Liquor Taster and Dropping Tube.

199

Chap. 3.]

with the ihumb, the vessel might be raised out of the river, the waterin the cavity being suspended precisely as in Nos. 69 and 70, sothat Tutia might return with it to the temple, and on approaching thealtar, by imperceptibly sliding her thumb to one side, the air would enterthe opening thus exposed, and the Contents of the cavity would descendin a shower, to the amazement of the spectators and to the confusion ofher adversaries. W ith such an instrument she might go with that confi-dence to the trial, which she is represented to have feit, being fully con-vinced of success. While she was in the act of carrying the water, thespectators would be unable to detect the slightest imposition, or if, fromthe elevation at which she seems to have borne it, the bottom öf the sievewas exposed, it would be more likely to confirm them in the belief of themiracle, as her movements would cause the suspended water to appearat the openings ; but it is more probable that tliey were kept at too great adistance by the managers of the farce, to afford them any opportunity ofexercising an undue curiosity. And when the trial was over, the sievewould be secured by those in the secret, who would have one similar inappearance ready for examination whenever required.

Few devices are better adapted to demonstrate the Suspension of waterby the atmosphere, than those little ir.struments which chemists and deal-ers in ardent spirit use, to examine their various liquids. Those of theformer are named ‘ dropping tubes,’ from the small quantities they are de-signed to take up, and the latter ‘ liquor tasters:’ both aresubstantially the same, for they differ merely in form and di-mensions. Some curious experiments may be made with them.For example, a series of liquids similar in appearance butdiffering from each other in specific gravity, and such as donot readily mix, may be placed in a glass or other vessel, soas to form separate layers, the heaviest at the bottom, and thelightest reposing on the top. An expert manipulator maythen by a taster (No. 76) withdraw a portion of each, andNo 76 No 77 P l ' esen t t° the examination of his audience from the same ves-Liquor Taster" sei, samples of different wines, ardent spirits, water, &c. ThereDropping Tube * s reason to believe that the ancient professors of legerdemainwere well acquainted with such devices. It is possible thatthe trick performed by a Chinese juggler before the Russian embassy atPekin, in the last Century, was of the kind. It is thus described by Mr.Bell: “ The roof of the room where we sat was supported by woodenpillars. The juggler took a gimblet, with which he bored one of the pil-lars and asked whether we chose red or white wine ? The question beinganswered, he pulled out the gimblet and put a quill in the hole, throughwhich ran as from a cask the wine demanded. After the same manner heextracted several sorts of liquors, all which I had the curiosity to taste,and found them good of the kinds.” Bell’s Travels. Lon. 1764, vol. ii, 28.

Peter Martyr speaks of old jugglers that “ devoure bread, and imme-diately spit out meale; and when they have droonke wine, they seem pres-entlie to poure the same out of the midst of their forehed.”

There are numerous intimations in history that hydrodynamics was oneof the most fruitful sources of scientific imposture, to which ancient magi-cianshad recourse. Besides the sieve of Tutia, the cup of Tantalus , and theDivining cup, there were “ the marvellous fountain, which Pliny describes,m the island of Andros, which discharged wine for seven days and waterduring the rest of the year—the spring of oil which broke out in Rome to welcome the return of Augustus from the Sicilian war—the threeempty urns that filled themselves with wine at the annual feast of Bacchus,