thoroughly characteristic of the uneducated Cockney, and often spoken of as "Whitechapel." Now the inventor of this wonderful piece of mechanism is by birth an American, and at the present time speaks the English language imperfectly, it therefore struck us as very singular, not to say improbable, that he should have constructed this extraordinary automaton phenomenon with that peculiar Metropolitan accent before mentioned, and we were naturally led to regard the figure as a clever hoax, with which mechanism had as little to do as it well could have. Various attempts have been made to unravel the mystery, but up to the present time it holds its own. It is generally thought that the figure only acts as a conductor of sound, and has no power of producing sound within itself; all we can say is, if such be the true solution of the enigma, we cannot conceive from whence the sound proceeds, or how it is communicated to the Automaton, and so we are left with only one other means of accounting for the result. The head is of so large a size that we conceive it possible for a dwarf, who has been trained as a contortionist, to double himself up into a sufficiently small compass as to be concealed within it; and this supposition is somewhat borne out by the hurried manner in which the audience is ushered from the room as soon as the performance, which lasts about twenty minutes, is concluded. It is a curious fact, that from the earliest times there has existed a strong desire to imitate the various functions of living beings by the aid of mechanism, and at different periods these automata have appeared in an endless variety of form, construction, and application. So early as 400 years before Christ, Archytas of Tarentum made a wooden pigeon that could fly, and we read that the Emperor Charles V of Germany, in 1520, was presented with a wonderful iron fly, which made a solemn circuit round its inventor's head, and then reposed from its fatigue on his arm. Also, that a certain wise Bishop of Naples, in 990, made a bronze fly, which he placed on one of the city gates, and that this mechanical fly was so well trained that it prevented any other fly from entering Naples, so that during eight years, the meat exposed for sale in the market was never once tainted. In England we learn that Roger Bacon, together with his brother in religion, Thomas Bungay, constructed a brazen head, which should tell them if there was any mode of enclosing the whole of England by a high wall. After forging at it for seven years without relaxation, the fates unfortunately decreed that when the head spoke, the two monks were so engaged that they did not hear it, which leaves us moderns somewhat in doubt how the two intrepid blacksmiths knew the head had spoken, since they were not present to hear it. We even find the great French philosopher, Fontenelle, in 1730, giving a certificate from the Royal Academy, to a wooden figure that played the flute: this figure was afterwards eclipsed by the same mechanist (M. de Vaucanson), who invented a duck, which performed the functions of eating, drinking, and afterwards of digesting its food: the latter operation however (as with many other automata), was simply a trick, performed by expelling green coloured bread crumbs, which had been previously introduced, by means of a forcing pump. The last Automaton in the form of a bird that attracted attention, was a beautiful piece of mechanism shown by Auber and Suiton, at the Great Exhibition of 1862. It was in the shape of a small musical box, out of which, when the lid was opened, popped up a pretty little Bullfinch, which fluttered its wings and piped a song in the most natural manner possible. That which brought this Piping Bullfinch into such enviable celebrity, was the benevolent idea of its proprietors to make this little wonder subserve "all mankind's concern,”

charity, by announcing that whenever the sum of five shillings was raised among the visitors, the bird should commence its song, and the fund so collected should be appropriated to the benefit of the distressed cotton districts, and from this source as much as ten or twelve pounds a day was realized.

By far the most perplexing of all Automata was the wonderful chessplayer, who beat every one with whom he played, and whose history though somewhat trite, may not be considered unworthy of repetition. The figure represented a Turk, of the natural size, seated behind a box of the shape of a chest of drawers, there being a chess-board in the centre of the top of the box. In the box were a number of wheels, pulleys, and springs, which were shown to the audience. After this examination, the robe of the Automaton was raised and the interior of the body could be inspected; the robe was then pulled down, the doors of the box closed, and the machinery wound up with a key. The game then commenced by the figure stretching out its hand and making the first move, and as before stated, the Automaton invariably came off victorious.

Now (although this wonder was considered for a long time to be a pure piece of mechanism) the real secret of it was, that a certain Polish rebel, named Worousky, a man of naturally short stature, had the misfortune, while aiding in the rebellion against Russia, in 1796, to lose both his legs by a cannon ball, and during a long convalescence in the house of his physician where he had been secreted, this half-man was found a most formidable antagonist at chess. A mechanist named Kempelen chanced to see the mutilated man, and hit upon the idea that eventually produced the famous Automaton Chess-player. The little half-man was concealed behind the machinery in the box until it was wound up, when assisted by the noise the clock-work produced, he was enabled to ascend into the body of the figure, and so played his game, to the astonishment of all who saw him. His fame eventually reached the ears of the Empress Catherine II of Russia, who, herself an excellent chess-player, insisted on playing with the Automaton. During the game, the Empress, who was on the point of losing, made a false move, when the figure (or Worousky) immediately with his hand swept all the chess-men from the board, no less to the surprise of the Empress than to the fear of the Automaton's proprietor.

Perhaps the most remarkable part of this story is that by converting himself into the Automaton Chess-player, poor little Worousky saved his head, which he would otherwise undoubtedly have lost, being an insurgent and a rebel, had he been discovered, while his intrepid daring was fully shown by his undertaking a game with the Empress, whose legitimate prisoner he would have been. It is from the history of this figure that we cannot reconcile the Anthropoglossos under any other title than that of an ingenious deception, well calculated to fill the coffers of the inventor, and delude as well as fascinate the credulity of a fashionable London audience.

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ANTI-BANTINGISM.

We recollect seeing in a humorous child's book called Struelpeter, a graphic description of the woes that befel the little boy who would not eat his bread and milk, and who thus became "smaller by degrees, and beautifully less," until he was wasted to the merest shadow. The matter however, has lately

taken a very different turn, for through the great philanthropy of one Mr. Banting, we are told, that the only way of overcoming that most dreadful "parasite" of the human body, corpulence, is to abstain from all articles of diet containing ginger or starch, and more especially to excommunicate from our dietary, bread and milk. By aid of this dietetic treatment, Mr. Banting has succeeded in diminishing his corporeal weight to the extent of 4 stones, and thus enabled himself to walk down stairs forwards instead of backwards, and perform the very necessary operation (to those that wear them) of fastening and unfastening his shoe strings. Now although this method of treatment is no new idea, yet from the prominent and philanthropic way in which he has brought the system into public notice, we will yield him in all fairness the utmost praise, and can only add, that while he is going in so strong for philanthropy, we would humbly recommend him to lend his name and his talents, as manager to a company which we daily see advertised in one of our contemporaries, under the title of "The Corporation Contract Company (limited), which must surely, under his able management, succeed most admirably in increasing the coffers of the shareholders, at the same time that it diminishes the corporeal weight of all aldermanic bodies who submit themselves to the process. We must not forget, however, that there is another "parasite" of the human frame, which, in contradistinction to Mr. Banting's enemy, we will plainly call "Leanness ;" and surely it must be equally annoying and invidious to be termed a "Remnant," as it is to be told that you assimilate a Stilton Cheese on Castors.

With a purely philanthropic view of rectifying this evil, we advise all such as are troubled with it, simply to reverse the wheels of Mr. Banting's system, and under the title of Anti-Bantingism adopt our plan. For breakfast, let them take as much cocoa made with milk and sugar as they can conveniently swallow, and as many rashers of fat bacon, poached eggs, grilled fowl, fat mutton chops and beef steaks, as the stomach will conveniently digest, taking care to avoid all such innutritious viands as salted herrings, kidneys, pickled salmon, &c. At dinner, fish, generous soups, and meat may be eaten, always taking care to leave sufficient room for a good quantity of starch and saccharine nutriment, in the form of puddings made of flour, tapioca, sago, and all those numerous compounds sold under the titles of revalenta, oswego, corn flour, &c., into which eggs, sugar, milk, and butter, may be introduced ; and as a never-failing rule, bread and potatoes must be eaten in considerable quantities; while it is inadvisable either to stimulate the stomach by pickles or condiments of any kind, or cause the digestive functions unnecessary trouble in trying to assimilate such innutricious matter as uncooked vegetables and fruit tarts. As the last meal before going to bed, we strongly recommend a pint of boiled milk sweetened, into which a lump of beef suet, the size of a walnut, has been introduced and assiduously stirred during the process of boiling the fluid. These rules, together with a generous supply of stout, sound home-brewed ale, and somewhat new port wine, will seldom be found to fail in increasing the fat of the body, and thus act as a preventive to a large family of dangerous diseases, at the head of which ranks that direst ill which flesh is heir to "Phthisis," or Consumption; always remembering that among medicines, cod liver oil stands out most prominently, as the one efficacious drug in increasing the adipose tissue of the body. To these rules of diet, unfortunately, there is one great drawback, which is, that those who are subject to extreme leanness, are almost invariably afflicted more or less with impaired digestion. As a means for remedying this evil, we can only give

the advice of the great Abernethy, who being asked by a travelling companion what he would recommend him to do with his sore thumb, laconically replied, consult medical man to be sure."

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your

P. H.

MANNER OF ELECTING THE PRESIDENT OF THE

UNITED STATES.

Voting in the United States is by Ballot, and all citizens are entitled to the Franchise.

According to an Act of Congress, passed in 1845, the elections for President and Vice-President are held in all the States every fourth year, on the first Tuesday, after the first Monday, in November, and on the fourth of March following, the President elect is inaugurated. In 1864, the day of election falls on the eight day of November, when the election for the next Presidential term will take place. The Voting is not direct for the President, but for electors.

According to Clause 2, Section 1, Article 2, of the United States Constitution, each State is entitled to the same number of Electors as it has Senators and Representatives in Congress; which is as follows:

6 Rhode Island

2 South Carolina..

3 Tennessee..

5 Texas..

5

New Jersey

5

New York ..

31 Virginia

5

North Carolina..

7 Vermont

..

2 4

8

4

Deleware

Number of Senators-each State sending two

Total number of Electors,

3

6

241 70

311

Each of the different political parties holds a National convention a few months previous to the election, and adopts a "platform," or series of revolutions defining the principles of the party, and nominates candidates for President and Vice-President.

The various political organizations in each State, nominate, from their own party, the number of Electors to which their State is entitled, and the electoral ticket, which receives a plurality of votes is elected. The result of the

Presidential Election is known as soon as the election returns are received from all the States, although the Electors do not meet till the first Wednesday in December, nor is the President legally elected until the Electoral votes are counted by the President of the Senate, on the second Wednesday in February. According to Article 12 of the Amendments to the United States Constitution, the Electors meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, and transmit certificates of the result to the President of the Senate at Washington, who opens all the certificates in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the votes are then counted. A majority of the whole number of Electors is necessary for a choice. and if no Candidate has such a majority, the House of Representatives is to choose the President from the three having the highest vote-each State having but one vote, and a majority of all the States, being necessary to a choice.