Dr. Blacklock affords a surprising in stance of this kind, who, though he had lost his sight before he was six months old, not only made himself master of va rious languages, Greek, Latin, Italian, French ; but acquired the reputation of an excellent poet, whose performances abound with appropriate images and ani mated descriptions.
Another instance, which deserves be ing recorded, is that of Dr. Henry Moyes, in our own country, who, though blind from his infancy, by the ardour and assi duity of his application, and by the ener gy of native genius, not only made incre dible advances in mechanical operations, in music, and in the languages ; but ac quired an extensive acquaintance with geometry, optics, algebra, astronomy, chemistry, and all other branches of na tural philosophy.
From the account of Dr. Moyes, who occasionally read lectures on philosophi cal chemistry at Manchester, delivered to the Manchester society by Dr. Bew, it appears that mechanical exercises were the favourite employment of his in fant years : and that at a very early age he was so well acquainted with the use of edge tools, as to be able to construct lit tle wind-mills, and even a loom. By the sound, and the different voices of the persons that were present, he was direct ed in his judgment of the dimensions of the room in which they were assembled ; and in this respect he determined with such a degree of acsnracy, as seldom to be mistaken. His niTmory was singularly retentive; so that he was capable of re cognizing a person on his first speaking, though he had not been in company with him for Iwo years. He determined with surprising exactness the stature of those with whom he conversed, by the direc tion of their voices ; and he made toler able conjectures concerning their dispo sitions, by the manner in which they con ducted their conversation. His eyes, though he never recollected his having seen, were not totally insensible to in tense light : but the rays refracted through a prism, when sufficiently vivid, produced distinguishable effects upon them. The red produced a disagreeable sensation, which he compared to the touch of a saw. As the colours declined in violence, the harshness lessened, until the green afforded a sensation that was highly pleasing to him, and which he de scribed as conveying an idea similar to that which he gained by running his hand over smooth polished surfaces. Such surfaces, meandering streams, and gentle declivities, were the figures by which he expressed his ideas of beauty ; rugged rocks, irregular points, and boisterous elements, furnished him with expressions for terror and disgust. He excelled in
the charms of conversation ; was happy in his allusions to visual objects ; and dis coursed on the nature, composition, and beauty of colours, with pertinence and precision.
This instance, and some others which have occurred, seem to furnish a pre sumption, that the feeling or touch of blind persons may be so improved, as to enable them to perceive that texture and disposition of coloured surfaces by which some rays of light are reflected, and others absorbed, and in this manner to distinguish colours.
It redounds very much to the honour of modern times, that the public atten tion has been directed to the improve ment of the condition of blind persons ; and that institutions have been formed hi different countries for providing them with suitable employment, tending not only to alleviate their calamity, but to render them useful. The first regular and systematic plan for this purpose was proposed by .M. Hally, in an "Essay on the Education of the Blind," printed at Paris in the year 1786, under the patronage of the Academy of Sciences. An English translation of this essay is annexed to "Dr. Blacklock's poems," printed at Edinburgh in 1793, 4to. The object of this plan is to teach the blind reading, by the assistance of books, in which the let ters are rendered palpable by their eleva tion above the surface of the paper ; and by these means to instruct them, not only in the liberal arts and sciences, but, like wise, in the principles of mechanical ope rations, such as spinning, knitting, book binding, &c. so that those who are in easy circumstances may be capable of amusing employment, and those of the lower ranks of life, and such as have no genius for li terary improvement, may, nevertheless, become respectable, useful, and indepen dent members of society, in the situation of common artisans. By these palpable characters they are taught to read, to write, and to print ; and they are like wise instructed, according to their seve ral talents and stations, in geometry, al gebra, geography, and every branch of natural philosophy. The institution en courages and cherishes a taste for the fine arts; it teaches the blind to read music with their fingers, as others do with their eyes ; and it does this with so much success, that though they cannot at once feel the notes and perform them up on an instrument, yet they are capable of acquiring any lesson with as much exact ness and rapidity, as those who enjoy all the advantages of sight.