Mr. Bew on Blindnefs. 181 
exercife of the memory is, in a great meafure, 
fufpended ; and the unfettered imagination dif- 
plays its powers, in a very peculiar manner} I 
conceived it might he pofiible for the blind to 
experience fome tranfient imprefTions, relative 
to vifual qualities. It is true Mr. Lock gives 
it as his opinion, “ that th.e dreams of fleeping 
“ men are made up of waking men’s ideas ; 
<c though,” he allows, “ they, are, for the moft 
“ part, oddly put together.” The impreffions of 
dreams, it muft be acknowledged, are too fleet¬ 
ing to admit of much inveftigaqon} and our 
recollection of them is liable to the greateft uncer¬ 
tainty : yet, notwithftanding the opinion of this 
great philofopher, there are few, I am perfuaded, 
who have not felt themfelves fometimes affe£ted> 
duiing their dreams, in a manner which they 
could by no means account for, or reconcile with 
any circumftance that had previoufiy taken place 
in real life. And though I have not been able 
to gratify my curiofity to its full extent, yet I 
have gained fufficient information to convince 
me, that the blind feel impreffions ip dreaming, 
in fome degree, fimilar to the vifible appearances 
of bodies. A blind Gentleman, with whom I 
have lately convcrfed, clearly proves to me, that 
he is confcious of the figure, though he cannot 
diftinguifh the varieties of the human coun? 
tenance : and from the confufed efforts he makes 
fp explain himfclf, it may be perceived, that hq 
N 3 feels 
