an Infant Mujician. 1 93 
“ There is now in this city a mufical prodigy, which 
{( engages the converfation and excites the wonder of 
“ every body. A boy, foil to a carpenter, of only two 
“ years and three quarters old, from hearing his father 
iC play upon an organ which he is making, has difco- 
“ vered fuch mufical powers as are fcarcely credible. He 
“ plays a variety of tunes, and has from memory re- 
“ peated fragments of feveral voluntaries which he 
“ heard Mr. garland, the organift, play at the cathe- 
“ dral. He has likewife accompanied a perfon who 
“ played upon the flute, not only with a treble, but has 
“ formed a bafe of his own, which to common hearers 
il feemed harmonious. If any perfon plays falfe, it 
“ throws him into a paflion diredlly ; and though his 
“ little fingers can only reach a fixth, he often attempts 
“ to play chords. He does not feem a remarkable 
clever child in any other refpedt ; but his whole 
“ foul is abforbed in raufic w . Numbers croud daily 
(a) This opinion feems to have been toohaftily formed; for, independent of 
his mufical talent, he appears to me poflefled of a general intelligence beyond 
his age: and he has difcovered a genius and inclination for drawing, nearly as 
flrong as for mufic; for whenever he is not at an inllrument, he ufually employs 
himfelf in fketching, with his left-hand, houfes, churches, flaips, or animals, 
in his rude and wild manner, with chalk, on the floor, or upon whatever other 
plain furface he is allowed to fcrawl. Painters may", perhaps, form feme judg- 
ment of his mufic by his drawings, 
Vol* LXIX* Cc “to 
