88 SEVENTH REPORT—1837. 
from the few sources which are within my reach*; but after 
all I shall stand in need of indulgence from those who may 
peruse these pages, as much valuable matter will unavoidably 
have escaped me, and some errors crept into the statement I 
have given. 
Origin of printing in characters in relief for the Blind. 
To enter into a complete history of the first rude attempts to 
form alphabets and to print raised characters for the use of the 
blind, would be uselessly to swell this report ; I shall, therefore, 
only briefly notice the earlier inventions, and hasten to the mo- 
dern improvements, which certainly have the largest claim 
upon our attention. 
So far back as the 16th century letters were cut in wood for 
the use of the blind; but instead of projecting as they now do, 
they were sunk or made hollow, on which account the fingers 
were unable to trace the forms of the letters unless they were 
of a very large size. 
In 1575 Rampazzetto published examples of letters carved in 
wood, iz relief ; but, as they were not separate, but like the stereo- 
typing of the present day, they were laid aside as inconvenient. 
In 1640 moveable characters were cast in lead at Paris by one 
Peter Moreau, but the expense, or difficulty of the undertaking, 
prevented his going on with it. 
Various other persons, at different times, have made characters 
and letters for the blind both in wood and metal, but not with 
much success till the year 1783, when punches were cut and 
matrices struck, in which characters were cast by Fournier, at 
the expense of M. Rouillé de |’ Etang, Treasurer of the Philan- 
thropic Society in Paris. These characters however, (from an 
erroneous notion that all objects or models for the use of the 
blind should be made of great dimensions), were considerably 
larger than was necessary or convenient; consequently a new 
set of punches was cut, and letters, nearly similar to those now 
in use in France, were cast in the foundry at Vaflard. Since 
that time many of the letters have been improved in their form, 
and the metal of which they were cast rendered more durable 
by altering the proportion of the ingredients it contained. 
Types for the blind differ from those in ordinary use, in that 
they are set up and read from left to right, whilst in those for 
printing with ink the reverse order is observed. Besides this the 
stem or body of the types used in France is made in the shape of 
a T, the letter being on the top or cross-piece which prevents 
* Chiefly am I indebted to the works of Dr. Guillie, Dr. Klein, Prof. 
Zeune, &c. 
ao Agit es 
err jee aor, 
