Endless Amusement Part 22

If you look off the seal for a few moments, when you view it again, instead of seeing it, as at first, engraved, it will appear in relief.

If, while you are turned towards the light, you suddenly incline the seal, while you continue to regard it, those parts that seemed to be engraved will immediately appear in relief: and if, when you are regarding these seemingly prominent parts, you turn yourself so that the light may fall on the right hand, you will see the shadows on the same side from whence the light comes, which will appear not a little extraordinary. In like manner the shadows will appear on the left, if the light fall on that side. If instead of a seal you look at a piece of money, these alterations will not be visible, in whatever situation you place yourself.

_Alarum._

Against the wall of a room, near the ceiling, fix a wheel of twelve or eighteen inches diameter; on the rim of which place a number of bells in tune, and, if you please, of different sizes. To the axis of this wheel there should be fixed a fly to regulate its motion; and round the circ.u.mference there must be wound a rope, to the end of which is hung a weight.

Near to the wheel let a stand be fixed, on which is an upright piece that holds a balance or moveable lever, on one end of which rests the weight just mentioned; and to the other end must hang an inverted hollow cone, or funnel, the aperture of which is very small. This cone must be graduated on the inside, that the sand put in may answer to the number of hours it is to run. Against the upright piece, on the side next the cone, there must be fixed a check, to prevent it from descending. This stand, together with the wheel, may be enclosed in a case, and so contrived, as to be moved from one room to another with very little trouble.

It is evident, from the construction of this machine, that when a certain quant.i.ty of the sand is run out, the weight will descend, and put the wheel in motion, which motion will continue till the weight comes to the ground. If the wheel be required to continue longer in motion, two or more pulleys may be added, over which the rope may run.

_Musical Cascade._

Where there is a natural cascade, near the lower stream, but not in it, let there be placed a large wheel, equal to the breadth of the cascade: the diameter of this wheel, for about a foot from each end, must be much less than that of the middle part; and all the water from the cascade must be made to fall on the ends. The water that falls on the wheel may pa.s.s through pipes, so that part of it may be made occasionally to pa.s.s over or fall short of the wheel, as you would have the time of the music quicker or slower. The remaining part of the wheel, which is to be kept free from the water, must consist of bars, on which are placed stops that strike against the bells: these stops must likewise be moveable. It is evident from the construction of this machine, that the water falling on the floats at the end of the wheel, will make the stops, which are adapted to different tunes, strike the notes of those tunes on the respective bells. Two or three sets of bells may here be placed on the same line, when the cascade is sufficiently wide.

Where there is not a natural cascade, one may be artificially constructed, by raising part of the ground, wherever there is a descent of water; whether it be a stream that supplies a reservoir or fountain, or serves domestic uses; or if it be refuse water that has already served some other purpose.

_Writing on Gla.s.s by the Rays of the Sun._

Dissolve chalk in aqua fortis, to the consistence of milk, and add to that a strong solution of silver. Keep this liquor in a gla.s.s decanter well stopped. Then cut out from a paper the letters you would have appear, and paste the paper on the decanter, which you are to place in the sun, in such a manner that its rays may pa.s.s through the s.p.a.ces cut out of the paper, and fall on the surface of the liquor. The part of the gla.s.s through which the rays pa.s.s will turn black, and that under the paper will remain white. You must observe not to move the bottle during the time of the operation.

_To produce the Appearance of a Flower from its Ashes._

Make a tin box, with a cover that takes off. Let this box be supported by a pedestal of the same metal, and on which there is a little door.

In the front of this box is to be a gla.s.s.

In a groove, at a small distance from this gla.s.s, place a double gla.s.s, made in the same manner as described in p. 13, (_Magic Picture._) Between the front and back gla.s.ses place a small upright tin tube, supported by a cross piece. Let there be also a small chafing-dish placed in the pedestal. The box is to be opened behind.

You privately place a flower in the tin tube, but not so near the front gla.s.s as to be in the least degree visible, and presenting one that resembles it to any person, desire him to burn it on the coals in a chafing-dish.

You then strew some powder over the coals, which may be supposed to aid the ashes in producing the flower; and put the chafing-dish in the pedestal under the box. As the heat by degrees melts the composition between the gla.s.ses, the flower will gradually appear, but when the chafing-dish is taken away, and the powder of the ashes is supposed to be removed, the flower soon disappears.

You may present several flowers, and let the person choose any one of them. In this case, while he is burning the flower, you fetch the box from another apartment, and at the same time put in a corresponding flower, which will make the experiment still more surprising.

_Imitative Fire-works._

Take a paper that is blacked on both sides, or instead of black, the paper may be coloured on each side with a deep blue, which will be still better for such as are to be seen through transparent papers. It must be of a proper size for the figure you intend to exhibit. In this paper cut out with a penknife several s.p.a.ces, and with a piercer make a number of holes, rather long than round, and at no regular distance from each other.

To represent revolving pyramids and globes, the paper must be cut through with a penknife, and the s.p.a.ce cut out between each spiral should be three or four times as wide as the spirals themselves. You must observe to cut them so that the pyramid or globe may appear to turn on its axis. The columns that are represented in pieces of architecture, or in jets of fire, must be cut in the same manner, if they are to be represented as turning on their axis.

In like manner may be exhibited a great variety of ornaments, ciphers, and medallions, which, when properly coloured, cannot fail of producing the most pleasing effect. There should not be a very great diversity of colours, as they would not produce the most agreeable appearance.

When these pieces are drawn on a large scale, the architecture or ornaments may be shaded; and, to represent different shades, pieces of coloured paper must be pasted over each other, which will produce an effect that would not be expected from transparent paintings. Five or six pieces of paper pasted over each other will be sufficient to represent the strongest shades.

To give these pieces the different motions they require, you must first consider the nature of each piece; if, for example, you have cut out the figure of the sun, or of a star, you must construct a wire wheel of the same diameter with these pieces; over this wheel you paste a very thin paper, on which is drawn, with black ink, the spiral figure. The wheel thus prepared, is to be placed behind the sun or star, in such a manner that its axis may be exactly opposite the centre of either of these figures. This wheel may be turned by any method you think proper.

Now, the wheel being placed directly behind the sun, for example, and very near to it, is to be turned regularly round, and strongly illuminated by candles placed behind it. The lines that form the spiral will then appear, through the s.p.a.ces cut out from the sun, to proceed from its centre to its circ.u.mference, and will resemble sparks of fire that incessantly succeed each other. The same effect will be produced by the star or by any other figure where the fire is not to appear as proceeding from the circ.u.mference of the centre.

These two pieces, as well as those that follow, may be of any size, provided you observe the proportion between the parts of the figure and the spiral, which must be wider in larger figures than in small.

If the sun, for example, have from six to twelve inches diameter, the width of the strokes that form the spiral need not be more than one-twentieth part of an inch, and the s.p.a.ces between them, that form transparent parts, about two-tenths of an inch. If the sun be two feet diameter, the strokes should be one-eighth of an inch, and the s.p.a.ce between, one quarter of an inch; and if the figure be six feet diameter, the strokes should be one quarter of an inch and the s.p.a.ces five-twelfths of an inch. These pieces have a pleasing effect, when represented of a small size, but the deception is more striking when they are of large dimensions.

It will be proper to place those pieces, when of a small size, in a box quite closed on every side, that none of the light may be diffused in the chamber: for which purpose it will be convenient to have a tin door behind the box, to which the candlesticks may be soldered, and the candles more easily lighted.

The several figures cut out should be placed in frames, that they may be put, alternately, in a groove in the forepart of the box; or there may be two grooves, that the second piece may be put in before the first is taken out.

The wheel must be carefully concealed from the eye of the spectator.

Where there is an opportunity of representing these artificial fires by a hole in the part.i.tion, they will doubtless have a much more striking effect, as the spectator cannot then conjecture by what means they are produced.

It is easy to conceive that by extending this method, wheels may be constructed with three or four spirals, to which may be given different directions. It is manifest also that, on the same principle, a great variety of transparent figures may be contrived, and which may be all placed before the spiral lines.

_To represent Cascades of Fire._

In cutting out cascades, you must take care to preserve a natural inequality in the parts cut out; for if, to save time, you should make all the holes with the same pointed tool, the uniformity of the parts will not fail to produce a disagreeable effect. As these cascades are very pleasing when well executed, so they are highly disgusting when imperfect. These are the most difficult pieces to cut out.

To produce the apparent motion of these cascades, instead of drawing a spiral, you must have a slip of strong paper, of such length as you judge convenient. In this paper there must be a greater number of holes near each other, and made with pointed tools of different dimensions.

At each end of the paper, a part of the same size with the cascade must be left uncut; and towards those parts the holes must be made at a greater distance from each other.

When the cascade that is cut out is placed before the scroll of paper just mentioned, and it is entirely wound upon the roller, the part of the paper that is then between being quite opaque, no part of the cascade will be visible; but as the winch is gently turned, and regularly round, the transparent part of the paper will give to the cascade the appearance of fire that descends in the same direction; and the illusion will be so strong, that the spectators will think they see a cascade of fire; especially if the figure be judiciously cut out.

_The Oracular Mirror._

Provide a round mirror of about three inches in diameter and whose frame is an inch wide. Line the under part of the frame, in which holes are to be cut, with very thin gla.s.s; behind this gla.s.s let a mirror of about two inches diameter be placed, which is to be moveable, so that by inclining the frame to either side, part of the mirror will be visible behind the gla.s.s on that side.

Then take Spanish chalk, or cypress vitriol, of which you make a pencil, and with this you may write on a gla.s.s, and rub it off with a cloth, and by breathing on the gla.s.s, the writing will appear and disappear several times. With this pencil write on one side of the mirror, before it is put in the frame, the word _yes_, and on the other side, _no_; and wipe them off with a cloth.

You propose to a person to ask any question of this mirror that can be answered by the words _yes_ or _no_. Then turning the gla.s.s to one side, and putting your mouth close to it, as if to repeat the question softly, you breathe on it, and the word yes or no will immediately appear. This mirror will serve for many other agreeable amus.e.m.e.nts.

_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 pa.s.s 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 immoveable 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, a.s.sume the action of a pendulum, vibrating from side to side of the gla.s.s, 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 the _vibration_ of the shilling; but to what cause its striking 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 rotatory motion, and at last becomes stationary, as before.

_Of Lightning, and the best Method of guarding against its mischievous Effects._

Experiments made in electricity first gave philosophers a suspicion, that the matter of lightning was the same with the electric matter.