426 
-sight.” The contemplation, however, of 
alistract ideas by the blind, which depend 
not on vision, 1s by no means extraor- 
inary, nor of those objects that relate 
to the other senses; for the privation of 
_one sense quickens the perception of the 
rest, while sensibility of intellect and 
strength of natural reason, appertain to 
the blind as well as to those who are 
blessed in the full enjoyment of the 
senses, 
Our recollection of two extraordinary 
examples of this kind in science and phi- 
losophy, is too recent to require to be 
impressed here, for all in this neighbour- 
héod remember the lecture of Moyes and 
of Davidson in the diflerent branches of 
“mechanics and natural philosophy. The 
latter, though quite blind, illustrated his 
ideas by a complete set of most ingenious 
experiments, and as he explained by his 
eloquence the phenomena of nature, he 
managed a dificult and various philoso- 
phical apparatus with perfect ease and 
precision. It remains with us to record 
the powers of another of the blind, who, 
though he has no claim to the genius of 
poesy, nor bas ever expatiated in the re- 
gions of philosophy, yet has he by the 
delicacy of the touch, arrived at a most 
unexampled perfection in the execution 
of different pieces of mechanism, which in 
others would require all the aid of sight. 
The subject of this short notice is Wilham 
Kennedy, of Tanderagee, in the county 
of Armagh, who has been blind from his 
infancy. The best account of his extra- 
ordinary progress in mechanics, is to be 
found in his own simple narrative, which 
the author of this article procured from 
his dictation. 
“TI was born near Banbridge, inthe 
county of Down in the year 1768, and 
lost my sight at the age of four years. 
Having no other amusement, (being de- 
prived of such as children generally have) 
my mind turned itself to mechanical pur- 
suits, and I shortly became projector and 
workman for all the children in the neigh- 
bourhood.- As I encreased in years, my 
desire for some kind of profession or em- 
ployment that might render me not bur- 
thensome, though blind, induced me to 
think of music. At the age of thirteen I 
was sent to Armagh to learn to play the 
fiddle; my lodging happened to be at the 
house of a cabinet-maker; this was a for- 
tunate circumstance for me, as I there 
‘got such a knowledge of the tools and 
manner of working as has been useful to 
me ever since. Though three things en- 
gaged my mind and occupied a great part 
~ 
+ Account of William Kennedy. 
[Dec. 1, 
of my time, yet I made as decent a pro- 
gress in music, as any other of my 
master, Mr. Moorhead’s scholars, except 
one. After living a year and a quarter 
there, L returned home, where I made, 
and got tools so as to enable me to con- 
struct different pieces of household fur- 
niture. Not being satisfied with the oc- 
cupation of cabinet-maker, I purchased 
an old set of Irish bagpipes, and without 
instruction, it was with difficulty I put 
them into playing order. I soon how- 
ever became so weil acquainted with the 
mechanical part of them, that instruments 
were brought to me from every part of 
the neighbourhood to be repaired. I 
found so many defects in this instrument 
that I began to consider whether there 
might not be a better plan of itthan any I 
had yet met with it, and from my early in- 
structions in music, and continued study 
of the instrument, for indeed I slept but 
little, in about nine montis time (having 
my tools to make) I produced the first 
new set. I then began clock and 
watch-making, and soon found out a 
clock-maker in Banbridge, who had a de- 
sire to play on the pipes, and we mutu- 
ally instructed each other. From this 
time I encreased in musical and mecha- 
nical knowledge, but made no_ pipes, 
though I repaired many, till the year 
1793, when I married, and my necessities 
induced me to use all my industry for the 
maintenance of my wife and encreasing 
family; my employment for twelve years 
was making and repairing wind and 
stringed instruments of music. I also 
constructed clocks, both common and 
musical, and sometimes recurred to my 
first employment of acabinet-maker, I 
also made linen looms with their different 
tackling. My principal employment 
however is the construction of the Irish 
bagpipes, of which have made thirty sets 
in the little town I live in, within these 
eight years past.” 
Thus ends the simple sketch of the life 
of William Kenedy in his own unadorned 
narrative. His modesty however has in- 
duced him to suppress several particalars 
very much to his credit, as one of the 
Most ingenious improvers of the Irish 
bagpipe. 
This imperfect national instrument, as. 
it is a national one, deserves with the 
harp the peculiar cultivation of those 
who feel'the musical strains of their own 
island, whether melancholy or gay, whe- 
theramorous or martial, which it modu- 
lates to the delight of the native. We 
are all acquainted with the sympathetic 
effect 
