friends in writing to her was, to prick the letters down on the paper, and by the delicacy of her touch, feeling each letter, she followed them successively, and read every word with her finger ends.* A person scratched, with the point of a pair of scissors, on a card, "Mademoiselle de Salignac est fort aimable," and she fluently read it, although the writing was small and the letters very ill-shaped. In writing, she made use of a pencil, as she could not know when her pen was dry; her guide on the paper was a small thin ruler, of the breadth of her writing. On finishing a letter, she moistened it, which fixed the traces of the pencil, so that they should not be obscured or effaced; she then proceeded to fold and seal it, and write the direction, all without the assistance of any other per *The important art of printing for the blind, has, we are happy to perceive, been practically carried into effect in Scotland. Practically, we say, for though it has been introduced both in Vienna and Paris, yet from the faulty nature of the alphabet employed in those places, it has been found of very little utility. "At a meeting of the managers of the Edinburgh Blind Asylum, on the twenty-sixth of January, 1828, after some routine business, they proceeded specially to examine the nature and efficiency of the books lately printed for the use of the blind. Some of the boys belonging to the asylum were introduced, who, though the books had been in their possession only a few weeks, and they had had no regular teaching were yet able readily to distinguish all the letters, and easily distinguished those which were most like each other. They were then, by Dr. Gordon and others of the directors, made to take isolated words in different pages of the book, which they at once knew, and they afterwards read slowly, but correctly, the different parts. From repeated trials, and varying the exercises, the directors were of opinion that the art pro son. Her writing was very straight and well cut, and the spelling no less correct. To teach this singular mechanism, the indefatigable cares of her affectionate mother were long employed, who, accustoming her daughter to feel letters cut out of card or pasteboard, taught her to distinguish an A from a B, and thus the whole alphabet, and afterwards to spell words; then, by the remembrance of the shape of the letters, to delineate them on paper, and lastly, to arrange them, so far as to form words and sentences. She learnt, almost without instruction, to play on the guitar, sufficiently for her little companions to dance to, and had even contrived a way of pricking down her tunes, as an assistance to her memory; but, being in Paris with her father and mother, a music mised to be of the greatest practical utility to the blind, who, it evidently appeared, would be able to use these books with increasing facility. Mr. Gall also stated, that the writing apparatus for the blind, was in a state of considerable forwardness; the principles had been completely settled, and found efficient. The letters were easily formed upon common post letter paper, by one motion of the hand; and being submitted one after another to the pupils, were correctly and invariably distinguished by them."-Scotsman. The benevolent Mr. Taylor, vicar of Bishop Burton, whose surprising success in cultivating the faculties of the blind is well known, has published "The Diagrams of Euclid's Elements of Geometry, in an embossed or tangible form, for the use of blind persons who wish to enter upon the study of that noble science." It is a very happy idea, and admirably calculated to add to the enjoyments of those afflicted with the loss of sight, by opening for them, in their dark state, a new and interesting source of employment and mental gratification. The plan is as simple as it is effectual. master observing the way used in writing to the young lady by pricking, taught her the common musical characters; and to distinguish the open notes, they were made larger. She learnt to sing, and, so accurate was her ear, that in singing a tune, though new to her, she was able to name the notes, whilst singing, for them to be pricked down. In figured dances, she acquitted herself extremely well, and in a minuet, with inimitable ease and gracefulness. She was very clever in both fancy and plain work, she sewed very well, and in her work threaded her needles for herself, however small. She never failed telling, by the touch, the exact hour and minute by a watch. AUTHORITY. Encyclopædia Britannica. G. E. RUMPH, OR RUMPFIUS, THE BLIND PHYSICIAN OF HANAU. "And if one sense should be suppressed, The phenomena of mind are at all times interesting, and many curious speculations have been made, on the importance of the different senses. In the mental powers of the Blind, of which our anecdotes give such extraordinary proof, we see the loss of one sense compensated by the superior acuteness and perfection of the remaining ones; and, as nature ever de signs well, if she chance in some respects to fail, she generally takes care in others to atone for such deficiencies. "Where the mind is properly constituted," says Lieut. Holman, "the diminution of one faculty naturally calls others into more extensive action; in short, there are very few obstacles which man's perseverance may not enable him to overcome, if he will but rightly exercise those faculties with which the beneficence of his Creator has endowed him." G. E. RUMPH, OR RUMPFIUS, Doctor of physic in the University of Hanau, and a member of the Academy of Naturalists, was born at Hanau, 1637. He went to Amboyna, and became consul and senior merchant there, which, however, did not prevent his employing much of his time in collecting the plants of the country. Although he lost his sight at the age of forty-three, he could discover the nature and shape of a plant, by means of his taste and feeling. He wrote a history of all the plants which he had collected in Amboyna, in twelve books: it was not, however, printed then, but between 1740 and 1750, was published by John Burman, in 7 vols. fol., under the title of "Herbarium Amboinense." Burman also added an Auctuarium, with the table usually bound at the end of vol. vi. The work has some of the misfortunes of a posthumous publication, and the figures are generally not more than half the size of nature; the original drawings, still in existence, are said to be very fine. Rumph also left a work entitled, "Imagines Piscium Testaceorum," which was published at Leyden, in 1751, and reprinted in 1769; the former edition is much valued for the plates. He wrote, besides, "The political History of Amboyna," which has never been printed; but a copy is deposited in the India Company's chest at Amsterdam, and another at Amboyna. Ireland, in the "Chalcographimania," says, that Rumpfius, although quite blind, gave £1000 for a shell, and that there is a print of him examining the shell by feeling it. The only known portrait of Rumpfius, is one taken before he lost his sight; it is in miniature, with an inscription. AUTHORITY. General Biographical Dictionary. SIR JOHN FIELDING, THE BLIND THIEF CATCHER. Sir John Fielding was brother to the celebrated Henry Fielding, and his successor in the office of Justice for Westminster, in which capacity, although blind from his youth, he acted with great energy and sagacity for many years. He kept in his mind the description of many hundred thieves, and was never mistaken when they were brought before him. On receiving information of the place where any stolen property was concealed, so unwearied was he in his exertions, that he was never known to give up the pursuit till he recovered part or all of the property that he was in search of. In short, the name of Blind Fielding was a terror to evil doers, and his death was |