it afterwards became a common thing with him to multiply four places by four; in some instances five figures by five have been given."

The question will naturally arise, by what means, or process was this faculty of computation acquired? In the absence of any satisfactory explanation by others it will be proper to let the subject of this notice give his own testimony on this subject. The following are his words, extracted from different parts of his memoirs. [It will be observed he speaks of himself in the second person.]

"The inquiry has often been made whether the gift were natural or supernatural; his answer is that it was partly both; understanding by this, not the putting forth of Divine energy in the entirely new creation of a faculty hitherto unknown to the mind, but the uncommon extension of a faculty already given, and common to all; extension in a manner beyond the operations of nature, as we see her exhibited, and therefore supernatural; but natural, in as much as every one is to a certain extent, able to compute by mental process alone."

"That such calculations should be made by the power of mind alone, even in a person of mature age, and who had disciplined himself by opportunity and study, would be surprising, because far exceeding the common attainments of mankind; that they should be made by a child six years old, unable to read, and ignorant of the name or properties of one figure traced on paper, without any previous effort to train him to such a task, will not diminish the surprise. The remembrance that this faculty was bestowed and exercised under such circumstances, while it necessarily prompts the possessor to speak of it as wonderful indeed, at the same time precludes all room for boasting, if he were thus disposed; for it ever has been, and still is, as much a matter of astonishment to him as it can be to any other one; God was its author, its object and aim perhaps are still unknown."

"In relation to the faculty of computation which he possessed, he would observe that in every particular, from its first development to the present day, it has been to him a matter of astonishment. He has felt and still feels, that it was undoubtedly a gift from his Maker, and consequently designed to be productive of some valuable ends. What the specific object was is unknown."

"This may be a suitable place for introducing a few remarks concerning the mind of Zerah in regard to other things than mental calculation. As might be expected from the nature of his early gift, he ever had a taste for figures. To answer questions by the mere operation of mind, though perfectly easy, was not any thing in which he ever took satisfaction; for, unless when questioned, his attention was not engrossed by it at all. The study of Arithmetic was not particularly easy to him, but it afforded a very pleasing employment, and even now, were he in a situation to feel justified in such a course,

he should be gratified to spend his time in pursuits of this nature. The faculty which he possessed, as it increased and strengthened by practice, so by giving up exhibition, began speedily to depreciate. This was not as some have supposed, on account of being engaged in study; it is more probable to him that the study of any branch that included the use and practice of figures would have served to keep up the facility and readiness of mind. The study of Algebra, while he attended to it, was very pleasant, but when just entering upon the more abstruse rules of the first part, he was taken away from his books and carried to France."

Remarkable case of Miss Rachel Baker, the Sleeping Preacher.-Perhaps the most remarkable case on record of "Devotional Somnium," so called, is that of Miss Rachel Baker, of the State of New York. A full history of her case may be found in "The Transactions of the Physico Medical Society of New York, vol. 1, p. 395."

Rachel Baker was born at Pelham, Massachusetts, May 29th, 1794. Her parents were religious persons, and early taught her the importance of religion. From childhood, she appeared to possess a contemplative disposition; "but her mind was not vigorous, nor was she much disposed to improve it by reading. At the age of nine years, she removed with her parents to the town of Marcellus, State of New York. From that time she said, she had "frequently strong convictions of the importance of eternal things, and the thoughts of God and eternity would make her tremble."-In June, 1811, while on a visit to the town of Scipio, she was deeply affected in witnessing the baptism of a young lady; and from that period she was impressed with a stronger conviction of her own sinfulness. On her return to Marcellus, she endeavored to suppress her religious anxiety, but in vain, her anguish of mind was fully depicted in her countenance.

"On the evening of the 28th of November, as she was sitting in a chair apparently asleep, she began to sigh and groan, as if in excessive pain. She had said a short time before, that she would live only a little while, and as she now repeated the expression, her parents were apprehensive that she was dying.This evening she talked incoherently; but manifested, in what she said, much religious concern. She continued almost every night talking in her sleep in this way, till the 27th Jan. 1812. On that evening soon after she had fallen asleep, she was seized with a fit of trembling. She shrieked aloud and awoke in great terror. Horror and despondency overwhelmed her with the dread of a miserable eternity, and of her speedy and inevitable doom. But thesc agonizing feelings soon were succeeded by a calm; her mind became tranquil, and in her nightly devotions, which were now regular and coherent, she poured forth a spirit of meekness,

gratitude and love." From this time, the whole tenor of her soul seemed to be changed; she was incapable of expressing her sentiments on Divine things clearly when awake; but her sleeping exercises were so solemn and impressive, that few, who heard them, doubted that they were the genuine fruits of penitence, piety and peace."

Dr. Mitchell, in describing Miss Baker's case, says, "to the latter of those remarkable affections of the human mind (Somnium cum religione) i. e. sleep with religion, belongs to Miss Rachel Baker, who, for several years, has been seized with Somnium of a devotional kind once a day with great regularity. These daily paroxysms recur with wonderful exactness, and, from long prevalence, have now become habitual. They invade her at early bedtime, and a fit usually lasts about three quarters of an hour. A paroxysm has been known to end in thirty-five minutes and to continue ninety-eight. The transition from the waking state to that of somnium is very quick; frequently in a quarter of an hour or even less. After she retires from company in the parlour, she is discovered to be occupied in praising God, with a distinct and sonorous voice. . . Her discourses are usually pronounced in a private chamber, for the purpose of delivering them with more decorum on her own part, and with greater satisfaction to her hearers. She has been advised to take the recumbent posture, her face being turned towards the heavens. She performs her nightly devotions with a consistency and fervor, wholly unexampled, for a human being in a state of somnium. Her body and limbs are motionless; they stir no more than the trunk and extremities of a statue; the only motion the spectator perceives is that of her organs of speech, and an oratorial inclination of the head and neck, as if she was intently engaged in performing an academic or theological exercise.

... Ac

cording to the tenor and solemnity of the address, the attendants are affected with seriousness. ... She commences and ends with an address to the throne of grace, consisting of proper topics of acknowledgment, submission and reverence; of praise and thanksgiving and of prayer for herself, her friends, the church, the nation, for enemies and the human race in general. Between these, is her sermon or exhortation. She begins without a text, and proceeds with an even course to the end; embellishing it sometimes with fine metaphors, vivid descriptions, and poetical quotations. . . . . . There is a state of the body like groaning, sobbing or moaning; and the distressful sound continues from two minutes, to a quarter of an hour. This agitation, however, does not wake her; it gradually subsides and she passes into a sound and natural sleep, which continues during the remainder of the ht. In the morning she wakes as if nothing had happened;

and entirely ignorant of the scenes in which she has acted. She declares she knows nothing of the nightly exercises, except from the information of others. With the exception of the before mentioned agitation of body and exercise of mind, she enjoys perfect health."

In October 1814, Miss Baker was brought to New York by her friends in hopes that her somnial exercises, (which were considered by some of them as owing to disease) might, by the exercise of a journey and the novelty of a large city, be removed. But none of these means produced the desired effect. Her acquaintances stated that her somnial exercises took place every night regularly, except in a few instances, when interrupted by severe sickness, from the time they commenced in 1812. In September 1816, Dr. Sears, by a course of medical treatment, particularly by the use of opium, appears to have prevented the recurrence of Miss Baker's nightly exercises.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE FIRST PRINTING, &c.

[Extracted principally from Thomas' History of Printing in America.] Introduction of Printing-The Rev. Jesse Glover, a worthy and wealthy dissenting clergyman of England, may be considered as the father of the American press. This benefactor of the infant colony of Massachusetts, was early engaged in pursuing such measures as he judged would be for its interest and prosperity. Among other things, he was desirous of establishing a press for the accommodation of the business of the church and state. To raise a sum sufficient to purchase printing materials, he contributed liberally himself, and solicited aid from others, in England and Holland. In 1638, Mr. Glover having obtained the means, procured good printing apparatus, and engaged a printer to accompany it to New England. Mr. Glover, with his family, embarked in the same vessel; he however died on the passage, and his widow and children, after their arrival, settled at Cambridge.-Stephen Daye, (the printer engaged by Mr. Glover,) by the direction of the magistrates and elders, having erected the press and prepared the other parts of the apparatus, began business in the first month of 1639. The first thing which issued from the press, was The Freeman's Oath; the second, An Almanac; and the third, The Psalms in metre.

Samuel Green, the successor of Daye in the printing business, was in Cambridge eight years before the arrival of Daye from England. Green probably obtained a knowledge of the art from Daye, as he was not known as a printer until about the year 1649. Mr. Green died at Cambridge, in 1702, aged eighty-seven years. He was esteemed for his virtues, and was the father of nineteen children. For a long period, many of his descendants of his name, have been engaged in the printing business.

Indian Bible.-The first Bible printed in America, was the Bible

translated by Mr. Eliot into the Indian language. From the Records of the Commissioners of the United Colonies, who were agents for the Corporation in England, for propagating the Gospel in New England, we find that there were two presses in Cambridge, under the care of Green, in 1656. One was in possession of the College; this was the press purchased by Mr. Glover, and first used by Daye; the other was the property of the Corporation in England. There were types appropriated to each. The Corporation, for a time, had their printing done in London, but after Mr. Eliot, and others, had made a translation of the Bible, and other works, into the Indian tongue, it became nccessary, in order to print them, that it should be done under the inspection of the translators. For this purpose, the Corporation sent over printing materials, the most of which arrived in 1655. Green now began printing the Indian Bible, which was at that period an undertaking of great magnitude. It was a work of so much consequence as to arrest the attention of the nobility and gentry of England, as well as that of king Charles to whom it was dedicated. The press of Harvard College in Cambridge, Mass., was for a time as celebrated as the presses of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, in England. In order to assist Mr. Green, the Corporation, in 1660, sent over Marmaduke Johnson, who had been regularly bred to the printing business in London.

The New Testament was first printed; this was in 1661: its Indian title was Wusku Wuttestamentum Nul-Lordumun Jesus Christ Nuppoguohwussuaeneumun. The first edition of the Old Testament was published in 1663, being in the press three years. It was in a quarto form with marginal notes; this edition consisted of one thousand copies. The second edition was published in 1685: like the first, it had marginal notes and an Indian translation of the Newengland Version of the Psalms. The rev. mr. Cotton, a great proficient in the Indian language, assisted mr. Eliot in revising and correcting this edition. Both editions had title pages in English and Indian. The title in the Indian language, is as follows, Mamusse Wunneetupanatamwe Up-Biblum God nanees we Nukkone-Testament kah wonk Wusku Testament. Nequoshinnumuk nashpe Wuttinneumak Christ noh asoowesit John Eliot. Nahohtoeu ontehetoe Printewoomuk. Cambridge: Printeuoop nashpe Samuel Green. 4 to. It was six years in the press. Two thousand copies were printed. It was not so expensive as the first edition. Mr. Eliot had the management of it; and, in his letters to the hon. Robert Boyle, president of the corporation for propagating the gospel among the Indians in Newengland, he acknowledges the reception of 9001. sterling, in three payments, for carrying it through the press.

New England version of the Psalms.-The first Psalm book was printed by Daye, in 1640, and was commonly called "The Bay Psalm Book." The Rev. Mr. Prince of Boston, the Annalist, says, “By 1636, there were come over hither, near thirty pious and learned ministers, educated in the Universities of England, and from the same exalted Principles of Scripture purity in Religious Worship, they set