The object of this ingenious instrument is to represent, in a dark room, on a white wall or cloth, a succession of enlarged figures of remarkable, natural, or grotesque objects. It consists of a tin box, with a funnel on the top, and a door on one side of it. This funnel, by being bent, serves the double purpose of letting out the smoke and keeping in the light. In the middle of the bottom of the box is placed a movable lamp, which must have two or three good lights, at the height of the center of the polished tin reflector. In the front of the box, opposite the reflector, is fixed a tin tube, in which there slides another tube. The sliding tube has, at its outer extremity, a convex lens fixed in it, of three inches in diameter. The focus of the smaller of these lenses may be about five inches. Between the stationary tube and the lamp, there must be a split or opening to admit of the passage of glass sliders, mounted in paper or wooden frames, upon which sliders it is that the miniature figures are painted, which are intended to be shown upon the wall. The distinctness of the enlarged figures depends not only upon the goodness of the magnifying glass, but upon the clearness of the light yielded by the lamp. It may be purchased ready made of any optician. _To Paint the Glasses._--The slides containing the objects usually shown in a magic lantern are to be bought of opticians with the lantern, and can be procured cheaper and better in this way than by any attempt at manufacturing them. Should, however, the young optician wish to make a few slides, of objects of particular interest to himself, he may proceed as follows: Draw on a paper the subject you desire to paint. Lay it on a table or any flat surface, and place the glass over it; then draw the outlines with a very fine pencil, in varnish mixed with black paint, and, when dry, fill up the other parts in their proper colors. Transparent colors must be used for this purpose, such as carmine, lake, Prussian blue, verdigris, sulphate of iron, tincture of Brazil wood, gamboge, etc.; and these must be tempered with a strong white varnish, to prevent their peeling off. Then shade them with black, or with bistre, mixed with the same varnish. _To Exhibit the Magic Lantern._--The room for the exhibition ought to be large, and of an oblong shape. At one end of it suspend a large sheet, so as to cover the whole of the wall. The company being all seated, darken the room, and placing the lantern with its tube in the direction of the sheet, introduce one of the slides into the slit, taking care to invert the figures; then adjust the focus of the glasses in the tube, by drawing it in or out, as required, and a perfect representation of the object will appear. _Effects of the Magic Lantern._--Most extraordinary effects may be produced by means of the magic lantern; one of the most effective of which is a tempest at sea.