cover: Mephisto, the Marvellous Automaton

The Turk

Ajeeb, the Pride of the Eden Musée

The Turk

Issue #1: The Automaton Chess-player - Cornhill Magazine Inanimate Reason by Carl-Gottlieb von Windisch The Turk - Joseph Friedrich Freiherr zu Racknitz

Issue #2: Brewster's Letters on Natural Magic Robert-Houdin and the Turk An Attempt to Analyse the Automaton Chess Player by Robert Willis Observations on an Automaton Chess Player by an Oxford Graduate. 1819.

Issue #3: The Chess Automaton by George Walker Maelzel, Schlumberger and the Turk The Turk at Odds

Issue #4: E.A. Poe and the Turk The Automaton by John Timbs The Turk - from the Diary of Robert Gilmor Address to the Automaton Chess-player The Last of a Veteran Chess Player by Silas Weir Mitchell

Ajeeb

Issue #5: The Strange and Wondrous Ajeeb Eden Musée The Mysterious Ajeeb - The Pride of the Eden Musée The Mysterious Ajeeb - Chess Reporter 1932 Ajeeb - Odds and Ends

The Automaton Whist-player

Mephisto

Issue #6: Mephisto the Magnificent How Mephisto Was Caught: Chess Legend Mephisto - promotional material

ISSUE 1

CHESS AUTOMATONS

THE TURK

Around the time when America was soon to become the United States, the very year that Napoleon Bonaparte was born, the first chess automaton made its debut. A chess automaton is a mechanism that purports to play chess, i.e. act intelligently of its own accord, but in reality is controlled by some exterior and unsuspected source, usually an established chess master. Some people call them hoaxes, some call them marvels, but since they were paraded about for entertainment and not for scientific advancement, they possibly more correctly fall within the category of legerdemain. There were three well known chess automatons: the first and greatest was the Turk which existed from 1769 to 1854 and toured mainland Europe, England and America ; the second was a strange fellow called Mephisto; and last was a carnival act call Ajeeb.

This series intends to examine all three of these creations mainly through historical documentation.

The Turk will be the first subject. This automaton had four distinct periods – its creation and subsequent exhibitions by it’s creator; its resurrection and exhibitions in mainland Europe and England; its emigration to the United States where it exhibited for a dozen years and finally its slow and almost ignoble demise. Some of the documentations scurry over these periods helter-skelter, while some just dwell on single times. Together, however, they form a powerful picture of the machine that bewildered Ben Franklin, upstaged Philidor and intrigued E.A. Poe.

The first article is a comprehensive summary of the Turk’s life from birth to death and comes from The Cornhill Magazine  edited by George Smith and William Makepeace Thackeray.

July, 1885

THE AUTOMATON CHESS-PLAYER.

Several years ago an automaton chess-player was exhibited at the Crystal Palace for some time. But the Turk was not a player de la premiere force, for the writer, although not boasting any particular proficiency in the game, won with ease the only partie he contested with him. The mechanism, too, of the android was decidedly inferior to the one invented by Von Kempelen about the middle of the eighteenth century. In fact, in the case of the automaton at Sydenham, it was tolerably obvious in what part of the figure the chess-player was concealed who conducted the games.The original automaton, on the other hand, was not only seldom beaten, but so remarkable was the ingenuity displayed in its construction that notwithstanding many attempts from time to time were made to find out the principle of its mechanism, not one of the explanations offered of the puzzle proved to be the correct one. Indeed, the secret was so well kept that it was not until the automaton had been in existence for upwards of half a century that a solution of the problem was given to the public. In 1834, however, one Mouret, a skillful chess-player who some years previously had been in the employment of the proprietor of the exhibition, sold the ' secret of his prison house.' On information furnished by him was based an article entitled "Automate Joueur d'Echecs" in the Magazin Pittoresque for 1834. In that contribution a full description of the mechanism of the android was given. It does not come within the scope of this paper to reproduce that statement in extenso here, the object of the writer being, primarily, to furnish a brief account of the career of the automaton and to give some anecdotes connected with its adventures in various countries. But before doing this, it will not be altogether superfluous to furnish some particulars with respect to the inventor of the android, and to describe briefly the ingenious and successful attempts made by him to prevent any discovery of the place of concealment of the person who directed the moves of the Turk. Wolfgang, Baron von Kempelen, the inventor of the automaton, was born in Hungary about the year 1723. He was an Aulic Councillor of the Royal Chamber of the Hungarian States; a man of extraordinary mechanical ability, a good naturalist, and an excellent artist. In 1769, when at Vienna on official business, he, during his intervals of leisure, constructed the mechanical chess-player which was destined to render him famous. The automaton consisted of a chest or box, upon which was seated the figure of a Turk. The chest was three feet and a-half long, two feet broad, and two and a-half feet high, placed on casters, which enabled the exhibitor to move it occasionally from one part of an apartment to another. The object of this arrangement was to show to the

spectators that no trap-door communicated with the chest. The left arm of the Turk was hollow, and through it a wire ran which communicated with the interior of the chest, where, by means of a lever, the operator concealed within it was enabled to give every desired motion to the arm, hand, and fingers of the figure. The chest was divided into two compartments above and a drawer beneath. In the smaller of the two compartments, occupying about the third of the longitudinal dimensions of the chest, were placed a number of pieces of brass, made very thin, and designed only for the purpose of misleading the spectators, for they were no part of the machinery by which the moves of the game were effected. In the other compartment were also similar pieces of brass, representing quadrants and other philosophical instruments, intended, as in the previous instance, to give the impression that they conduced to the working of the automaton. The two compartments communicated with each other by means of a sliding panel, but so carefully was it contrived that the partition had the appearance of being immovable. The drawer, which when drawn out seemed to be the entire horizontal dimensions of the chest, was deceptive, as it was so constructed that it could not be pressed back more than a foot and a half, whilst by a species of telescopic arrangement of the sides of the drawer, it had, when pulled out, the appearance of being quite two feet six inches in depth. Behind this movable back of the drawer there was consequently an unoccupied space left which extended the whole length of the chest, and was more than a foot in breadth. At the commencement of the exhibition, on every occasion, the operator of the automaton sat behind the mock machinery of the smaller of the two upper compartments of the chest, his legs occupying the hidden portion of the drawer. Then the front doors of both apartments were opened at the same time; alighted candle was placed in the larger one, so that it could be distinctly seen that the space not occupied by the quadrants and other instruments was vacant. Another candle was placed, not in, but in front of, the other apartment, which was apparently completely filled with machinery. Next, after closing the doors the exhibitor turned the automaton round, so as to show the back of the chest to the spectators. While this was being done, the concealed operator moved into the large compartment, closing after him the sliding panel. In this position he remained until the back door of the small compartment had been opened and shut again. Thus by these ingenious contrivances the spectators were led to believe that it was quite impossible that anyone could be hidden in the chest. As regards the Turk, seated cross-legged on the box, it was perfectly obvious that, putting aside the fact that his body was shown to be occupied by machinery, the figure was not large enough to hold a human being. When the doors of the automaton had been closed, the operator began to make his arrangements for the game. This he did by swinging the whole furniture of the interior of the chest—wheels, machinery, and partition—against the outer doors and walls of the box, so as to throw all the subdivided compartments into one apartment. By this means he had room enough to seat himself comfortably before the chess board on which he played. The moves of the adversary of the Turk, when made on the board before the figure, were communicated to the occupant of the chest by means of

wires connected with a number of discs inserted in the top of the apartment, and directly any one of the pieces on the Turk's board was touched the fact was indicated by the corresponding disc being put in motion. The concealed chess-player reproduced his opponent's moves on his own board, and when he was ready to reply to them he made use of the left arm of the figure for that purpose, as already stated. The automaton was exhibited in Vienna for some months, attracting a crowd of savants from all parts of the empire. From the capital, Von Kempelen removed the android to Presburg, where it remained for a considerable period. Finally, the scientific and mechanical pursuits of the Baron having made sad inroads upon his patrimony, he set out on a tour through Europe with the object of endeavouring to retrieve his impaired fortunes by giving exhibitions of his curious invention in the principal cities on the Continent. Before starting on his travels. Von Kempelen engaged the services of the most skillful chess-player he could find to operate the android. To secure, too, the Turk, so far as practicable, from all hazard of defeat at the hands of more able adversaries, endings of games only were usually played, under the pretext that complete games would occupy too much time. A book, containing a series of end-games, was always handed to the opponents of the automaton, and they were allowed their choice of the white or black pieces. Nothing, in appearance, could be fairer than this; but, as a matter of fact, the positions were so contrived that whosoever took the first move—which the Turk invariably claimed —had a forced-won game. However, it was not, on all occasions, possible for Von Kempelen, without discourtesy, to refuse to permit the automaton to play entire games with some of the adversaries who presented themselves. Consequently the Turk was sometimes beaten. In 1783, at the Cafe de la Regence, at Paris, he encountered Philidor and Legal, being vanquished by them both. From Paris Von Kempelen went to Berlin, where the android played with Frederick the Great, who was compelled to succumb to his prowess. It has been stated that the king bought the automaton in 1785, but this is an error, for Von Kempelen died withit in his own possession in 1804. It is possible that the secret of the invention may have been sold to Frederick, but even that is doubtful. Directly after the death of Von Kempelen his son disposed of the automaton to one Maelzel, ' Mechanician to the Court' (Hof-Mechanikus) at Berlin, who occasionally exhibited it. In 1809, Maelzel was occupying some portion of the Palace of Schonbrun, when Napoleon made this building headquarters after the battle of Wagram. It was there that the automaton played with the Emperor the historic game of chess, the particulars of which—if Maelzel's own account of the occurrence maybe accepted—have been not a little distorted and embellished by the various narrators of the incident. The real facts seem to have been as follows: In Von Kempelen's days the antagonist of the Turk had played upon the board in front of the figure, but Maelzel always placed a table, with another chessboard, a few paces from the automaton, with the object—as was asserted—not to intercept the view of the spectators. Maelzel therefore was constantly passing between the Turk and his adversary's table to repeat each move on the board of the other party. The space occupied by the automaton was separated from the rest of the apartment by a silken cord. When Napoleon evinced an intention of passing the barrier, Maelzel checked him with "Sire, il eat defendu depasser outre." The Emperor

at once acquiesced, with a good-natured 'Eh Men!' and took his seat at the little table on his side of the cord. It has been asserted that Napoleon, overstepping the barrier, struck his hand on the automaton's chessboard, and exclaimed, "I will not contend at a distance. We fight face to face."  Also, that he placed a large magnet on the board to see if it would have the effect of disarranging the machinery. Neither of these statements is correct. In fact, on this occasion, the conduct of the Emperor was perfectly free from the brusquerie which has been attributed to him. Napoleon, who was a poor player, quickly lost the game. He then challenged the automaton to a second encounter. In the course of the game he purposely made a false move; the Turk bowed gravely, and replaced the piece on its proper square. A few moments later the Emperor repeated his manoeuvre and with a similar result. But when the same thing occurred a third time, his opponent swept the whole of the chessmen off the board. Napoleon, however, instead of being irritated by this treatment, only laughed, saying "C'est juste!" He added, too, a quasi apology for the violation of the laws of the game of which he had been guilty, by alleging that it had arisen from his desire to learn what course the automaton would pursue in the event of so unexpected a contingency presenting itself. Allgaier—the inventor of the gambit named after him—is believed to have been the player who had the temerity to inflict so merited a rebuke upon the ' Victor of a hundred battles.' About two years later, Eugene Beauharnais, then Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, witnessed an exhibition of the automaton at Milan. His curiosity was so great to penetrate the mystery of the Turk, that he bought of Maelzel both the android and the secret of its mechanism for thirty thousand francs. The Prince, however, soon tired of his purchase, and the automaton, relegated to a lumber-room, remained for the succeeding four or five years in inglorious retirement. In 1817 Maelzel, who, at this period, had settled down in Paris as a manufacturer of philosophical instruments, proposed to Eugene Beauharnais to buy back the automaton from him for the Fame price which had been paid for it. This offer was accepted, and, as Maelzel was not able to pay the whole purchase-money in one sum, it was stipulated that the debt should be liquidated by installments, out of the proceeds arising from exhibiting the android.In conformity with this arrangement, the Turk once more set out on his travels. He visited this country in 1818. Whilst in London he measured himself against the leading chess-players of the day, being usually, but by no means invariably, victorious in these encounters. Returning to the Continent in 1820, Maelzel continued to give exhibitions of the automaton for several successive years, but with only indifferent success. Finally, he conceived the project of trying his fortunes in the New World. Maelzel, having failed to meet the instalments of the debt payable to the heirs of Eugene Beauharnais (the Prince had died in 1824) as they came due, was in danger of being arrested by his creditors, and his proposed journey prevented. He, therefore, left Paris, suddenly, without waiting to make arrangements with any skillfulchess-player to accompany him, contenting himself with leaving instructions with a friend to send one out to him as soon as practicable. Maelzel sailed from Havre on the 20th of December, 1825, for New York taking with him, besides the automaton, a fantoccino of his own invention, consisting of

mechanical rope-dancers. He arrived at his destination on the 3rd of February, 1826, and after waiting in vain two months for the chess-player he was expecting, he opened his exhibition without him. He confided the duty of operating the android to a Frenchwoman, the wife of a man who guided the motions of the puppets. She was faithful to the trust reposed in her, and her conduct in this respect offered a practical refutation to the cynical proverb that ' a woman cannot keep a secret.' Only few persons attended the first exhibition of the automaton, but their report of the performance was so favourable that the rooms where it took place were soon crowded night after night. End-games only were played until the arrival of the long- expected chess-player, who only reached New York on the 27th of September. This gentleman, an Alsatian, of the name of Schlumberger, was an exceptionally strong player, and could be with safety relied upon to beat the best amateurs that New York, or any other city in the Union, could then boast. Consequently, during the tour of the Turk through the United States he was almost invariably victorious. When Maelzel was in Baltimore, by a curious accident a discovery was made of the fact that some one was concealed in the automaton. The affair happened in this wise : One day two lads mounted upon the roof of a shed commanding a view of the back room to which the Turk retired when the exhibition was over. On this occasion Maelzel, directly the audience had dispersed, rolled the android behind the curtain. Intent only upon relieving his ally from his irksome confinement—for the heat in that southern city is in summer well-nigh intolerable—Maelzel stepped to the window, threw the shutters wide open, and then, returning to the automaton, he removed the top of the chest. From this hiding- place there emerged, in full sight of the youths, the figure of a man in his shirt-sleeves, whom there was no difficulty in recognizing as Schlumberger. To be the depositaries of so important a secret was a burden under which their strength gave way; and the story, confided in the first instance to their respective parents, soon spread and reached the public. But the tale obtained very little credence. The general opinion was that a secret which had baffled for upwards of half a century the best mechanicians and mathematicians of the age was something altogether too deep to be penetrated by a couple of schoolboys. This danger, therefore, Maelzel safely tided over; but not long afterwards a more serious one presented itself. One day a young man of the name of Walker called upon him in New York and said,' Mr. Maelzel, would you like to buy another chess-player ? I have one ready made for you.' Surely enough, this was the case. Maelzel saw the automaton in question, and made the inventor an offer of one thousand dollars for it; for, although the mechanism of the machine was very different from that of the original, there seemed to be some likelihood of its competing injuriously with his own. The offer, however, was declined by the owner of the new android, who proceeded to exhibit it on his own account. In this he was unsuccessful, for there existed in the community a deeply-rooted prejudice in favour of the historical invention of Von Kempelen, which gave Maelzel a vantage-ground from which no efforts of rival exhibitors could easily have driven him. The automaton consequently remained as profitable a property to its owner as ever, and Maelzel continued to travel with it in the United States, Mexico, and the

West Indies until 1837. In that year he died on his passage from Havana to Philadelphia. Notwithstanding the large sums he had realised during the eleven years he had successfully exhibited not only the chess-player but a panorama of the Conflagration of Moscow, he died poor and in debt. A short time after Maelzel's death his effects were sold at auction in Philadelphia. The automaton was the first lot put up, and was knocked down to a bid of four hundred dollars only. Undoubtedly the purchaser was under the impression that before long he should meet with some enterprising entrepreneur willing to give him a considerably higher price for the android than he had paid for it. But he was mistaken, and, more than a year having elapsed without a single offer being made for the automaton, the owner was glad to dispose of it for the same sum as that for which he himself had bought it. The purchaser was a Dr. Mitchell, and his idea was to constitute the Turk the property of a club. Each member was to subscribe ten dollars, and thereby become a joint owner of the automaton and a joint depositary of its secret—when discovered. The plan was carried out with success; the machine was unpacked, and, with some difficulty, its disjecta membra put together. Private exhibitions to the families of the shareholders and their friends followed. Becoming tired of giving these, the question arose what disposition to make of the property. Such interest as had been re-excited in the automaton after Maelzel's death had been confined to a narrow circle; it had not sufficed to create a demand on the part of the community for public exhibitions, nor to elicit an offer for it from any speculative showman. Finally, the automaton was deposited in the Chinese Museum in Philadelphia, where it occupied a recess in a small room in a part of the building but little frequented by visitors. In this position few persons inquired for, few even saw, the once famous invention, and the latter days of the veteran chess-player were spent in complete obscurity. Fourteen years later the end of the Turk came. On the 5th of July, 1854, a fire broke out in the National Theatre, which extended to the Museum, which was separated from it by only a narrow alley. There was ample time to have rescued the automaton, if any one had thought of doing so. But so entirely had all interest in it died out that not only was no effort made to save it, but its fate attracted no notice whatsoever. In fact, the Philadelphia press, whilst giving full details in other respects of the loss of property caused by the conflagration, did not devote even, one brief paragraph to chronicle the destruction of a piece of mechanism which for originality of conception and ingenuity of execution has never been excelled.

End.

The next article is one of the first written about the Turk - only 14 years after its first exhibition. The edition presented here is an 1819 translation of the original 1783 compilation by Carl-Gottlieb von Windisch: Briefe über den Schachspieler von Kempelen nebst drey Kupferstichen die diese berühmte Maschine vorstellen or Inanimate reason; or circumstantial account of that astonishing piece of work, M. de Kempelen’s Chess-Player.

 

ADVERTISEMENT The great and deserved celebrity acquired by the Automaton Chess-Player, of Mr. De Kempelen, and the extraordinary interest excited by its performances at Spring Gardens, where it is now exhibiting by its present Proprietor, Mr. Maelzel, induce the Translator of the following Letters, to think that an authentic description, in English, of this wonderful machine would not be unacceptable to the Public. The Letters which follow, have therefore been translated from the French Edition (which has long since been out of print), as they contain the most ample, accurate, and complete account which has ever been published, respecting this astonishing and unrivalled piece of mechanism. The Plate which accompanies this Edition, has been engraved in outline, with the most scrupulous fidelity, from drawings made after the designs of Mr. De Kempelen himself. London, Feb 1819

PREFACE (BY THE FRENCH TRANSLATOR)

THE boldest idea that a Machinist has ever dared to conceive, was doubtless that of a machine, which would imitate by something, beyond mere form and motion, the master-piece of creation; nor only has Mr. De KEMPELEN conceived the thing, he has even executed it, and his Chess Player is indisputably the most surprising Automaton that has ever existed. In fact, has anyone ever before seen a figure, purely mechanical, unite to a moving power, a directing power? or, to speak more accurately, the self-acting faculty of moving here and there according to unforeseen circumstances; and which circumstances might be occasioned at the option of any person whatever? Has any one ever seen a wooden figure play the most difficult, and the most complicated of all games, frequently conquering the most skilful player, and even correcting him, if he deviated from the rules of the game? It was too extraordinary a phenomenon not to cause great sensation immediately on its appearance; the Newspapers and Journals hastened to announce it, but not without exaggerating, more or less, the marvellous. Up to the present time, there has

appeared but one accurate description, and divested of all exaggeration; it is that published in 1773, in some provincial Newspapers, by the estimable Author of the History and Geography of the Kingdom of Hungary, Mr. De Windisch, the intimate friend and countryman of Mr. De Kempelen. But this description, slightly detailed, and circulated, but in a very narrow sphere, was not sufficient to make it known (as it deserved to be) to enlightened Europe, an invention so surprising, and even so incredible. The same author, whom we have just mentioned, has therefore acquired a title to the public gratitude, by his furnishing, in these Letters which we now publish, a full detail of this celebrated Automaton; he gives an account of all the parts which compose it, and describes it in such a manner, as leaves nothing to be wished for (unless it be the secret of the inventor), and adds some interesting traits, which are necessary to be known, in order to appreciate the superior merit of this man, so worthy of the highest celebrity. The Editor, who has undertaken the publication of these Letters, having formed, during the long stay he made at Vienna, an intimate acquaintance with Mr. De Kempelen, and frequently seen his Automaton, felicitates himself that he enjoys, in the discharge of this undertaking, the double advantage of proving to the public his eagerness to please them; and to give at the same time to his illustrious friend, a convincing proof of his devoted esteem. The better to accomplish this object, he has annexed to these letters, three engravings, which represent the Chess Player in as many different positions; and their accuracy may be the more depended upon, as they were carefully engraved from Mr. De Kempelen's own designs. The first is a front view of the Figure as shewn previous to the commencement of the game. In the second, he is seen from behind, previous to the beginning of the game. The third represents him occupied in playing; the hand and arm raised. These engravings are of double utility: those persons who have not has an opportunity of seeing the Automaton, can, by their means, form an excellent idea of it; and they will recall to those who have enjoyed the pleasure of seeing it, the agreeable recollection of the most interesting master-piece that art has ever produced. May they also transmit to posterity the memory of the astonishing genius which this age has produced in the person of Mr. De Kempelen.

LETTERS, &c.

LETTER I. Presbourg, Sept. 7th 1783 DO not expect, my dear Friend, that I shall be able to resolve all the questions you put to me, respecting the celebrated Chess-Player, of Mr. De Kempelen. The Ozanams, the Guyots, and all the authors of the same class, would succeed no better than myself in satisfying your enquiries. Make up your mind, therefore, to limit your curiosity; and be contented with what the most careful observation has enabled me to communicate to you on this subject.

Far from believing all the accounts that have been given to you or that have had opportunities of reading, concerning this machine, the reflections they have suggested to you, do (as you tell me) but excite your desire more and more, to be better informed on this subject; because, they increase your doubts as to the possibility of a thing so incredible. Do not wonder, my Friend; since I, who have too often seen this machine, who have examined and played with it, am reduced to the humiliating avowal, that I do not understand it better than yourself. However, what consoles my self-love is, that many other persons, although gifted with more profound knowledge, and a more acute penetration, have not been more successful than myself. Out of many thousand persons, of all classes, who have seen it, there is not one who has discovered the secret. Notwithstanding say you, it can be but an illusion: that is what the Author himself, and every reasonable being will concede to you. But in what consists the illusion? There is the Gordian knot, more difficult to unravel, than that which was heretofore cut by Alexander. It is an illusion; so be it! but an illusion that does honour to the human mind; an illusion more complete, more surprising, and more inconceivable, than all those which are to be found in the different collections of mathematical recreations. The first idea which occurs on a superficial examination of the Chess-player, is the suspicion that its movements are under the immediate guidance of some human being. From this error I was not myself exempt; when I saw, for the first time, the Inventor draw from a recess his Automaton fixed to rather a large chest, I could not, any more than the others, help suspecting that this chest certainly concealed a child, which I guessed by the dimensions taken at a glance, might be about ten or twelve years of age. Many among the visitors, were so convinced of this fact, that they mentioned their opinions aloud. I was satisfied with secretly coinciding in their opinions; but I was no the less confounded on seeing Mr De Kempelen turn up the garments of the Automaton, pull out the drawer, and all the drawers of the chest. Moving it about, thus opened, by means of the castors on which it is fixed, he turned it in all directions, and permitted everyone present, to examine it on all sides. I was not, as you may imagine, one of the most backward in my scrutinizing inspection. I did not neglect the least corner: and nevertheless, finding no possibility of its concealing anything the size of my hat, my self-love was terribly hurt at seeing a conjecture vanish, which at first appeared to me so ingenious. I know not whether all the spectators underwent the same impression; I, at least, thought I perceived on the faces of many of them, marks of extreme surprize. An old lady, above all the rest, who, without doubt, had not forgotten the tales with which her infancy had been amused, crossed herself, heaving a devout sigh, and went and hid herself in a distant window seat, that she might no longer remain so near a neighbour to the evil spirit, which she verily believed, must animate the machine.

But it is now midnight; and you know, that it is the hour, at which spirits are least tractable: I therefore cease my trifling, and wish you a good night.

LETTER II. Sept. 10th I CANNOT find terms to express that idea I formed of you when I read in your last letter, all the whimsical fancies which your suspicious imagination had engendered. You neither believe my eyes, those of others, nor even their spectacles. You imagine we could not see clearly, and you crowd together so many ifs and buts, that I am tempted to believe you are one of those who suspect the machine of Mr. De Kempelen to be the effect of magic. Have a little patience, and you shall know all, with the exception of the little Retentum, which apparently, the author will never confide to anyone. In order to render my description clearer to you, and easier of comprehension, I affix, herewith, the copies of three drawings of the Automaton of Mr. De Kempelen, drawings which he himself made for Mr. De Mechel, and which, consequently, cannot be either more faithful or more correct. The first of these designs represents the machine as Mr. De K. offers it to the examination of the curious, before it begins playing; that is to say, a front view, the doors of the chest opened and the drawers pulled forth.

 

 The second shews it in the same state, but seen from behind; the dress of the Automaton being turned up to exhibit the mechanism of its body.

 

 The third represents the Automaton in the act of playing.

 

  By the assistance of these drawings, and the details I am about to give you, you will be enabled to form as complete an idea of the machine as if you had an opportunity of seeing it play. According to the method I intend to follow, it appears to me, that I cannot adopt a more judicious plan than the one pursued by the author himself, in the course of his explanations, and which has become so familiar to me, by the great number of exhibitions I have witnessed, that I think I am capable of exhibiting the machine myself, with only the little difficulty of not knowing how to set about putting it in motion.

Mr De Kempelen resides here in Presbourg, and occupies, with his amiable family, the first floor of his house; his little workshop and study, in which is the Automaton, are on the second floor; when he

exhibits his Automaton, the company assemble in the lower apartment, from which he conducts them to the one above. On passing through the workshop, which serves as an anti-chamber to the study, nothing is to be seen, but the tools of a joiner, a locksmith, and a watchmaker, thrown together in the careless kind of confusion which characterizes the abode of a machinist. The walls of the study are partly furnished with large presses, in some of which, books are contained, in others antiques, and lastly, a small collection of subjects of natural history. The vacant spaces between the presses are ornamented with paintings and engravings, all executed by the master of the house; the upper parts of the presses are glazed, the lower parts are enclosed by folding doors, which as well as the presses themselves, are of oak; the floor is of deal. I thought it best to begin with these details to avoid a question, which you would not have failed to put, in case your imagination after being fatigued with fruitless conjecture, should find itself, (as well as my own) reduced to the necessity of finally having recourse to communications with some adjoining apartment. The first object which strikes the view, on entering the study, is the Automaton; which is placed opposite the door; the chest to which it is fixed, is three feet and a half long, two feet deep, and two feet and a half high, it runs upon four castors, by means of which, it can easily be removed from one place to another. Behind this chest is seen a figure as large as life, dressed in the Turkish costume, seated upon a wooden chair, fastened to the body of the Automaton, and which moves with it when it is rolled about the apartment. The figure leans its right arm on the table, with its left hand it holds a long Turkish pipe, in the attitude of a person who has been smoking, it is with this hand it plays, as soon as the pipe is removed. Before the Automaton is a Chess-Board screwed to the table, and from which he never turns his eyes. Mr. De Kempelen opens the front doors of the chest, and pulls out the drawer which is underneath. The chest is divided by a partition into two unequal parts, that to the left is the narrower; it scarcely occupies a third part of the length of the chest, and is filled with wheels, levers, cylinders, and other pieces of clockwork. In the division to the right, are seen some wheels, some spring barrels, and two horizontal quadrants; the remainder is filled with a casket, a cushion, and a small board, on which are traced letters in gold. The inventor takes out the casket, and places it on a small table, situated near the machine; he does the same by the board with letters, of which the destination is to be placed on the chess-board after the game is finished, to enable the Automaton, by this means, to answer questions which are put to him, of which I will speak to you another time. I wish you a good night with all my heart.

LETTER III. Sept. 14th I must now retrace my steps, and add some observations, which I ought, doubtless, to have previously made; but I know, my dear Friend, you do not require that my relation should be as formal as a mathematical solution; what signifies the precision of the order, provided I succeed in satisfying your extreme impatience? To return to the chest. In the drawer which I mentioned to you, are found chess-men, of red and white ivory, on a board, with which they are taken out to be placed on the side of the chess board, there is likewise a small box, rather long, which contains six little chess-boards, each of which indicates a different termination of some difficult game, which the automaton plays as soon as the pieces are placed in that form on his chess-board, and which he will certainly win, whether they give him the red or the white ones to play with. I had forgotten also to observe, that the Inventor not only opens the front doors of the chest, but also those behind, by which means all the wheels are clearly seen, so as to give the most perfect conviction that no living thing could be hid therein; to render it even more complete, the Inventor usually places a lighted taper in the interior of the chest, in order to shew still clearer, every corner. Finally, he lifts up the robe of the Automaton, and throws it over his head, in such a manner, as completely to shew the structure of the interior; where are also only seen levers and wheels, which so entirely occupy the body of the Automaton, that there would not be room enough to hide a cat. Even the Turkish trousers are furnished with a small door, which he likewise opens, to remove the most remote shadow of a doubt. On this subject see the second drawing. But do not imagine, like many others, that the inventor shuts one door as he opens another; the entire Automaton is seen at the same time uncovered, his garments turned up, and the drawer opened, as well as all the doors of the chest. It is in this state that he rolls it from one place to another, and that he presents it to the inspection of the curious. After having given sufficient time to examine it thoroughly, he shuts all the doors of the chest, and places it behind a balustrade, which is for the purpose of preventing the spectators from shaking the machine, by leaning on it when the Automaton plays, and to keep clear for the Inventor, a rather spacious place, in which he occasionally walks approaching the chest sometimes, on the right, and then on the left, nevertheless without touching it, until it is time to wind up the springs. Finally he passes his hand in the interior of the Automaton, to arrange the movements in their suitable order, and finishes by placing a cushion under the arm, with which the Automaton plays. I must also add, with regard to the casket, that Mr. De Kempelen places it

on a small table near the machine, without, however, there being any apparent communication either between the machine and the table, or between the machine and the casket; to which however the Inventor has frequent recourse during the game of the Automaton, for he opens it from time to time to look into the inside, which remains a secret to the spectators. It is generally believed, hat this casket is simply a device, employed merely to attract attention; nevertheless, I have received from the inventor, the most positive assurances, that it is so indispensably necessary to him, that without it the Automaton could not play; and he adds, that whenever he publishes his secret, every one will be convinced of the truth of what he asserts. With respect to the letters traced in gold, on the board, of which I have already spoken to you, it serves as a new recreation, when the game of chess is concluded. It is then placed on the chess-board, and the Automaton answers the questions of the visitors, by pointing with his finger successively to the letters necessary to express his replies. To prepare for this recreation, the Inventor arranges certain movements in the interior of the machine, and that is the only occasion on which I have ever seen him apply his hands, which never happens during the game of chess.

LETTER IV. Sept. 18th We are now arrived at the moment when the machine is on the point of beginning to play. I ought to premise, for the sake of regularity, that this Automaton plays with his left hand; I enquired the reason, and learned, that it was originally an oversight of the author, of which he was not aware until his work was too far advanced to render an alteration possible of this little defect, very immaterial of itself; in fact of what consequence is it to us, whether Titian painted his pictures with his right or his left hand? The automaton, when he has to make a move, slowly rises his arm, and directs it towards that part of the board where his piece is situated, which he wishes to move; he suspends his hand over the piece, spreads his fingers to lay hold of it, takes it, carries, and laces it in its destined situation, draws back his arm, and again rests it on his cushion; if he have occasion to take one of his adversaries pieces, he follows the same process to take hold of it, places it on the outside of the board,---returns---takes up his own piece, and places it on the square of that which he has just removed. At each move which he makes, is heard a slow sound of wheels, nearly similar to what is perceived when a clock is striking; this noise ceases when the move is made, and the arm of the Automaton is replaced on the cushion, and it is not until then, that his adversary can begin a new move. The Automaton always has the first move, but we can easily excuse this incivility, and allow this slight advantage to an antagonist made of wood. At every move of the adversary, the figure lifts his head, and overlooks the

whole of the chess-board.--- When he gives check to the queen, he bows his head twice; he bows three times in giving check to the King. He shakes his head when a false move is given to a piece, which frequently occurs, because his adversary, or the spectators are curious to see, how he will behave on such an occasion; but he does not confine himself to a mere shake of the head; and if for example, the move of the knight is given to the bishop, the Automaton replaces the bishop on the square from whence he was taken, and continues his own move, which occasions his adversary to lose histurn, as a punishment for his inattention or voluntary error. This is also a little advantage which the Inventor has reserved to himself, to facilitate as much as possible, the means of winning the game, his attention being so much divided that he can give but a small portion of it to playing the game with more or less skill; a circumstance which in reality ought to be of little importance to every reasonable spectator; indeed of what consequence is it whether the Automaton win or lose the game, provided the moves which it makes are just, regular, and appropriate? The inventor requests those who undertake to play against the Automaton to have the goodness to pay strict attention in placing the pieces exactly on the centre of the square, this precaution being necessary in order that the Automaton in opening his hand to to take one of the pieces, may not be liable to lay hold of it improperly, or even to be damaged if one or other of its fingers should be pressed upon the piece instead of taking it by the side; when the move is played it is not allowed to be altered, this rule is strictly observed by the Automaton, and is equally rigorous for his adversary. The machine can play but ten or twelve moves without being wound up; but you will allow my Friend that the simple operation of winding up the springs of the Automatons arm, can produce no other effect than restoring its moving power, without having any connection with its directing power, or rather with its faculty of acting according to the circumstances here and there; that faculty, however, in which consists the greatest merit of the machine; and you will doubtless find as well as myself, that of all the circumstances relative to this famous machine, the most inconceivable is that this trifling operation is the only one that the Inventor visibly makes, and that this is the only time he ever touches the Automaton. Mathematicians of all countries have examined the machine, with the most scrupulous attention, without being able to discover the least trace indicative of the manner in which it operates. I have frequently been on the spot where the Automaton played, surrounded by twenty or thirty persons, who kept their eyes incessantly fixed on the Inventor; we have always seen him scrupulously keep at the distance of three or four paces from the machine, doing nothing but occasionally looking in the casket which was before-mentioned, and never betraying himself by any movement, which could appear to us capable of having the least influence upon the machine. Those who are familiar with the singular effects of magnetism in the mathematical recreations which made so much noise at Paris, believed that the

magnet is the mean employed to regulate the movements of the Automaton's arm; but without staying to answer to all the objections that could be made against this conjecture, the author to destroy it at once, permits any one inclined to try the experiment to place the most powerful magnet on the machine and without fearing that its operation can undergo the least alteration. The leap of the Knight, which this machine makes, traverse all over the board, is too remarkable not to be mentioned. It is this; as soon as all the chess-men are removed, one of the spectators, places a knight on any one of the squares he thinks proper; the Automaton immediately takes it, and commencing from that square, and strictly observing the move of the knight, he makes it traverse the sixty-four squares of the chess-board, without missing one, and without touching any of them a second time; this is proved by the counter, which the spectator himself places on each square which the knight has touched, observing to put a white counter on the one from which he first begins, and red counters on all those which he afterwards touches in succession. Try to do as much yourself with your chess-board, perhaps you will succeed better than I have done; all my attempts for that purpose have been unsuccessful. I think I may now flatter myself with having satisfied your curiosity, removed your doubts, and anticipated all further objections; there remains for me but to make you acquainted with the personal qualities of Mr. De Kempelen to give you an idea of his merit, and to inform you of some particulars, which gave rise to the existence of the chess-player. This shall be the subject of some other letters.

LETTER V. Sept. 21st To what height will the spirit of invention next take its flight! is it possible to conceive a bolder idea than this? I will make a figure of wood that shall play at chess; further reflection but adds to my astonishment, and I am persuaded, that you will experience the same surprise. The Automaton of Mr. De Kempelen, is for the mind and the eyes, but in a very superior degree) what the Automaton flute-player of Mr. De Vaucanson is for the ear. In the year 1769, Mr. De Kempelen, being at Vienna, on some affairs relative to his official situation, was ordered to attend at Court, to assist as a connoisseur at some magnetic games, which a Frenchman, of the name of Pelletier, was to exhibit in the presence of her late Imperial Majesty. The familiar conversation which this august sovereign condescended to have with Mr. De Kempelen during these games, having led the latter accidentally to mention, that he thought himself capable of constructing a machine, the power of which would be much more surprising, and the deception much more complete, than all which her majesty had just seen; she eagerly availed herself of this hint, and manifested so ardent a desire to see this idea realized, that she drew from him a promise to begin it without delay. He kept his word, and in

the space of six months, completed the entire formation of an Automaton, which surpasses every thing of the kind that has yet been seen. Scarcely was this master-piece finished, when he carried it to Vienna, where it excited the surprise and admiration of her majesty, and her august family, of foreign and domestic ministers, of the learned of artists, and in a word of all those who played with this Automaton or who saw it play. Its fame extended thro' a great part of Europe. The newspapers and journals hastened to announce its wonders, and the result was (what always happens when reports are repeated from mouth to mouth,) that the accounts became defective, contradictory and exaggerated. The Inventor was far from the ambition, of desiring this celebrity, and further still from wishing his machine to pass for a prodigy. He represented it for merely what it is; a machine, which is not without merit as to its mechanism, but the effects of which appear so wonderful, only from the boldness of the idea, and the fortunate choice of means which he employs to carry on the illusion. It was this which determined me in the year 1773 to prepare a more accurate account, which I at that time published through the medium of some German publications and which I have since inserted in my Geography of the Kingdom of Hungary, Mr. De Kempelen thinking himself sufficiently re-paid by the praises which this machine had acquired for him, and wishing to enjoy still longer the pleasure of alone possessing the secret, rejected several offers which were made to him of considerable sums, by persons who founded upon its acquisition, various speculations of a pecuniary nature. He even went so far as to neglect this Automaton, to pursue new researches and new mechanical inventions, the object of which, was of a more serious kind, and more directed to public utility. He refused the entreaties of his friends, and of a crowd of curious persons from all countries, the satisfaction of seeing this far-famed machine, under the pretext, that it had been damaged by the different removals it had undergone. In fact, he had partly taken it to pieces, and had left it for many years in a state of decay, from which he would not perhaps have withdrawn it, for a long time to come, if his Majesty the Emperor, who allowed nothing to escape him, that could render their residence at his court agreeable to the Count and Countess Du Nord, had not fortunately recollected the machine of Mr. De Kempelen, who in compliance with the desire of his august master, employed himself with so much zeal and activity in the innumerable repairs, which so great a neglect had rendered necessary, that he succeeded in the space of five weeks, in so completely refitting his Automaton, as to allow of its being exhibited before these illustrious strangers, whose surprise and admiration it excited, and who, as well as most of the nobility of the court, advised him to travel with it in foreign countries. His Majesty the Emperor approved of this suggestion, and granted the Inventor permission to absent himself during two years for the purpose. These circumstances induced him at last to yield himself to the wishes of an enlightened Public, who for so many years had testified with do flattering a constancy the most ardent desire to enjoy the pleasure of seeing and admiring

this master-piece; but to put this machine in a proper state for a journey, it was necessary to make considerable alterations in order to facilitate the means of putting it together, taking it to pieces, and packing it up; and these alterations required so long a time as to prevent the Inventor from completing another machine much worthier of admiration, and which shall be the subject of the following letter. In the mean time endeavour to guess what this can be.

LETTER VI. Sept. 25th

On what then think you is Mr. De Kempelen at present employed? On a machine that talks!--- Acknowledge that he must be gifted with a creative genius, bold and invincible, to undertake a project of this kind; and will it be believed, that he has every reason to hope for complete success? He has already succeeded so far as to prove the possibility of such a machine, and to deserve on the part of the learned, that they should dedicate their attention to this new and hitherto unknown invention. His machine answers clearly and distinctly enough to several questions. The voice is sweet and agreeable, there is but the letter R which it pronounces lispingly and with a certain harshness. When its answer is not perfectly understood, it repeats it slower, and if required to speak a third time, it repeats it again, but with a tone of impatience and vexation. I have heard it pronounce in different languages, very well and very distinctly, the following words and phrases:

WORDS

               Papa            My husband            Rome            The King

                Mama           A propos                Madam           At Paris

                My Wife        Marianna               The Queen      Come.

PHRASES

                                             Mama love me.

                                             My wife is my friend, &c.

It is very likely you will say that this is also a deception; no my dear Friend, it is all the effect of art. I saw on a table a little box of the dimensions of a middle-sized cage and covered with a curtain; on the side was a small pair of Organ Bellows, and at each answer I remarked that the Inventor passed his

hand under the curtain. But on this subject I must relate to you a pleasant anecdote to which this invisible speaker gave rise. A young lady of my acquaintance went into the room where this machine was, the Inventor who happened to be there quite alone, bowed and addressed her, but a different voice from his being heard at the same time, and calling this young Lady very distinctly by her christian name, she was seized with such terror, as to be on the point of running away with the utmost speed; and it was not without the greatest difficulty that he succeeded in re-assuring her, by explaining whence the voice came, and enabling her to convince herself of the fact, by shewing her the machine. This Speaker has not yet receive the form of a human being; it is simply a square box with certain apertures, through which the Inventor places his hands, in order to put in motion several mutations, springs and valves, according to the words which the machine ahs to articulate. Not to augment the size of his baggage, during his journey, the Inventor has thought it best to defer, until his arrival at Paris, the exterior dress of this machine. He intends to give it the appearance of a child of five or six years old, because it has a voice analogous to that age; it is likewise more appropriate to the actual state of this machine, which is far from being brought to perfection. If it should happen to pronounce some words inaccurately, it will, from having the appearance of a child, the more easily obtain that indulgence which it yet requires. Mr. De Kempelen himself regards this machine but as a sketch, and is far from believing or announcing it as finished. He is the first to say, that it will still cost him infinite pains to bring it to perfection; in the mean time he is contented with having arrived, by means of experiments and discoveries, at the point of convincing himself, and with being able to convince scientific persons, of the possibility of constructing a speaking machine. What new lights will not the learned receive one day or other from this novel invention, to establish, on more certain principles, the theory of speech! I already enjoy, by anticipation the dissertations to which this machine will give rise at Paris, where it will be first exhibited.*

*This extraordinary machine is now at Vienna, and is the property of Mr. Maelzel.---T.

LETTER VII. Sept. 30th Yes, my dear Friend, I am now about to make known to you this man, whose merit, talents, and rare qualities, have rendered so justly celebrated, intimately connected with him, and honoured by his friendship for many years, it would be easy for me to give you his personal biography; but I think it my duty to restrict myself solely to what concerns him as an artist. Mr. Wolfgang De Kempelen, about forty six years of age, is a Hungarian

Gentleman, and Aulic Counseller of the Royal Chamber of the Hungarian States. His taste led him from his tenderest years to the study of physics and mathematics, and caused him to make an astonishing progress in the department of mechanics. His predominant passion is invention, in which he employs almost every moment which the duties of his situation leave at his disposal. His perseverance has been crowned with repeated success, and I have myself seen several inventions which owe their origin entirely to him, and some of which owe their origin entirely to him, and some of which are doubtless already known to you. He has sacrificed the greatest part of his fortune in the research of means to bring to perfection, and to simplify the English fire-engine; and he has acquired, by repeated experiments upon a small as well as a large scale, so complete a theory of this masterpiece of human knowledge, that he is enabled to submit it to the capacity of any person, by the most luminous explanations, which he gives with an astonishing fluency. He has shewn me several experiments of this novel kind, very important, and which certainly have never been before attempted. That which most surprizes me is, that it is very rare to hear him speak of mechanism, notwithstanding it is his predominant passion, and upon which nevertheless, if the conversation be led to this subject, he becomes so communicative, and affects so little mystery respecting his inventions, particularly when he meets with a connoisseur. One of the most important and extraordinary inventions of the present age, is that which he has carried into effect at the cascade of the Imperial Castle at Schænbrun, by which in employing, (by means of a horizontal cylinder), the re-action of the water which comes from the mountains through conducting pipes, he succeeds in putting in motion a number of Pumps, sufficiently large to restore to the Cascade a part of the water which had been drained off, equal in quantity to that which gives motion to the cylinder. But as he is too modest to make known his inventions in the literary world, by giving a description of them himself, I propose as soon as I have the requisite leisure, to revise and publish a regular analysis of the last one mentioned. The invention of the Automaton Chess-Player, is that on which he prides himself the least; he often mentions it as a mere bagatelle; and although considering it simply as a machine, whatever be the method of putting it in motion, it certainly has a very great mechanical merit, yet he is the first to declare, with singular modesty, that a great part of the reputation it has acquired, is solely due to the happy means he employs to carry on the deception. For my own part, I am persuaded, that even if Mr. De Kempelen, in exhibiting his Automaton, were at the same time to disclose the secret influence whereby its movements are controlled, there would not be found the less real merit in the invention, and that the successful accomplishment of so old and idea, would alone excite in the spectators as much admiration as satisfaction. The inventor of a mechanical arm, of which all the movements are so natural; which takes, removes, and place all with so much grace; this arm were it openly guided by the two hands of the Inventor, would of itself

offer so many difficulties, as to be alone sufficient to insure the reputation of many Artists. He is at present preparing for his intended journey, through Germany, France, and England. His first design was to have sent the machine under the management of confidential persons, without accompanying it himself, but more mature reflection, and his own experience having convinced him, that if any accidents (inevitable in so Long a journey) should cause some derangement in the machine, he would be reduced to the necessity of trusting the repairs to Foreign Artists, or of loosing the fruits of his voyage. This consideration obliges him always to accompany it himself, to superintend the repairs, without, however being subject to exhibit the machine, which will be done by persons he has chosen for that purpose. It is to be feared that his countrymen will never again have the satisfaction of seeing amongst them these master-pieces of Hungarian genius, to which, nevertheless, they have so much right, and of which they have so much reason to be proud. I can anticipate the eager desire you will feel to see for yourself all which I have just detailed concerning this machine; there is merely required a journey of about a hundred leagues, and your desires will be gratified. I embrace you, and am entirely yours.

C. G. DE WINDISCH

End.

The third document of interest is one by Herr Racknitz who, in as early as 1789, offered a credible explanation of how the Turk worked and, in fact, claimed to have built a replica to prove his point. Included here are some of the plates from his book, although the book itself does not appear.

The Turk - Joseph Friedrich Freiherr zu Racknitz

Joseph Friedrich Freiherr zu Racknitz claimed to have constructed a replica of the Turk in order to ascertain its secrets. He published his findings in 1789 in a book entitled  Über den Schachspieler des Herrn von Kempelen und dessen Nachbildung.*In English this means:  About the Chessplayer of Mr. von Kempelen and its Replica. While Racknitz put forth a credible explanation about how the Turk operated mechanically, he was unable to determine how the operator of the machine, unless he were a dwarf, concealed himself so effectively.  Racknitz' book is not only quite rare with copies difficult to locate, it's also written in German, of course, and in that

fanciful, difficult-to-read script common to older German books.  The information I found is all second and third hand, but adequate.

* not to be confused with Carl Friedrich Hindenburg's Über den Schachspieler des Herrn von Kempelen, nebst einer Abbildung und Beschreibung seiner Sprachmachine.

Joseph Friedrich Freiherr zu Racknitz  was born in 1744 and died in 1818. He was a public official in Dresden (where his book was published).  

Georg Gläser and Ernst Strouhal form the University of Applied Arts Vienna wrote a paper "Kemplen's chess playing pseuodo-automaton and Racknitz' explanation of its controls 1789" According to their paper "Racknitz was eventually to become the first to construct two intricate replicas of Kempelen's automaton which enabled him to describe the controls of the "Turk" in detail."   A most interesting passage from their paper is "Details on the presentation and some explanations"          

"Before we can discuss the questions of the controls, it is necessary to accurately describe the automaton and the way it was presented by Kempelen:

Presenting himself to the audience as a serious mechanic, Kempelen     started his performance by announcing that the following was a      deception, a mechanical illusion.  The automaton consisted of a life      size puppet in Turkish traditional dress, sitting cross-legged against the      back of a wooden chest. The chest (approximately 150 x 68 x 117 cm)      was mounted on rollers to prevent any interference from ropes or wires      under or from behind the stage.  On top of the chest was a counter-     sunken chess board.        The front of the chest displayed three doors; each separated into      two sections. Under the doors, a drawer contended the full length of      the chest.  Before beginning, Kempelen opened both sections, one      after the other. In the left compartment there was a confusion of cogs,      rollers and levers.  The right side was practically empty.  It contained      two quadrants and a cable winch at the top, as well as a pillow.  He      also opened the lower drawer, which held the chess pieces.  One after      the other he shone the light of a candle into each section.  The      movement of the candle was visible behind the chest, which excluded      the possibility of a trick with mirrors.  Finally the puppet would be      shown sitting at the back of the chest. [In this section of the chest      there was also a smaller chest.  At the beginning of the presentation      this was displayed several metres away.  The smaller box had no other      function than to create confusion.  Some observers suspected it of      containing a magnet which steered the Turk.]          After the presentation, a volunteer was invited to participate in a      game. The Turk always took the first move and player left-handed.  It      announced "check" by nodding its head three times.  After a dozen      moves or so, the machine was wound up, apparently to give the player      a chance to clear his throat under the cover of the noise.          After the game, the Turk answered questions from the audience by      pointing at the appropriate golden letters on a board.  Afterwards,      Kempelen himself was available for questioning. [The fact that the      Turk not only played chess but could obviously hear and understand was      of particular interest to the observers.  For the German  translators,      this was final proof that the Turk was not an autonomous automaton.]          From the first performances at the beginning of the 1770's the      interest was predominantly in the Turk's functioning autonomously,      which was considered to be entirely possible.  Typical of this are Louis      Dutens letters * of 1771 and the first reposts from Karl Gottlieb von      Windisch in 1773.  Windisch was a journalist and senator who later      became mayor of Pressburg.  He fully represented the Enlightenment and like Kempelen himself, was a freemason and had strong bonds to the Kempelen family.     Because of this, Windisch's letters about Kempelen's chess player should be

seen as advertising tracts,  however, changes are obvervable in them

between 1773 and 1783, without fear of ruining his reputation as a man of the Enlightenment, Windisch gave the first critics who suspected the presence of a player  in the machine this answer:     'I have carefully inspected the table and the machine several times and      I can assure you with all confidence that there remains not the slightest       grounds to such a suspicion.' "

* Louis Dutens was an observer of the Turk who wrote several letters published in Le Mercure du France. He attempted to trick the automaton "by giving the Queen the move of a Knight, but my mechanic opponent was not to be so imposed upon; he took up my Queen and replaced her in the square from which I had moved her."

 The authors cite two sources not readily available:

           J.L. Boeckmann: Versuch einer Erklarung des von Hr. v. Kempelen           erfundenen mechanischenSchachspielers. Der erlauchten           Churfurstlich Mainzischen Academie der Wissenschaften zu            Erfurtehrerbietigst gewidmet. Carlsruhe 1789 (Posselt's Magazin            fur Aufklarung, Kehl 1785).

           G. Bradford: The History and Analysis of the Supposed Automaton            Chess Player, of M. de Kempelen, now exhibiting in this Country,            by Mr. Maelzel. Boston 1826

After several pages of detailed descriptions, the authors conclude:

          "The analyzation of Racknitz' description shows that he had in fact      probably built a machine that could fulfill all the tasks of Kempelen's      automation.  The computer simulation, written with the program      system Open Geometry,  works fine. Next we will try to rebuild      Racknitz' machine physically.  Furthermore, we plan to write an      interactive computer simulation that can be run over the Internet      (Java-code!).  The final goal is to be able to play chess with a virtual      automaton. Therefore we plan to implement the chess engine of a      professional chess program." 

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any indication that these plans were followed through. 

Below are scans of six plates from Über den Schachspieler des Herrn von Kempelen und dessen Nachbildung.

 

 

The next installment will examine a few more early attempts at unmasking the Turk, as well as one fantastical history of the Turk by one of the greatest magicians who ever lived.