MISCELLANEOUS

FIG.4.

4. The performer then placed his shoulders upon one chair, and his heels upon another, as in Fig. 4, forming, with his back-bone, thighs, and legs, an arch springing from its abutments atAandB. One or two men then stood upon his belly, rising up and down while the performer breathed. A stone, one and a half feet long, one foot broad, and half a foot thick, was then laid upon his belly and broken by a sledge hammer, an operation which may be performed with much less danger than when his back touched the ground, as in Fig. 3.

5. His next feat was to lie down on the ground, as in Fig. 5. A man being then placed on his knees, he draws his heels towards his body, and, raising his knees, he lifts up the man gradually, till, having brought his knees perpendicularly under him, as in Fig. 6, he raises his own body up, and, placing his arms around the man's legs, he rises with him, and sets him down on some low table or eminence of the same height as his knees. This feat he sometimes performed with two men in place of one.

FIG.5.

FIG.6.

FIG.7.

6. The last, and apparently the most wonderful, performance of the German, is shown in Fig. 7, where he appears to raise a cannonA, placed upon a scale, the four ropes of the scale being fixed to a rope or chain attached to his girdle, in the manner already described. Previous to the fixing of the ropes, the cannon and scale rest upon two rollersB C, but when all is ready, the two rollers are knocked from beneath the scale, and the cannon is sustained by the strength of his loins.

The German also exhibited his strength in twisting into a screw a flat piece of iron likeA, Fig. 8. He first bent the iron into a right angle, as atB, and then wrapping his handkerchief about its broad upper end, he held that end in his left hand, and with his right applied to the other end, twisted about the angular point, as shown atC. Lord Tullibardine succeeded in doing the same thing, and even untwisted one of the irons which the German had twisted.

It would lead into details by no means popular, were I togive a minute explanation of the mechanical principles upon which these feats depend. A few general observations will perhaps be sufficient for ordinary readers. The feats No. 1, 2, and 7, depend entirely on the natural strength of the bones of the pelvis, which form a double arch, which it would require an immense force to break, by any external pressure directed to the center of the arch; and, as the legs and thighs are capable of sustaining four or five thousand pounds when they stand quite upright, the performer has no difficulty in resisting the force of two horses, or of sustaining the weight of a cannon weighing two or three thousand pounds.

FIG.8.

The feat of the anvil is certainly a very surprising one. The difficulty, however, really consists in sustaining the anvil; for when this is done, the effect of the hammering is nothing. If the anvil were a thin piece of iron, or even two or three times heavier than the hammer, the performer would be killed by a few blows; but the blows are scarcely felt when the anvil is very heavy, for the more matter the anvil has, the greater is its inertia, and it is the less liable to be struck out of its place; for when it has received by the blow the whole momentum of the hammer, its velocity will be so much less than that of the hammer, as its quantity of matter is greater. When the blow, indeed, is struck, the man feels less of the weight of the anvil than he did before, because, in the reaction of the stone, all the partsof it round about the hammer rise towards the blow. This property is illustrated by the well known experiment of laying a stick with its ends upon two drinking glasses full of water, and striking the stick downwards in the middle with an iron bar. The stick will in this case be broken without breaking the glasses, or spilling the water. But if the stick is struck upwards, as if to throw it up in the air, the glasses will break if the blow be strong, and if the blow is not very quick, the water will be spilled without breaking the glasses.

When the performer supports a man upon his belly, as in Fig. 4, he does it by means of the strong arch formed by his backbone, and the bones of his legs and thighs. If there were room for them, he could bear three or four, or, in their stead, a great stone to be broken with one blow.

A number of feats of real and extraordinary strength were exhibited about a century ago, in London, by Thomas Topham, who was five feet ten inches high, and about thirty-one years of age. He was entirely ignorant of any of the methods for making his strength appear more surprising; and he often performed, by his own natural powers, what he learned had been done by others by artificial means. A distressing example of this occurred in his attempt to imitate the feat of the German Samson by pulling against horses. Ignorant of the method which we have already described, he seated himself on the ground with his feet against two stirrups, and by the weight of his body he succeeded in pulling against a single horse; but in attempting to pull against two horses, he was lifted out of his place, and one of his knees was shattered against the stirrups, so as to deprive him of most of the strength of one of his legs. The following are the feats of real strength which Dr. Desaguliers saw him perform.

1. Having rubbed his fingers with coal-ashes to keep them from slipping, he rolled up a very strong and large pewter plate.

2. Having laid seven or eight short and strong pieces of tobacco-pipe on the first and third fingers, he broke them by the force of his middle finger.

3. He broke the bowl of a strong tobacco-pipe placed between his first and third fingers, by pressing his fingers together sideways.

4. Having thrust such another bowl under his garter, hislegs being bent he broke it to pieces by the tendons of his hams, without altering the bending of his leg.

5. He lifted with his teeth, and held in a horizontal position for a considerable time, a table six feet long, with half a hundred weight hanging at the end of it. The feet of the table rested against his knees.

6. Holding in his right hand an iron kitchen poker three feet long and three inches round, he struck upon his bare left arm, between the elbow and the wrist, till he bent the poker nearly to a right angle.

7. Taking a similar poker, and holding the ends of it in his hands, and the middle against the back of his neck, he brought both ends of it together before him, and he then pulled it almost straight again. This last feat was the most difficult, because the muscles which separate the arms horizontally from each other are not so strong as those which bring them together.

8. He broke a rope about two inches in circumference, which was partly wound about a cylinder four inches in diameter, having fastened the other end of it to straps that went over his shoulder.

9. Dr. Desaguliers saw him lift a rolling stone of about 800 pounds' weight with his hands only, standing in a frame above it, and taking hold of a frame fastened to it. Hence Dr. Desaguliers gives the following relative view of the strengths of individuals:

Strength of the weakest men,125pounds.Strength of very strong men,400Strength of Topham,800

The weight of Topham was about 200.

One of the most remarkable and inexplicable experiments relative to the strength of the human frame, which we have ourselves seen and admired, is that in which a heavy man is raised with the greatest facility, when he is lifted up the instant that his own lungs, and those of the persons who raise him, are inflated with air. This experiment was, I believe, first shown in England a few years ago by Major H., who saw it performed in a large party at Venice under the direction of an officer of the American navy. As Major H. performed it more than once in my presence, I shall describe, as nearly as possible, the method which he prescribed. The heaviest person in the party lies down upon two chairs, his legs being supported by the one and hisback by the other. Four persons, one at each leg and one at each shoulder, then try to raise him, and they find his dead weight to be very great, from the difficulty they experience in supporting him. When he is replaced in the chairs, each of the four persons takes hold of the body as before, and the person to be lifted gives two signals by clapping his hands. At the first signal he himself and the four lifters begin to draw a long and full breath, and when the inhalation is completed, or the lungs filled, the second signal is given, for raising the person from the chairs. To his own surprise and that of his bearers, he rises with the greatest facility, as if he were no heavier than a feather. On several occasions I have observed that when one of the bearers performs his part ill, by making the inhalation out of time, the part of the body which he tries to raise is left, as it were, behind. As we have repeatedly seen this experiment, and have performed the part both of the load and of the bearer, we can testify how remarkable the effects appear to all parties, and how complete is the conviction, either that the load has been lightened, or the bearer strengthened by the prescribed process.

At Venice, the experiment was performed in a much more imposing manner. The heaviest man in the party was raised and sustained upon the points of the fore fingers of six persons. Major H. declared that the experiment would not succeed if the person lifted were placed upon a board, and the strength of the individuals applied to the board. He conceived it necessary that the bearers should communicate directly with the body to be raised. I have not had an opportunity of making any experiments relative to these curious facts; but whether the general effect is an illusion, or the result of known or of new principles, the subject merits a careful investigation.

Among the remarkable exhibitions of mechanical strength and dexterity, we may enumerate that of supporting pyramids of men. This exhibition is a very ancient one. The simplest form of this feat consists in placing a number of men upon each other's shoulders, so that each row consists of a man fewer till they form a pyramid terminating in a single person, upon whose head a boy is sometimes placed with his feet upwards.

CURIOUS TRICKS AND FANCIES.

"Youth loves and lives on change,Till the soul sighs for sameness, which at lastBecomes variety, and takes its place."

"Youth loves and lives on change,

Till the soul sighs for sameness, which at last

Becomes variety, and takes its place."

AN ARTIFICIAL MEMORY.

The reader must have observed, that to perform several of the recreations in this book, it is necessary to have a good memory; but as that is a gift every one has not from nature, many methods have been contrived to supply that defect by art—the most material of which we shall here describe.

An artificial memory respects either figures or words; for the former, let the five vowels, a, e, i, o, u, represent the first five digits; the diphthongs that begin with the first four vowels, as au, ea, ie, ou, representing the remaining four digits, let y stand for an 0, or cypher. Let the ten first consonants also stand for the nine digits and the cypher, as in the following table:

aeiouaueaieouy1234567890bcdfghklmn

Then to represent any number, let the first letter be a vowel or diphthong, the second a consonant, the third a vowel, the fourth a consonant, &c. Thus for the number 1763, you write or remember the wordakaud; if there are several sums to be retained, you place the words in form of verses—which will make them more pleasing to repeat and moreeasy to remember; for example, if you would remember the dates of the discovery of America by Columbus, the settlement of Virginia by Captain Smith, the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Declaration of Independence, and the Battle of New Orleans, which were in 1492, 1605, 1620, 1775, 1776, and 1815, you write as follows—for you are to observe that in this, as well as similar cases, when the first figure is always the same, it is unnecessary to write it after the first time:

Afouc hyh hen keag keah lag.

When several cyphers come together, instead of repeating y orn, you may write y orn2, 3, &c.; thus, for 3400, writeify2, and for 256,000, writeehun3.

To remember any number of words, select the initial letters of those words, and to the first add a, if it begins with a consonant, or b, if it begins with a vowel. In like manner e or c to the second initial letter; to the third add i or d; to the fourth o or f; to the fifth u or g, so that of the five initials you make five syllables, which are joined together in one word—then of the next five initials you make, in the same manner, another word, and of every two words you make a verse; for example, suppose you would remember the names of all the kings of England since the Norman conquest in the order in which they reigned, you then write as follows:

WawehisohuRajehiefegEbrehihohuEbecrihohuEbmeedjocuCajewiafguGagegigowuVa.

Or, if you would remember the letters that begin any number of verses, suppose the twenty first lines of Pope's Essay on Man, you write as follows:

AbtelitoegAbacodtotuTaocedafluBasewioffu.

THE MAGICIAN'S MIRROR.

Construct a box of wood, of a cubical shape,A B C D, of about fifteen inches every way. Let it be fixed to the pedestalP, at the usual height of a man's head. In each side ofthis box let there be an opening, of an oval form, ten inches high, and seven wide. In this box place two mirrors,A D, with their backs against each other. Let them cross the box in a diagonal line, and in a vertical position. Decorate the openings in the side of this box with four oval frames and transparent glasses, and cover each with a curtain so contrived as all to draw up together.

Place four persons in front of the four sides, and at equal distances from the box, and then draw them up that they may see themselves in the mirrors, when each of them, instead of his own figure, will see that of the person next to him, but who will appear to him to be placed on the opposite side. Their confusion will be the greater, as it will be very difficult, if not impossible, for them to discover the mirrors concealed in the box. The reason of this phenomenon is evident; for though the rays of light may be turned aside by a mirror, yet they alwaysappearto proceed in right lines.

THE PERSPECTIVE MIRROR.

Provide a box,A B C D, of about two feet long, fifteen inches wide, and 12 inches high. At the endA C, place the concave mirror, the focus of whose parallel rays is eighteen inches from the reflecting surface. AtI Lplace a pasteboard, blacked, in which a hole is cut, sufficiently large to see on the mirrorHthe object placed atB E F D. Cover the top of the box, fromAtoI, close, that the mirrorHmay be entirely darkened. The other part,I B, must be covered withglass, under which is placed a gauze or oiled paper, to prevent the inside from being seen. Make an aperture atG, near the top of the sideE B, beneath which, on the inside, place in succession, paintings of vistas, landscapes, figures, &c. so that they may be in front of the mirrorH. Let the box be placed that the object may be strongly illuminated by the sun, or by wax-lights placed under the inclosed part of the boxA I. By this simple construction, the objects placed atG Dwill be thrown into their natural perspective, and if the subjects be properly chosen and well executed, the appearance will be both wonderful and pleasing.

THE MAGICAL GYROSCOPE.

A little instrument has been constructed lately, exhibiting such remarkable results in connection with rotary motion, that it has greatly puzzled most of those who have witnessed its strange performances. Although many of our readers may have seen the instrument, yet from the numberless inquiries that have been made for the rationale of its peculiar feats, and also from the fact that we have not yet heard a solution that appears to be the true one, we are induced to furnish a brief description and explanation of the whole.

It consists of a brass wheel,B, four or five inches in diameter, with a thick lead rim, or circumference, so as to impart to the wheel when revolving rapidly sufficient momentum to cause it to spin for some minutes. The axis of this wheel terminates in pivots, set in a circular ring at right angles to the wheel, as the figure represents. Two small flat pieces of brass (AandC) are soldered outside to opposite sides of this ring, and a small cavity is made on the under side of each piece, so that the whole may rest on a pointed upright wire, placed in one of these cavities, this wire being inserted in a heavy metallic base to give it solidity. A small hole is made in the axis of the wheel, so that the end of a cord may be thrust through, the cord wound around it, and rapid motion imparted to the wheel like the spinning of a top. This constitutes the whole of the apparatus, which is shown in Fig. 1.

Now, by placing the wheel and its ring, on the upper endof the pointed wire, as shown in the figure,only one side being supported, the wheel and ring would of course, immediately fall by the force of gravity, there being no support at the other side,C. But if a rapid spinning motion is given to the wheel by means of the cord already described, and it be placed on the point atA,it will not fall, but will move slowly around on the upright point, performing a steady, revolving horizontal motion, as long as the rapid rotary motion of the wheel continues. So steady and uniform is this horizontal movement, that it generally suggests the motion of the planets round the sun.

Thisself-upholdingproperty constitutes the wonder and puzzle of the instrument, and many explanations have been attempted. Some ascribe it to atmospheric influence; others to electricity; while others confidently remark, "Ah, yes, I understand it—it is themotionwhich keeps it from falling—it is the momentum—the centrifugal force;" butwhythis result is produced by centrifugal force, we are not told.

The true explanation is this:

1. The wheel when at rest, may of course be easily moved about so as to alter the position of its axis, in any direction. But this is not so when it is made to spin rapidly; if the ring is held in the hands, the wheel will be found strongly to resist any side or twisting movement—so much so, that a novice will start, and almost let it drop, supposing there is somethingalivein it or, as they sometimes remark; "Why! it feels as if there was asnakein the wheel!" This is owing to nothing but the strong momentum of thelead rim(already described) tending to keep the wheel in its position; for an attempt to alter its position, throws all this swiftly flying matter into a different course, which, it is evident, cannot easily be done.

2. Theslowly revolving, horizontal motion on the pivot atAis in a contrary direction to thespinningmotion of thetopof the wheel, as the arrows show in Fig. 1. In other words, the forward portion of the wheel flies upwards, and the back portion downwards. This will be found to be always the case.

3. Now, when the wheel is moving on horizontally around the pivot ata, the forward portion of the rim is continually moving to theleft, and the hinder portion to the right, as represented in Fig. 2. The combined motion of the forward part of the wheel both upward and to the left, is thereforenot perpendicularly upward, but inclined to the left, and the tendency of its momentum is to throw the top of the wheel also to the left. In the same way, the downward momentum behind throws the bottom to the right. Throwing the top to the left and the bottom to the right, of course raises the wheel as it rests on the pivotA. In other words, the combined motion of the wheel on its axis, and on the pivotA, constantly tends to raise it, thus overcoming gravity, and maintaining the wheel in its position, supported only at one end.

Fig. 2

4. The momentum of the lead rim, as described in (1.) tending to keep the wheel in its position, keeps it also in a uniformly horizontal attitude; if placed by the hand, inclining upwards, it will move around on the pivot ata, without altering this inclination; or the same result takes place, if inclined below the horizontal.

5. The reason of the forward horizontal movement, is this: the spinning force of the wheel tends to throw it to the left, and consequently to lift it upwards, as shown in (3.)—gravity, on the opposite hand, tends to draw it downward; theresultant(or mid-way) motion is therefore between them, or horzontally. As a proof that gravity thus produces the onward movement—when the wheel spins with the greatest rapidity, and consequently has the greatest relative force to gravity, the horizontal movement is slowest; but it continues constantly to increase as the motion of the wheel is retarded, and as gravity assumes a greater proportionate force.

THE ARTIFICIAL LANDSCAPE.

Procure a box, as in cut, of about a foot long, eight inches wide, and six inches high, or any other dimensions you please, so they do not greatly vary from these proportions. At each of its opposite ends, on the inside of this box, place a piece of looking-glass, that shall exactly fit; but at that end where the sight holeAis, scrape the quicksilver off the glass, through which the eye can view the objects.

Cover the box with gauze, over which place a piece of transparent glass, which is to be well fastened in. Let there be two grooves at each of the placesC D E F, to receivetwo printed scenes, as follow: On two pieces of pasteboard, let there be skillfully painted, on both sides, any subject you think proper, as woods, bowers, gardens, houses, &c.; and on two other boards, the same subject on one side only, and cut out all the white parts: observe also, that there ought to be in one of them some object relative to the subject, placed atA, that the mirror placed atBmay not reflect the hole on the opposite side.

The boards painted on both sides are to slide in the groovesC D E F, and those painted on one side are to be placed against the opposite mirrorsAandB; then cover the box with its transparent top. This box should be placed in a strong light, to have a good effect.

When it is viewed through the sight hole, it will presentanunlimited prospect of rural scenery, gradually losing itself in obscurity; and be found well worth the pains bestowed on its construction.

EASY AND CURIOUS METHODS OF FORETELLING RAINY OR FINE WEATHER.

If a line be made of good whipcord, that is well dried, and a plummet affixed to the end of it, and then hung against a wainscot, and a line drawn under it, exactly where the plummet reaches, in very moderate weather it will be found to rise above it before rain, and to sink below when the weather is likely to become fair. But the best instrument of all, is a good pair of scales, in one of which let there be a brass weight of a pound, and in the other a pound of salt, or of saltpeter, well dried; a stand being placed under the scale so as to hinder it falling to low.When it is inclined to rain, the salt will swell, and sink the scale: when the weather is growing fair, the brass weight will regain its ascendancy.

Another very simple method is, to take a strip of pine wood, about twenty inches long, one wide, and a quarter thick, and cut across the grain. Then take a strip of cedar, of the same dimensions, but cut along the grain. Glue them firmly face to face, and set them upright in a stand. Some time before rain falls, the pores of the pine will absorb moisture from the atmosphere, and swell until the whole forms a bow, which will straighten itself as fine weather approaches. It is needless to say that the rods should not be painted or varnished.

THE MAGICAL MEASURE.

The line to be measured must not be extravagantly long, otherwise it will be difficult to measure it accurately; for the least failure of a just aim, or departure from an upright position, would make very sensible errors in the measure of a very long line, especially if the ground was very uneven. To measure then the lineA B, accessible at the extremityA, suppose the breadth of a small river, he who pretends to measure must stand very straight at the extremityA, and support his chin with a little stick resting upon one of the buttons of his coat, so as to keep his head steady in one position. He must pull his hat down upon his forehead till the brim of his hat covers from his view the inaccessible extremityBof the line to be measuredA B, then he must turn himself to a level, uniform piece of ground, and with the same position of his hat, observe the point of the ground where his view terminates, asC, then measuring with a line or chain the distanceA C, he has the length of the line proposedA B.

THE BOUNDLESS PROSPECT.

Take a square box, about six inches long and twelve high, or of any other proportionate dimensions. Cover the inside with four flat pieces of looking glass placed perpendicularto thebottomof the box. Place at the bottom any objects you please, as a piece of fortification, a castle, tents, soldiers, &c. On the top, place a frame of glass shaped like the bottom of a pyramid, as in the figure, and so formed as to fit on the box like a cover. The four sides of this cover are to be composed of ground glass, or covered inside with gauze, so that the light may enter, and yet the inside be invisible, except at the top, which must be covered with transparent glass: when you look through this glass, the inside will present a pleasing prospect of a boundless extent; and, if managed with care, will afford a deal of amusement.

THE HOUR OF THE DAY OR NIGHT TOLD BY A SUSPENDED SHILLING.

However improbable the following experiment may appear, it has been proved by repeated trials:

Sling a shilling or sixpence at the end of a piece of thread by means of a loop. Then resting your elbow on a table, hold the other end of the thread betwixt your fore finger and thumb, observing to let it pass across the ball of the thumb, and thus suspend the shilling into an empty goblet. Observe, your hand must be perfectly steady; and if you find it difficult to keep it in an immovable posture, it is useless to attempt the experiment. Premising, however, that the shilling is properly suspended, you will observe, that when it has recovered its equilibrium, it will for a moment be stationary: it will then of its own accord, and without the least agency from the person holding it, assume the action of a pendulum, vibrating from side to side of the glass, and, after a few seconds, will strike the hour nearest to the time of day; for instance, if the time be twenty-five minutes past six, it will strike six; if thirty-five minutes past six, it will strike seven; and so on of any other hour.

It is necessary to observe, that the thread should lie over the pulse of the thumb, and this may in some measure account for thevibrationof the shilling; but to what cause itsstriking the precise hour is to be traced, remains unexplained; for it is no less astonishing than true, that when it has struck the proper number, its vibration ceases, it acquires a kind of rotary motion, and at last becomes stationary, as before.

CONTRIVANCE FOR A WATCH LAMP, PERFECTLY SAFE, WHICH WILL SHOW THE HOUR OF THE NIGHT, WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE, TO A PERSON LYING IN BED.

It consists of a stand, with three claws, the pillar of which is made hollow, for the purpose of receiving a water candlestick of an inch diameter. On the top of the pillar, by means of two hinges and a bolt, is fixed on a small proportionate table, a box of six sides, lined with brass, tin, or any shining metal, nine inches deep, and six inches in diameter. In the center of one of these sides is fixed a lens, double convex, of at least three inches and a half diameter. The center of the side directly opposite to the lens is perforated so as to receive the dial-plate of the watch, the body of which is confined on the outside, by means of a hollow slide. When the box is lighted by a common watch-light, the figures are magnified nearly to the size of those of an ordinary clock.

THE ENCHANTED PALACE.

On the six-sided planeA B C D E Fof the figure, draw six semi-diameters; and on each of these place perpendicularly two plane mirrors, which must join exactly at the center, and which, placed back to back, must be thin as possible. Decorate the exterior boundary of this piece, (which is at the extremity of the angles of the hexagon,) with six columns, that at the same time serve to support the mirrors by grooves formed on their inner sides. Add to these columns their entablatures, and cover the edifice in whatever manner you please. In each one of these six triangular spaces, contained between two mirrors, place little figures of pasteboard, in relief, representingsuch subjects, as when seen in an hexagonal form, will produce an agreeable effect. To these add small figures of enamel, and take particular care to conceal by some object that has no relation to the subject, the place where the mirrors join, which, as before observed, all meet in the common center.

When you look into any one of the six openings of this palace, the objects there contained,beingreflected six times, will seem entirely to fill up the whole of the building. This illusion will appear very remarkable, especially if the objects chosen are properly adapted to the effect which the mirrors are intended to produce.

If you place between two of these mirrors part of a fortification, as a curtain, and two demi-bastions, you will see an entire citadel with six bastions; or if you place part of a ball-room, ornamented with chandeliers and figures, all these objects being heremultiplied, will afford a very pleasing prospect.

TO KNOW WHICH OF TWO DIFFERENT WATERS IS THE LIGHTEST WITHOUT ANY SCALES.

Take a solid body, the specific gravity of which is less than that of water, pine, or fir wood, for instance, and put it into each of the two waters, and rest assured that it will sink deeper in the lighter than in the heavier water; and so by observing the difference of the sinking, you will know which is the lightest water, and consequently the most wholesome for drinking.

TO KNOW IF A SUSPICIOUS PIECE OF MONEY IS GOOD OR BAD.

If it be a piece of silver that is not very thick, as a dollar or a half dollar, the goodness of which you want to try, take another piece of good silver of equal balance with it, and tie both pieces with thread or horse-hair to the scales of an exact balance (to avoid the wetting of the scales themselves) and dip the two pieces thus tied in water; for then, if they are of equal goodness, that is, of equal purity, they will hang in equilibrio in the water as well as in the air; but if the piece in question is lighter in the water than the other, it is certainly false, that is, there is some other metal mixed with it that has less specific gravity than silver, such as copper. If it is heavier than the other, it islikewise bad, as being mixed with a metal of greater specific gravity than silver, such as lead.

If the piece proposed is very thick, such as that crown of gold that Hiero, king of Syracuse, sent to Archimedes to know if the goldsmith had put into it all the eighteen pounds of gold that he had given him for that end, take a piece of pure gold of equal weight with the crown proposed, viz., eighteen pounds, and without taking the trouble of weighing them in water, put them into a vessel full of water, one after another, and that which drives out most water must necessarily be mixed with another metal of less specific gravity than gold, as taking up more space, though of equal weight.

PYRAMID OF ALUM.

Put a lump of alum into a tumbler of water, and as the alum dissolves it will assume the shape of a pyramid. The cause of the alum decreasing in this peculiar form is briefly as follows: at first, the water dissolves the alum very fast, but as the alum becomes united with the water, the solvent power of the latter diminishes. The water, which combines first with the alum, becomes heavier by the union, and falls to the bottom of the glass, where it ceases to dissolve any more, although the water which it has displaced from the bottom has risen to the top of the glass, and is there acting upon the alum. When the solution has nearly terminated, if you closely examine the lump, you will find it covered with geometrical figures, cut out, as it were, in relief upon the mass; showing, not only that the cohesion of the atoms of the alum resists the power of solution in the water, but that, in the present instance, it resists it more in some directions than in others. Indeed, this experiment beautifully illustrates the opposite action of cohesion and solution.

THE DANCING AUTOMATON.

Procure a piece of silk thread about six feet long, and fasten a small wire hook at one end, and a fine needle at the other, then make a knot in the thread about ten inches from the end upon which the hook is fastened. You also procure a small pasteboard figure about four inches long, and pierce a hole through the center of the same just large enough to easily admit the needle. Having done this, take a convenient opportunity and fasten the hook in the carpetabout five and a half feet from the chair upon which you intend to sit while performing the trick. You then can inform your audience that you intend to make the figure dance and keep time to any tune they may name. You then slip the needle through the hole in the figure and throw it down on the floor, with sufficient force to make it slip on the thread until it reaches the knot, being careful to retain the needle still in your hand, then whistle any air the company may suggest, and appear to beat time with your hands upon your knees. This will make the figure dance, to the great astonishment of the spectators. After you have continued this for a few minutes, you must drop the needle and pick up the figure, when the needle will again slide through the hole in the figure, and the automaton being free from the thread, you can hand it to the audience for examination. This is an excellent trick for the parlor, and, if well performed, will defy detection.

TO MELT A PIECE OF MONEY IN A WALNUT SHELL, WITHOUT INJURING THE SHELL.

Bend any thin coin, and put it into half a walnut shell; place the shell on a little sand, to keep it steady. Then fill the shell with a mixture made of three parts of very dry pounded niter, one part of flowers of sulphur, and a little sawdust well sifted. If you then set light to the mixture, you will find, when it is melted, that the metal will also be melted at the bottom of the shell, in form of a button, which will become hard when the burning matter round it is consumed: the shell will have sustained very little injury.

THE INVISIBLE SPRINGS.

Take two pieces of white cottoncord, precisely alike in length; double each of them separately, so that their ends meet; then tie them together very neatly, with a bit of fine cottonthread, at the part where they double (i. e.the middle). This must all be done beforehand. When you are going to exhibit the trick, hand round two other pieces of cord, exactly similar in length and appearance to those which you have prepared, but not tied, and desire your company to examine them. You then return to your table, placing these cords at the edge, so that they fall (apparently accidentally) to the ground, behind the table; stoop to pickthem up, but take up the prepared ones instead, which you had previously placed there, and laythemon the table. You then take round for examination three ivory rings; those given to children when teething, and which may be had at any of the toyshops, are the best for your purpose. When the rings have undergone a sufficient scrutiny, pass the prepared double cords through them, and give the two ends of one cord to one person to hold, and the two ends of the other to another. Do not let them pull hard, or the thread will break, and your trick be discovered. Request the two persons to approach each other, and desire each to give you one end of the cord which he holds, leaving to him the choice.

You then say that, to make all fast, you will tie these two ends together, which you do, bringing the knot down so as to touch the rings; and returning to each person the end of the cord next to him, you state that this trick is performed by the rule of contrary, and that when you desire them to pull hard, they are to slacken, andvice versa, which is likely to create much laughter, as they are certain to make many mistakes at first. During this time you are holding the rings on the fore fingers of each hand, and with the other fingers preventing your assistants from separating the cords prematurely, during their mistakes; you at length desire them, in a loud voice, to slack, when they will pull hard, which will break the thread, the rings remaining in your hands, whilst the strings will remain unbroken: let them be again examined, and desire them to look for the springs in the rings.

THE FLIGHT OF THE RING.

You may cause a ring to shift from one hand to another and make it go on any finger required on the other hand, while somebody holds both your arms, in order to prevent communication between them, by attending to these instructions: Desire some lady in company to lend you a gold ring, recommending her at the same time to make a mark on it, that she may know it again. Have a gold ring of your own. which fasten by a small piece of catgut string to a watch barrel, and sew it to the left sleeve of your coat. Take the ring that is given you in your right hand; then putting, with dexterity, the other ring fastened to the watch-barrel near the entrance of your sleeve, draw it privately to the fingers' ends of your left hand. During thisoperation, hide the ring that has been lent you between the fingers of your right hand, and fasten it dexterously on a little hook sewed for the purpose, on your waistcoat, and hidden by your coat. After that, show your ring, which hold in your left hand; then ask the company on which finger of the other hand they wish it to pass. During this interval, and as soon as the answer has been given, put the before mentioned finger on the little hook, in order to slip the ring on it: at that moment let go the other ring, by opening your fingers. The spring which is in the watch-barrel, being confined no longer, will contract, and make the ring slip under the sleeve, without any body perceiving it, not even those who hold your arms, as their attention will be occupied to prevent your hands from communicating. After this operation, show the assembly that the ring is come on the other hand, and make them remark that it is the same that had been lent to you, or that the mark is right. Much dexterity is required in this trick, so that the deception may not be suspected.

MUSICAL FIGURES RESULTING FROM SOUND.

Cover the mouth of a wine glass, having a foot-stalk, with a thin sheet of membrane, over which scatter a layer of fine sand. The vibrations excited in the air by the sound of a musical instrument, held within a few inches of the membrane, will cause the sand on its surface to form regular lines and figures with astonishing celerity, which vary with the sound produced.

TO MAKE A CARD JUMP OUT OF THE PACK.

Let any person draw a card, and afterwards put it into the pack, but take care that you know where to find it at pleasure. This you may do by havingforcedit. Then put a piece of wax under the thumb-nail of your right hand, and fasten a hair by it to your thumb, and the other end of the hair, by the same means, to the card chosen: spread the pack upon the table, and, making use of any words you think fit, make it jump from the pack about the table.

THE TELL-TALE CARDS.

Tell any one to shuffle the pack, to take off the upper card, and to notice it, then to lay it on the table, with its face downward, and put so many cards upon it as will make up thirteen with the number of spots on the noted card.

For instance: if the card which the person first looked at was a king, queen, knave, or ten, bid him lay that card with its face downward, calling it ten; upon that let him lay another, calling it eleven; upon that, another, calling it twelve; and upon that, another, calling it thirteen; then bid him take off the next uppermost card: suppose it to be an eight, let him lay it down on another part of the table, calling it eight; upon the latter another, calling it nine, and so on in the same way, until he makes that heap up to thirteen; then let him go to the next uppermost card, and so proceed to lay out the third parcel in the same way as the two preceding, and should the uppermost card be an ace, he must lay it down, calling it one, the next two, &c.

All this should be done either while you are out of the room, or your back is turned; upon your turning round, you take the cards which have been left; your object being to count, without its being perceived, how many there are remaining, you throw aside the three top cards, and lay the next three on the table, with their faces upward; then throw away one, then turn up one, and so on in the same way, until you ascertain how many cards they are; we will suppose that you find twenty-five cards left; deduct ten, when the remaining fifteen will be the number of all the spots contained in all the bottom cards of the three heaps, counting the court cards as ten; you must recollect that ten is, in all cases, the number to be deducted from the cards remaining. Having found that fifteen is the number of spots on the cards, do not declare it at once; but select from those cards which lie on the table, face uppermost, three or four which added together will make fifteen.

For instance: should there be a deuce, a five, and an eight, lay them aside for a moment, and taking the other cards from which you selected the three, put them along with those which you previously rejected; you now hand the three telltale cards to any person, assuring him that the number of pips on those cards will be the same as those on the bottom cards of the three heaps, which will be found to be the case.

THE DOUBLE DOZEN.

Present a pack of cards to one of the company, desiring him to shuffle them well, and to get them shuffled by whomsoever he pleases; then make several persons cut them; after which you will propose to one of the company to takethe pack and think of a card, and remember it, and likewise its order in the pack, by counting one, two, three, four, &c., till he comes, exclusively, to the one thought of; offer to go into another room, or to be blindfolded, while he is doing this. Now declare in what order the card shall be in the pack; say, for instance the twenty-fourth; and, by attending to the following instructions, it will prove to be so:—Suppose the person who thinks of the card stops at thirteen, and that the thirteenth card was the queen of hearts, the number you have stated it shall be in the pack being twenty-four; you return to the room, in case you had left it, or desire the handkerchief to be removed, if you have been blindfolded; and, without asking any question of the person who has thought of the card, ask only for the pack, and apply it to your nose, as if to smell it; then passing it behind your back, or under the table, take, from the bottom of the pack, twenty-three cards; that is to say, one less than the number you have stated the card thought of shall be; place these twenty-three cards on the top. This being done, return the pack to the person who had thought of the card, requesting him to reckon the cards from the top of the pack, beginning by the number of the card he thought of. His card being the thirteenth, he will be compelled to count fourteen, and you are to stop him when he comes to twenty-three, reminding him that the number you have mentioned is twenty-four, and that, consequently, the twenty-fourth card, which he is going to take up, will be the card thought of; and so it will most certainly be.[15]

THE HOUSEBREAKERS.

Take a pack of cards, and place all the aces together, the twos, the threes, and so on up to the kings. There will then be thirteen different heaps. You say, "Here are four houses (laying down the four aces separately), which four knaves enter for the purpose of robbing (laying a knave upon each ace), and take with them their implements for housebreaking (and upon each of the knaves you lay a two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight). The mistresses of the houses come home (laying a queen upon each of the heaps), bringing their money with them (laying a nine upon each queen). Shortly after, their husbands also return (laying a king uponeach queen), also bringing money with them" (laying a ten upon each heap). You have now disposed of all the cards, which form four distinct heaps. Then lay one heap over the other, and let as many persons cut them as please. When this is done, if you commence at the top of the pack, and lay the cards face downwards, one by one, so as to make thirteen separate heaps, you will find all the aces together, the twos, and so on, as you originally placed them.

THE MAGIC BOOK.

Provide an octavo book of plain paper, of whatever thickness you please. Turn over seven leaves from the beginning, and paint a group of flowers; then turn over seven more leaves, and paint the same again, and so on, until you have turned the book through to the end. Then paste a slip of paper or parchment to each of the painted leaves. Turn the book over again, and paint upon every sixth leaf a parrot, and then paste strips upon them as you did upon the first, only a little lower down. Proceed in this manner until you have painted the book full of pictures of various sorts, taking care one side of the leaves is left white paper. When you use the book, hold it in your left hand, and set the thumb of your right hand upon the first of the parchment stays; run the book through, and it will appear full of flowers; then stop and, blowing upon the book, run it through again, with the thumb upon the second slips of parchment, and it will, appear full of parrots. Afterwards, reverse the book, and run it through as before, and it will appear composed of blank paper.

THE TAPE TRICK.

This trick consists in suffering a person to tie your thumbs together tightly, and yet that you shall be able to release them in a moment, and tie them together again. The mode of performing this trick is as follows:—Lay a piece of tape across the palms of your hands, placed side by side, letting the ends hang down; then bring your palms quickly together, at the same time privately catching hold of the middle of the tape with your fourth and fifth fingers. Then direct any person to tie your thumbs together as tight as he pleases, but he will not, of course, in reality be tying them, because you have hold of the tape, yet it will nevertheless appear to him that he is doing so. Request him to place a hat over your hands; then blow upon the hat, and say, "Beloose," slipping your thumbs from under the tape; direct him to remove the hat, and show your thumbs free. You then request the hat may again be placed over your hands, and blowing upon it, you say "Be tied," slipping your thumbs under the tape again; and when the hat is removed, your thumbs will appear tied as at first. After performing the trick, convey the tape away, lest it be detected.

MORE THAN FULL.

Fill a glass to the brim with water, and you may add to it spirit of wine without causing the water to overflow.

FLOATING NEEDLES.

Fill a cup with water, gently lay on its surface small fine needles, and they will float.

THE KNOTTED THREAD.

Considerable amusement, not unmixed with wonder, may be occasioned among a party of ladies, by a clever performance of this trick. It is most frequently performed by a female, but the effect of it is considerably increased when it is displayed by a youth. A piece of calico, muslin, or linen, is taken in the left hand, a needle is threaded in the presence of the spectators, and the usual, or even a double or treble knot, made at the extremity of one of the ends of it. The operator commences his work by drawing the needle and the thread in it quite through the linen, notwithstanding the knot, and continues to make several stitches in like manner successively.

The mode of performing this seeming wonder is as follows: A bit of thread, about a quarter of a yard long, is turned once round the top of the middle finger of the right hand, upon which a thimble is then placed, to keep it secure. This must be done privately, and the thread kept concealed, while a needle is threaded with a bit of thread of a similar length. The thread in the needle must have one of its ends drawn up nearly close, and be concealed between the forefinger and thumb; the other should hang down nearly as long as, and by the side of the thread, which is fastened under the thimble, so that these two may appear to be the two ends of the thread. The end of the piece that is fastened under the thimble is then knotted, and the performer begins to sew, by moving his hand quickly after he has taken up the stitch.It will appear as though he actually passed the knotted thread through the cloth.

THE BACCHUS EXPERIMENT.

This experiment, showing the elasticity of air, is performed with a pleasing toy. It represents a figure of Bacchus sitting across a cask, in which are two separate compartments. Put into one of them a portion of wine or colored liquid, and place the apparatus under the exhausted receiver of an air-pump, when the elastic force of the confined air will cause the liquid to ascend a transparent glass tube (fitted on purpose), into the mouth of the Bacchanalian figure. To render the experiment more striking, a bladder, with a small quantity of air therein, is fastened around the figure, and covered with a loose silken robe, when the air in the bladder will expand, and produce an apparent increase in the bulk of the figure, as if occasioned by the excess of liquor drunk.

CURIOUS METHOD OF MEASURING THE HEIGHT OF A TREE.

To ascertain the height of an object a peculiar method of measurement is in use among the Isthmus Indians. In measuring the height of a tree, for instance, a man proceeds from its base to a point where, on turning the back towards it, and putting the head between the legs, he can just see the top; at the spot where he is able to do this he makes a mark on the ground to the base of the tree; this distance will be equal to the height.

THE TRANSPOSABLE PIECES.

Take two quarter eagles and two dimes, and grind part of them away, on one side only, so that they may be but half the common thickness; and observe, that they must be quite thin at the edge; then rivet a quarter eagle and a dime together. Lay one of these double pieces, with the dime upwards, on the palm of your hand, at the bottom of your three first fingers, and lay the other piece with the quarter eagle upwards in like manner, in the other hand. Let the company take notice in which hand is the quarter eagle, and in which is the dime. Then, as you shut your hands, you naturally turn the pieces over, and when you open them again, the dime and the quarter eagle will appear to have changed their places.

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