NARRATrvr; or the phaxtasmagoelia; £49 



This part of the exhibition, which by the agitation of the The deceptions 

 fpeclators appeared to be much the raoft impreffive, had lefs "g^ua" to^H ie 

 effect with me than the receding of the figures ; doubtlefs be-: fpectatori. 

 caufe it was more eafv forme to imagine the icreen to be 

 withdrawn than brought forward. But among the young 

 people who were with me the judgments were various. Some 

 thought they could have touched the figures, others had a 

 different notion of their diftance, and a few apprehended that 

 they had not advanced beyond the firft row of the audience. 



As I have given this account, of an exhibition on which an Obfervationc on 

 ingenious mechanic in part depends for his fupport, it w iU the perform- 

 not be impertinent to my prefent and future readers to add, 

 that the whole, as well as certain mechanical inventions, 

 were managed with dexterity and addrefs, and that his gains 

 in London have been very considerable. The figures for the 

 raoft part are but poorly drawn, and the attempt to explain the 

 rational objed, or purpofe of the exhibition was certainly '• . 

 well intended; but unfortunately for the audience his F.nglifh 

 was unintelligible. His lightning too, being produced by the Lightning, 

 camera was tame, and had not the brifk tranfient appearance 

 of the lightning at the theatres, which is produced by rozin, 

 or lycopodium powder, thrown through alight, which in Mr. 

 P's utter darknefs might eafily have been concealed in a kind 

 of dark lanthorh. ' 



My young pupils on their return made drawings, and applied Imitation by 

 the magic lanthorn to a fheet in a door way between two * ot? \ s >"^ ag 

 rooms. Some of their drawings were made on thin paper and 

 varnifned, to render them tranfparent, and others were on 

 glafs. Trie paper figures were lefs bright than the others ; 

 out an advantage may be had in this material by thofe who 

 cannot draw, becaufe they may colour and varnhlr imall figures, 

 engraved in aqua-tinta or in any other manner without ftrokei 



A plate of thin fheet iron, fuch as German ftoves are made R emar k a ble 

 of, is an excellent inftrument for producing the'noife of thuri^ imitation of 

 der. It may be three or four feet long, and 'the nfual width, ^"^^ 

 When this plate is held between the finger and thumb by one 

 corner, and fuffered to hang at liberty, if the hand be then 

 moved or fliaken horizontally, fo as to agitate the corner at * ' 

 right angles to the furface, a great variety of founds will be 

 produced'; from the low rumbling fweHof diftant thunder, to 

 the fucceflion of loud explofive burits of thunder from elevated 



clouds, 



