Antecedentes Históricos de la Prueba Pericial

A comic wig, a pair of horn-rimmed spectacles of extravagant dimensions and a few thousand pounds worth of cut precious stones are the main requirements for the experiment, of which the performer gives the following account. Gems of inferior quality will do; ten shillings, wisely expended, will secure a brilliant display.

“I once attended a lecture, given by a learned professor, on the subject of diamonds and their production by artificial means. I will repeat what I can remember of it, together with some things that I do not remember; with the addition of a practical demonstration that I hope will add to its interest, and to its scientific value, I don’t think. The professor, apparently suffering from adenoids and a Teutonic origin, delivered himself of the following—

‘Ladees ad geddlebed, dis evedig I haf de odder ad der bleasure of bresnetig ad egsberibed id de zindedig vorbatiod of diabods. Diabods, as eferybody dose, iss bardigles of bure garbod, grysdalized by edorbous bressure bedeadh der grust of de erd. Id has log beed dode dat if we good broduce de bressure by ardifizial beads, we good bake diabods as eazily as ady udder sords of droubles. I byself hab wid beddy kides of garbod egsberibented, ingludig goal, yoke, dooth powder ad burred sugar. Der burred zugar he buch bestincht. By wife once a gake bade. De indernal bressure was indense, ad the sbezifig gravidy of der bixdure edorbous, ad wed dad gage did gool becub, de gondracdiod was bagdificed, ad a diabod was gombressed id de biddle. I broge a dooth od id, ad de dooth ad de diabod bode swallowed, so dat I gannod gomblete broof give, bud I gad shew der blace where der dooth was.

Bud der best diabods was bade vrom gongealed wader. Heir iss bure wader, der stuff wad bodes flode od. Doo vlower bods gonstidudes der abbliances wad bakes a redord. I dode bean wud ov dose rude redords used by gabdrivers, bud a laboridory record wad iss used vor gebbigal disdilleryvigadiods. Der wader goes id der bottob wud. Zo. Ad ded I bour id vour drobs ov der gonteds of dis emdy boddle, which iss a zegred gombound, ad blace de odder bod od dob of der virsd bod ad thed durn theb ober zo thad der tob pod is ad der boddob ad der bottob pod der tote begubs, ad der wader which was id der tob pod drops dowd indo der bottob pod, ad thed do it agade, zo, ad geep od doing it. Dis iss der wader to agidade ad der gebbigal do zirgulade. Der gebbigles dat gonsdidude der gobidadiod iss zumwod gobbligaded, ad der bore the bixdure iss upshaked, ded der gebbigles iss very egzided ad the bore diadods we gid.

Hier is diabods id blendy, goot diabods, all gud ad bolished. Dis wud iss doo garads, dis wud is vourdeed garads, dis wud iss a dab lod of garats, doo bedy do gound ad hier iss sub bore garrods!’

Translation.—Ladies and gentlemen, this evening I have the honour and the pleasure

of presenting an experiment in the synthetic formation of diamonds. Diamonds, as everybody knows is particles of pure carbon, crystalised by enormous pressure beneath the crust of the earth. It has long been known that if we could produce the pressure by artificial means, we could make diamonds as easily as any other sorts of troubles. I myself have with many kinds of carbon experimented, including coal, coke, tooth powder and burnt sugar. The burnt sugar he much bestinked. My wife once a cake made. The internal pressure was intense, and the specific gravity of the mixture enormous, and when the cake did cool become, the contraction was magnificent, and a diamond was compressed in the middle. I broke a tooth on it, and the tooth and the diamond both swallowed, so that I cannot complete proof give, but I can shew you the place where the tooth was.

But the best diamonds was made from congealed water. Here is pure water, the stuff what boats float on. Two flower pots constitutes the appliances what makes a retort. I don’t mean one of those rude retorts used by cab-drivers, but a laboratory retort what is used for chemical distilleryfications. The water goes in the bottom one. So. And then I pour in four drops of the contents of this empty bottle, which is a secret compound, and place the other pot on top of the first pot and then turn them over so that the top pot is at the bottom and the bottom pot the top becomes, and the water which was in the top pot drops down into the bottom pot, and then do it again, so, and keep on doing it. This is the water to agitate and the chemical to circulate. The chemicals that constitute the combination is somewhat complicated, and the more the mixture is upshaken, then the chemicals is very excited and the more diamonds we get.

Here is diamonds in plenty, good diamonds, all cut and polished. This one is two carats, this one is fourteen carats, this one is a dam lot of carats, too many to count—and here is some more carrots!

The “laboratory-appliances” consist of three metal flower pot containers and a disc of stout celluloid, arranged on a plan derived from the standard version of the rice bowls

trick. As an illusion it is of questionable merit, being merely a vehicle for a quaint idea, but the broad comedy setting may be relied upon to disarm critical analysis, beside acting as a foil to more sober items.

The pots are straight sided, 4-3/4 in. high and 5-1/4 in. across. The first is thickened at the rim by bending and soldering to it, in close contact, inside, a length of one-eighth inch square wire. The augmented rim is then ground perfectly flat, so that it will hold the disc of celluloid to it by suction. The second pot has three bayonet slots cut in the rim, at equal distances apart (Fig. 45). The third pot takes no active part and is unprepared.

The disc is of thick celluloid, a trifle over 51 in. diameter, with a 3/16 in. flange turned all round on one side. On the opposite side are three metal blocks, bolted through, with horizontal pins projecting from them, to engage with the bayonet slots of pot No. 2. (Fig. 46).

Pot No. 2 is filled with “diamonds” and the disc locked in position. This pot is inverted on a tray, together with the others. They are placed in triangular formation, with Nos. 1 and 2 at the back and No. 3 in front (see Fig. 47). No. 2 cannot be shewn empty, and it is for this reason that a third pot is brought into play, to suggest by confusion of ideas what cannot in fact be proved. Pick up 1 in the right hand and

3 in the left: shew the insides and knock them together, without verbal comment. Lay down 3 (inverted) in the place of 1, transfer 1 from left hand to right and pick up 3 with the left hand: knock together 3 and 1. Put down 3 in position 1 (inverted). Put down 1, mouth upward, at position 3, and fill with water. Lift 2 and place it mouth to mouth with 1. Pick up both together and invert them, under pretext of shaking up the water. After carefully

turning the locking pins clear of the slots, lift 1 clear of 2. Thus the water is carried off in the inverted bowl, leaving the gems exposed. They are spread upon a black velvet covered jeweller’s tray, or otherwise displayed; and as a final surprise, three spring carrots are loaded into and produced from pot No. 3. The carrots should preferably be of the self-locking kind and can be tied into a bundle and suspended to a pin at the back of the table or tray, and raised into the mouth of the bowl in the act of turning the latter over.

If desired to complete the effect by getting rid of the water, to shew the three bowls unmistakeably empty at the finish, this could be done by the employment of a tray-tank device, as described in connection with the Transit of Wine. In this case, an air tight plugged outlet would have to be provided near the rim for the release of the water, and consequently, the disc.