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.

MISCELLANEOUS

CURIOUS TRICKS AND FANCIES.

"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:

+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+ | a | e | i | o | u | au | ea | ie | ou | y | | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | | | | b | c | d | f | g | h | k | l | m | n | +----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+

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 word _akaud_; 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 more easy 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 or _n_, you may write y or _n_ 2, 3, &c.; thus, for 3400, write _ify_2, and for 256,000, write _ehun_3.

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:

W_a_ w_e_ h_i_ s_o_ h_u_ R_a_ j_e_ h_i_ e_f_ e_g_ E_b_ r_e_ h_i_ h_o_ h_u_ E_b_ e_c_ r_i_ h_o_ h_u_ E_b_ m_e_ e_d_ j_o_ c_u_ C_a_ j_e_ w_i_ a_f_ g_u_ G_a_ g_e_ g_i_ g_o_ w_u_ V_a_.

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:

A_b_t_e_l_i_t_o_e_g_ A_b_a_c_o_d_t_o_t_u_ T_a_o_c_e_d_a_f_l_u_ B_a_s_e_w_i_o_f_f_u_.

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 pedestal P, at the usual height of a man's head. In each side of this 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.

[Illustration]

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 always _appear_ to proceed in right lines.

THE PERSPECTIVE MIRROR.

[Illustration]

Provide a box, A B C D, of about two feet long, fifteen inches wide, and 12 inches high. At the end A C, place the concave mirror, the focus of whose parallel rays is eighteen inches from the reflecting surface. At I L place a pasteboard, blacked, in which a hole is cut, sufficiently large to see on the mirror H the object placed at B E F D. Cover the top of the box, from A to I, close, that the mirror H may be entirely darkened. The other part, I B, must be covered with glass, under which is placed a gauze or oiled paper, to prevent the inside from being seen. Make an aperture at G, near the top of the side E B, beneath which, on the inside, place in succession, paintings of vistas, landscapes, figures, &c. so that they may be in front of the mirror H. 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 box A I. By this simple construction, the objects placed at G D will 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.

[Illustration: _Fig. 1_]

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 (A and C) 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 end of 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 at A, _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.

This _self-upholding_ property 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 the _motion_ which keeps it from falling--it is the momentum--the centrifugal force;" but _why_ this 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 something _alive_ in it or, as they sometimes remark; "Why! it feels as if there was a _snake_ in the wheel!" This is owing to nothing but the strong momentum of the _lead 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. The _slowly revolving_, horizontal motion on the pivot at A is in a contrary direction to the _spinning_ motion of the _top_ of 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 at _a_, the forward portion of the rim is continually moving to the _left_, 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 therefore not 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 pivot A. In other words, the combined motion of the wheel on its axis, and on the pivot A, constantly tends to raise it, thus overcoming gravity, and maintaining the wheel in its position, supported only at one end.

[Illustration: 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 at _a_, 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; the _resultant_ (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 hole A is, 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 places C D E F, to receive two 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 at A, that the mirror placed at B may not reflect the hole on the opposite side.

[Illustration]

The boards painted on both sides are to slide in the grooves C D E F, and those painted on one side are to be placed against the opposite mirrors A and B; 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 present an unlimited 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 line A B, accessible at the extremity A, suppose the breadth of a small river, he who pretends to measure must stand very straight at the extremity A, 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 extremity B of the line to be measured A 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, as C, then measuring with a line or chain the distance A C, he has the length of the line proposed A B.

[Illustration]

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 perpendicular to the bottom of 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.

[Illustration]

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 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 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.

[Illustration]

On the six-sided plane A B C D E F of 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, representing such 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, being reflected 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 here multiplied, 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 is likewise 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 carpet about 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 cotton _cord_, 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 cotton _thread_, 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 pick them up, but take up the prepared ones instead, which you had previously placed there, and lay _them_ on 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, and _vice 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 this operation, 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 having _forced_ it. 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 take the 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 upon each 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, "Be loose," 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.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 15: Be sure and have the number you name greater than that of the first position of the card in the pack; for instance, twenty-four is greater than thirteen.]

INQUIRE WITHIN

For Anything You Wish to Know:

--OR,--

OVER 3,700 FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE.

A large Vol. of 436 pp., cloth, gilt, Price $1. Sent free of postage.

This Book, as its title imports, will give you correct information on every possible subject that you ever heard or thought of! It tells you how to _cook a dinner_--to _cure a sick friend_, or _cut an acquaintance_--to _get up a dinner party_, or _dine abroad_--to _play at cards_, _chess_, or _any other popular game_,--whether you wish to establish yourself in life according to the _rules of etiquette_--to get up a _sumptuous entree for the dinner table_, or _arrange a plain dinner_--to _fold fancy napkins_--to _start business_--to _make money_--to _dress with taste_--to _conduct a courtship_--to _tie any kind of a knot_--to _get married_--to _give an evening party to your friends_--to _behave well in company_--to _keep house properly_--to _dance_--to _make ornamental vases_, by the new art of Potichomanie, or Wax work, and other _fancy employments for the ladies_--to _establish acquaintances according to the rules of etiquette_--to _enjoy an hour at curious puzzles_ and _arithmetical questions_--to _do up a neat parcel_--to _relieve the invalid_--to acquaint yourself with the _technical terms in literature, law, and medicine_--in short, to _do every useful thing that can be thought of or imagined_, whether at _home_ or _abroad_, or among your friends, or in _your business_, or _on your farm_, or _in your garden_, or at a _public meeting_, or at a _private assembly_. It contains tables of all weights and measures; _Interest Tables_ from $1 to $10,000 at six and seven per cent, besides innumerable tables on interesting and curious subjects. It gives complete directions how to _wash, starch, and iron_--how to _keep the eyes, hair, teeth, and complexion in perfect order_--how to _punctuate, spell, and write correctly_--how to _compose all kinds of letters_, from the billet-doux to the business letter--how to _clean furniture_, take care of _pet animals_--how to _measure all kinds of mechanics' work_--how to _detect fraudulent scales_--and all about the properties and uses of different medicines. Indeed this is really and truly one of the most wonderful and valuable books ever printed. Besides all this information--and we have not room to give an idea of a hundredth part of it--_it contains so many valuable and useful receipts_ that an enumeration of them requires

SEVENTY-TWO COLUMNS OF FINE TYPE FOR THE INDEX.

It is _no collection of ancient sayings and receipts_, but the whole are _fresh and new_, and _suited to the present times_. As a book to keep in the family for reference, it is unequaled, _comprising as it does all kinds of Books of Information in a single volume_.

Send cash orders to =DICK & FITZGERALD, No. 18 Ann Street, N. Y.=

THE REASON WHY SERIES

These useful works will, when completed, supply all the "Reasons" which the human mind has discovered for the varied and interesting phenomena of Nature; and for events, and their consequences, in religious and civil history. Such a series, entirely original in their plan, and executed with the most conscientious care--embracing the very essence of demonstrative truth and inductive reasoning--must become as widely diffused as the language in which they are written. Each work is complete in itself.

The Reason Why: General Science. A careful collection of some thousands of reasons for things, which, though generally known, are imperfectly understood. A book of condensed scientific knowledge for the million. By the author of "Inquire Within." It is a handsome 12mo volume, of 356 pages, printed on fine paper, bound in cloth, gilt, and embellished with a large number of wood cuts, illustrating the various subjects treated of. Price ONE DOLLAR. This work assigns reasons for the thousands of things that daily fall under the eye of the intelligent observer, and of which he seeks a simple and clear explanation.

EXAMPLE.

_Why does silver tarnish when exposed to the light? Why is the sky blue?_

This volume answers 1,325 similar questions.

The Biblical Reason Why: A HAND-BOOK FOR BIBLICAL STUDENTS, and a Guide to Family Scripture Readings. By the author of "Inquire Within," &c. Beautifully illustrated, large 12mo, cloth, gilt side and back. Price ONE DOLLAR. This work gives Reasons, founded upon the Bible, and assigned by the most eminent Divines and Christian Philosophers, for the great and all-absorbing events recorded in the History of the Bible, the Life of our Saviour, and the Acts of his Apostles.

EXAMPLE.

_Why did the first patriarchs attain such extreme longevity?_

_Why is the Book of the Prophecies of Isaiah a strong proof of the authenticity of the whole Bible?_

This volume answers upwards of 1,400 similar questions.

The Reason Why: Natural History. By the author of "Inquire Within," "The Biblical Reason Why," &c. 12mo, cloth, gilt side and back. Price ONE DOLLAR. Giving Reasons for hundreds of interesting facts in connection with Zoology, and throwing a light upon the peculiar habits and instincts of the various Orders of the Animal Kingdom.

EXAMPLE.

_Why do dogs turn around two or three times before they lie down?_

_Why do birds often roost upon one leg?_

This volume answers about 1,500 similar questions.

THE FOLLOWING BOOKS OF THIS SERIES ARE IN PRESS, AND WILL BE ISSUED IN RAPID SUCCESSION:

The Denominational Reason Why. The Gardener's and Farmer's Reason Why. The Housekeeper's Reason Why. The Botanical Reason Why. The Geological Reason Why. The Astronomical Reason Why. The Chemical Reason Why. The Grammatical Reason Why.

The Reason Why: Natural History.

BY THE AUTHOR OF "INQUIRE WITHIN," "THE BIBLICAL REASON WHY," "REASON WHY OF GENERAL SCIENCE," "THAT'S IT, OR, PLAIN TEACHINGS," &c., &c.

Profusely Illustrated. 12mo, Cloth, Gilt Side and Back. Price $1.

Giving reasons for hundreds of interesting facts in connection with Zoology, and throwing a light upon the peculiar habits and instincts of the various Orders of the Animal Kingdom.

EXAMPLE.

_Why has the lion such a large mane?_ _Why does the otter, when hunting for fish, swim against the stream?_ _Why do dogs turn around two or three times before they lie down?_ _Why have flat fishes their upper sides dark, and their under sides white?_ _Why do sporting dogs make what is termed "a point?"_ _Why do birds often roost upon, one leg?_ _Why do frogs keep their mouths closed while breathing?_ _Why do cats, when being played with, lie on their backs, seize the hand of the person playing with them with their forepaws, and strike with their hind feet?_ _Why does the wren build several nests, but occupies only one?_

This volume answers about 1500 similar questions.

* * * * *

The Corner Cupboard; or, Facts for Everybody.

_By the Author of "Inquire Within," "The Reason Why," &c._

=Large 12mo, 400 pages. Cloth, Gilt Side and Back. Illustrated with over One Thousand Engravings.=

PRICE ONE DOLLAR.

Embracing Facts about I. Things not generally known, II. Things that ought to be known. III. Things worth knowing. The "Corner Cupboard" is

_A Complete Confectioner._ _A Complete Cook._ _A Complete Family Doctor._ _A Complete Gardener._ _A Complete Father's Book._ _A Complete Mother's Book._ _A Complete Family Book._ _A Complete Lady's Book._ _A Complete Gentleman's Book._ _A Complete Boy's Book._ _A Complete Girl's Book._ _A Complete Master's Book._ _A Complete Servant's Book._ _A Complete Amusement Book._ _A Friend at Everybody's Elbow in Time of Need._

It tells about the food we consume, the clothes we wear, the house we live in, and facts from the Arts and Sciences, as well as from Literature, Manufacture, Commerce, Anatomy, Physiology, the Garden and Field, the whole forming a complete Encyclopedia of Useful Knowledge. Whether in the parlor or the kitchen, the chamber or the boudoir, at home or abroad, it may be very appropriately called the Family's Beady Adviser.

* * * * *

10,000 WONDERFUL THINGS.

Comprising the Marvellous and Rare, Odd, Curious, Quaint, Eccentric and Extraordinary, in all Ages and Nations, in Art, Nature and Science, including many Wonders of the World, enriched with Hundreds of Authentic Illustrations.

EDITED BY EDMUND FILLINGHAM KING, M. A., AUTHOR OF "LIFE OF NEWTON," &c.

12mo, Cloth, Gilt Side and Back. Price One Dollar.

In the present work, interesting scenes from Nature, curiosities of art, costume, and customs of a bygone period, rather predominate; but we have devoted many of its pages to descriptions of remarkable occurrences, beautiful landscapes, stupendous waterfalls, and sublime sea pieces. It contains not a line that the nicest judgment could pronounce obnoxious; and yet, in every page is a mass of material to create both surprise and laughter. It is impossible to read the volume through, without feeling, not only that you have been well entertained, but well instructed.

[pointing hand] Copies of either of the above books sent to any address in the United States or Canada, free of postage. Send cash orders to

DICK & FITZGERALD, 18 Ann Street, New York.

The Reason Why:

GENERAL SCIENCE.

A CAREFUL COLLECTION OF

Some Thousands of Reasons

FOR THINGS WHICH, THOUGH GENERALLY KNOWN, ARE IMPERFECTLY UNDERSTOOD.

A Book of Condensed Scientific Knowledge for the Million.

BY THE AUTHOR OF "INQUIRE WITHIN."

"What 'Haydn's Dictionary of Dates' is in regard to Historical events, this wonderful book is in respect to scientific facts. The plan of the book and its execution leave nothing to be desired."

[Church of England Monthly Review.

This Work assigns REASONS, for the thousands of things that daily fall under the eye of the intelligent observer, and of which he seeks a simple and clear explanation.

EXAMPLE.

Why does silver tarnish when exposed to the light?

Why do some colors fade and others darken when exposed to the sun?

What develops electricity in the clouds?

Why does lightning sometimes appear red, at others yellow, at others white?

Why does dew form round drops on the leaves of plants?

Why is the sky blue?

This volume answers 1,325 similar questions.

"THE REASON WHY" is a handsome 12mo volume, of 350 pages, printed on fine paper, bound in cloth, gilt, and embellished with a large number of Wood Cuts, illustrating the various subjects treated of.

PRICE ONE DOLLAR.

[pointing hand] Copies Mailed to any address in the United States or Canada, free of postage.

Live and Learn;

A GUIDE TO ALL WHO WISH TO

SPEAK AND WRITE CORRECTLY.

## Particularly intended as a book of reference for the solution of

difficulties connected with Grammar, Composition, Punctuation, &c., with explanations of Latin and French words and phrases of frequent occurrence in newspapers, reviews, periodicals, and books in general; containing examples of

ONE THOUSAND MISTAKES

Of daily occurrence in Speaking, Writing, and Pronunciation, together with detailed Instructions for Writing for the Press, and forms of articles in the various departments of Newspaper Literature.

"Such a book as this has long been wanted by those who entertain the wish alluded to in the title. It is suitable for all classes. We have attentively conned its pages, and can recommend it as one of the best works of reference for the young student, or even the ripe scholar, and as deserving to be generally consulted. The work is altogether useful and indispensable."

[Tribune.

216 Pages, Bound in Cloth, 12mo. PRICE FIFTY CENTS, And sent to any address Free of Postage. Send Cash Orders to

DICK & FITZGERALD, 18 Ann Street, N. Y.

The Secret Out;

OR,

1,000 TRICKS WITH CARDS AND OTHER RECREATIONS.

ILLUSTRATED WITH OVER 300 ENGRAVINGS.

And containing clear and comprehensive explanations how to perform with ease all the Curious Card Deceptions and Sleight-of-Hand Tricks extant. With an endless variety of Entertaining Experiments in Drawing-Room, or White Magic, including the celebrated Science of Second Sight. Together with a choice collection of Intricate and Puzzling Questions. Amusements in Chance, Natural Magic, etc., etc., etc.

By the Author of "The Sociable," "The Magician's Own Book," "Parlor Theatricals," etc.

_Large 12mo, Cloth, Gilt Side and Back. Price One Dollar._

A Book which explains all the Tricks and Deceptions with Playing Cards, ever known or invented, and gives, besides, a great many new and interesting ones--the whole being described so accurately and carefully, with engravings to illustrate them, that anybody can easily learn how to practise these Tricks.

This book contains, in addition to its numerous Card Tricks above described, full and easily understood explanations of some =Two Hundred and Forty= of the most

Curious, Amusing & Interesting Sleight-of-Hand & Legerdemain Tricks

Ever invented, and which are illustrated with Engravings to make each trick understood with ease.

The Magician's Own Book

OR,

THE WHOLE ART OF CONJURING.

Being a Complete Hand-Book of Parlor Magic, containing over One Thousand Optical, Chemical, Mechanical, Magnetical, and Magical Experiments, Amusing Transmutations, Astonishing Sleights and Subtleties, Celebrated Card Deceptions, Ingenious Tricks with Numbers, Curious and Entertaining Puzzles--together with all the most Noted Tricks of Modern Performers.

The whole Illustrated with over 500 Wood Cuts, And intended as a source of Amusement for ONE THOUSAND AND ONE EVENINGS.

12mo, cloth, 400 pages, gilt side and back stamp. Price ONE DOLLAR, sent free of postage.

Here is a book for the long winter evenings, and one that will make all merry and happy. It contains over a THOUSAND TRICKS, of every description; and they are all explained so clear and explicitly, that any person can comprehend and perform them with ease. It also contains numerous CURIOUS PUZZLES, with patterns showing how they are done, any one of which will afford amusement enough for a whole evening.

Copies sent to any address free of postage. Send Cash Orders to

DICK & FITZGERALD, 18 ANN STREET, NEW YORK.

A Book of Never-Ending Entertainment.

THE SOCIABLE;

OR,

One Thousand and One Home Amusements.

CONTAINING

## ACTING PROVERBS, DRAMATIC CHARADES, ACTING CHARADES, OR DRAWING-ROOM

PANTOMIMES, MUSICAL BURLESQUES, TABLEAUX VIVANTS, PARLOR GAMES, GAMES OF ACTION, FORFEITS, SCIENCE IN SPORT AND PARLOR MAGIC, AND A CHOICE COLLECTION OF CURIOUS MENTAL AND MECHANICAL PUZZLES, &c.

By the author of "The Magician's Own Book."

Illustrated with nearly 300 Engravings and Diagrams,

THE WHOLE BEING A FUND OF NEVER-ENDING ENTERTAINMENT.

Nearly 400 pages, 12mo., Cloth, gilt side stamp, $1.00.

"The Sociable" will be found one of the most extensively popular family books ever issued from the press. As its title implies, it is a collection--a complete _repertoire_--of the

AMUSEMENTS OF HOME,

Embracing a large and comprehensive list of recreative pastimes, arranged as follows:

Parlor Theatricals, including Acting Proverbs, Acting Charades, Dramatic Charades and Tableaux Vivants; Games of Action; Games requiring Memory and Attention; Games requiring Wit and Intelligence; Ruses, or Catch Games; Forfeits; Puzzles; Fireside Games for Winter Evenings, and Science in Sport, and Parlor Magic.

Many of these Games--the majority of them--are ENTIRELY NEW, as are, also, the

PARLOR THEATRICALS

AND

TABLEAUX VIVANTS,

Which were PREPARED EXPRESSLY FOR THIS WORK. Everything in the book is superior of its kind--the greatest care hiving been taken to exclude everything that was not above the standard of mediocrity in interest and ingenuity. It is

THE ONLY BOOK

OF THIS KIND

Ever Published in America,

And as it will be invaluable to Families, Schools, Social Clubs, etc., as a book of reference on all matters of Amusement and Recreation, there must be a steady and permanent demand for it at all seasons and in all years, although few of the so-called "Holiday Books" are as appropriate for Gifts as THE SOCIABLE.

Each department is AMPLY ILLUSTRATED with

BEAUTIFUL WOOD ENGRAVINGS

Which render the Text clear, and fully explain all the Puzzles, the Mechanical Contrivances mentioned, and other things difficult to describe in writing. It is elegantly bound, so as to be an ornament to any center-table, and its typographical execution is a specimen of the highest excellence.

The need of such a collection of HOME GAMES has long been felt, and the publishers believe that this endeavor on their part, to supply that want, must meet with the fullest success. They have spared neither trouble nor expense to render it a complete and invaluable _vade mecum_ of Domestic Amusements, so that its name may be familiar as a "Household Word" in all families, north, south, east and west, where the value of wholesome and innocent recreation is recognized.

Price only One Dollar, bound in cloth, with gilt side and back stamp, sent to any address in the United States, free of postage. Send cash orders to

DICK & FITZGERALD, Publishers, 18 Ann Street, New York.

The Perfect Gentleman;

Or, ETIQUETTE AND ELOQUENCE.

A Book of Information and Instruction for those who desire to become Brilliant or Conspicuous in General Society, or at Parties, Dinners or Popular Gatherings, &c.

A handsome volume of 335 pages, beautifully bound and gilt. Price $1 00.

This is not only a valuable book of reference, but it contains minute Instructions for Gentlemen in all those modern accomplishments which have become almost a necessity in this age of refinement. It gives directions how to use Wine at Table, with rules for judging the quality thereof--Rules for Carving, and a complete Etiquette of the Dinner Table, including Dinner Speeches, Toasts and Sentiments, Wit and Conversation at Table, &c. It has also an American Code of Etiquette and Politeness for all occasions--Model Speeches, with directions how to deliver them--Duties of the Chairman at Public Meetings, Forms of Preambles and Resolutions, &c. In short, this book will give a man every possible information he may desire to enable him to appear to good advantage in either public or private life. It is a choice book that any gentleman will find a valuable addition to his library. We expect to sell at least one hundred thousand copies of this work, and the price is correspondingly low.

Art of Dancing without a Master;

Or, Ball Room Guide and Instructor.

TO WHICH IS ADDED

Hints on Etiquette; also, The Figures, Music and Necessary Instruction for the Performance of the most Modern and Improved Dances.

By EDWARD FERRERO, Professor of Dancing at West Point.

By the aid of which any one can attain a knowledge of the Art of Dancing without a Master. This work also contains

ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE PAGES OF THE CHOICEST MUSIC,

Arranged for the Piano Forte by the most celebrated Professors. The whole forming the most valuable and useful _melange_ for the centre-table of the drawing-room ever published. The MUSIC alone, if purchased in separate sheets at any of the music stores, would cost ten times the price of the book. Thus you can obtain =a History of Dancing, Hints on Etiquette, the Figures and Steps of all Dances, and Ten Dollars' worth of the Choicest Music FOR ONE DOLLAR=.

SONGS OF IRELAND.

Embracing Songs of the Affections, Convivial and Comic Songs, Patriotic and Military Songs, Historical and Political Songs, Moral, Sentimental, Satirical, and Miscellaneous Songs. Edited and Annotated by SAMUEL LOVER, Esq., Author of "Handy Andy," "Rory O'More," "Legends and Stories of Ireland," &c. Embellished with numerous fine Illustrations, engraved by the celebrated Dalziel. 12mo, Cloth, Gilt Side and Back. Price $1 25.

[Hand] _Copies of the above Books sent to any address in the United States free of postage. Send cash orders to_

DICK & FITZGERALD, 18 Ann Street, N. Y.

DICK & FITZGERALD'S LIST OF PUBLICATIONS.

Judge Haliburton's Works.

=Sam Slick in Search of a Wife.=

12mo., Paper $0 50 Cloth, price 1 00

Everybody has heard of "Sam Slick, the Clockmaker," and he has given his opinion on almost everything. This book contains his opinion about "_Courtin the Gals!_" and his laughable adventures after the petticoats. Buy this book if you want many good hearty laughs. There is a book called "The Horse," and another "The Cow," and "The Dog," and so on; why shouldn't there be one on "The Gals?" They are about the most difficult to choose and to manage of any created critter, and there aint any dependable directions about pickin' and choosin' of them. Is it any wonder then so many fellows get taken in when they go for to swap hearts with them?

=Sam Slick's Nature and Human= _Nature_.

Large 12mo., Paper 50 Cloth price 1 00

=The Attache=; _or, Sam Slick in England_.

Largo 12mo., Paper 50 Cloth price 1 00

=Sam Slick's Sayings and Doings.=

Paper 50 Cloth price 1 00

This is the most amusing collection of the Opinions, Sayings and Doings of the famous Sam Slick, that has ever been published. It gives the experiences of the Yankee Clockmaker, and the incidents that occurred in his journeyings over the world, together with his observations on men and things in general; also containing his opinions on Matrimony.

Miscellaneous Books.

=Courtship Made Easy; or, the= _Mysteries of Making Love Fully Explained_. With specimen Love Letters. Containing also a Treatise on the general qualifications necessary for Marriage, and the proper age and condition for Wedlock, &c. By HARRY HAZEN, Jr., a widower who has been thrice married, but is still young enough to be an especial favorite of the ladies.

price 13

=The Ladies' Love Oracle; or, Counsellor= _to the Fair Sex_. Being a complete Fortune Teller and Interpreter to all questions upon the different events and situations of life, but more especially relating to all circumstances connected with Love, Courtship and Marriage. By MADAM LE MARCHAND. Illustrated cover, printed in colors.

price $0 25

=Chesterfield's Art of Letter-writing= _Simplified_. A Guide to Friendly, Affectionate, Polite and Business Correspondence.

price 13

Containing a large collection of the most valuable information relative to the Art of Letter-Writing, with clear and complete instructions how to begin and end Correspondence, Rules for Punctuation and Spelling, &c., together with numerous examples of Letters and Notes on every subject of Epistolary intercourse, with several Important Hints on Love Letters.

=The Laws of Love. A Complete= Code of Gallantry. 12mo. Paper,

price 25

Containing concise rules for the conduct of Courtship through its entire progress, aphorisms of love, rules for telling the characters and dispositions of women, remedies for love, and an Epistolary Code.

=Gamblers' Tricks with Cards Exposed= _and Explained_. By J. H. GREEN, Reformed Gambler. 12mo.

Paper. price 25

This work contains one hundred tricks with cards, explained, and shows the numerous cheats which Gamblers practice upon their unwary dupes. The uninitiated will stare when they here see how easily they can be swindled by dealing, cutting, and shuffling cards.

=How to Win and How to Woo;= Containing Rules for the Etiquette of Courtship, with directions showing how to win the favor of Ladies, how to begin and end a Courtship, and how Love Letters should be written.

price 13

=Bridal Etiquette; A Sensible Guide= to the Etiquette and Observances of the Marriage Ceremonies; containing complete directions for Bridal Receptions, and the necessary rules for bridesmaids, groomsmen, sending cards, &c., &c.

price 13

=How to Behave; or, The Spirit of= _Etiquette_: A complete guide to Polite Society, for Ladies and Gentlemen; containing rules for good behavior at the dinner table, in the parlor, and in the street; with important hints on introduction, and the art of conversation.

price 13

[Hand] Any Book on this List will be sent to any address in the United States or Canada, _Free of Postage_. Send Cash Orders to

=DICK & FITZGERALD, 18 Ann St., N. Y.=

=Dashes of American Humor.= With numerous laughable illustrations, on tinted paper, from designs from John Leach, 320 pages, paper cover,

$0 50 Cloth, gilt, price 1 00

This work contains in its 320 pages, some thirty of the most amusing articles we have ever perused, redolent with not only humor, but with wisdom and pathos; the happiest days and most innocent recreations of our youth are here recalled.

=Dr. Valentine's Comic Lectures.= A Budget of Wit and Humor; or, Morsels of Mirth for the Melancholy. A certain cure for the Blues, and all other serious complaints. Comprising Comic Lectures on Heads, Faces, Noses, Mouths, Animal Magnetism, etc., with Specimens of Eloquence, Transactions of Learned Societies, Delineations of Eccentric Characters, Comic Songs, etc., etc. By Dr. W. VALENTINE, the favorite delineator of Eccentric Characters. Illustrated with twelve portraits of Dr. Valentine in his most celebrated characters. 12mo., Cloth, gilt

1 00 Ornamented paper cover price 50

=Dr. Valentine's Comic Metamorphoses.= Being the second series of Dr. Valentine's Lectures, with characters as given by the late Yankee Hill. Embellished with numerous portraits.

Ornamental Paper Cover 50 Cloth, gilt price 1 00

=Laughable Adventures of Messrs.= _Brown, Jones and Robinson_, showing where they went, and how they went; what they did, and how they did it. With nearly 200 most thrillingly comic engravings.

price 25

=Laughing Gas.= An Encyclopedia of Wit, Wisdom and Wind. By SAM SLICK, Jr. Comically illustrated with 103 original and laughable engravings, and near 500 side-extending jokes, and other things to get fat on; and the best of it is, that everything about the book is new and fresh--all new; new designs, new stories, new type--no comic almanac stuff. It will be found a complete antidote to "hard times."

price 25

=The Courtship of Chevalier Sly-=_Fox-Wikoff_, showing his heart-rending, astounding, and most wonderful love adventures with Fanny Elssler and Miss Gambol. Illustrated with 200 comic engravings

price $0 25

=The Extraordinary and Mirth-=_Provoking Adventures by Sea and Land, of Oscar Shanghai_. Illustrated by nearly 200 comic engravings

price 25

All told in a series of nearly two hundred of the most risible, quizzible, provoking, peculiar, saucy and spicy cuts ever gathered within the leaves of any one book. All fond of a hearty laugh, here is amusement for many a merry hour.

=Charley White's Ethiopian Joke= _Book_. Being a perfect Casket of Fun, the first and only work of the kind ever published. Containing a full expose of all the most laughable Jokes, Stories, Witticisms, &c., as told by the celebrated Ethiopian Comedian, Charles White. 18mo., 94 pages

price 12½

=Black Wit and Darkey Conversations.= By Charles White. Containing a large collection of Laughable Anecdotes, Jokes, Stories, Witticisms, and Darkey Conversations. 18mo.,

price 12½

=Chips from Uncle Sam's Jack= _Knife_. Illustrated with over one hundred Comical Engravings, and comprising a collection of over 500 Laughable Stories, Funny Adventures, Comic Poetry, Queer Conundrums, Terrific Puns, Witty Sayings, Sublime Jokes and Sentimental Sentences. The whole being a most perfect portfolio for those who love to laugh. Large Octavo

price 25

=The Comical Adventures of David= _Dufficks_. Illustrated with over 100 Funny engravings. Large Octavo,

price 25

=Yale College Scrapes; or How the= _Boys Go It at New Haven_.

price 25

This is a book of 114 pages, containing accounts of all the noted and famous "Scrapes" and "Sprees," of which students at Old Yale have been guilty for the last quarter of a century.

=The Comic Wandering Jew.= Full of Fun and containing 100 Humorous engravings

price 25

[Hand] Any Book on this List will be sent to any address in the United States or Canada, _Free of Postage_. Send Cash Orders to

=DICK & FITZGERALD, 18 Ann St., N. Y.=

The Harp of a Thousand Strings

OR, LAUGHTER FOR A LIFETIME.

And peculiarly prepared to produce prolific PEALS OF LAUGHTER. The very quintessence of HUMAN WIT, WAGGERY and WISDOM.

400 Pages of the most Mirth-Provoking Literature ever printed.

It contains more than a Million Laughs, and is Illustrated with 200 Comic Cuts.

The pictures are all original, designed by some of our best artists (including Darley), and the collection of droll conceits and queer stories is unsurpassed, having been several years in preparation.

_Large 12 mo, nearly 400 pages, Illustrated with 200 Comic Engravings, and bound in fine Cloth, with gilt side and back stamp._

PRICE ONE DOLLAR AND TWENTY-FIVE CENTS.

THE BOOK OF

One Thousand Comical Stories

Or, ENDLESS REPAST OF FUN.

A rich Banquet for Every Day in the Year, with several courses and a dessert.

BILL OF FARE: Comprising Tales of Humor, Laughable Anecdotes, Irresistible Drolleries, Jovial Jokes, Comical Conceits, Puns and Pickings, Quibbles and Queries, Bon Mots and Broadgrins, Oddities, Epigrams, &c., &c. Merry Songs for Merry Moments; Conundrums for the Million; an inexhaustible store of Nuts to Crack, and Sports and Pastimes for all Seasons--forming a Welcome Guest for Spring, a Cheerful Friend for Summer, a Jovial Host for Autumn, a Pleasant Companion for Winter, and a varied Feast of Mirth for Everybody's Enjoyment.

_Appropriately Illustrated with 300 Comic Engravings. By the author of "Mrs. Partington's Carpet Bag of Fun."_

Large 12 mo. Cloth. Price One Dollar.

Mrs. Partington's Carpet Bag of Fun.

Illustrated with over 150 of the most laughable engravings ever designed, from drawings by Darley, McLennan, Leach, Phiz, Henning, Hine, Tenniel, Crowquill, Cruikshank, Meadows, Doyle, Goder and others; and a collection of over 1,000 of the most Comical Stories, Amusing Adventures, Side-splitting Jokes, Cheek-extending Poetry, Funny Conundrums, QUEER SAYINGS OF MRS. PARTINGTON, Heart-rending Puns, Witty Repartees, etc., etc.

Bound in Paper, Price 50 Cents; Cloth, $1 00.

In offering this book to the public, we must caution all weakly and nervous people against buying it. It is only intended for those hearty and robust persons who can laugh long and loud, and grow fat, being a perfect Encyclopedia of Wit and Witty Sayings. To those fond of Fun it will be a treasure.

[Hand] _Copies of either of the above Books sent to any address in the United States, free of postage._

DICK & FITZGERALD, 18 Ann Street, N. Y.

* * * * *

+--------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber notes: | | | | p. vi. 'Cumbustion without Flame,' changed 'Cumbustion' to | | 'Combustion'. | | P. 18. 'diaphonous' changed to 'diaphanous' as in 'diaphanous | | bodies'. | | P. 29. 'here it' changed to 'here is'. | | P. 32. 'the stall' changed to 'the stalk.'. | | P. 38. 'the performed', changed 'performed' to 'performer'. | | P. 61. 'Several t icks', should read 'Several tricks', fixed. | | P. 74. 'convinience' changed to 'convenience'. | | P. 76. 'supicion' changed to 'suspicion'. | | P. 93. 'the smooth', changed 'the' to 'them'. | | P. 94. 'sacer' changed to 'saucer'. | | P. 101. 'appearence' changed to 'appearance'. | | P. 103. 'lines will will', changed to 'lines will'. | | P. 105. 'salt of strontian', changed 'strontian' to 'strontium'. | | P. 105. 'will loose', changed 'loose' to 'lose'. | | P. 122. 'seperated' changed to 'separated'. | | P. 130. 'ja' changed to 'jar'. | | P. 141. 'the crd, aon' changed to 'the crd, on'. | | P. 142. 'thst the' changed to 'that the'. | | P. 160. 'these are are' changed to 'these are'. | | P. 167. 'sprinke some powdered camphor', changed 'sprinke' to | | 'sprinkle'. | | P. 169. 'preduce similar effects', changed 'preduce' to 'produce'. | | P. 175. Fig. 2 'REFRACTING STERESCOPE' changed to 'REFRACTING | | STEREOSCOPE'. | | P. 192. 'blow throw the quill' changed 'throw' to 'through'. | | P. 195. 'calcuated' changed to 'calculated'. | | P. 196. 'abou' chanaged to 'about'. | | P. 198. 'phemomena of nature.', changed 'phemomena' to 'phenomena'.| | P. 201. 'perpindicular' changed to 'perpendicular'. | | P. 210. 'half of tha triple', changed 'tha' to 'that'. | | P. 214. 'a little scrunity' changed 'scrunity' to 'scrutiny'. | | P. 216. 'in successsion' changed to 'in succession'. | | P. 225. 'proceded' changed to 'proceeded'. | | P. 253. Added two missing em dashes to answers. | | P. 254. 'put suppose the', changed 'put' to 'but'. | | P. 255. 'put prior', changed 'put' to 'but'. | | P. 284. 'when you clearl', changed 'clearl' to 'clearly'. | | P. 288. '48. A MAZE OR LABRYINTH.'; changed 'LABRYINTH' to | | 'LABYRINTH'. | | P. 303. 'line us the basis', changed 'us' to 'as'. | | P. 305. 'will readly', changed 'readly' to 'readily'. | | P. 306. 'the forms therto)', changed 'therto' to 'thereto'. | | P. 307. 'Fig 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15,', changed 'Fig' to 'Figs.' | | P. 307. 'With this uplex', changed 'uplex' to 'duplex'. | | P. 307. 'several direetions', changed 'direetions' to 'directions'.| | P. 316. 'illustrations o', changed 'o' to 'of'. | | P. 317. 'In desigining' changed 'desigining' to 'designing'. | | P. 320. 'first (Fig.', changed to 'first (Fig. 54)'. | | P. 349. 'and unlimited' changed to 'an unlimited'. | | P. 351. 'the flottom' changed to 'the bottom'. | | P. 353. 'beng reflected' changed to 'being reflected'. | | P. 353. 'mithltiplied' changed to 'multiplied'. | | Add: Inquire Within... 'populur' changed to 'popular'. | | Changed 'fradulent' to 'fraudulent'. | | Add: 'The Reason Why:' changed 'lightining' to 'lightning'. | | Add: 'Live and Learn;' changed 'recommonded' to 'recommend'. | | Add: 'Amusements of Home,' changed 'pastime' to 'pastimes'. | | Add: 'PARLOR THEATRICALS' changed 'everthing' to 'everything'. | | Add: 'Chesterfield's Art of Letter-writing' changed 'Busines' | | to 'Business'. | +--------------------------------------------------------------------+