under its left arm as a support.  Then taking also from the drawer the Automaton’s set of chess-men, he arranges them upon the chessboard before the figure.  He now proceeds to close the doors and to lock them—­leaving the bunch of keys in door No. 1.  He also closes the drawer, and, finally, winds up the machine, by applying a key to an aperture in the left end (the spectators’ left) of the box.  The game now commences—­the Automaton taking the first move.  The duration of the contest is usually limited to half an hour, but if it be not finished at the expiration of this period, and the antagonist still contend that he can beat the Automaton, M. Maelzel has seldom any objection to continue it.  Not to weary the company, is the ostensible, and no doubt the real object of the limitation.  It Wits of course be understood that when a move is made at his own table, by the antagonist, the corresponding move is made at the box of the Automaton, by Maelzel himself, who then acts as the representative of the antagonist.  On the other hand, when the Turk moves, the corresponding move is made at the table of the antagonist, also by M. Maelzel, who then acts as the representative of the Automaton.  In this manner it is necessary that the exhibiter should often pass from one table to the other.  He also frequently goes in rear of the figure to remove the chess-men which it has taken, and which it deposits, when taken, on the box to the left (to its own left) of the board.  When the Automaton hesitates in relation to its move, the exhibiter is occasionally seen to place himself very near its right side, and to lay his hand, now and then, in a careless manner upon the box.  He has also a peculiar shuffle with his feet, calculated to induce suspicion of collusion with the machine in minds which are more cunning than sagacious.  These peculiarities are, no doubt, mere mannerisms of M. Maelzel, or, if he is aware of them at all, he puts them in practice with a view of exciting in the spectators a false idea of the pure mechanism in the Automaton.

The Turk plays with his left hand.  All the movements of the arm are at right angles.  In this manner, the hand (which is gloved and bent in a natural way,) being brought directly above the piece to be moved, descends finally upon it, the fingers receiving it, in most cases, without difficulty.  Occasionally, however, when the piece is not precisely in its proper situation, the Automaton fails in his attempt at seizing it.  When this occurs, no second effort is made, but the arm continues its movement in the direction originally intended, precisely as if the piece were in the fingers.  Having thus designated the spot whither the move should have been made, the arm returns to its cushion, and Maelzel performs the evolution which the Automaton pointed out.  At every movement of the figure machinery is heard in motion.  During the progress of the game, the figure now and then rolls its eyes, as if surveying the board, moves its