ANIMALS. 45 



reasonably be expected from his improving situa- 

 tion : and yet the young man was not in want of 

 understanding ; but the understanding of a man 

 deprived of all commerce with others, is so very 

 confined, that the mind is in some measure totally 

 under the controul of its immediate sensations. 



Notwithstanding, it is very possible to commu- 

 nicate ideas to deaf men which they previously 

 wanted, and even give them very precise notions 

 of some abstract subjects, by means of signs and 

 of letters. A person born deaf, may, by time, 

 and sufficient pains, be taught to write and read, 

 to speak, and, by the motions of the lips, to un- 

 derstand what is said to him ; however, it is pro- 

 bable that, as most of the motions of speech are 

 made within the mouth by the tongue, the know- 

 ledge from the motion of the lips is but very con- 

 fined : " nevertheless, I have conversed with a 

 gentleman thus taught, and in all the commonly 

 occurring questions, and the usual salutations, he 

 was ready enough, merely by attending to the 

 motion of the lips alone. When I ventured to 

 speak for a short continuance, he was totally at a 

 loss, although he understood the subject, when 

 written, extremely well." Persons taught in this 

 manner were at first considered as prodigies ; but 

 there have been so many instances of success of 

 late, and so many are skilful in the art of instruct- 

 ing in this way, that though still a matter of some 

 curiosity, it ceases to be an object of wonder. 



