THE ROYAL ILLUSIONISTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVI, Issue 5498, 1 July 1879, Page 5

THE ROYAL ILLUSIONISTS.

Such is the title of a small company, the head of which is Cheralier Thorn, who appeared at the Lorue-street Hall last night, but the chief attraction of the show was the announcement that it was to be an exposure of the trickery by which believers in spiritism, and spiritualism have been duped by the clever sleight-of-hand feats of unscrupulous illusiouistis. The house was crowded from floor to ceiling. In the first part of the entertainment Mr. Thorn, who apeaks with a foreign accent, but who has a racy style of speaking, which is of itself pleasing, performed a number of tricks, a la Heller, with great cleverness. His sleight-of-hand card tricks, rings, &c, were very pleasing, and there ■were several novel features introduced, such as the introduction of a live pigeon into a bottle, from which wine had just been poured. The fish-globe trick was cleverly performed, as was also a curious feat, by which a bird and cage, which the artist held in his hand, were made to instantaneously disappear. This, and numerous other feats were performed in the midst of the audience. Mr. Thorn's explanations of many of those magic tricks were highly amusing. It was the second part of the programme, however, which excited the greatest amount of interest, and Mr. Thorn —who, by-the-by, from first to last spoke in the most contemptuous and sarcastic manner of the pretensions of spiritualistic mediums called on the stage Mr. Foster, the Rev. Mr. Edger, and Mr. McMaster, to watch the proceedings during the subsequent performances, for such they might be called. Mr. Thorn, with the aid of a single assistant, went through the whole of the "visitations." His "spirits," when explained, were ludicrouß in thf extreme. For instance, in alluding "to the famous coat trick of the Eddie Brothers, he pointed out his spirit as a pin, and shewed how the spirit worked. The bandcuflL and pillory feats were fully elucidated, at least, to far as ordinary investigation could go. The coat tricks were excessively amusing, for the coats of the various gentlemen of the committee were borrowed for the tricks. Every trick of the Davenport Brothers and Professor Fay were performed, not in darkness, but in light, so also were several others, which have not been broaght forward in public here. Mr. Thorn does not claim for his entertainment any foreign aid; ho accomplishes the feats himself, and elucidates them to the satisfaction of his audience. To attempt to describe the performance would be aa impossibility. It must be seen to be appreciated. The elucidation of the Katie King myetery, and several others of the same class, are in store.

Messrs. Hardwicke and Bogue will publish shortly " Evolution, Old and New," being a comparison of the theories of Buffon, Erasmus Darwin, and Lamarck with that of Charles Darwin. With copious extracts from the writings of the three first-named, authors, by Samuel Butler, author of "Erewhon," "Life and Habit," &o. Mr. Butler was at one time a Canterbury squatter, and was a frequent contributor to the local.Press there writings of Darwin, <■ ' r