On the Performances of different Ventriloquists. 253 



actual performances of some of the most distinguished ventri- 

 loquists, in order that he may understand the variety of effects 

 which are within the power of the artist, and consequently the 

 phenomena which require explanation. 



I. Account of the Performances of the Ventriloquist M. 

 St Gille. 



M. St Gille was a grocer at St Germain en Laye, near Pa- 

 ris. His performances were carefully studied by the Abbe de 

 la Chapelle, F. R. S. who has published an account of them in 

 a work entitled Le Ventriloque, which appeared in 1772. 



The Abbe being seated with him on the opposite side of a 

 fire-place in a parlour on the ground-floor, observed him very 

 attentively. After they had conversed about half an hour, the 

 Abbe heard himself suddenly called by his name and title in a 

 voice which seemed to come from the roof of a house at a dis- 

 tance ; and while he was pointing to the house from which the 

 voice had appeared to him to proceed, he was still more asto- 

 nished to hear the words, it was not from that quarter, issuing 

 from beneath the earth at one corner of the room, apparently 

 in the same voice as before. In short, according to the Abbe, 

 this voice played as it were everywhere about him, and seemed 

 to proceed from every quarter or distance from which the ope- 

 rator chose to transmit it to him. Although the Abbe was con- 

 scious that the voice proceeded from the mouth of M. St Gille, 

 yet he appeared to him absolutely mute while he was exercis- 

 ing his art, and no change in his countenance could be disco- 

 vered. He noticed, however, that M. St Gille always pre- 

 sented the profile of his face to him while he was performing. 

 Having on another occasion taken shelter from a storm in 

 a neighbouring convent, M. St Gille found the monks in mourn- 

 ing for an esteemed member of their community who had been 

 recently buried. When they were pointing out to him the 

 tomb of their deceased brother, and lamenting the slight ho- 

 nours which had been conferred on his memory, a voice was 

 suddenly heard to issue from the roof of the choir, bewailing 

 the condition of the deceased in purgatory, and reproving the 

 brotherhood for their want of zeal. The news of this strange 

 event drew the whole community to the church, when the voice 



VOL. IX. NO II. OCTOBER 1828. R 



