telepathy," which you can read here.
When writers refer to natural somnambulism, they refer to a natural phenomenon often called sleepwalking. One major difference between artificial somnambulism (hypnotism) and sleepwalking (natural somnambulism) is that in sleepwalking (natural somnambulism) there is no agent such as a hypnotist attempting to bring people into some abnormal state.
In the fascinating 1839 book Curiosities of Medical Experience, we read this:
" Somnambulism was well known by the ancients ; and Aristotle tells us, 'there are individuals who rise in their sleep, and walk about seeing as clearly as those that are awake.'...There is no doubt but that in somnambulists the intellectual functions are not only active, but frequently more developed than when the individual is awake. Persons in this state have been known to write and correct verses, and solve difficult problems, which they could not have done at other times. In their actions and locomotion they are more cautious, and frequently more dexterous, than when awake."
Later in the same work we read this account of a sleepwalker or somnambulist:
"She also became capable of following her usual employment during the paroxysm. At one time she would lay out the table for breakfast, and repeatedly dress herself and the children, her eyes remaining shut the whole time. The remarkable circumstance was now discovered, that, during the paroxysm, she had a distinct recollection of what had taken place in former attacks, though she had not the slightest recollection of it during the intervals. She was taken to church during the paroxysm, and attended the service with apparent devotion, and at one time was so affected by the sermon that she actually shed tears ; yet in the interval she had no recollection whatever of the circumstance, but in the following paroxysm she gave a most distinct account of it, and actually repeated the passage of the sermon that had so much affected her. This sort of somnambulism, relating distinctly to two periods, has been called, perhaps erroneously, a state of double consciousness."
In Volume 2 of his 1876 book The Mechanism of Man, Edward W. Cox discusses natural somnambulism, also called sleepwalking. He states this, using the term "somnambule" to refer to a sleepwalker:
"With the vast majority of Somnambules the eyes are firmly closed, so firmly that considerable force is required to open them. The countenance is extremely placid, the face very pale, the extremities abnormally cold and clammy, the breathing regular and full, with frequent sighing, or rather, deep inspirations that make the sound of a sigh, but are not like sighing, expressions of mental emotion.
But here the resemblance to sleep ends. The conditions differ from those of sleep in many particulars. The muscles are not flaccid, but retain all, and often more than, the ordinary tension of waking life. The limbs are not relaxed, but in energetic action. The head does not droop. If the eyelids be forcibly raised (and they are always lifted with difficulty, so firmly are they pressed together), the eyeballs are found in an unnatural position, drawn upwards and inwards, so that the direction of the line of vision would fall within the upper orbit of the projecting frontal sinus — a position in which the exercise of sight would be impossible, even if the eyelids were raised. This remarkable position of the eyes is especially to be noted, for it is the characteristic of the somnambulist condition and distinguishes it at once from ordinary sleep, in which the eyes always preserve their natural position. It is important also in this respect, that it cannot he voluntarily assumed. No effort of the Will can place the eyes in the position exhibited by a Somnambule. It will be noted also that, when the eyeballs are in this abnormal position, they are not still, as in sleep, but in a state of rapid and constant quivering.
All the senses appear to be closely sealed. No sounds sensible to pain. Taste, touch and smell are paralysed. The strongest snuff does not cause sneezing. There is not the slightest wincing from the application to the nostril of the most powerful ammonia. Sight is impossible, for in the position of the eyes no ray from any external object can fall upon the retina.
Nevertheless, in this apparently helpless state, deprived of the assistance of all his external senses, the patient rises from his bed and walks with facility and firmness in the dark as well as in the light, avoiding obstacles as readily as if he could see or feel them. Thus he passes, without fear and with perfect ease and safety, over places dangerous even to the waking footstep— on the ridge of a house roof; across a narrow plank above a stream; down a steep and perilous path by a precipice over which he would be hurled if the footstep erred but a few inches ; through rooms crowded with furniture, threading his way without stumbling or mistaking.
Nor this only. The Somnambule, with his eyes closed and all his senses sealed in the darkness of the darkest night, will perform his daily work, however intricate— write, read, thread a needle, draw and paint, and do other acts requiring keen sight, manual dexterity and delicate touch. During the entire of this, all his external senses are paralysed. He neither sees, hears nor feels with the bodily organs. The Mind only is awake. Manifestly the Mind, in this condition of somnambulism, receives impressions of external objects and guides the actions of the body without the assistance of its usual informants, the senses. And these things are done, not tentatively nor with hesitation, as by one feeling his way or seeking for something in darkness, but firmly, unhesitatingly, easily, perfectly, and without mistakes, as if he had been awake and was acting in the daylight instead of in the dark."
In the five pages beginning on page 170, Cox cites quite a few cases of people who performed extremely complex activities while sleepwalking. In each case quoted we are told that the person's eyes were closed during such activities.
A bit later Cox concludes this:
"But with the Somnambule the external senses only are sealed. All the faculties of his mind are wide awake. He has perceptions of external objects, although certainly through some other medium than the five senses, and he acts upon the impressions so abnormally received as perfectly and as rationally as when he is awake."
We do not know the ratio between eyes-closed sleepwalking and eyes-open sleepwalking. You sometimes may read statements claiming that sleepwalkers walk with eyes open, but such generalizations are not backed up by scientific studies, and may be made sometimes by those trying to "sweep under the rug" the clairvoyance-suggesting anomaly of skillful movement by sleepwalkers with closed eyes. I find quite a few statements claiming that sleepwalkers "often" have eyes open, an indication that such a thing is by no means invariable for sleepwalkers. There are many observational reports of sleepwalkers walking or moving very skillfully either with eyes closed, with eyes turned upward or in a state of darkness (some of them being quoted in this post); and in the quote above by Cox we read that "with the vast majority of Somnambules the eyes are firmly closed." Even when sleepwalkers have eyes open, there seems to be no real perception with the eyes.
In the literature of sleepwalking, it is often reported that when sleepwalkers walk with their eyes open, their eyes are turned upwards in a way that would make normal vision impossible. So, for example, pages 60 to 61 of the document here reports a sleepwalker with the most astonishing physical dexterity in avoiding obstacles while sleepwalking; and page 62 says, "eyes were alternately shut and open, but when the latter, they were convulsively turned upwards, showing nothing but the whites, so that he could not have seen with them."
It seems rather clear that sleepwalking (the same as somnambulism) provides evidence for ESP or clairvoyance. This is the conclusion that was made by a writer in 1838, who stated this:
"II. Clairvoyance, or vision without the eyes. — In the most simple cases of natural somnambulism this phenomenon occurs. The person who rises in the night, dresses himself, moves from room to room, and performs with nicety and precision a variety of minute actions, presents us with this anomaly in its most familiar form. There are few sceptics who do not acknowledge cases of this kind ; for after all, somnambulism is a very common occurrence, and is observed to be hereditary in many families. Yet when this faculty becomes more perfectly developed, manifesting itself by finer discriminations, the very same philosophers, forgetting the fact which is universally accredited in domestic life, open their eyes with astonishment, and declare the whole thing utterly incredible. This is unreasonable. It is a notorious fact, that all sleep-walkers are clairvoyants."
The fascinating page here has an interview with Lee Hadwin, who has long produced remarkable art works in his sleep. The page has a headline of "Interview: Man Makes World-Famous Art in His Sleep But Has No Creative Talent While Awake." We read this of Hadwin: "While he’s asleep, his creative side comes alive and he crafts portraits, landscapes, and abstract drawings that only someone with amazing artistic prowess can produce." We hear that he sells some of his pieces created during sleepwalking for thousands of dollars a piece. We read that in his sleep Hadwin produced three portraits of Marilyn Monroe. The article shows one of them, which is of stunning quality. This is even though Hadwin has apparently had no artistic training.
In the 1905 newspaper story here, we have a description of sleepwalking consistent with the description of Cox above:
At the link here, we have an article entitled "Teen Awakes From Sleepwalking 9 Miles From Home, Police Say." We may presume that something more than moving in a random direction is involved when journeys so long occur.
In the newspaper article here (in the right column and entitled "Somnambulism"), we have an account of a sleepwalker. We read of him writing intelligibly during sleepwalking. The last paragraph suggests telepathic or clairvoyant abilities during sleepwalking.
"In the capital of the island of Syra, there is a young man from a town on the border of the Black Sea, -aged about eighteen years, tall in stature, and of robust constitution, who went to Syra to follow his studies at the Gymnasium. It frequently happens that, almost immediately after falling asleep, he gets up and makes remarkable declamations. Sometimes he recites very long speeches from Xenophon with perfect correctness although when awake he cannot remember more than a few lines. One night he wrote the theme he had to deliver the next day. In the morning having overslept himself, he was vexed at not having time to prepare himself for his tutor, but great was his astonishment at finding on his table his stipulated composition, written with his own hand, folded, and ready to be given in. The professor was surprised at finding it so well done and still more so when the young scholar became embarrassed, and unable to answer certain questions put to him on the subject. Doubts were entertained as to its being his own work, but a companion who slept in the same room with him came voluntarily forward and declared, that in the night he saw his fellow-student at the writing table writing, and calling upon his father to assist him in composing his theme.
When in a slate of somnambulism, he plays at cards, and uniformly wins. This is attributed to his having the faculty at that time of knowing what cards are in the hands of the rest of the party. When in this state, also, he has been taken by his companions to a tavern, and when, after eating and drinking with them, he awoke, he was greatly astonished at finding himself where he was. It appears that in his somnolescent state, his sense of feeling is entirely suspended, while all the other senses are alive and active. At first, the slightest touch would wake him; but now he is totally insensible to any violence, even that which would in others, or in himself when awake, produce acute pain. In general, on coming out of his state of somnambulism, he is so weak and languid as to faint away. One fact is more extraordinary than the rest: one day, when in his dormant state, he announced that three persons, whom he named, were coming to see him. In an hour after, these three persons entered his room.”
The 1834 book "Somnambulism : the extraordinary case of Jane C. Rider, the Springfield somnambulist" by L. W. Belden M.D. can be read here. We read of Jane sleepwalking many times in the dark, acting just as if she could see things just fine. On the page here, we read this:
"Her eyes were generally closed, but at times they were stretched widely open, and the pupil was then very considerably dilated. These different states of the eye seemed to occasion no difference in the power of seeing — she saw apparently as well when they were closed, as she did when they were open."
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