THE NEW CARD PLAYING AUTOMATON.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1992, 24 May 1875, Page 4

THE NEW CARD PLAYING AUTOMATON.

The new automaton invented by Mr John Nevil MasMyne and Mr John Algernon Clarke, which appears twice daily in Messrs Maskelyne and Cooke's entertainment at the Egyptian Hall, Pie? cadilly,~is not a deception like Baron Eempelen's renouned chess-player. That, though it astonished all Europe late in . the last and early in the present pentnry, was but in part mechanical; and the chess-playing was really performed by a man inside—a Polish patriot named Worousky, who, having lost both his legs .in battle, was able to conceal himself in very small spaces within the figure and the box-table at which the figure was seated. Neither is the new automaton of the same clj^ss .with. ..Yancanson's fluteplayer, which was exhibited arid explained to the French Academy of Sciences in 1738. That superb piece of mechanism imitated the movement of the body, the fingers, the lips, the tongue, and the management of the breath of an expert performer on the flute. Sir David Brewster has recorded the fact that " for many years it continued to delight and astonish the philosophers and musicians of Europe."; but, like a barrel organ,- the machine only executed those particular airs which it was arranged to play. The marvel of the new invention of Mr Maskelyne and Mr Clark consists in these distinctive features; the figure has no Hying being within it; it is perfectly isolated from any connection- —mechanical, electrical, magnetical, or otherwise conceivable—with any operator at a distance; and yet, nevertheless, it plays the game of whist with no little skill, perfbrins arithmetical calculations, obey .by its movements the directions of jiny person in the audience, and accomplishes a number of very surprising feats with cards chosen and names written by the audience. / : • ." Psycho," as the automation Las been named is a figure in Oriental costume, sitting cross-legged upon a small box or pedestalj and besides being too: small to contain even a dwarf or mutilated man, is inspected through openings in the box and in the body of the figure. Mr Masielyne, moreover, allows any person from the audience to ascertain for himself that no spaces whatever are hidden by mirrors or any other contrivences. " Psycho" is just what he appears to be —a piece of mechanism, with weels, weights, strings, and levers, visible, without trick or con* C3alment. He is first seen upon a table, but, to isolate him from external control, he'is then placed upon a stand of thin transparent glass—this consisting of one single piece — thoroughly examined by the audience before being set, clear away from the back or side scenes, and, in fact, in the centre of the stage. There is no attachment of any kind,, the automaton resting loosely upon the glass support, and in any position; and persons from the audience are allowed to watch as closely as possible round the figure while it is at work, and to reexamine the interior when they please. Under these searching guarantees" that " Psycho " is perfectly self-acting, what is he seen to do? If any person gives him a sum to calculate in addition, substractidH, multiplication or division, he shows the answer, one figure, at a time, by opening a little door and sliding the figure, in front of the aperture with a movement of his left hand. There is no Ere- arrangement or collusion in this; for c proceeds to exhibit any numbers which anybody may call for. -He plays a game at whist with any three gentlemen who may like to take a hand with him. ' -

The three players seat themselves at a side table and cut to decide who shall be'" Psycho's " partner; and, after dealing, the thirteen cards for the automaton are placed in a quadrant holder under the radial sweep of the figure's right hand, the cards standing upright, S3 that he can seize any one with his thumb and finger, "Psycho" turns his head and looks up or down, apparantly studying the hand of cards on his quadrant, and when his turn comes to play he finds the best card available to him, raises it, holds it up in full view of the spectators (so that there is no trickery or substitution),* and then puts it down in front of the quadrant-: He will hold up. any card again and again as often as desired by any person in the audience, and shake hands with his partner at the conclusion of the game. He plays a good game ; and, unless jnatched against very" scientific players, commonly wins when he happens to get fair average hands dealt him and his partner. Then follows a series of further illustrations of '■' Psycho's " myssterious power^and intelligence. Yoii help yourself to a card out of a pack, and he tells the suit and rank and nnmW of spots by means of strokes on a lbeli. You privately mark any card in & paelfc ■which you shuffle and hold in yoar own hands, and upon the pack being placed in front of the automaton, he instantly finds the identical card, and holds it up, with . out possibility of substitution or d^gp. tion. Again, you shuffle the *-' lT Mr Maskelyne holds it beh"" nd 4 r^ j n full view of everybody ± »P S vcho" tells .the nun- -> a o f gy<X cards m succp" ." 3 „ ° , +{," *„ juror hirn^' ,-«sion, •,though.. r tte.. contacks o™ has not seen even the info- - them, Finely Mr Maskelype *-' .ms the jiudience that the automaton is constructed to perform a number of other marvels of mechanism, not yet finished, by the aid of *■' secret intelligent force." Howr long this "dynamic mystery" may retoairiunsolved manage when the usual resources of conjurors are" very well understood by. many people outside pf the profession ifc would be unsafe Ho predict; but for the, complete novelty of the effects, produced this new automaton outdoes everything which has appeared since the subtle invention of Robert Houdin.—The Times.