stance; and at other
times seemed to speak from a considerable depth under her feet. During
the dinner, the spirit appeared to be absolutely inexhaustible in the
gallantries he addressed to her; though he sometimes said civil things
to the rest of the company. This kind of conversation lasted above two
hours; and, in fine, the Countess was firmly persuaded, as the rest of
the company affected to be, that this was the voice of an aerial spirit:
nor would she, as the author affirms, have been undeceived, had not the
rest of the company, by their unguarded behaviour, at length excited in
her some suspicions. The little plot against her was then owned; and she
acknowledged herself to be mortified only in being awakened from such a
pleasing delusion.

Several other instances of Monsieur St. Gille's talents are related. He
is not, however, the only ventriloquist now in being. The author, in the
course of his inquiries on this subject, was informed that the Baron de
Mengin, a German nobleman, possessed this art in a very high degree.
The Baron has also constructed a little puppet, or doll, (the lower jaw
of which he moves by a particular contrivance), with which he holds a
spirited kind of dialogue. In the course of it, the little virago is so
impertinent, that at last he thrusts her into his pocket; from whence
she seems, to those present, to grumble, and complain of her hard
treatment. Some time ago, the Baron, who was then at the court of
Bareith, being in company with the Prince de Deux Ponts, and other
noblemen, amused them with this scene. An Irish officer, who was then
present, was so firmly persuaded that the Baron's doll was a real living
animal, previously taught by him to repeat these responses, that he
watched his opportunity at the close of the dialogue, and suddenly made
an attempt to snatch it from his pocket. The little doll, as if in
danger of being suffocated, during the struggle occasioned by this
attempt, called out for help, and screamed incessantly from the pocket
till the officer desisted. She then became silent; and the Baron was
obliged to take her out from thence, to convince him, by handling her,
that she was a mere piece of wood.

It should have been observed, at the beginning of the Abbe's anecdotes,
that ventriloquism is the art of vocal deception. It is an art, or
quality, possessed by certain persons, by means of which they are
enabled to speak inwardly, having the power of forming speech by dr