New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-11-22
THE BLACK Art.

Ssss MI srs,;ita wofK NJ the lind ever written.
E 2IEs Nrs Hand. referred ID below, was also emf
nsls IL III DAY Is \ man Of science. The reader
M 1,rofounlest nroblem 81 occult philosophy, by
~ Iii n ia 1sSd fhaf fhe scientiflc men 81 that
Hi,S ero i1ore pous ana less sceptical than those
81 III nresent generation. among whom we think
n sUSj6 ~ Sif8cult 70 ffndl many who would hest
tase n x.oinnly Nth lie conditions proposed by
IiV 1fs,ssais 1ssvzsttrious yisiter
m {slarS0 knd alWays : yenrning for the recon
dite ID nntrre i; 4 disposition which led him to d
vsrses sorssi,'pes ffom lie orthodox chemical
ssiesce 81 Inoderii ZINES into the now almost for
ro{Ssst NJ ~ u the old alchemists. We have
49, I03 Vh6n . mere boy, he tried TO master the
H06cf1t llIl0s0phy Of C0rnellns Agrppa- ~ ms
- flneFant years he tells ns that The read sew
efSl ScSenistic authors, the perusal0 of which was
fese1nsnended to him BY friend who was much
dexptsd u such studies; and he also went through
several 1f the iniaatory operations recommended
VI pTrf red &aepts in that science This study
~ NJ l1&anG suf &reaty eniarging his views on
sSe dletasi0ns 81 nature, as he saw many wonders
M IA ~ chemical agency" I. may surprise
a. fe4deS k61t Ne took pains to wade through Ba-
u YSuGfiHe, George Ripley, Philalethes, Nicholas
msticAl Triumph, all the writer's in Ashmoles
zbedt r.ms 6semiclm B-itnnnfcitns, ETC., not with
ID hope Of finding the philosophers stone, but
refsnt c0gn0scere cdusas to see nature IN her own
laboratory: 81. !,
ursuits in modern dimes, DR.. Clarke became ac.
auaihted with one In Dublin, of whom he has left
some memoranda too curious not 70 be trans
cribeds One Sabbah morning, preaching n White,
iriars street Chapel on Isiah Is, % And will
tky dross, and take away all thy tin, etc., he
mentioned BY way OF explaining the metapor, we
method by which the dross j. separated from me
lysr the process q refining, ana made some
observations on the nature and properties o.
naetAls lending e throw light on tne subject ne
ms discussing. gentleman, eminent as man
sfscience, was present on that occasion, whose
Hetee was Hand, who had been TOT some Fl. tune
blems Of alchemy in fact, serious expectant o.
finding The grand secret itself me sermon arrest
~ IT, attention. and from the turn OF
employed by she preacher, ne was sure that n n
hinself, and one who had Travelled IN the same
track Is that which, ne believed, might conduct
them both to wealth and 1mmortalty re sought
az introducticn; snd Z, on pecoming acgualn.ea
with The learned preacher, ne did not ma
deyotee 70 the mysterious art as thorough as him
seiE he nevertheless found one who, as an IN
qIirsr into the arcana Of nature was glad 70 spend
"A hour occasionally WIN nun ln ms "a Doratory.
The meMorandums e Wnicn w refer are Two
letters from this gentleman 20 Mt Ciarke, after
the 1stter Ind removed from Dublin 10 manchester.
In the first he makes the IoAoWlne remafkapie
fecitai ~. ,s1.
The second Of november iass, came 70 Wy
house two men one thought 70 pc priest ana
yet believe NJ ne other, PLAIN, sedate-looking
man They asked f0r me- AS soon az Wend 70
them The aforementioned person SAID ne mad cameo
"a zee some Of my stained glass, and hoped as II
was curious would permit MN 70 call ana see me
NOW and then. Of course SAID should pc happy..
Afters much conversation ne began 70 speak OF
nletals And alchemy. asking me II had ever read
my books 0f that kind (but believe he well knew
4 hall After some compliments on my ingenious
ut they went away. AT u O'CLOCK the next day
be came himself, without the priest, and told me
he had little matter that would stain glass the
very color wanted and which could never get;
L III i deep bi0od-red. Said he, Z If you have
rnace hof we Viii do it. for the common fire will
ret III Nell replied, Sir have not one hot
brt Il VII viii please to come with me will show
You nv little laboratory, and will get one lighted
When We cssne out, he looked about him and said,
Isl, do not deceive me, you are an alchemist.'
why do YOU think that, sir p Because you have
= many foolish vessels as i have seen with many
others engaged ia that study L have,' an
ssrered worked d long time at it without gain and
should bA dad TO be better instructed, do you
believe the art!' yes sir why 2 Because
riye credit to many good and pous men, He
smiled. win YOU have this air-furnace lighted y
ala 10. HI then asked for BIT Of glass, opened a
boz ana turned aside laid little red powder on the
giass With pen-knife, put the glass with the pow
1eron II into the fire, and, when hot, took it out,
and the glass was ike blood Have you scales p
I not them for him. and some lead he weighed
MO ounces !; he then put four grains of very
white powder Id Bit Of wax, and, when the lead
va melted put this into 1t, and then raised the
ffe for little while, took it ont and cast it into
water; never was finer silver in the world ex-
Amaze me. Why, he replied, do you call upon
1Hr<2X s7xxly Irn