MEPHISTO.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1595, 31 March 1879, Page 3

MEPHISTO.

An ingenious chess-playing figure of novel construction is now being exhibited in London at the Royal Aquarium under the title of "Mephisto." The history of chess automata is a remarkable one. Von Kerupelen's chessplayer made the tour of the Courts of Europe and its socrot was twice sold to crowned heads. The clever concealment of a human being in the interior was the explanation of all its wonderful achievements, and the merit of ils invention lay in the devices by which the manipulation hid the person within while appearing to court inspection. The Crystal Palace automaton was an adaptation of the eame idea. " Mephisto" depends upon another principle. He is actuated from without by a human intelligence, and the problem is to ascertain how the moves upon the board become known to his director and how the counter - moves are communicated to the figure. The new chess-player, who had been exhibited at the inventor's house for some time before his introduction to tne public, is a Mephistopheles seated in a chair, the chair being placed at an ordinary chess table. The piece of furniture on which he sits contaii s a deep seat, but this, as well as the body of the figure, may be investigated while play is goivg on, and it is clear that there is no person concealed in either, " Mephisto" raises his arm, grasps the piece with hio hand, and moves it to its proper square. He removes from the board the pieces ho captures, and signifies "check" by touching the opponent's king. Sometimes he moves very quickly, sometimes takes time to deliberate. Occasionally he lifts his face to his opponent and looks up with a smile. These are littie tricks to increase the effect of his skill as a scientific chess player which is, indeed, considerable. Ordinarily the board is uncovered, but occasionally a newspaper is placed over it, so that the moves could not be reflected by a mirror in the ceiling, and "Mephisto" plays a move in spite of the obstruction. The mystery of " Mephisto's" action is to be explained by the use of clever mechanism. The moveraonts of the arm are very free and varied ; more so, for instance, than those of Mr Maskelync'a automaton whist-player. But ahhougn Me Babbuge field it to be possible so to cuculate beforehand the changes which could be rung upon the squares of the chessboard by the pieces placed up >n if, and to construct mechanism to provide for fill, the merit is not claimed for «' Mephisto" of being entirely automatic. The inventor suys, by of apology for in part supplying the deficiencies of mechanism by human intelligence, that; life is too short, to construct"a chesa-pbiyer who should be entirely automatic. H i-t also the inventor of a pennutating lock, the key of wliich it provided with nineteen pins, o cii of which admits of Dime positions, and it has been calculated that even for the minor number of permutations resulting from these figuris a man would be engaged 130 lifetimes, ten hours a day, 300 days a year, fifty years of his life, to work them through. The thirty-two pieces on the sixty-four squares of

the chess-board with the varying powers of some!, would give a still larger number of combinition-i, and as " Mephisto" was pT footed in six or seven yearn, it h not surprising to learn that he is not entirely automatic, but is a medium for the exercise of human intelligence manifested only in a novel and at present au occult war.