80 



NEW ENGLAND FARxMER, 



SEPT. 7,184 3 



MISCELLANEOUS 



HYMN. 



BY D. RUSSELL. 



Tune — " From Greenland^ s Icy Mountain ' 

 From the bright crystal fountain 



That flows in beauty free, 

 From shady hill and mountain 



Fill hiffli the cup for me ! 

 Sine; of the sparklinjr waters, 



Sing of the coolinjj spring — 

 Let Freedom's sons ami daughters 



Their joyous tribute bring. 



'Twas the pure pledge in Eden, 



Ere sorrow's notes were heard. 

 Ere our fiist mother heeding 



The subtle serpent's word — 

 Forgetting her Creator, 



Plunged her long race in woe, 

 And caused o'er bounteous nature, 



The seeds of Death to grow. 



From many a happy dwelling. 



Late misery's dark abode, 

 Now the glad peal is swelling — 



The hyvin of praise to God. 

 Hear the glad song ascending. 



From many a thankful heart : 

 Hope, Joy, and Peace are blending, 



And each their aid impart. 



THE AUTOMATON CHESS-PLAYER. 

 Pew matters of mechanical ingenuity have ex- 

 cited more wonder than Maelzel's Automaton Chess 

 Player. The following account of it is interesting : 



The construction of mafhines capable of imi- 

 tating the mechanical action of the human body 

 shows exquisite skill. This, however, has been 

 done ; M. De Kempelen, a gentleman of Pres- 

 burg, in Hungary, constructed an Adroides ca- 

 pable of playing at chess. Every one, who is in 

 the least acquainted with this gaiiie, must knovv 

 that it is so far from being mechanically per- 

 formed, as to require a greater exertion of the 

 judgment and rational faculties than is sufficient 

 to accomplish matters of greater importance. 

 That such a machine was made, the public had 

 ocular demonstration. The inventor came over 

 to Britain in 17S5, and exhibited his automaton 

 to public inspection for more than a year. On 

 his death, it was purchased by M. Maelzel, who 

 paid this country a visit in 1827, when the .in- 

 vention created as much wonder as ever, not- 

 withstanding the vast progress made:iji mechan- 

 ical science. 



The room where it was exhibiied had an in- 

 ner apartment, within which appeared the fig- 

 ure of a Turk, as large as life, dressed after the 

 Turkish fashion, silting beliind a chest of three 

 feet and a half in length, two feet in breadth, 

 and two feet and a half in height, to which it 

 was attached by the wooden seat on which it 

 sat. The chest was placed upon four castors, 

 which, together with the figure, might be moved 

 to any part of the room. 



On the plain surface formed by the top of the 

 chest, in the centre, was r.iised an immovable 

 chessboard, of handsome dimensions, upon 

 which the figure had its eyes fixed, its right arm 

 and hand being extended on the chest, and its 



left arm somewhat raised, as if in the attitude of 

 holding a Turkish pipe, which was originally 

 placed in its right hand. 



The exhibitor proceeded by wheeling the 

 chest to the entrance of the apartment within 

 which it stood, in front of the spectators. He 

 then opened cert.ain doors contrived in the chest, 

 two in the front and two in the back, at the same 

 time pulling out a long shallow drawci-, made to 

 contain the Chessmen, a cushion for the arm of 

 the figure to rest upon, and some counters ; 

 two lesser drawers and a green cloth screen, con- 

 trived in the body of the figure and its lower 

 parts, were likewise opened, and the Turkish 

 robe which covered them was raised ; so that 

 the construction both of the figure and chest, in- 

 tentionally was displayed, and the exhibitor in- 

 troduced a lighted candle ipto the body of the 

 chest and figure, by which the interior of each 

 was, in a great measure, rendered transparent. 

 The chest was divided by a partition into two 

 equal chambers; that to the right of the figure 

 was the narrowest, and occupied scarcely one 

 third of the body of the chest ; it was filled with 

 little wheels, levers, cylinders, and other ma- 

 chinery used in clock-work : that to the left con- 

 tained two wheels, some small barrels with 

 springs, and two quarters of a circle, placed hori- 

 zontally. The body and lower parts of the fig- 

 ure contained certain tubes, which appeared to 

 be conductors to the machinery. Alter a suffi- 

 cient time, during wiiich each spectator satisfied 

 his scruples and curiosity, the exhibitor closed 

 the doors, made some arrangenient in the body 

 of the figure, wound up the works with a key 

 inserted into a small opening in the body of the 

 chest, and placed the cusliion under the left arm 

 of the figure, which then rested upon it. 



In playing a game, the automaton made 

 choice of the white men ; it likewise gave the 

 first move. It played with the left hand instead 

 of the right, — the right hand being constantly 

 fixed on the chest. This slight incongruity pro- 

 ceeded from inadvertence of the inventor, who 

 did not discover his mistake until the machinery 

 was too far completed to remedy the defect. At 

 the commencement of a game, the automaton 

 made a motion of the head, as if taking a view 

 of the board ; the same motion occurred at the 

 close of the game. In making a rnovc it slowly 

 raised its left arm from the cushion placed under 

 it, and directed it toward the square of the piece 

 to be moved. The arm then returned to its po- 

 sition pn 'Jhe cushion. Its hand and fingers 

 opened on touching the piece, which it took up 

 and conveyed to ,any proposed square. The 

 motions were performed with perfect correct- 

 ness, and the anxiety with which the arm acted, 

 especially in the delicate ,operation of castling, 

 seemed to be the result of spontaneous feeling ; 

 bending at the shoulder, elbow and knuckles, 

 and cautiously avoiding to touch ,any other piece 

 than that which had been moved. 



On giving check to the king, it moved its 

 head as a signal. When a false move was 

 made by its antagonist, which frequently occur- 

 red through curiosity to observe in what manner 

 the automaton would act, — as for instance, if a 

 knight had been moved like a castle, — the au- 

 tomaton smote impatiently on the chest with its 

 right hand, replaced the knight in its former 

 square, and would not permit its antagonist to 

 recover his move, but proceeded immediately to 



move one of its own pieces, thus appearing to 

 punish him for his inattention. 



It was considered of importance that the per- 

 son matched against the automaton should be at- 

 tentive in moving a piece exactly in the centre 

 of a square ; otherwise, the figure, in attempting 

 to lay hold of the piece, might even sustain 

 some injury in the delicate mechanism of the 

 fingers. If its antagonist hesitated for a consid- 

 erable time to move a piece, it tapped smartly on 

 the chest with its right hand, as if testifying im- 

 patience at the delay. 



During the time the automaton was in motion, 

 a low sound of clock work was heard, as if run- 

 ning down, which ceased soon after the arm was 

 reclined on the cushion. The works were 

 wound up at intervals often or twelve moves by 

 the exhibitor, who was usually employed pacing 

 up and down the room ; approaching the chest, 

 however, from time to time, on its right side. 

 It was understood that the automaton could nol 

 play, unless M. De Kempelen, or his substitute, 

 was near to direct its moves ; but it is very cer- 

 tain that the whole mystery lay in the chest, and 

 that there could be no connexion with the floor 

 as the inventor advertised his willingness to ex- 

 hibit at private houses. 



To avoid the obstructions frequently occasion- 

 ed by the inattention of strange antagonists, ir 

 moving the pieces required exactly to the centrf 

 of squares, a new arrangement was subsequent- 

 ly made, by which the adversary did not play a 

 the same board with the automaton, but had £ 

 chess-board to himself, on which he copied the 

 automaton's moves, and made his own ; while •< 

 person who attended at the automaton's board 

 copied with due precision, for the automaton, thi 

 adversary's moves. 



In concluding our account of this extraordina 

 ry machine, we must observe that it has beei 

 asserted., without contradiction, that although i 

 beat numerous skillful chess players, in difleren 

 countries, its moves were directed by a boy con 

 cealed within the machinery ; so that, in fact 

 whoever the boy could beat at the game, wa 

 sure to be conquered by the automaton. 



[Art of Legerdemain. 



SAYLE'S G.^RDEN KNGINfi. 



Tills is a splendid article. It will throw a constant sir' 

 of water to tne distance of 50 or 60 feet, with great lei 

 and incase ot fire would be a good subsiilnte for a fir*? 



The most perfect article lor the purpose ever ml 

 ed. For sale l.yJ. BRECK & CO., No. SI and 52 N,. 



Market street. 



DRAFT AND TRACK CdAIJVS. 



400 pair Trace Chains, suitable lor Ploughing. 

 200 " Truck and leading Chains. 

 200 " Draft Chains. For sale by J. BRECK & CO. 

 No. 52 North Market st. 



POUDRETTE. 



For sale 200 Barrels Poudrelle.at S2 per barrel, bv J 

 BRECK &. CO, 6t and 52 North Market St., Doston. 

 May 18. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



A WEKKLY PAPER. 



Terms, $2 per year in advance, orf2 GO if not pai^ 

 within thirty days. 



N. B. — Postmasters are permitted by law to frank ai 

 subscriptions and remittances for newspapers, willioi 

 expense to subscribers. 



TnTTLE AND DEl^NETT, PRINTERS. 



