250 ON VENTRILOQUISM. 



than with the rattle ; becaufe the impulfe of the former is left 

 than that of the latter. In fact, if the force of the founding 

 body be augmented, while the power of the muffle remains 

 unchanged, the reflector foon becomes ufelefs j as I found by 

 ufing a fmall bell, the found of which was difguifed with 

 the greateft difficulty in my rude apparatus ; and every pre- 

 caution, that could be taken made it a hard talk to place the 

 refle&or properly. The beft pofition of this bo'y is apparently 

 that which brings the ear in the line, conftituting ihe path o 

 the ftrongeft pulfes, after they are reflected ; which line and 

 their courfe before reflection muft make equal angles at the 

 reflecting furface, with a perpendicular to it; which muft alfo 

 lay in the fame plane with them. I have now gone through 

 the demonftration of a propofition, which forms the founda- 

 tion of my theory of ventnloquifm ; fliould you think proper 

 to repeat the preceding experiments, I only alk the indulgence 

 of a little patience on your part : treat them in other reflects 

 with critical accuracy ; it was my intention to fcrutinize your 

 theory freely ; but too much of the prefent fheet is occupied 

 already. 



JOHN GOUGH. 



Middle/haw, July 16, 1803. 



REPLY. W. N". 



I never meant to have exprefTed a doubt as to the interefting 

 facts respecting found, which Mr. Gough has dated and com- 

 mented upon, in his paper at page 125 of our fecond volume; 

 nor can it be difputed that many curious effects are produced 

 by the reflection and tranfmiflion of found. I am very far from 

 wifhing to advance any theory of an art concerning which I 

 have witnefled fo little ; and I take it for granted that the 

 ingenious author, when he fpeaks of his theory and mine, in 

 the laft paragraph of the preceding communication, does not 

 mean to fupport the pofition that the effects of what is called 

 ventriloquifm are exclufively produced by reflection. The 

 narrative of Fitz James's performance at page 202. vol. 4. 

 of our Journal, will at leaft prove that thecaufes which I have 

 founds with ap-confidered rather as moral than phyfical, muft be admitted in 



SnTn^ref '^ man >' CafeS ' lf n0t '" aI1 ' PolTib, y t,iere ma y be ventriloquifts 

 fie&ion. who operate more by the reflection of found, than by the art 



of 



The ventrilo- 

 quifm of Fitz 

 James was an 

 imitation of 



