II a Miscella- The double of the rank of the third person is 6 in, the writing on which he will readily acknowledge Miscellaneous Per. To which add 5 neous Per. formances. 22. Take two guineas and two shillings, and grind formances. part of them away, on one side only, so that they may The trans Multiply the sum by 5 be but of half the common thickness; and observe that posable they must be quite thin at the edge: then rivet a gui-process. 55 nen and a shilling together. Lay one of these double To which add 10 pieces with the shilling upwards, on the palm of your And the number of the left hand 2 hand, at the bottom of your three first fingers ; and lay the other piece, with the guinea upwards, in like Let the company take IO notice in which hand is the guinea, and in which the shilling. Then as you shut your hands, you naturally 670 turn the pieces over; and when you open them again, To which add the number of the thumb the shilling and the guinea will appear to have changed I their places. a 2 it away. 671 23. Provide a round tin box, of the size of a large The pene. And multiply again by IO snuff box ; and in this place eight other boxes, which trative will go easily into each other, and let the least of them guiaea. 6710 be of a size to hold a guinea. Each of these boxes Then aid the number of the joint should shut with a hinge: and to the least of them there And lastly the number 35 must be a small lock, that is fastened with a spring, but cannot be opened without a key: and observe that all 6747 these boxes must shut so freely, that they may be all From which deducting 3535 closed at once. Place these boxes in each other, with their tops open, (see fig. 12.) in the drawer of the 3212 you make your experiments; or, if you please, in your pocket, in such a manner that they can. desire bim to mark it, that it may not be changed. The berat 21. Cover the outside of a small memorandum book You take this piece in one hand, and in the other you writing re. with black paper, and in one of its inside covers make have another of the same appearance ; and putting stored. a flap to open secretly, and observe there must be no- your hand in the drawer you slip the piece that is thing over the flap but the black paper that covers the marked into the least box, and, shutting them all at once, take them out. Then showing the piece you Provide a biack lead pencil that will not mark with. You then present the box, for the spectators do not must be very small, among the snuff: and when the seven or eight inches long, two and a half broad, and magic pic. You then return to the other room, and taking a half an inch deep; the bottom of which, by means Plate slip of black paper, you put it into the other side of of two cross pieces, is divided into three equal parts. ccxc. the box, strewing the aslies of the burnt paper over it. EFGH represents the lid, which is fastened to the botThen shaking the box for a few moments, and at the tom by a hinge, and has in front a small plate shaped same time turning it dexterously over, you open the like a lock, and two small eyes for hooks which serve to other side, and show tbe person the paper you first put fasten it when it is slut. ILM are three small Nexible VOL. XI. Part II. + springs, a a tures. ig. 14. 15. а SB Miscella- springs, flat, and about inch long. NOP are three eous Per- wooden tablets of the same size, upon which are markformances, ed the figures 3, 4, and 5. The tablets are of different thicknesses, and the difference is so small as not to be perceived by the eye. The outside of the box is covered with shagreen or morocco leather, and on the inside with silk taffety; these coverings being indispensably necessary to hide the three small springs above mentioned. Fig. 14. shows the two hinges E and F bent close to the top of the lid ABCD; the piece of brass G, similar to a lock, being also curved to the lid. A small brass stud is rivetted upon the end of each of these springs inserted into the lid, and passes through the curved part of each of the hinges and the lock; so that on the outside they appear as the heads of small pins which fasten them upon the lid. These small studs will be elevated more or less according to the thicknesses of the tablets, that they may be shut up in each of the partitions in which they may be found placed; so that the tablet N elevates them more than the tablet O, and the latter less than P; though these elevations are but barely sensible to the sight or touch, and that by a person accustomed to look at or handle them. Thus it may be easily known in whatever order the tablets are placed, however carefully shut; and consequently the number named as enclosed. The nume Give now the box to any indifferent person, leave him at liberty to form with the tablets any number he pleases, desiring him to return the box well shut up; then taking the box, and determining by the touch or rather by the what order the tablets are in, it will be very surprising to hear you declare the number without seeing it. eye, N. B. It will still be equally possible to discover the number, though the tablets should be returned with the bottom upwards, or even though one should be withdrawn in order to defeat your design; particularly if care had been taken to make the studs remain even with the plates when a number is omitted. 25. To discover any particular counter which has been sical table, secretly placed within a box that turns upon it.—This table, which is made of wood, is represented by A, fig. 16. It is of a hexagonal shape, and about three or four inches diameter. Fox the sake of neatness in appearance, a proportionably sized pillar with a foot is fixed to it. Round a centre there turns a small round box B of about 4 inch diameter in the inside, the lid of which takes off at B. At the bottom of this box, near the circumference in the inside, is fixed a brass pin to fit a hole made in a flat ivory counter shown at b, fig. 17. The pin and counter are represented in fig. 18. which is a flat view of fig. 19. with the lid of the box B taken off. Opposite to the pin b, in the same figure, D represents a fine dot designed as a secret mark on the outside of the box, which serves always as a guide to the number of the counter privately placed in the inside of the box, as is afterwards particularly explained. Upon one of the corners of the table is an ivory mark C, fig. 16. and 18. which serves to place the spot a upon the counters in its proper position. See fig. 17. There are 12 counters fitted to the box B, marked 10, 20, &c. as far as 120, on the middle of each. On each of these counters is the hole b, fig. 17. and 18. which goes over the pin in the bottom of the box; and on one side of this hole a red or black spot is placed in the following manner. When N° 10 Misceliait put into the box, the spot must be so far to the left neous Perhand of the hole, that when it is brought to the mark formances. C, fig. 18. the hole 6 will be opposite to the side marked I. When N° 20 is put in, the spot being brought to the mark C will carry the hole to the corner markWhen N° 30 is put in, and the spot brought opposite to C, the hole will be brought against the side marked 3, as is shown in the figure, and so on for the rest. Therefore, as opposite to the brass pin, or hole on the counter on the outside of the box B, there is a secret mark D already mentioned, this must serve as an index to the number contained in the box, according as it is opposite to a side or corner of the table. Give now the table with the box and the 12 counters to any person, and desire him to put one of the counters secretly into the box, keeping the rest to himself; and after having placed the hole over the pin in the box, to place particularly, by turning the box round, the spot a against the mark C on the table. Let him then cover the box, give you the table, and keep the counters himself. Observe then privately what side or corner the secret outside marked D stands against, reckon the tens accordingly, and tell him the number. 26. To draw out of the well with a bucket any one The magic of four liquors which have been previously mixed and put "ell. into it. Provide two tin cylinders of seven or eight inches height; the diameter of the largest, represented by AB, fig. 19. to be four inches, and that of the least, CD, two inches. Place the small one within the larger, and connect them together by soldering to them four tin partitions, making the equal spaces e, f, g, h. Turn a piece of wood three inches thick, hollow withinside, and lined with tin, of which a section is given, fig. 20. Into this the exterior cylinder should be closely fitted at a and b. Another circle of wood (of which a section is given fig. 21.), hollowed at a, b, and c, is also to be procured, and which may cover exactly the space between the two cylinders; and, lastly, let the whole be constructed in such a manner, that when these three separate pieces are placed together, they may represent a well, as in fig. 22. The two brass or wooden pillars AA, with the axis and handle C, serve to let down and draw up a small glass bucket B, an inch and a half in diameter. Make also four tin reservoirs of the same height with the cylinder, and so shaped as to fill the four spaces e, f, g, h, (fig. 19.) which must be well closed at their extremities B and C. On the top of each make a small hole about the tenth part of an inch diameter, and solder at the base C a small tube D, the end of which should be bent towards the inside of the well when the reservoir is placed in it. Solder on the top of each reservoir a small spring lever and prop ABDE, fig. 23. The spring will serve always to press the end of the lever D down upon the hole at the top of the reservoir B; and in order to cover it more perfectly, a small piece of leather is to be glued on to the end of the iever D. Lastly, A small peg or stud C is placed at the end of each of the levers, and which must be close to the under part of the wooden circle which covers the reservoirs. To conceal these studs, and at the same time to be able to press upon them with the fingers, circular apertures, as shown in fig. 21. must be made in the piece of wood, the top covered |