Giuseppe Pinetti - Physical Amusements and Diverting Experiments

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COMPOSED AND PERFORMED IN DIFFERENT
CAPITALS OF EUROPE, AND IN LONDON.

By Signor GIUSEPPE PINETTI,
DE WILDALLE,

KNIGHT OF THE GERMAN ORDER OF MERIT OF
ST. PHILIP, PROFESSOR OF MATHEMATICS
AND NATURAL PHILOSOPHY, PENSIONED
BY THE COURT OF PRUSSIA, PATRONIZED
BY ALL THE ROYAL FAMILY OF FRANCE,
AGGREGATE OF THE ROYAL
ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
AND BELLES LETTRES
OF BORDEAUX, &C.

LONDON:
PRINTED IN THE YEAR M DCC LXXXIV.

The honour of performing several physical amusements before their Britannic Majesties and the Royal Family, was an event that flattered my ambition in the highest degree. To obtain their suffrages, and those of that part of this enlightened nation, before which I have repeated the same experiments and amusements at the Theatre Royal, Hay-Market, was the summit of my wishes. Having obtained these two desirable ends, I blessed the moments I had devoted to the study of natural philosophy and mathematics; to them I am indebted for these inestimable advantages.

Some invidious hints insinuated relative to the means I practised for performing these several experiments came to trouble the happiness I enjoyed. The opportunities I had of demonstrating publicly the simplicity and fairness of the execution of my experiments, which had appeared complicated to such a degree as to require a confederate, have put me in the happy way of destroying those unfavourable impressions, and of undeceiving those persons who honoured me with their presence; their repeated applauses have been a very flattering testimony of their approbation of my endeavours to amuse the public.

Several persons of the first rank having signified their wishes that I would publish some few easy means of amusing a company, whether in town or in the country; I could not refuse to comply with their desire: this is the motive of this little publication. Being near my departure for France, I shall trace hastily a few experiments, which will be as simple as they are entertaining, and easy to be performed. If amongst them there should be found, by chance, some that are known, or even printed, I hope it will not be taken amiss, nor I shall be looked upon as a plagiary. Unacquainted with this town, I cannot be informed of all that exists in print: besides, as in this age the study of natural philosophy is so universal, it cannot be in the least astonishing if some of the experiments resulting from that science were already known. Therefore I claim by anticipation the indulgence of those who read this work. My only wish is to be so happy as to unite in this book the clearness and precision necessary to enable my readers to perform what is contained in each chapter. My project on my return to this metropolis, is to endeavour to obtain again the suffrages of the nation, by performing some new experiments. To reveal on this occasion those which I have performed till now, would be hurtful to my fortune: besides, most of them require a great deal of mechanism and great preparations. Others depend on much dexterity and subtilty; which are out of my power to give, and out of a possibility to be communicated in writing.

If this feeble Essay, which I have the honour of presenting to the public, is favourably received, I promise on my return, and after I have merited their favour, to publish the means I have used to execute all I have performed.

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PHYSICAL AMUSEMENTS
AND
DIVERTING EXPERIMENTS.

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This wonderful experiment, like many others, is produced by a very simple cause. Take a fly, put it in a glass or cup full of water; cover it so as to deprive the fly of air; when you perceive it to be quite motionless, you may take it out and put it on a place exposed to the sun, and cover it with salt: in two minutes it will revive and fly away.

Take a smelling-bottle; put in it some alkali volatile, in which you have dissolved some copper filings: this will produce a blue colour. Present then the smelling-bottle to one of the company, desiring him to stop it; and, to their great astonishment, the colour will disappear as soon as the smelling-bottle is stopped: you will make it easily re-appear by taking off the cork, which will be not less surprising.

Draw any thing you may fancy on a thin white pasteboard; then prick it; afterwards put the same on an horizontal surface, which we will suppose to be another pasteboard. Put a lighted candle behind that drawing, and draw on the horizontal surface the lines given by the light: this will give a deformed design. This being done, take away the drawing that was pricked and the candle; then place your eye where the light was, and you will see your drawing assume a regular form.

Nothing more is wanting to change the colour of a rose, whether it is on its stalk or not, but to burn some sulphur under it; which will make it turn white, and it will not regain its primitive colour in less than two hours.

Dissolve some salt and saffron in some spirits of wine; dip a little tow in it and set fire to it. At this light, those who are of a fair complexion will appear green, and the red of the lips and cheeks turn to a deep olive colour.

Chuse an egg that has a thick shell; wash it well in fresh water; then dry it very carefully with a linen cloth; this being done, put some tallow or fat in a silver spoon; then hold it on the fire; when the fat is melted and very hot, it will serve instead of ink for drawing with a new pen whatever you like. This being finished, you are to take the egg by the two ends between two fingers, and then lay it gently in a tumbler filled with good white wine vinegar; wherein, after remaining for three hours and an half, the acid of the vinegar will have eaten enough of the thickness of the shell; and as it cannot have the same effect on those places that are covered with the fat, all the drawing will have preserved its thickness, and will form the relief that is wanted, the operation sought for.

By this means one may draw on an egg a coat of arms, a mosaic piece, medallion, or any other design whatever.

Load your gun with the usual charge of powder, but instead of shot put half a charge of quicksilver; prime and shoot: if your piece bears ever so little near the bird, as it is not necessary to touch it, the swallow will find itself stunned and benumbed to such a degree, as to fall to the ground in a fit. As it will regain its senses in a few minutes, you may make use of the time by saying, that you are going to bring it to life again; this will astonish greatly the company; the ladies will no doubt interest themselves in favour of the bird, and intercede for its liberty: sympathizing with their feelings for the little prisoner, may be the means of some of them sympathizing with yours.