368 HISTORY OF 



widely diffused, nevertheless extends his powers ; the sense ol 

 smelling is more contracted still ; and the taste and touch are the 

 most confined of all. Thus man enjoys very distant objects but 

 with one sense only ; more nearly he brings two senses at once to 



Rnd seemed quickly to discover by the bandages on liis foot, the reason of 

 his confinement. He immediately walked up stairs to a garret, sought out, 

 amidst several other pieces of furniture, the little foot-stool which had for- 

 merly supported his own wounded limb, brought it down in his hand to the 

 kitchen, and gently placed the servant-boy's fnot upon it. 



Having appeared to distinguish, by feeling, a horse which his mother had 

 sold a few weeks before, the rider dismounted to put his knowledge to the 

 test, and Mitchell immediately led the horse to liis mother's stable, took off 

 his saddle and bridle, put corn before him, and then withdrew, locking the 

 door, and putting the key in his pocket. He knew the use of most ordi- 

 nary utensils; and was pleased with every addition which he made to this 

 sort of knowledge. One of his amusements was, to visit the shops of car. 

 penters and other mechanics, obviously with a view to understand the na- 

 ture of their tools and operations. He assisted the farm servants, to whom 

 he was attached, in their work, particularly in cleaning the stable. He him- 

 self endeavoured to repair breaches in the farm houses, and even attempted 

 to build small houses \\ ith turf, leaving little openings like windows. Means 

 were used to teach him to make baskets ; but he seemed to want the perse- 

 verance necessary to finish his work. 



His sister devised some means for establishing that communication between 

 liira and other beings, from which nature seemed for ever to have cut hiai 

 oflF. By various modifications of touch, she conveyed to him her .satisfaction 

 or displeasure at his conduct. Touching his head with her hand was her 

 principal method. This she did with various degrees of force, and in various 

 manners ; and he readily understood the intimation intended to be conveyed. 

 When she signified her highest approbation, she patted him much, and cor- 

 dially, on the head, back, or hand. This expression more sparingly used, 

 signified simple assent ; and she only refused him these signs of her approba- 

 tion entirely, and repelled him gently, to convey to him in the most efi'ectual 

 manner the notice of her displeasure. In this manner she contrived a lan- 

 guage of t<iuch, which was not only the means of communication, but the 

 iustnunent of some moral discipline. To supply its obvious and great defects 

 she had recourse to a language of action, representing those ideas which 

 none of the simple natural sigus cognizable by the sense of touch could con- 

 vey. When his mother w as from home, his sister allayed his anxiety for 

 her return, by laying his head gently down on a pillow once for each night 

 that his mother was to be absent; implying that he would sleep so many 

 times before her return. It was once signified to him that he must wait two 

 days for a suit of new clothes, and this also was effectually done by shutting 

 his eyes and bending down his head twice. In the mode of communicating 

 his ideas to others, there was a very remarkable peculiarity. When he 

 wished for meat, he pointed to the place where he knew it to be : and when 

 he was desirous of informing his friends that he was going to a shoemaker's 

 Bhop, he imitated the action of making shoes. Hut though no information 

 was intentionally communicated to him without touching some part of bu 



