ANIMALS. 21* 



little use of the sense of feeling, must suppose that every thiug it 

 sees makes a part of itself. Such objects are only seen more or less 

 bulky as they approach or recede from its eyes ; so that a fly that is 

 near will appear larger than an ox at a distance. It is experience 

 alone that can rectify this mistake ; and a long acquaintance with the 

 real size of every object, quickly assures us of the distance at which 

 it is seen. The last man in a file of soldiers appears in reality much 

 less, perhaps ten times more diminutive, than the man next to us; 

 however, we do not perceive this difference, but continue to think him 

 of equal stature ; for the numbers we have seen thus lessened by dis- 

 tance, and have found, by repeated experience, to be of the natural 

 size when we come closer, instantly corrects the sense, and every ob- 

 ject is perceived with nearly its natural proportion. But it is other- 

 wise, if we observe objects in such situations as we have not had suf- 

 ficient experience to correct the errors of the eye ; if, for instance, we 

 look at men from the top of a high steeple, they, in that case, appear 

 very much diminished, as we have not had a habit of correcting the 

 sense in that position. 



Although a small degree of reflection will serve to convince us of 

 the truth of these positions, it may not be amiss to strengthen them 

 by an authority which cannot be disputed. Mr. Cheselden having 

 couched a boy of thirteen of a cataract, who had hitherto been blind, 

 and thus at once having restored him to sight, curiously marked the 

 progress of his mind upon that occasion. This youth, though he had 

 been till then incapable of seeing, yet was not totally blind, but could 

 tell day from night, as persons, in his situation always may. He could 

 also, with a strong light, distinguish black from white, and either from 

 the vivid colour of scarlet: however, he saw nothing of the form of 

 bodies ; and, without a bright light, not even colours themselves. He 

 was, at first, couched only in one of his eyes ; and when he saw for 

 the first time, he was so far from judging of distances, that he sup- 

 posed his eyes touched every object that he saw, in the same manner 

 as his hands might be said to feel them. The objects that were most 

 agreeable to him were such as were of plain surfaces and regular 

 figures; though he could as yet make no judgment whatever of their 

 different forms, nor give a reason why one pleased him more than 

 another. Although he could form some idea of colours during his 

 state of blindness, yet thnt was not sufficient to direct him at present; 

 and he could scarcely be persuaded that the colours he now saw wen- 

 the same with those he had formerly conceived such erroneous ideas 

 of. He delighted most in green; but black objects, as if giving hire- 

 fen idea of his former blindness, he regarded with horror. He had, as 

 was said, no idea of forms; and was unable to distinguish one object 

 from another, though never so different. When those things were 

 shown him, which he had been formerly familiarized to, by his feei- 

 ng, he beheld them with earnestness, in order to remember tnem a 

 second time ; but, as he had too many to recollect at once, he forgot 

 the greatest number; and for one he could tell, after seeing, there wa? 

 a thousand he was totally unacquainted with. He was very much 

 urprised to find, that those things and persons be loved best, were 

 not the most beautiful to be seen ; and even testified displeasure iu 



