The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-13 00:00:00

Pepper's Ghosts,

The spectators, seated on benches as in a theatre
or lecture-room, see a stage in front of them, suitable
for some kind of dramatic performance. Between
them and the stage is a sunken chamber, the floor
sor 6 feet below the level of the stage. The
chamber is open at the top, but the opening is con-
cealed from the audience by suitably arranged
boards and screens. Behind the sunk chamber, and
at the front edge of the stage, is set up a large
plate of plain or unsilvered glass, inclining for-
ward a little at the top, and so cnvironed with
painted scenery, as to induce the observer to lose
sight of the fact, that he is looking at the stage
through a glass. Living actors, dressed up in any
way at pleasure, are in the sunken chamber, with
a very strong lime-light or other light• shining on
them from lamps properly placed ; the actors and
the lamps being equally concealed from the audience
by screens. The strong rays from the illuminated
figures strike up in a slanting direction against the
glass, and are then reflected to the audience. The
glass has such an inclination given to it, that this
reflection shall be visible to the spectators generally.
The effect produced, though scientifically plain
enough, is practically very surprising. Supposing
a young actress, dressed as a theatrically beau.
tiful sylph or nymph, to be properly placed
in the sunken chamber, and an intense
lime-light shining on her, we see the reflected
sylph in the glass ; but not knowing that
there Is any glass there, we seem to see a brilliant
real sylph on the stage. If the actress-sylph, the
living person in the sunken chamber, smiles or
makes any gestures, the phantom sylph on the stage
does the same; if she sings or speaks, we hear the
sounds, and see the lips of the phantom moving. If
the light of the lamps is made gradually to go out,
the phantom disappears like a dissolving view; and
if a trap-door suddenly silently closes the top of the
sunken chamber, the phantom disappears instantly.
rmigae :
n
If the lady walks away from the sunken chamber,
saonddotehsent,hief phantomanactor, walk
awaydressed,
should appear on the stage, he may seem to say from
a os a theag stica
per-
form a little drama with the phantom, if distances
and lights are properly adjusted. True, he cannot
see the phantom himself; but he is guided towards
its apparent position by marks, cues, or clues of
some kind. If the glass does not extend all across
the stage, he may pass from behind to the front of
an opening at the side, without it, or vice versa, by
the spectators detecting either the glass er the ab-
sence of it ; and he may thus carry on the details
of many a curious dramatic plot wieh the phantom.
If there are two or more actors and actresses in the
sunken chamber, and two or more on the visible stage,
the by-play may be greatly varied, and the effect
wonderfully increased. If one of the actors in the
sunken chamber is a sculptured statue or a plaster
bust instead of a living person, a diversity of result
follows from combining the phantom of a living
being with the phantom of the copy of a living
being.— Chambers's Journal.

RACING FIXTU:
Ju:

ORES FOR 1864.

Newton
Odiham
Bibury
Beverley 22
Stockbridge

Chelmsford 2B
Newcastle-on-Tyne
New Forest Hunt
Ipswich
Woroestir (Summer)

Nottingham 9
Winchester l9
Southampton .. 2O
Chesterfield
King's Lynn 2l
Goodwood ...... 26
GUST.

Carlisle
Newmarket July
Pontefract
Abingdon
Liverpool July
Stamford
Au

Brighton 4
Brighton Club
5
Lewes
Huntingdon
Wolverhampton . . 9
Reading
Egham
Dover ..

Oxford ........ is
Yarmouth ............ 23
York Augu5t..........
Plymouth ............ 23
Lichfield .............. 29
Devon and Exeter .... 30
Stocktcn .... 3O
Derby