330 



LETTERS ON NATURAL MAGIC. 



the present time nearly half of the chest is excluded from 

 view. 



When the drawer G G is pushed in, and the doors A 

 and C closed, the exhibitor adjusts the machinery at the 

 back, in order to give time to the player to take the posi- 

 tion shown in a front view in Fig. 66, and in profile in 

 Fig. 67. In this position he will experience no difficulty 

 in executing every movement made by the automaton. 

 As his head is above the chess-board, he will see through 



Fig. 66. 



Fig. 67. 



the waistcoat of the figure, as easily as through a veil, the 

 whole of the pieces on the board, and he can easily take 

 up and put down a chess-man without any other mechan- 

 ism than that of a string communicating with the finger 

 of the figure. His right hand being within the chest may 

 be employed to keep in motion the wheel-work for pro- 

 ducing the noise which is heard during the moves, and to 

 perform the other movements of the figure, such as that 

 of moving the head, tapping on the chest, &c. 



A very ingenious contrivance is adopted to facilitate 

 the introduction of the player's left arm into the arm of 

 the figure. To permit this, the arm of the figure requires 

 to be drawn backwards ; and for the purpose of conceal- 

 ing, and at the same time explaining this strained attitude, 



