Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-09-09
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DRucE's PATENT MAGNETIC Music, PAGE
TuRNER.-An invention, which will confer an
immense boon on the musical world, has re-
Gently been perfected and introduced to public
notice by Messrs. bruce and Co., upholsterers,
of Baker street. A simple contriyance by
means OF which the page Of piece of music
may be turned over by the player without leay-
ing of, is a want which every musical person
or society has earnestly desired, and the lack
of which has often marred the effect of fine
passage otherwise brilliantly executed Mr..
Druee's effective and elegant appendage to the
piano or music-stand, will completely get rid of
the difficulty. 1t consists principally of light
lever, or rod, which is centered over frame
under the ledge Of the reading. desk. At the
extremity of the rod is "a magnet, and a small
disk of iron is fitted by points into the lower
corner of the right-hand page of the music.
By acting upon pedal in connexion with the
lever, it is thrown over to the right-hand side,
and the magnet drops upon the iron disc, with
which it remains in contact by virtue of the
magnetic attraction. On releasing the pedal,
the lever moves back to its ordinary position on
the other side of the book, the magnet drawing
the page with it. At certain point Of the po-
sition, small stem attached to the lever by
getting behind the page, pushes it smoothly
down into its place when the rod has completed
its movement. In this state the apparatus is
ready to take up the next leaf, and the entire
process, which is the work of touch of the
pedal by the pianist or other performer, is COM
pleted in few moments of time. The APP
pearance of the arrangements very ornamen-
tai, the mechanism is simple and inexpensive,
and in operationit is perfectly effective.
INDIA.-There had been reports that AN Eng
lsh officer was engaged at Candahar in drill
ing the infantry, which possibly may have had
some foundation in fact; for few months ago
the Candahar chiefs had agents in Bombay
trying to secure the services of some European
capable of conducting military operations.
News had arrived from Balkh to the effect that
the Persians have stationed themselves in
Merw, with powerful force, and that the Rus
sian army had possessed itself Of Ak Mizzid,
dependency of Hoorgunj. The Gear was re-
ported to have given back to Persia territories
taken in former years, and the Shah was sup
posed to be about to move to Bagdad on the
one side and to Herat on the other. In
Cabool letter of the Oath of May it is stated
that the Russian forces had arrived at Kokan,
and had taken possession Of that fortress, much
to the alarm of the King of Bokhara. 1t was
believed at Cabool that British officer, &C
companied by 100 horsemen, was about to visit
that place, in order to conclude treaty with
Dost Mahomed; but the news was not at all
acceptable to the people, who feared that an
English alliance would only serve to increase
the Dosts tyranny. The people are stated to
be ill-disposed towards Dost Mahomed, and
would gladly hail Russians Persans, or Eng
lish, if by doing so they could rid themselves Of
his tyrannical government.-AdceTtiser
A LUXURIOUS AUTHoR-In the broiling
month Of July used every method in my
power to guard against the heat; four servants
constantly fan my apartments-th raise wind
enough to make tempestuous sea- My wine
is plunged in snow and ice till the moment
drink it,; pass half my time in the cold bath,
and divide the other half between an orange
grove, cooled by a refreshing fountain, and my
sofa; do not venture to cross the street but
in coach. Other people are content with
swelling flowers, have hit on the method of
eating and drinking them / protest that my
chamber smells stronger of perfume than Ara
bia-Felix; and am so lavish of rose-water
and essence ofjessamine that / actually swim
in it. While my neighbors, at this sultry sea-
son are overlooking their stomachs with solid
food, subsist almost entirely on birds fed
with sugar; these, with jellies and fruit are
the whole of my diet. My house is neither so
elegant nor so costly as Fontainebleau, but it
has a charming wood behind it, which the so
lar ray cannot penetrate, and is admirably cal
culated for an invalid with weak eyes, or to
make an ordinary woman appear handsome.
The trees, covered with foliage to their very
roots, are crowded with turtle doves and pleas
ants; wherever walk, tread on tulips and
anemones, which / have ordered my gardner
to plant among the other flowers, to prove that
the French strangers do not suffer by COM
parison with their Italian friends.-Bdizdc.