in Europe;{1} and created a wooden musician,
that in a solo from the trumpet, will excel the best living performers on
that instrument!"

1 It appears by the following letter from Presburg, in
Hungary, that this wonderful automaton was originally
invented and exhibited there:--

"During my stay in this city, I have been so happy as to
form an acquaintance with M. de Kempett, an Aulic Counsellor
and Director General of the salt mines in Hungary. It seems
impossible to attain to a more perfect knowledge of
Mechanics, than this gentleman hath done. At least no artist
has yet been able to produce a machine, so wonderful in its
kind, as what he constructed about a year ago. M. de
Kempett, excited by the accounts he received of the
extraordinary performances of the celebrated M. de
Vaucanson, and of some other men of genius in Prance and
England, at first aimed at nothing more, than to imitate
those artists. But he has done more, he has excelled them.
He has constructed an Automaton, which can play at chess
with the most skilful players. This machine represents a man
of the natural size, dressed like a Turk, sitting before the
table which holds the chess-board. This table (which is
about three feet and a half long, and about two feet and a
half broad) is supported by four feet that roll on castors,
in order the more easily to change its situation; which the
inventor fails not to do from time to time, in order to take
away all suspicion of any communication. Both the table and
the figure are full of wheels, springs, and levers. M. de
Kempett makes no difficulty of shewing the inside of the
machine, especially when he finds any one suspects a boy to
be in it. I have examined with attention all the parts both
of the table and figure, and I am well assured there is not
the least ground for such an imputation. I have played a
game at chess with the Automaton myself. I have particularly
remarked, with great astonishment, the precision with which
it made the various and complicated movements of the arm,
with which it plays. It raises the arm, it advances it
towards that part of the chess-board, on which the piece
stands, which ought to be moved; and then by a movement of
the wrist, it brings the hand down upon the piece, opens the
hand, clo