10 
iwcome of his own, as well as a pension 
from his first pup#, a young nobleman, and 
another from the king: he was conse- 
quently well enabled to give scope to his 
benevolence, and pursue the love of 
fame. Mr. Braidwood wasa man who 
had a family to maintain, he had his for- 
tune to make; and the experience of the 
world unfortunately proves, that the ex- 
ercise of benevolence is not always, any 
more than the love of fame, the surest 
road to riches. It most generally hap- 
pens that when philanthropy takes pos- 
session of an ingenious mind in narrow 
circumftances, it rivets the chains closer 
and closer. Mr. Braidwood’s hopes in 
life were fixed upon the profits to be de- 
rived from such pupils as his superior re- 
putation might induce parents to send to 
him; while the expenses attending the 
education of the pupils admitted into the 
Abbé’s institution, were defrayed by the 
paternal bounty of the government of his 
country, which granted him a liberal re- 
compence besides. I have not heard 
that any compensation or reeompence 
was offered to Mr. Braidwood. In such 
circumstances, as the ease might be thus 
viewed, there was certainly some other 
excuse for Mr. Braidwood, besides taking 
the terms of his refusal as a proof of any 
thing derogatory to his ability. Common 
life furnishes us with daily instances of 
similar denials: It is only to be re- 
gretted that here the sufferers were the 
destitute whom the God of Mercies has 
in an especial manner pointed out to the 
humane as fit objects, tw whose persons 
his unbought bounties are to be repaid. 
The art of teaching the deaf-dumb to 
speak remained a secret confined to a few 
in England, until after a lapse of several 
years repeated experiments in various 
countries enabled some persons to form 
a theory, which perhaps transcends even 
that of Mr. Braidwood. The Abbé de 
’"Epée, wanting information which he 
deemed necessary, informed that the 
subject was encum:bered with difficulties 
almost insuperable, and perhaps not stre- 
nuously attempting original invention in 
a field which had been already ‘suc- 
cessfully trodden by another, perhaps 
might have coniined himself to the arts of 
expressing thought by writing and dumb 
shew: relative to the latter of which 
it is but justice to the memory of this 
celebrated professor, and to the living 
reputation of his successor, to declare, 
that they seem to have adapted the lan- 
guage of gesture to ail the possible rami- 
fications of metapliysics, and the most 
- 
Account of the Establishments for the Instruction 
fAug. 1, 
abstruse of human notions, a speculation 
that demanded combinations within the 
reach of genius alone to realize in the 
manner they have done. 
There is another good school in 
France, for deaf and dumb children, 
a branch of the former, at Bourdeaux. 
This was founded by the good ofhices of 
the ci-devant Archbishop of Bourdeaux, 
with the present government (Monseig- 
neur the present archbishop of Aix, M. 
Cicé), and M. Sicard superintended its 
first establishment. This institution (for 
they are all called institutions upon the 
conunent) is under the direction of Mon- 
sieur de Saint Servin, who is very highiy 
spoken of, as are all the other masters of 
the school. The number of pupils here 
is about thirty. They enjoy the benetit 
of an excellent education, and are likely to. 
become both useful and honourable mem- 
bers of society. One of the boys educa- 
ted here has made such a remarkable 
proficiency in this silent method of learn- 
ing languages, that he carries on the fo- 
reign correspondence in his father’s count- 
ing-house, who is one of the most emi- 
nent merchants in Bourdeaux. 
I should have taken notiee in its place, 
of another school for the deaf and dumb 
in France, of which I have heard a very 
favourable account. This is a private 
one, and is kept by a lady in Paris. I 
have never had the satisfaction of seeing 
the lady myself; I regret that I do not 
even know her name: but I am mduced 
to think very highly of her talents, from 
what Mr. Holcroft has mentioned to me, 
who conceives her to be superior in many 
points to the Abbé Sicard, though the 
latter, being at the head of an establish- 
ment that is supported by government, 
engrosses all the celebrity. This lady, 1 
ain told, teaches her scholars to speak. 
The institutions for the instruction of 
the deat and duinb in the states of Au- 
stria rival, if they will not he allowed to 
surpass, those of france. The school at 
‘Vienna, under Mr. May, a scholar of the 
Abbé de ’Epee, ranks among the first 
in Europe. The general outline of in- 
struction embraces the principles of reli- 
gion and morality, natural history, draw- 
ing, geography, national and universal 
_ history and accounts; and where the pu- 
pils shew a predilection or remarkable ta- 
lent for any particular art or employment, 
they meet with every assistance to attain 
the requisite instruction to succeed in it. 
Some of them make very good composi- 
tors in printing-otfices; and others are in 
business as tailors, shoemakers, carpen- 
ters, 
