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should wish to examine the eggs, you may have sound ones to present them.
7th. How Dollars apparently sink through a Plate and Table, change into a Ball, and return. —Take six dollars and solder them well together, then excavate them, leaving the bottom dollar ; this turned upwards has the appearance of six solid dollars. Keep this concealed at present : Then produce six dollars ; place these on a plate, one on the top of the other ; then place the plate on the table, keeping the excavated dollars ready to take the place of the real ones, having a small ball in the excavation. Now address the Company on the importance of your feat, at the same time taking up the real dollars, and letting them drop one by one on the plate. When the Company are sufficiently satisfied as to the reality of the dollars which you drop on the plate, place the dollars on each other. Now, having your excavated dollars under your right sleeve, take the real ones, chinking them in your right hand, dexterously throw them into the left, at the same instant sliding your excavated dollars, with the ball in the same, from under your sleeve into your hand, placing it on the plate on the table, bottom
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upwards, with a ball under the same. Then produce a ball similar to that under the seeming dollars on the table, shew it to the Company, observing to them, this bail which I now hold under the table (at the same time putting your hand underneath the table) I will cause to take the place of the dollars on the table, whilst the dollars at the same time shall sink into my hand through the table. In order to do this, have a card with the edges sown together in the form of a tube, and with this tube cover the seeming dollars ; then, repeating the object of the trick, take up the tube, at the same time pinching the same, the excavated dollars naturally follow unseen, and the ball appears to view : Thus far has the ball taken the place of the dollars. Now to make the dollars take the place of the ball, replace the tube with those that are excavated over the ball, and, by taking up the same without pinching it, the dollars appear, and the ball is concealed. At the same time that the Company supposes the dollars are descending, you may chink the real ones underneath the table, as this will make the effect appear the greater. How to remove the excavated dollars, and place the real ones and the ball, is an important question in the same
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feat : This is no more than pinching the tube, taking it up, letting the excavated dollars privately fall into your hand, at the same time throwing the tube and real ones on the table for examination.
Thus having fulfilled my promise with respect to Mr. R.’s deceptions, I now proceed to give my opinion on Ventriloquism.
This performance, so much esteemed and which has excited universal admiration, is considered by the learned to be a singular gift of nature, peculiar to a very few, they supposing the ventricle of these men, to be of a different formation from that of mankind in general ; whilst bigotry views it as the effect of diabolical agency. To attribute the effect to this cause, or to the agency of a supernatural power, has ever been contrary to my opinion. I believe any person by practice may become a mimick in some degree ; and, as far as he is possessed of this faculty, so far he may avail himself of the art of Ventriloquism. To verify this, we will admit a person’s ventricle shall be formed by nature so as to afford the power of speaking inwardly ; will this give him the faculty of compressing air, in such a manner as to reflect words or sounds imperceptibly
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to certain distances, and in various directions to be heard from particular places, he apparently remaining silent ? Or is it possible that he, the pretended Ventriloquist, has any command upon the word or sound after escaping his lips or stomach, more than any other man to whom nature has not given the power of speaking inwardly ? I answer, No ! All the advantage to be derived from this gift is to avail himself of becoming a mimick. The artificial voice acquired by the practice of mimickry and imitating of sounds, as though they were at different distances, or intercepted by any particular objects, has this effect. For this purpose, let a person assiduously strive to imitate the voice of a child, shutting his lips, suffering the sound only to escape from the corner of his mouth, according to the direction he means to have it appear issuing from, which by practice will become familiar, and more and more distinct.
This performance is generally carried on in the following manner : The performer provides himself with a doll, which he calls Tommy, from whom the feigned voice appears to proceed. Placing Tommy on his knee, a conversation apparently takes place between him and Tommy in which the Exhibitor
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contrives to make correction necessary : Then punishes him by placing him under his coat, where Tommy is heard speaking in a smothered tone at voice. This is done to attract the attention of the Audience to that particular tone of voice which he the Performer intends counterfeiting as the voice of a child. Now all the attention being directed to Tommy, so that at whatever corner of the room he places the puppet, the Company with anxious expectation wait to hear the feigned voice. At first he places him at a small distance. The Performer then questioning in his natural tone of voice, asks, Where are you now, Tommy ? Mimicking a child, and directly articulating as when the pretended conversation was held, he replies, Here, Papa. It will now do to place him at a greater distance, questioning as before, and giving the same answer, making it appear as if at a great distance ; and so proceed questioning and answering, according to the distance. The imagination of the Company being thus rivetted, you may venture to place him without the room, shutting the door, mimicking exactly that kind of sound which would be the case if a child actually spake without doors ; being careful to preserve that articulation which took place in the conversation
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before the Company, whilst the puppet was under the coat, such will be the effect if he spoke supposing him smothered. The faculty of attracting the attention to the object contemplated as though speaking, with the art of mimicking a feigned voice, either smothered or at certain distances, is the opinion I have of Ventriloquism.
I am, with due sentiments of esteem,
Yours, &c.
W. F. P.
p. s. After closing this Letter, a circumstance occurred to my mind respecting a Farmer who was on his road to London with a load of hay. The story is thus told : Being overtaken by one of those persons, styled Ventriloquists, who by the supposed art of his Ventriloquism meant to attract the Farmer’s attention, and show his faculty in imitating a supposed voice, after travelling familiarly together for some distance, the mimick, as if surprized, observes, “My friend, there is a person confined in your hay.” The Farmer, disbelieving it, gave but little attention to his observation. After travelling a little further, and turning to the object, with much earnestness he exclaims, “For compassion’s sake, relieve this person from his embarrassment.”
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The manner of his speaking, immediately attracted the attention of the Farmer to his load. The mimick observing his attention turned from him to the hay, fell to imitating the voice of a person, as if smothered in the hay ; which occasioned the Farmer to exert his utmost efforts in unloading his hay, to relieve the imagined unfortunate. In a similar manner sounds are produced from chairs, tables, and other substances.
Such is thy power, oh Mimickry.
Adieu. W. F. P.
LETTER XIX.
From A. B. to W. F. P.
Sir,
Your two last Letters came safe to hand. Your explanation of the Deceptions contained in them and a former Letter, induces me to attempt a trial of my skill, both to become a Conjurer and Ventriloquist : But fearing I shall fail in my attempts, I must once more trouble you with my solicitations, and request you to favour me with your opinion of the abilities necessary to constitute a performer.
I remain with sincere attachment,
Your obliged friend, A. B.
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LETTER XX.
From W. F. P. to A. B.
Sir,
The Art of Legerdemain requires great dexterity, and abundance of confidence in the performer : There are but few who are equal to the task. Mr. R. before mentioned, is competent to the business, and the only one I have known, except the famous Brisloe. Any man who would exhibit these deceptions to satisfaction, must have these several qualifications : he must be nimble with his hands and fingers, possess an extraordinary share of volubility, aided by a prepossessing carriage, suitable to command respect : His left hand must be as capable as his right : He must have acquired the faculty of dividing his thoughts, so as to accomplish several objects at the same moment, and that with certainty and ease : The flashes of his wit must attract the eyes of the spectators from the feat he is performing, as occasion may require, although he must not have this appear his intention. These properties in conjunction, may make what is vulgarly called a Conjurer ; so that you may readily infer that it is not altogether the inventor
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of a deception, but the performer, who earns the principal merit. You say likewise, you have an idea of becoming a Ventriloquist. Learn to be a mimick, and you may easily effect your purpose. As you likewise appear so desirous of becoming what is commonly called a Conjurer, any thing within the compass of my abilities you may command.
Yours, &c. W. F. P.
LETTER XXI.
From A. B. to W. F. P.
Sir,
Notwithstanding what you have said on the subject of Ventriloquism, I cannot yet convince myself of its being acquirable. The objections arising in my mind are these : Provided a man’s ventricle is so constructed as to give him the power of speaking inwardly, which is perhaps not common amongst mankind, and from this singular circumstance he avails himself of becoming a greater mimick, than any other who professes himself to be such by a mere imitation of sounds, what is this but a gift of nature ?
Yours, &c. A. B.
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LETTER XXII.
From W F. P. to A. B.
Sir,
I presume every mimick has not a propensity to become a Ventriloquist ; and for this reason every great mimick has not acquired the faculty of imitating sounds confined and at certain distances ; so that being uncommon it is inconsiderately accounted a gift of nature. What is there a man cannot acquire by observation, assisted by good rules and proper application ? And what possession not capable of improvement ? I answer, none with respect to nature. Our senses and all our faculties are gifts. To have a good ear for music is a gift ; yet those who have not that ear, have been known to be greater proficients in the science of music than one so favoured. You may say, speech is a gift of nature, and attribute elocution to the singular formation of the tongue ; but in my mind, by a person’s propensity to become an orator, the memory becomes improved and supplied with a selection of the best chosen words ; the imagination is brightened and enlarged ; the tongue, by use, smooth and easy in its articulation ; and confidence, the result of experience,
