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fyftematic plan for tliis purpofe was propofcd by M. Haii)' 

 in an " Effay on the education of the iShnd," printed at 

 Paris in the year 17)^6, under the patronage of the Academy 

 of Sciences. An Englidi tranflation of this effay is annexed 

 to " Dr. Blacklock's Poems," printed at Edinburgh in 

 179^, 4to. The object of this plan is to teach the blind 

 reading, by the afllllanct of books, in which the letters are 

 rendered palpable by their elevation above the furface of the 

 paper ; and by thefe means to inftrnft them, not only in the 

 liberal arts and fcienccs, but likewife in the principles of me- 

 chanical operations, fnch as fpinning, knitting, book-binding, 

 5:c. fo that thofe w'lo are in eafy circumftances may be capa- 

 ble of amufing employment, and thofe of the lower ranks of 

 life, and fuchas have no genius for literary improvement, may 

 neverthelefs, become rtfpeclable, uleful, and independent 

 members of fociety, in the fituation of common artifans. By 

 thefe palpable characters, they are taught to read, to write, 

 and to print ; and they are likewife inllnifted, according to 

 their fcveral talents and ftations, in geometry, algebra, geo- 

 graphy, and every branch of natural philofophy. The infti- 

 tution encourages and cherifhes a talle for the fine arts ; it 

 teaches the blind to read mufic with their fingers, as others 

 do with their eyes ; and it does this with fo much fuccefs, 

 that though they cannot at once feel the notes and perform 

 them upon an inllrument, yet they are capable of acquiring 

 any lefTon with as much exaClnefs and rapidity, as thofe who 

 enjoy all the advantages of fight. Of this curious and inte- 

 relting cflay, now before us, we fhall give fuch an account as 

 may ferve to gratify thofe of our readers, who are concerned 

 in the fupport of plans, fomewhat refembling that which it 

 defcnbes, in our own countr)-. The author, after Hating the 

 objcdl; of his plan, and obviating the fcruples of thofe who 

 demur againft allowing its general utility, in the two firll 

 chapters, proceeds, in the third chapter, to illuftrate the 

 method of reading, as adapted to the praftice of the blind. 

 This method confills, as we have already obferved, in the ufe 

 of typographical charadltrs, whofe elevation above the fur- 

 face of the paper renders them obvious to the touch, without 

 the intervention of fight. From the perception of typogra- 

 phical charafters, the tranfition is not difficult to that of 

 written characters; i.e. of charadlers not written with ink, 

 but formed by imprefRons made upon flrong paper with an 

 iron pen, whofe point is not ilit. The characters, thus pro- 

 duced, are diltinftly feparated and inverted ; and they are 

 marked on the fideof the paper contrai-y to that which is read, 

 and in fuch a manner that thepofitionand order of the letters 

 may appear right and in relievo, when the page is turned. The 

 blind may thus be able to form and decypher mufical charac- 

 ters, mathematical diagrams, and all the necelTary procefTes of 

 arithmetic and geography, as well as thofe that areprintedand 

 written. In the fourth chapter the author replies to feveral ob- 

 jeftions that are urged againft the method of reading he has 

 propolcd. The fifth and hxth chapters contain an account of 

 the art of piincing, as it is praCicifed by the blind, for their pe- 

 culiar ufe, and alfoas it is performed for the ufe of thofe who 

 fee. In the procefs of printing, the blind compofitorhas a box 

 for every alphabetical charafterin ufe; on the outfide of thefe 

 boxes are palpably marked the peculiar charafter belonging 

 to each ; thefe are filled with types, which he felefts and fets 

 as they are wanted, but in a contrary pofition to that in 

 which they are read. When the types have been arranged 

 and fixed, a page of very flrong paper is moiftened, io as 10 

 be capable of receiving and retaining impreffions, and laid 

 upon the types ; and then by the operation of the prefs, or 

 by the eafy ftrokes of a fmall hammer frequently repeated 

 over the furface, the impreffion of the type is made to rife 

 on the oppoCte fide of the paper; and it continues, when 



dry, not only obvious to the fight but to the touch, and is not 

 eafily effaced. On the upper fide of the pape.' the letters 

 appear in their proper pofition ; and by their fenfible eleva- 

 tion above the common furface, the blind may eafily read 

 them with their fingers. The feventh cliapter explains the 

 method of teaching the blind to write ; which we have al- 

 ready noticed. The eighth chapter fhews how they are 

 taught arithmetic ; for this purpofe they are provided with a 

 board pierced with different lines of fquare holes, proper for 

 receiving moveable figures, and bars for feparating the differ- 

 ent parts of an operation. To render this board more ufe- 

 ful, a cafe is added, compofed of four fows of little boxes, 

 which contain all the figures proper for calculation, and 

 which are placed at the right hand of the blind perfon while 

 he operates. In order to obtain charafters for expreffing all 

 the poffible fraftions, 10 fimple denominators are caft, in the 

 order of the figures o, i, 2, &c. to 9 inclufively, and likewife 

 10 fimple numerators in the fame order, moveable, fo as to be 

 adapted at the head of the denominators. By means of this 

 combination, the blind are able to exprefs any fraflion. The 

 ninth chapter treats of geography ; and in tep.ching it, 

 M.Weiffenbourg and Mad.Paradis marked the circumference 

 of countries by a tenacious and vifcid matter, and covered 

 the different parts of their maps with a kind of fand mixed 

 with glafs, in various modes ; and diftinguifhed the order of 

 towns by grains of glafs, of a greater or lefs fize. M. Haiiy 

 fatisfies himfelf with marking the limits of the maps, for the 

 ufe of the blind, by fmall iron wire rounded ; and it is always 

 a difference, either in the form or fize of every part of a m.ap, 

 which affifts his pupils in diftinguifhing the one from the 

 other. For the purpofe of teaching mufic, the fubjeft of 

 the tenth chapter, mufical charafters are call ; and thefe are 

 fo numerous, as to reprefent upon paper, by elevations on its 

 furface, all the pofTible varieties that occur. The eleventh 

 chapter contains an account of the mechanic arts, in which 

 the blind are employed, and of the method in which they are 

 formed for fuch occupations. Accordingly they have been 

 fuccefsfully employed in Ipinning, in making pack-thread of 

 the thread they have fpun, in weaving girths with this pack- 

 thread, in making nets, in fewing, in binding books, SiC. 

 In the twelfth chapter we have a view of the proper mode of 

 inftrufting the blind, together with a parallel between their 

 education and that of the deaf and dumb. This operation, 

 it is faid, is ealy in itfelf, and requires in a matter more cou- 

 rage than knowledge. " By the aid," fays M. Haiiy, " of 

 our books in relievo, every one can teach them to read. 

 Upon the mufical works found in our prefs, every profeffor of 

 that art may give them lefibns. With an iron pen, with plates 

 and moveable charafters, executed according to our models, 

 the firil mafter in writing may teach them that art, and arith- 

 metic." The thirteenth chapter contains a brief account of 

 theelementan- books of languages, mathematics, and liirtory, 

 which fhould compofe the library of the blind perfon. The 

 effay terminates with an hillorical lummary of the rife, pro- 

 grefs, and aftual ftate of the intlitution for blind children. 

 The luccefs of this inftitution has fully anfwered the expefta- 

 tions of its founder, and amply compenfated the expence be- 

 flowed upon it by the hberal and well-difpofed. We are 

 happy to add, that inffitutions of a fimilar kird have been 

 ellabliflied in our own country ; and to render our par- 

 ticular tribute of rtfpeft to the founders and fupporters 

 of the " School for the Indigent Blind," inftituted in Lon- 

 don in 1799. It is now fituated in St. George's-fields, but 

 will fpeedily be removed to Gray's Inn-lane, as foon as the 

 nectlTary buildings for its accommodation areerefted. The 

 objeft, with a view to which this fchool was founded, is un- 

 queilionably one of the moll important and interelling kind 



til at 



