“ When you are playing with the pack, drop out the diamonds, from the ace to the ten, and contrive without being perceived, to get all the other cards with their heads in the same direction; then request a person to choose a card; do not force one, but let him choose whichever he pleases: while he has it in his hand and is looking at it, carelessly turn the pack in your hand, so that the position of the cards may be reversed; then bid him put the card he has chosen into the centre of the pack ”

“ Take a ball in each hand, and, stretching your hands as far apart as you can, bet with any one in the company that you shall make both balls come into either hand he pleases, without bringing your hands together; as it appears rather a difficult feat, your bet will be readily taken up. You then accomplish the feat and win the wager by simply laying the ball in the one hand on the mantel-piece or table, and, turning yourself half round, taking it up with the other. ”

“ In the first place we shall suppose that the dice are of the ordinary kind, namely, having six faces marked with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6; and we shall analyze some of the first cases of the problem, that we may proceed regularly to those that are more intricate.
I. It is proposed to throw a determinate point, 6 for instance with one die.
Here it is evident, that as the die has six faces, one of which is only marked six, and as any one of them may as readily come up as another, there are five chances against the person who wishes to throw a six at one throw, and only one in his favour. ”

“ When you have found a card chosen, which you have previously forced, or any card that has been drawn, and which you have discovered by the means before described, in order to finish your trick cleverly, convey the card, privately, to the top of the pack; get all the other cards even with each other, but let the edge of your top card project a little over the rest ”

“ Take up a pack of cards, and carelessly notice the bottom card in the pack, then pretend to shuffle them well, but be careful to shuffle that particular card (say the ace of diamonds) always as the top card, then desire any of the party to cut them into three packs; when done, call for the ace of diamonds at any of the packs but the one which you know contains it at the top. ”

“ As the performance of rockets depend much upon their moulds, they should be made according to the following proportions:—Taking the diameter of the orifice, its height should be equal to six diameters and two-thirds; the choke, one diameter and one third of this model, will serve for every rocket from four oz. to six lbs.; for instance, suppose the diameter of a rocket of one pound be one and a-half inch, then its length being six diameters and two thirds, the length of the case must be ten inches one-eighth, and the choke two and a quarter inches. ”

“ In ten or twelve hours after, the earth will swell up and burst, and flames will issue out, which will enlarge the aperture, scattering around a yellow and blackish dust. It is not impossible that what is here seen in miniature, takes place on a grand scale in volcanoes: as it is well known that they always furnish abundance of sulphur, and that the matters they throw up abound in metallic, and probably ferruginous particles; for iron is the only metal which has the property of producing an effervescence with sulphur, when they are mixed together. ”

“ You must never lay out your cards less than three times, but as often above that number as you please. This trick may be done without your seeing the cards at all, if you handle and count them carefully. To diversify the trick, you may use a different number of cards, hut the number chosen must be divisible by three, and the middle card, after they have been thrice dealt as directed, will always be the one thought of ”

“ A very small quantity of the silver, enclosed in a piece of sandpaper, and placed under the foot of a chair, will explode when any one sits down on it. A little of it placed in the heel of a boot or shoe, with a piece of paper pasted over it, will explode on the heel being pressed to the ground. Placed in a snuffers, it will go off with a smart report when they receive the hot snuff of the candle. ”

“ The principal part of the performance of the rocket depends on the compositions being well mixed; therefore great care must be taken in this part of the work, particularly in the manufacture of rockets. ”

“ Rockets are filled hollow, otherwise they would not ascend. The charge of rockets must always be driven above the piercer, and on it must be rammed a thin head of clay, through the middle of which bore a small hole to the composition, that when the charge is burned to the top, it may communicate its fire through the hole to the stars in the head. When you load the heads of your rockets with stars or serpents or any thing else, remember always to put a ladlefull of powder into each head. ”

“ An old lady on a Sunday was making dumplings, when two urchins, her grandsons, came to visit her, and being archly disposed, while her back was turned, conveyed some quicksilver into the dough, and then took their departure. The ancient dame left the care of the cooking to her granddaughter, and betook herself to church, charging her to be careful in skimming the pot, wherein were contained the dumplings and a leg of mutton. ”

“ You may put a piece of burning charcoal into your mouth, and suffer a pair of bellows to be blowing it continually, and receive no hurt, but your mouth must be quickly cleaned, otherwise it will cause a salivation: it is a very dangerous thing to be done, and although those that practise it, use all the means they can to prevent danger, yet it is seldom these fire-eaters have a good complexion. ”

“ This feat, strange as it appears, is very simple: the performer must have a confederate, who has two handkerchiefs of the same quality, and with the same mark, one of which he throws upon the stage to perform the feat with. The performer takes care to put this handkerchief uppermost in making up a bundle, though he affect to mix them together promiscuously. The person whom he desires to draw one of the handkerchiefs, naturally takes that which comes first to hand. ”

“ Roll up a piece of paper or any other light substance, and put a lady beetle, or some such small insect privately under it; then, as the animal will naturally endeavour to free itself from its captivity, it will move the cone towards the edge of the table, and as soon as it comes there will immediately return for fear of falling; and by thus moving to and fro, will occasion much sport to those who are unacquainted with the cause. ”

“ Some amusement may be created among young people, by writing with common ink, a variety of questions, on different bits of paper, and adding a pertinent reply to each, written with nitro-muriate of gold. ”

“ While the balls are examining, you double each string, and each appears to have two even ends; you twist the double end of each together, and putting on one of the balls which has a hole smaller than the others over the place that is joined, the strings remain firm, and can bear to be pulled. ”

“ Let the company take notice in which hand is the farthing, and in which is the sixpence. Then, as you shut your hands, you naturally turn the piece over, and when you open them again, the farthing and the sixpence will appear to have changed their places.
a candle converted into carburetted hydrogen gas.
When a candle is burned so low as to leave a tolerably large wick, blow it out; a dense smoke, which is a compound of hydrogen and carbon, will immediately arise ”

“ For the sake of shifting the watch from one hand to the other, apply it when in the right hand to the left ear of the person, and when in the left hand the right ear. But if you can slip the loadstone up and down your sleeve, by using one hand, the feat is more curious. ”

“ Take half a pint of spirits, and having warmed it, put a handful of salt with it into a basin, then set it on fire, and it will have the effect of making every person within its influence look hideous. This feat can only be performed in a room.
to cause a report like a gun with a pipe.
Previously to performing this feat, you must have a powder composed of the following ingredients in your pocket:—One ounce of saltpetre, one ounce of cream of tartar, and half an ounce of sulphur, pulverized singly, and then mixed together. ”

“ You must have cards made for the purpose of this feat, half cards, as they may be properly termed, that is, one half kings or knaves, and the other half aces. When you lay the aces one over the other, nothing but the kings or knaves will he seen. Then turning the kings or knaves downwards, the four aces will be seen. You must have two perfect cards, one a king or knave, to cover one of the aces, or else it will be seen ”

“ Make such party stand in the middle of the room, button his coat, then with a piece of chalk make a ring round his person upon his coat, which it is evident he cannot get out of without taking his coat off. ”