Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-09-19
EVENING STAR.
CATCH.PFNNTES

CdtCu- pcUN1cS.
1s These catch-pennies are often so inee-
nious and cheap as to deserve a better
generic name. There is q man who
sometimes stands in Leicester Square,
who sells microscopes at a penny each.
They are made OF a common pill box.
the bottom taken out, and piece of
window glass substituted. A small eye
hole is bored in the lid, and thereon is
placed the lens, the whole apparatus be-
ing painted black. Upon looking through
one ct those microscopes / was surprised
to lind hundreds Of creatures, apparent
ly the size of earth worms, swimming
about in all directions; yet, on the OBJ
ject glass nothing could be seen but a
small speck of flour aud water, conveyed
there on the end Of lucifer- match from
a common inkstand, which was nearly
full of this vivified paste. Another mi
croscope exhibited q single representative
of the animal kingdom showing bis i'm
patience of Imprisonment by kicking Wig
orously. Though | must confess to a
shudder, / could not help admiring the
beauties of construction in this little
monster, which, if at liberty, would have
excited murderous feelings unfavorable
to the prolongation of its existence. The
sharp-pointed mouth, with which he works
his diggings: his side-claws, wherewith
to hold On while at work and his little
heart, pulsating slowly but forcibly, and
sending stream of blood down the large
vessel in the centre of his white and
transparent body. could also be seen and
wondered at. When the stock of this
sort of game runs short, q common car
rot-seed is substituted: which, when
looked at through magnifier, is marvel
lously like an animal having thick body
and numerous legs projecting from the
sides so like an animal that it has been
mistaken by an enthusiastic philosopher
for an animal created in, or by, a chem
ical mixture in conjunction with cleo
tricity. .iFiE e.E 3D. s-.., ,.. -.
bought several of these microscopes.
determined to find out how all this could
be done for penny. An eminent micro
scopist examined them. and found the
magnifying power was twenty diameters.
The cost of q lens made of glass, of such
a power, would be from three to four
shillings. How, then, could the whole
apparatus be made for Single penny !?
A penknife revealed the mystery. The
pill-box was cut in two, and then it sp.
peared that the lens was made of Canada
balSam, transparent gum. The balsam
had been heated. and carefully dropped
into the eye-hole Of the pill-box. 1t then
assumed the proper size, shape, trans
parency, and polish, ofa very well ground
glass lens. Our ingenious lens-maker in.
formed me that be had been selling these
microscopes for fifteen years, and that he
and his family conformity make them.
One child cuts out the pilI-boxes, another
the gap, another put them together, his
wife painted them black, and be made
the lenses. '-i .-'@~.
Not long afterwards, in another part of
the town, came across another micro.
scropist. He did not sell anything. but
merely charged half penny for peep,
His apparatus consisted of tin box,
about the size of common teacaddv,
placed on three legs, at about the level
Of small boys eye: these ingenious
youths being his principal customers.
The fee being paid, the slide was drawn
away from the peep-hole, and the observer
addressed with the following words:
''Here, you see drop of Thames water,
which looks like gallon; the water is
full of heels, snakes, and ladders, p,ayt
ing aboutand dew uring of one another" +"
Whence the Snowman Rad got the wa.
ter cannot undertake to say, but Isin-
cerely hope, not from the Thames for lit
was filled with numerous little creatures
which, having very small bodies, have as
sort of compensation received very large
Latin names from their christener and
discoverer, Ehrenburgh. Many of them
were swimming about, pursued by what
appeared to be immense sea-Snakes, who
caught and devoured them. others were
quietly reposing on weeds, which looked
like elm trees, and all of them were per-
fectly unconscious of being exhibited to
the British public at halfpenny a head.
But this was not all; the exhibitor next
brought out of his waistcoat pocket a
small tin tube, and said, all in one breath /:
There you see flea chained round
his neck with a silver chain he LAYS his
heggs on the glass and feeds him three
times day on my and the performance
is now concluded. :.
Another man in the optician line, has
two tubes, like telescopes, placed facing
each other. He asks you, whether you
can see through an inch board Of
cou sc you say "No." "ThenJ6f ahalf-
penny II show you that yot 4n." Ac-
cordIngly you look through the end of
one of the tubes, and for the benefit of
the by-standers you are requested to read
some printing placed at the end of the
furthest tube. This is easy enough. He
then places thick board between the
two tubes, and still you can read the
printing, which you are again requested
to do; having purchased the power on
that occasion only of seeing through a
deal board for the small charge of one half
penny, ......... ...-.
in Tothill street, Westminster, on a
Saturday night, a travelling successor to
the glass blowing exhibitions that had
permanent patronage from the sight-see-
ing world in the days of Miss Linwood's
exhibition may sometimes be seen, who
goes his rounds to sell the products of his
industry. A glass pen, glass Neptune's
trident. a glass dove fastened to the top