Part 1

HOLIDAY FROLICS; OR, ENDLESS AMUSEMENT FOR THE CHRISTMAS FIRESIDE. CONTAINING, _The most Astonishing Feats of Legerdemain_, AND ASTOUNDING CONJURINGS; Entertaining Experiments IN VARIOUS BRANCHES OF SCIENCE; _TRICKS with CARDS & DICE_. ART OF MAKING FIREWORKS; TOGETHER WITH AN EXCELLENT COLLECTION OF Puzzles, Conundrums, Riddles, Charades, &c. &c. The whole admirably calculated to beguile the leisure hours of our Holiday Friends. _Embellished with a Copper-plate Engraving._

London: W. STRANGE, 21, Paternoster Row; G. PURKESS, 61, Wardour Street; and J. CLEMENTS, 17, Little Pulteney Street, Soho.

PRICE SIXPENCE.

PREFACE.

Legerdemain and Conjuring are words frequently applied to the same object, but the definitions of them are quite different.

Legerdemain is that which conveys deception to the eye from philosophical principles, while Conjuring is nothing more or less than Sleight of Hand. Simple as the denomination seems from the title which it bears, many of our first Professors have applied much of their valuable time in developing the mysteries of it; and our young friends may rest assured, that the ascertaining of the power of mechanism has, in many instances, emanated from an hour or two’s amusing experiments.

The Tricks, Puzzles, Conundrums, &c. which are now presented, have been selected from the best works,—some have never yet appeared before the Public in print. If the perusal of the following pages, afford one hour’s amusement, the Author’s wishes will be obtained.

Oct. 16, 1830.

HOLIDAY FROLICS, OR, ENDLESS AMUSEMENT _For the Christmas Fireside_, &c. &c.

_Conundrums._

1. Why is a drunken man like a Quaker?

2. Why is a nobleman like a book?

3. What burns to keep a secret?

4. When is a door not a door?

5. Why is your nose like V in incivility?

6. Which is the left side of a plum-pudding?

7. Why do we all go to bed?

8. In which month do ladies talk least?

9. Why is Paris like the letter F?

10. Why is London like the letter E?

11. Which is the greatest Friday in the year?

12. Why is a book like a tree?

13. Why is a cobbler like a parson?

14. Why is a cook like a barber?

15. Why do cats see best in the dark?

16. Why is an umbrella like a woman?

17. Why does a miller wear a white hat?

18. Why is an apothecary like a woodcock?

19. Why is money like a whip?

20. Why is a pack of cards like a garden?

21. Why is the Pope of Rome like a pepper-box?

_Riddles._

1.

My body is thin, And no bowels within, Have neither a head, face, or eye; Yet a tail I possess, Forty feet and no less, And without any wings I can fly.

2.

There is a thing was three weeks old When Adam was no more; This thing it was but four weeks old, When Adam was fourscore.

3.

It has mouth, no eyes, nor nose, It has two feet with which it goes, Though strange, its feet don’t touch the ground, But all the way its head runs round.

4.

I’m rough, I’m smooth, I’m wet, I’m dry, My station low, my title high; The king my lawful master is, I’m used by all, though only his.

_Charades._

1.

My first is always, My second durable, My third without end.

2.

My first I hope you are, My second I see you are, My third I know you are.

_An Enigma._

A word there is five syllables contains, Take one away, no syllable remains.

_Solutions to the Conundrums._

1. The spirit moves him.

2. He has a title.

3. Sealing-wax.

4. When it’s a jar.

5. Because it’s between two I’s (eyes.)

6. That which is not eaten.

7. Because the bed will not come to us.

8. February.

9. It is the capital of France.

10. It is the capital of England.

11. Shrove Tuesday.

12. Because it’s full of leaves.

13. Because he mends soles. (souls)

14. Because he dresses hare. (hair)

15. They eat lights.

16. Because her best use is being handled.

17. To keep his head warm.

18. Because he has a long bill.

19. It makes the mare to go.

20. There are spades in it.

21. Because he is holy.

_Riddles._

1. A Kite.

2. The moon.

3. A wheelbarrow.

4. The highway.

_Charades._

1. Everlasting.

2. Welcome.

_Enigma._

Monosyllable.

_To make an Egg Tumble._

Put a penny-worth of Quick-silver into a quill, and seal it at both ends with wax, then boil an Egg, and as soon as you take it out of the water, put your quill through a small hole in the narrow end; put the egg on the table, and it will tumble about as long as the heat remains.

_To make Fire Flash from Water._

Pour a small quantity of clear water into a glass, and put a piece or two of phosphoret of lime into it. In a few seconds flashes of fire will dart from the surface of the water, and end in curls of smoke rising in regular succession.

_To suspend a Ring by a Thread which has been Burnt._

The thread having been previously soaked in urine, or common salt and water, tie it to a ring, not larger than a wedding ring; when you apply a flame of a candle to it, though the thread will burn to ashes, it will yet sustain the ring.

_To take the impression of Butterflies upon paper._

Clip the wings of the butterfly, lay them upon clean paper in the form of the insect when flying, spread some thick pure gum water on another piece of paper, press it upon the wings, and it will take them up, lay a piece of white paper over it, and rub it gently with your finger, or the smooth handle of a knife. The bodies are to be drawn in the space which you leave between the wings.

_To Gild the edges of Writing Paper or leaves of Books._

Screw a quantity of pages strongly into a press, after being cut as smooth as possible, size them with isinglass-glue, mixed up with spirits of wine, and then apply the gold leaves, when the size arrives at a proper degree of dryness.

_To clean Gilt Buckles, Chains, &c._

Dip a soft brush in water and rub a little soap on it, and brush the articles for a minute or two, then wash it clean, wipe it and place it near the fire till dry, then brush it with burnt bread finely powdered.

_To make Liquid Gold and Silver, for Vellum Painting, Fans, &c._

Grind up gold and silver leaf with gum water or honey, in a mortar, then wash the gum or honey, and use the powder that remains with gum water. This may be applied to any article with a camel’s hair pencil, in the same way as any other colour.

_How to produce Fire from a Cane._

Split a Chinese rattan, and strike the parts together when perfectly dry, and they will emit fire like a flint and steel.

_To Gild Silk or Ivory by the action of Hydrogen._

Immerse a piece of white satin, silk, or ivory, in a solution of nitro-muriate of gold (in the proportion of one part of the nitro-muriate, to three of distilled water) whilst the substance to be gilded is still wet, immerse it in a jar of hydrogen gas, and it will soon be covered by a complete surface of gold.

_Glass broken by Air._

Lay a square of glass on the top of an open receiver, and exhaust the open air. The weight of the external air will press on the glass, and smash it to atoms.

_To make luminous writing in the dark._

Fix a small piece of solid phosphorus in a quill, and write with it upon paper; if the paper be then placed in a dark room, the writing will appear beautifully luminous.

_Incombustible Paper._

Dip a sheet of paper in strong alum-water, and when dry, repeat the process a second and third time. As soon as it is dry, you may put it in the flame of a candle, and it will not burn.

_The Animated Sixpence._

To make a sixpence leap out of a pot. This is done by means of a long black horse hair fastened to the rim of a sixpence, by a small hole driven through it. This feat should be done by night, with a candle placed between the spectators and the operator, their eyes being thereby hindered from discerning the deception.

_Wine upon Water._

Half fill a glass with water, throw a bit of the crumb of a loaf into it, about the size of a nut, pour some wine lightly on the bread, and you will see the water at the bottom of the glass, and the wine floating at the top of it.

_To cast figures in imitation of Ivory._

Mix isinglass and strong brandy with powder of egg-shells, finely powdered, into a paste. Cast it warm into the mould, which must be previously oiled over; leave the figure in the mould till dry, and upon taking it out, you will find that it bears a strong resemblance to ivory.

_To make a bird appear as if it was dead._

Lay any bird upon a table, and wave a small feather over its eyes, and it will appear as dead; but by removing the feather it will revive again. Let it lay hold of the stem part of the feather with its feet, and it will twist and turn about like a parrot; you may likewise roll it about on the table at your pleasure.

_The manner of making Water freeze by the Fireside._

This feat can only be performed in winter. Place a stool before the fire, having first put a little water upon the stool; upon it set a quart pot, then put a handful of snow into it, having privately conveyed into the pot a handful of salt; stir it about for eight or ten minutes with a stick, and the congelation will be effected.

_Engraving in Relief upon an Egg-shell._

Choose an egg that has a thick shell, wash it well in fresh water, then dry it very carefully with a linen cloth; melt some tallow or fat, and while very hot, make any figures or drawings you please with it upon the shell, either with a pen or pencil. This being finished, take the shell by the two ends, between two fingers, and then lay it gently in a tumbler filled with good white wine vinegar, the acid of which will have eaten enough of the thickness of the shell in about four hours.

_To make a party appear ghastly._

This can only be done in a room. Take half a pint of spirits, and having warmed it, put a handful of salt with it into a bason; then set it on fire, and it will have the effect of making every person within its influence look hideous.

_To fill a glass with water in such a manner, that it cannot be removed without spilling it all._

Lay a wager with any one that you so fill a glass with water that he shall not move it off the table without spilling the whole contents. Then fill a glass with water, and placing a bit of paper or thin card over the top, so as to cover the water and the edge of the glass, you dexterously turn the glass upside down on a smooth table, and then drawing away the paper gently, the water will remain suspended in the glass, and therefore it will be impossible to remove it from the table without spilling the contents.

_How to make your cup draw your tea out of the saucer._

Empty the tea out of your cup into the saucer; then take a piece of paper, light it, and lay it on the surface of the tea, and instantly clap your cup over it, and it will immediately suck the tea into the cup.

_To make Touch-Paper._

Dissolve in spirits of wine a little saltpetre; take and wet with the above some blue paper, and when dry it will be fit for use.

_To make a Report like that of a gun with a Tobacco-Pipe._

Before performing this feat you must have a powder made of the following ingredients in your pocket:—One ounce of cream of tartar, one ounce of saltpetre, and half an ounce of sulphur, pulverized singly, and then well mixed together. Convey a single grain of this powder into a tobacco-pipe, and when it takes fire it will produce a noise like that of a gun, without breaking the pipe.

_To make a sound similar to St. Paul’s Bell._

Tie a poker, or any other piece of metal, on to the middle of a strip of flannel about a yard long; then press with your thumbs or fingers the end of the flannel into your ears, while you swing the poker against any obstacle, as an iron fender, and you will hear a sound similar to that of a large church bell.

_How to restore a dead fly to life._

Take a fly that has been drowned in water or spirits, place it in the sun, and cover it with pounded chalk or salt; in a few minutes it will revive and fly away. It is necessary that the fly be not squeezed when taken from the water.

_To melt a piece of steel as if it was lead, without requiring a large fire._

Make a piece of steel quite red in the fire; then holding it with a pair of pincers or tongs, take in the other hand a stick of brimstone, and touch the piece of steel with it; immediately after their contact, you will see the steel melt and drop like a liquid.

_How to procure laughter._

Take a ball in one hand and another in the other, then stretch your hands as far as you can one from the other; and if any one will lay a wager that you will not withdraw your hands, and yet will make both of them come into either hand, which they please, it is no more to do, than to lay one down upon a table, and turn yourself round, and take it up with your other hand, then your wager is won; and it will move no small laughter to see a fool so lose his money.

_To tell any number thought of by another person._

Desire the person who has thought of a number to multiply it by itself; then desire him to add unity to the number thought of, and to multiply that sum also by itself; in the last place, ask him to tell the difference of these two products, which will certainly be an odd number, and the least half of it will be the number required.

_For Example._

Let the number thought of be 5, which multiplied by itself gives 25; in the next place, 5 increased by 1 is 6, which multiplied by itself makes 36; and the difference between these two squares is 11, the least half of which is 5, the number thought of.

_To make Alum Baskets._

Form a small basket, about the size of the hand, of iron wire; then take some worsted, and wind it round every part of it. Boil a pound of alum in a quart of water, let it boil well, stirring it all the time; when completely dissolved, pour it into a deep pan, and by a thread suspend the basket into it to a good depth, so as that no part shall touch the vessel; let it remain for one day, and when you take it out, the alum will be found crystallized all over the basket. The alum may be coloured pink, purple, or yellow, by boiling Brazil, logwood, or French berries with it.

_Silver Tree on Glass._

Put a few drops of the solution of silver in aqua-fortis; on a piece of glass form a bit of copper or brass wire, to represent a tree with its branches, but flat, so as to lie upon the glass; lay it in the liquid, and let it remain for an hour or two. A beautiful vegetation will be perceived all round the wire, which will nearly be covered by it. This may be preserved by washing it very carefully with water, and putting another glass over it.

_A person having written an odd number on one card, and an even on another, to tell which is the even and which is the odd._

Desire him to multiply the number in his right hand by 5 (or any odd number) and that in his left by 6, (or any even number) and tell you if the sum of the products added together be odd or even. If it be even, the even number is in the right; but if odd, the even number is in the left hand.

_A Metal which bursts into flame when thrown upon cold water._

Place a piece of potassium, of about two grains weight, upon cold water in a bason, when it inflames, and exhibits a beautiful light of a violet red colour.

_The Artificial Spider._

Cut a piece of burnt cork, about the size of a pea, in the shape of a spider; make its legs of linen thread, and put a grain or two of lead into it; to give it more weight; suspend it by a fine line of silk between the arch, and an excited stick of wax.

_To make waves of fire on the surface of water._

On a lump of loaf sugar, let fall a few drops of phosphorized ether, and place the sugar in a glass of warm water; a very beautiful appearance will be instantly exhibited: and the effect is increased if the surface of the water is made to undulate, by blowing gently with the breath.

_Spoons which melt in hot water._

Melt together, in a crucible, five parts of lead, three of tin, and eight of bismuth; these metals will contain and form an alloy (of which spoons may be made, possessed of the remarkable property of melting in boiling water.)

_To prepare Phosphorized Ether._

Suffer sulphuric ether (about sixpenny worth) to stand for some weeks over a few small pieces of phosphorus, in a well-stopped phial. The solution is aided by occasional agitation.

_How to extract sixpence from under a glass without touching it._

Place two shillings at an equal distance, so as to allow the rim of a glass to rest on them, place a sixpence in the centre of the shillings under the glass; by drawing your nail along the table, the sixpence will follow the motion of your nail. This feat can only be performed on a baize, cloth, &c.

_To prepare a luminous Bottle._

Put a piece of phosphorus, the size of a pea, into a phial, add boiling oil until the bottle is a third full. The phial must then be carefully corked; and when it is to be used it should be unstopped, to admit the atmospheric air; the upper part of the phial will be luminous, and if care be taken to keep it in general well closed, it will preserve this illuminative power for six months.

_An excellent feat to win a wager._

Lay any person a bet that you will stick a knife in a beam of the ceiling, and place a halfpenny underneath, so that by striking the beam the handle of the knife will fall on the halfpenny. To perform this feat you have only to fill a glass with water, and dip the handle in it while it is suspended; then observe where the water that is on the handle drops on the floor, place the halfpenny on the spot where it fell, and it will be sure to be immediately under it.

_How to make Squibs and Serpents._

First, make the cases, of about six inches in length, by rolling slips of stout cartridge paper three times round a roller, and pasting the last fold; tying it near the bottom as tight as possible, and making it air-tight at the end by sealing-wax. Then take of gunpowder half a pound, one ounce of charcoal, one ounce of brimstone, and half an ounce of steel filings; grind them with a muller, or pound them in a mortar. The cases being dry and ready, first put a thimble-full of powder, and ram it hard down with a ruler; then fill the case to the top with the aforesaid mixture, ramming it hard down in the course of filling it two or three times; when this is done, point it with touch-paper, which should be pasted on that part which touches the case, otherwise it is liable to drop off.

_To produce an Electric Spark from a piece of Brown Paper._

Thoroughly dry before the fire a quarter of a sheet of stoutish brown paper, place it on your thigh, holding it at the edge with one hand, while with the cuff of the sleeve on the other, you must rub it smartly backwards and forwards ten or fifteen times, if the knuckle be then placed near the paper it will emit a brilliant spark, accompanied with a snapping noise; the prongs of a fork similarly placed, will produce three distinct streams of light. The experiment must of course be performed in the dark, and the trowsers and coat be of woollen cloth.

_Magic Squares._

A magic square consists of numbers so disposed that in whatever way you may add the numbers, which the square contains, they will give the same amount, whether it be vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

+---+---+---+ 15 | 2 | 9 | 4 | +---+---+---+ 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | +---+---+---+ 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | +---+---+---+ 15 15 15

+----+----+----+----+ 34 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 13 | +----+----+----+----+ 34 | 5 | 10 | 11 | 8 | +----+----+----+----+ 34 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 12 | +----+----+----+----+ 34 | 4 | 15 | 14 | 1 | +----+----+----+----+ 34 34 34 34

+----+----+----+----+----+ 65 | 11 | 24 | 7 | 20 | 3 | +----+----+----+----+----+ 65 | 4 | 12 | 25 | 8 | 16 | +----+----+----+----+----+ 65 | 17 | 5 | 13 | 21 | 9 | +----+----+----+----+----+ 65 | 10 | 18 | 1 | 14 | 22 | +----+----+----+----+----+ 65 | 23 | 6 | 19 | 2 | 15 | +----+----+----+----+----+ 65 65 65 65 65

_To make Waterloo Crackers._

Take a slip of cartridge paper, about three-quarters of an inch in width, paste and double it, let it remain till dry, then cut it into two equal parts in length, (Nos. 1 and 2) according to the following pattern:

+-------------------+----------+-------+-------------+ | No. 1. Glass | _S_ | Glass | No. 2. | +-------------------+----------+-------+-------------+

Take some of the glass composition and lay it across the paper as in the pattern, put about a quarter of a grain of fulminating silver in that place marked S, and while the glass composition is moist, put the paper marked No. 2, over the furthest row of glass. Over all paste twice over the part that covers the silver, a piece of paper, let it dry and when you wish to explode it, take hold of the two ends and pull them quickly from each other, when a loud report will be produced.

_A person privately fixing on any Number to tell him that Number._

After the person has fixed on a number, bid him to double it, and add four to that sum, then multiply the whole by five, to the product let him add twelve, and multiply the amount by ten; from the sum of the whole let him deduct three hundred and twenty, and tell you the remainder, from which, if you cut off the two last figures, the number that remains will be that fixed on.

_Example._

Let the number chosen be 6 Which doubled is 12 And 4 added to it, makes 16 Which multiplied by 5, gives 80 To which 12 being added, it is 92 That multiplied by 10, makes 920 From which deducting 320, remains 600

And by striking off the two cyphers, it becomes the former number 6.

_The Camelion Spirit._

Put into a decanter some volatile spirit, in which copper filings have been dissolved, and it will produce a fine blue tincture, if the bottle be stopped the colour will immediately disappear, but when unstopped, it will return.

_Three Dice being thrown on a Table, to tell the Number of each of them, and the order in which they stand._