Extracts from Periodicals,

PRINTING FOR THE BLIND.-It is a merciful dispensation that with per. sous deprived of one of the senses, those which are left become doubly sensible, and this fact is especially observable in the blind, whose sense of touch and hearing are almost přoverbially acute. Such of our readers as have associated with blind people cannot fail to have remarked the dif ference between those blind from birth, and those who have become soin their youth, or later in life, which latter mostly retain & feeling of regret for the past. How often must a panig be unknowingly inflicted upon these in every casual conversation, be it of no more import than the more pass. ing remark upon the beauty of a Hower. For they naturally recur to the time when they could gather Bowers in the bright sunshine, and perhaps remember with painful preci sion, the form and colour of the last they looked upon. We ourselves have met with an instatice of this in a lady who had been deprived of her sight for many years, and at the time when she was reaping the benefit of the studies of her early youth. We were speaking in her presence of some very fine illustration of a Ger man poem, wheti joining in the conversation, she named some beautiful peculiarities belonging to them, this showing How vividly her mind had Betained the last impression of night. The blind are indeed deeply in debted to the efforts of those benevo. lent and intelligent persons who have contributed to lessen their deprivations by this ingenuity. It is well known that the first idea of printing letters that should be horizíble suggested it. self to the Abbé Hany, the superin. tendent of the Institution for the blind at Paris, from his observing a proof sheet which happened to have been printed only on one side, and consequently the letters appeared at the back in considerable relief. Since then many improvements have been made in the system, and many books are now printed under the direction of Dr. Piguer. By the benevolent ex

ertions of Dr. Gall much has bees, effected after seven years of patient investigation be produced in October 1834, the Gospel of St. John, in such a type as renders the art of reading an easy task to the blind. A short description of this may not he unacceptable to our readers. The letters are cast in relief, the facility with which ther can be distinguished depending on the perfection of their form rather than their size. The blind themselves in the various In stitutions of Great Britain, America and France, have been employed in printing some of theff wit books, The letters are placed in two cases divided as ustial into small squares In teaching the blind children to dis tinguish the letters, it is not usual to commietice with the first letters of the alphabet, as is the case with those who have their sight, but the difference between à full stop and a comma is first taught, then the semicolon, and frond that they are led on to the o and the more simple letters, before they are allowed to attempt the com plicated forms. They are next tanght the forination of words and senten ces. The paper used for this kind of printing is stouter then ordinary pa per and is stuped in wa for some days to prevent the edges of the em bossed letters from tearing it, to avoid which, the pressure is also morë gra, dual than in the common printing press. Dr, Gall conceited that gular letters would be more easily distinguished than those of the ordi hary form, and the result easily dis tinguished than those of the ordinary forin, and the result proved the cot rectness of his idea, as these were admirable, and are considered the most simple and tangible. Dr. Gall yet farther improved upon his first made by composing the letters of a successisn of points, which he termed fretted, so that the paper is almost perforated by them. Books printed in this manner are also excented with greater case and quickness, than eren in common printing, and the pages can be impressed upon both

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aides. It was a question at first whether it would not be better to employ only capital letters, but this plan was set aside on account of the too great uniformity that would have resulted, and books intended for the blind are printed in the type usually employed for pulpit Bibles, as well as the fretted form.

The blind pupil is taught to feel with the first and second fingers of his right hand, whilst he keeps the line he is upon with the forefinger of the left hand; the sense of touch is ordinarily so sensitive in blind persons that they generally are able to read rapidly after a few lessons, even when their hand is covered with a thick glove.-Foreign Quarterly Review.

POSITION AND POLITICAL PORTRAIT OF Louis PHILIPPE.-But Louis Philippe, it is said and hoped by many, is to stem this tide of the bational will, or rather wilfulness; and its eddyings, from contending under currents, have certainly helped him wonderfully hitherto in damming up or diverting it frota its headlong course. But that he will not long be able to continue his obstructive policy, which the character and tendencies

of the kingdom have forced upon him,
is greatly to be feared. Such policy
from its own nature, can be but tem-
porary. If he had any one of the
great influential parties wholly with
him, he might be able to adopt some
following out system. But he does
advantage.
not possess this
Even
Guizot, Soult, Molé, and French con-
servatives in general, are
than half with him. From fear, more
than from conviction, they support the
throne. The King, therefore, seems
to stand alone. To the great body
of Frenchmen he has the aspect
an anti-national man. Up to this
time, one labour, and a most ardu
ous one it is, has solely engaged

not more

of

him. He sees and feels the evil work

ings of the democratic principle; and to subdue this principle, not by deny Ing it, but by riding it as a breaker in would a wild horse, with sharp spurs

and a double snaffle, patting its neck and lacerating it's flanks alternately, and keeping his seat firm despite all its desperate plunges and viciousness; -this is the task he has been and is performing. But this is gre negative good, regarded by the French as a positive evil; and in France especially, every species of government, of national movement, which tends not to the end of the chapter-to the solution, as they say there, of the problem of society () is considered as contemptibly futile. Finality is every whern abjured, precisely because there is every where an eager blind press sure towards finality. Repression con sequently is what the age wants, and Louis Philippe is for the civilized world at present its chief instrumental dispeuser. He seems to have been raised up by Providence at this junc as the great Represser of the

ture

most

Unfortunately, however, for him, rerestless people of the earth. pression alone is insufficient; with it, there must be prospective object, of a solid, sober kind, and much inter mediate, interesting work to be done, in order to guarantee its operating from the most destructive recoil. But dispensable to the peace, security, aud the object of Louis Philippe, one in prosperity of the world, is to bring France again, not nominally, or by constraint, or through feebleness, but in sound reality, into its old family relations with the other states of Eu. rope.

And in this object he has be single,,, whole hearted adherents. It is un French. It looks like a cool proposal to the nation to score out the last half century of its destillies -to abolish it, to vole it into non. existence-and such a half cen tury fuller, more impressed with apocalyptic meanings, more impreg

nated with the future than all the Louis Philippe will not succeed in centuries preceding. We predict that believe, to persist in it, when it may his design; nor is he a man, we become (as it will, if not abandoned sooner or later) dangerously hopeless, -Blackwood's Magazine.

ERRATUM:-No. 11, PAGE 502, LINE 6, for "moved" read “covered." COLOMBO:

PRINTED AT THE HERALD PRESS,

We are glad to perceive by our most recent advices from England, that the subscriptions opened for the purpose of providing a fund for the endowment of additional Bishoprics in the Colonies have already amounted to upwards of £30,000!! Of this sum £10,000 were given by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, £5,000 by the Soriety for the Propogation of the Gospel and £2,000 by Her Majesty the Queen Dowager. It is stated that Lord John Russell has requested the Archbishop of Canterbury to nominate fit persons for these new Bishoprics which his Grace has consented to do.

We notice the publication, by Allen & Co. of Leadenhall Street of a" Hand Book for the Indian Traveller," which we should imagine will prove a great desideratum to the many who now take their way outwards and homewards to and from the "Pearly East." It gives an account of a journey performed from Calcutta by the Ganges, the Himalayas, the Rivers Sutledge and Indus, Bombay and Egypt it also contains many useful hints to travellers to all the three Presidencies, none of whom, we think, should be without this travelling acquisition.

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A Mr. Grant has invented a new description of fuel, which is stated to possess great superiority over any other kind of fuel both in respect to cheapness and rapidity of getting up the steam of steam-engines. The Lords of the Admirality have taken Mr. G. by the hand, given orders that his feel he used exclusively in all Government engines and reserved to themselves the right of granting licenses for the use of this novel fuel. This looks rather like monopoly, and we hope the inventor has taken care of his own interests.

Miss Martineau has commenced a series of Tales on popular subjects which appear Quarterly under the title of "The Playfellow." The first called "Settler at Home" will be followed by "The Peasant and the Prince."

Prince Albert has ordered that an annual prize of £50 be given in his name to a boy at Eton the most distinguished in modern languages.

In the theatrical and musicial worlds at home there has been considerable activity. Both the German and Italian Companies have been performing to crowded houses: several new singers have made their appearance, amongst the Germans we may notice one, Tichatschek, a tenor, said to possess a very sweet and powerful voice.

The summer concerts appear to have been well got up and equally well attended. The most prominent amongst them wele those given by Ernesti Grisi, Madame Duicken, Mademoiselle Ostergaard, and the Misses Broadhurst.

Covent Garden Theatre was closed on June 2d after a most brilliant season of 220 nights. The managers of this Theatre deserve much praise, we think, for the steady manner in which they have supported Shakespeare. We hear that the Mathews's have taken a fresh lease of three years for the " Garden," this looks like business.

Charles Kean has been drawing large audiences to the Haymar ket Theatre where he is going the round of his most popular cha racters. Sheridan Knowles is said to be busily engaged in the completion of another" Play."

In one of the most recent London Journals we find the follow ing instance of Ingenuity:

"In the window of a watch-maker opposite the Eastern Insti tution, Commercial-road East, is exhibited a miniature working model of a steam engine. This unique piece of mechanism is the production of a young man totally unacquainted with the improved principles of steam power. The engine, however, has been admired by some of the best working engineers of the day, and weighs something less than half an ounce; the engine, boiler, and appurtenances weigh together an ounce and a quarter. The boiler is heated and the steain generated, from common water, by means of a spirit lamp. The engine will work with a single charge of water for nearly half an hour, and with a velocity equal to five hundred revolutions in a minute. The whole machine may be deposited in a good sized pill-box."

Mr. Murray has published the following very interesting works: Travels in Crete. By Robert Pashley, A. M. The second volume of Letters from Italy to a younger sister. By Catherine Taylor. A residence among the Nestorian Christians of Ooroomia and Koordistan. By Asahal Grant, M. D. The Canative Influence of Climate. By Sir James Clark.

Mr. Bentley announces the following novelties:-The Queen's prisoner. By Miss Costello. The History of Duelling. By Dr. Millinger. The Lover and the Husband. By Mrs. Gore, and The Marrying Man. There are also published Joseph Rushbrook, or the Poacher. By Captain Marryatt. Sketches in Eriis and Tyrawly. The Physiology of Vision. By W. Mackenzie, M. D. The Wye and it's associations. By Leitch Ritchie. Amusements in High Life. By a Lady. The Secret Foe. By Miss E. Pickering. A Winter in the Azores and a Summer at the Baths of The Furnas. By R. and H. Butler. Christian Institutes. By Christopher Wordsworth, D. D. Three years in Persia and Koor distan, By George Fowler.