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Modern Magic: A Practical Treatise on the Art of Conjuring
·
Professor Hoffmann
687
One
of
the
most
ingenious
inventors
of
mechanical
figures
was
Mons.
Maillardet,
a
Swiss.
He
exhibited
in
London
a
beautiful
figure
which
performed
eighteen
tunes
on
the
piano,
while
imitating
at
the
same
time
all
the
motions
of
the
human
player.
From
a
description
given
we
learn
that
the
bosom
heaved,
the
eyes
followed
the
motions
of
the
fingers,
and
at
the
commencement
and
conclusion
of
an
air
the
figure
turned
to
the
audience
and
made
a
graceful
salute.
Mons.
Maillardet
also
constructed
the
figure
of
a
boy
kneeling
that
held
in
the
right
hand
a
pencil
with
which
he
executed
some
capital
drawings
and
pieces
of
writing.
Another
marvel
produced
by
the
Swiss
was
a
magician,
who
answered
any
question
put
to
him
from
twenty
different
medals.
The
medal
was
placed
in
a
drawer,
and,
after
much
cogitation
and
reference
to
his
books,
he,
with
a
solemn
wave
of
his
wand,
touched
the
drawer,
which
opened
and
displayed
the
required
answer.
The
celebrated
automaton
Chess
Player
will
be
well
remembered.
The
history
of
this
wonderful
piece
of
mechanism
is
as
follows:
M.
Wolfgang
de
Kempelen,
a
Hungarian
gentleman,
devoted
himself
from
an
early
age
to
the
study
of
mechanics.
In
1769
he
paid
a
visit
to
Vienna
on
business
of
his
office
of
Aulic
Counsellor
to
the
Royal
Chamber
of
the
domains
of
the
Emperor
of
Germany
in
Hungary.
He
received
an
invitation
from
the
Empress
Maria
Theresa
to
be
present
at
certain
magnetical
experiments
exhibited
by
a
French
gentleman
of
the
name
of
Pelletier.
While
in
conversation
with
the
Empress
during
its
exhibition,
Mons.
Kempelen
asserted
that
he
felt
himself
competent
to
construct
a
piece
of
mechanism
far
more
surprising
than
those
which
they
were
witnessing.
The
Empress
took
him
at
his
word,
and
bound
him
to
keep
or
attempt
to
keep
his
promise.
He
kept
it,
and
in
six
months
he
produced
the
famous
Chess
Player.
When
shown
in
Vienna,
it
caused
the
greatest
excitement
and
admiration.
It
was
the
talk
of
society.
The
inventor,
in
spite
of
its
success,
persistently
refused
to
exhibit
it
in
public.
He
put
it
aside,
and
even
took
it
to
pieces,
and
for
several
years
it
was
not
used.
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