The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1834-09-03
MISCELLA ANY.
INDIAN JUGGLERS.

lNDlAN GNLEkS.
(From an Article on the 4" Autobiography of the
Emperor Jahangueir," in the Quarterly Re
! view
The author makes characteristic
transition from the grave subject on
which he has been just engaged To an
account of the feats of some Bengal Jug
glers, which cannot, he thinks, but be
considered among the most surprising
circumstances of the age. The descrlp-
tion of the operations of these men is,
however, in itself by no means unworthy
of attention, inasmuch as IL shows the
degree of perfection To which they carri
ed their various contrIvances for Dceiy-
ing the Imperial Court. Jahangueir was
so struck with astonishment at The won
ders which they wrought, that he as
crites them without hesitation to super
natural power. The jugglers were first
desired to produce upon the spot, from
the seed, ten mulberry trees. They inn
medIaley sowed in separate places seed
in the ground, and in few minutes
after, mulberry plant was seer sprlng-
ing from each of the seeds, each plant,
as 1t rose in the air, shooting forth leaves
and branches, and Yielding excellent
fruit In the same manner, and by a
similar magical process, apple ctIfirSr
trees, were created, all producing fruit,
which Jahanguier assures us was exqn,-
site tn the taste. This, however, he
observes was not all -
"Before the trees we're removed there
appeared among the foliage birds of sucl
surprising beauty, in color and shape
and melody of song, as the world neve
saw before. At the close of the opera
lion, the foliage, as in autumn, was seer
t. put on its variegated tInts, and thu
trees gradually disappeared into th'
earth from which they had been made Il
spring"
Major Price states, that he has himsel
witnessed similar operations on the ives
tern side of India, but that sheet wa
employed to cover The process. 81 have
however," he adds, "no conception o
the means by which they were accom-
plished, unless the lugglers had the tree
about them IN every stage, from the see'
to the fruit"
The reader will be amused with th
; Emperor's narrative Of some more o
! these specinus miracles :"
"Oue night, and ia the very middle q
the night, when half this globe wa
; wrapped IN darkness, one of these sevel
! men stripped himself almost naked, AM
having spun himself round several times
he took sheet, with which he coyere,
himself, and from beneath the sheet DIRE
out a resplendent mirror, by the radIanc
, Of which light so powerful was produc
f ed as to have illuminated the hems
, phere To an incredible distance round
To such b distance, indeed, that we hav
the attestatIon of travellers 10 the fac
2 who declared, that on a particular night
f the same night on which the exhihllIo
j., took place, and al the distance of te
DAYS journey, they saw the atmospher
j So powerfully Illuminated as to excee
J., the brightest Of the brightest day the
: had ever seen"
&" rhey placed in my presence larg
seething PCT or. cauldrnn, and filling
partly with water, they threw into
}. eight OF the SIN iller mauns of Irak c
e rice when without the application G
= the smallest spark of fire, the cauldrol
forthwith began to boil IN "A litle tim
they took Of the lad, and drew from
# nearly hundred plarters full, each wit
: a stewed fowl nj top J"
But these feats of skill fall into InsIg
nlfcance when compared with the fol
T lowing extraordinary process:-
! They produced man, whom they
: divided limb from limb, actually sever
q. Ing his head from the body. The
, scattered these muiilated members aloni
the ground, and IN this state they lay f.
some time. They then extended shee
e or curtain over the spot, aud one Of Tia
T men putting himself under the sheet, =
4 IN n few minutes came from below, toll
!, lowed BY the individual supposed To- hav
been cut into points. ia perfect hehllI
and condition and one might have safe
= ly sworn that lie had rsver receIyet
f wound or injury whatever :"