Conjuring
the production of effects apparently miraculous by natural means.
The earlier professors of the art claimed bonâ fide supernatural powers; and in ages when the most elementary principles of physical science were unknown beyond a very limited circle, it was not difficult to gain credence for such a pretension. The modern conjurer makes no such claim, but tells the public frankly that his marvels are illusory, and rest either on personal dexterity or on some ingenious application of natural principles. Of the conjurers of remote antiquity we have few reliable records; though it is a tolerably safe conjecture that the prestige of the ancient mysteries rested in no small degree upon effects of natural magic. The founder of the modschool of conjuring was Robert Houdin (1805-1871), with whom a new era began in 1841. He was followed by Frikell, Hartz, Herrmann, Buatier de Kolta, Verbeck, Lynn, Bertram, etc., producing their magical results with the minimum of visible apparatus. There are, however, signs of a reaction in favor of more spectacular illusions in which the resources of optical and acoustic, as well as mechanical science, are laid under contribution in aid of conjuring proper. Conkling afterward practiced d law in New York City. He died April 18, 1888.
CONNAUGHT (kon'nât), the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland; between Leinster and the Atlantic; area, 4,392,- 086 acres. Its W. coast is much broken up by numerous bays and inlets, and is thickly studded with islands. A large proportion of the province is bog, and, generally, it is the least fertile of all the provinces. It is divided into five counties: Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, and Sligo. Pop. about 595,000.