A more cunning thief could not be conceived, and on coming to the asylum he soon ran away; and he was, besides, deplorably ignorant and indifferent. He was subject to chorea, could scarcely speak, and was as obstinate as a mule. Judicious treatment soon began to alter his conduct, and it was found that his great delight was to hear some narrative well told; and by taking advantage of this propensity he soon became an attentive listener to beneficial lessons, and he was found to have a susceptible heart, as easily led into right as it had been darkened and misled by wrong. He gave evidence in time of strong religious feeling, and became so honest that he was trusted with money, while in the schoolroom his progress was surprising. The chorea ceased to affect his gait as before, and instead of thieving he gave a poor woman in poverty and rags a large portion of his Christmas savings, describing himself when asked how he felt after his charity, as 'feeling big in here,' laying his hand on his heart with great pathos. Interesting as his case is, the accounts of several of the girls are equally worthy of attention, especially a group called Our Sewing Girls.' But it is desirable to show an alteration in one of the very lowest cases, and we have not room for more. This example goes by the name of 'Our Southern Boy.' He is photographed exercising the dumb bells with his teacher; he appears to be well formed, but his countenance is of a low type of expression. His condition was so unpromising that he employed no articulate speech, either by persuasion or imitation, and expressed ⚫ no natural wants, even by signs.' 'We considered him,' the account says, one of our lowest cases of idiotcy. No dawn of 'cheering intelligence beamed from those leaden eyes; no smile of pleasure played over those marred features; the semblance of man only was seen -impassive, unobserving, and intellectu⚫ally dead. He would lounge by the hour basking himself in the warm sun; no question could arouse him, no want compel him to change his favourite place.' Every conceivable attempt was for a long time made in vain to stimulate him to some exertion; efforts were directed to make him use his limbs in walking, aided by support, but he resisted violently, making horrible grimaces. Nothing was was ever apparently noticed by him till he saw a coloured man, such as he used to see in the South, whence he came; and he seemed to recognise him with pleasure, exclaiming Oh you!' as if in dim remembrance of his former home. All attempts to make him move frightened him, and when tempted by the odour of dinner, which alone could rouse him, it was amusing to see him crawl down stairs feet foremost. Swings, rocking boats,

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ladders, wheelbarrows, all seemed to terrify him; and though liking music, when drawn to it he resisted, crying, 'Oh! my sakes! I's scared; car' me out.' At last he was pushed towards the black board, kicking and screaming, with a bit of chalk in his hand, with which he was made to mark the board, and this pleased him so that he soon took to making random markings. Still there was no other sign of the least independent action till he was observed playing with a straw, which he discontinued as soon as perceived, being at the time a bit of an impostor. His teacher, however, made this trifle an interesting point in his development; it was one of those first and feeblest in the series of voluntary actions which those engaged in the training of idiots so well know how to turn to good account. One day he was suddenly made to take a walk, and became roused by a series of incidents. At length he became imitative, called a puppy' pretty little dog,' after pretending to be terrified at it, took an interest in pictures, and seeing one of a fox, said, 'Stinky,' the Southern name for the animal. In time his indolence was overcome, and he became fond of the exercises he so vehemently resisted; was the first to run when the call was given, Ladder-boys, form line,' and took to dancing after genuine plantation fashion to the music of the violin, as well as to joining occasionally in the school choruses. In other respects also he made gradual advances, the first indication of his case becoming at all practicable being the circumstance of his playing of his own account with a straw, which showed to the skilled observer that there were in him both will and power if they could be elicited.

We have seen that in our asylums encouragement is wisely given to certain amusements, and when they become exercises of ideality they are improving. Such are the charades and pantomimes at Earlswood, and in the Pennsylvanian Asylum they have curious original plays. A young child in the normal condition amuses himself greatly by personifying things about him-making one chair his horse, another his carriage, whipping away as if his imaginations were realities. An uneducated idiot never does this, nor till he begins to advance does he ever find a way to amuse himself that at all approaches to the likeness of an ordinary child, any approximation to which is an encouraging sight to those who have the care of him. Every phase approaching the normal is hailed with much pleasure, and mimic play, whether at an imaginary meal, or horses, or any little thing, is a proof of progress. When invention appears, it denotes an approximation towards the imagery of healthful childhood, and there is hope that much may accrue from it.

In the volume from which our American cases have been taken we are told that the pupils were so much awakened, as to have originated a drama so peculiar that the like, probably, has never been played, except it may be the Malade Imaginaire.' This farce, for so it is, they called 'The Doctor.' One boy falls in a violent epileptic convulsion, well assumed; a girl, called the good old soul,' nurses the patient, shouting for the doctor. In comes the doctor, generally tardy, but now very brisk, and administers his remedies, while the patient indicates returning consciousness by showing the greatest disgust for them. Another pretends a bad fever, and the doctor is hurried off, till at length half-a-dozen victims are prostrated, and the doctor is in the most ludicrous perplexity. The compiler of the narrative, Dr. Kerlin, of Germanstown, describes this ' as a 'most amusing drama;' but the most extraordinary part of it is, that it should be entirely due to the fancy of the imbecile

actors.

Whatever may be thought of these specimens of idiots under culture on the other side of the Atlantic, they are all much surpassed by an individual at Earlswood, described by Mr. Sidney, as proving how possible it is for one defective in many powers to have special capabilities beyond the ordinary standard. Some years ago a boy came under the care of the establishment belonging to this asylum, then at Essex Hall. He was of wellproportioned frame, but with a singularly formed head, and wild, sullen, and with scarcely any speech. He was in fact the pupil who was six months learning the difference between a dog's head and his tail. If spoken to he uttered by no means pleasant sounds, and when corrected would run away and hide himself if possible. It is not necessary to give in detail the history of his progress, but his accomplishments at this time are such as to enable him to earn his own living and even more in the establishment, while his smile is most agreeable, and his manners very attractive, indeed refined. Yet even now his speech is scarcely intelligible to those who know him well, and he has not a quality of any kind which could enable him without guidance to manage even small sums of money, or the simplest economy of daily life. Yet he is a carpenter and cabinet-maker, the workman to whose skill is due a great deal of the neat furniture of the house; and he can paint, glaze, and varnish in excellent style. Many of the doors are made and finished by him. He runs with the rapidity of an American Indian, fences so as to compete with a good master, and plays the drum in the band. More than this, he has made a model of a man-of-war which has been several VOL. CXXII. NO. CCXLIX.

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times exhibited in London, and accomplished his first attempt at this achievement merely by seeing a drawing of one on a figured handkerchief. He was told that the instant it was launched it would fall on its side for want of ballast and due calculation, but would not believe it till he witnessed the disaster, to his own dismay. Another effort was made, and the finish, proportions, and general plan are now perfect. He was furnished with metal guns by the generosity of a member of the board, and to hear him explain his ingenious methods of proceeding, as he stands before his model, is perfectly unlike anything else ever seen or heard; while his meaning must be more than half guessed, from his want of words and expression. He is now making a model of the Great Eastern' iron ship, thirteen feet long. He has made all the working drawings, and will accomplish the feat admirably. From morning to night he is constantly employed, and when his regular work in the carpenter's shop ceases for the use of the house, he spends his time in these sort of fancy works, including a gigantic flying kite, and in copying fine engravings. These drawings, in dark and coloured chalk, are most meritorious, and many of them, framed and glazed by himself, adorn the corridor and other parts of the asylum. One was graciously approved and accepted by the Queen, who was kindly pleased to send the artist a present; and Mr. Sidney had the honour of showing some of them to the Prince Consort, no common judge of art, who expressed the greatest surprise that one so gifted was still to be kept in the category of idiots, or ever had been one. His Royal Highness was particularly astonished, not merely by his copies of firstrate engravings, but by an imaginary drawing made by him of the siege of Sebastopol, partly from the Illustrated London 'News' and partly from his own ideas. He dislikes writing and holds it very cheap, and, like the ancient inhabitants of certain portions of the American continent, would make his communications pictorial. If offended and intending to complain, he draws the incident, and makes his views of things about the house and his requests known in the same way. He has made a drawing of the future launch of his great ship, himself the principal figure and all the inmates of the house cheering him and waving their caps. In short, he has seemingly just missed, by defect in some faculties and the want of equilibrium in those he possesses, being a distinguished genius. He is passionate in temper, but relents and punishes himself; he set a trap for Dr. Down, when he offended him, but was very sorry for it; he kicked a panel out of a door in a rage, and afterwards refused to go to Brighton on an excursion of pleasure because

he did not deserve it for this misconduct. He is conscientious, gentle, and generally well behaved, and is now considered on the staff, dines with the attendants, and, some say, he fancies the establishment could scarcely go on without him. He has a brother afflicted with the same malady as himself in the asylum, to whom his attentions are constant and affectionate. To explain the physical and psychological mysteries of such a human being is beyond the present powers of any known science, and must puzzle the most ingenious speculators on the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital divisions of the human skull, as indicating idiotcy or normal powers. There is no knowing what an idiot can do till tried, and such as can be taught nothing in one way may learn much in another. For instance, a girl clever at arithmetic, persisted in calling the first three rules contrition, consumption, and distraction, instead of their proper names. The youth just described, with all his

cleverness could never be made to understand that an annual sum paid quarterly would equal in amount the same paid weekly; yet another, stupid at all other things, will make arithmetical calculations, mentally, of great extent, with perfect accuracy and marvellous readiness.

No condition of those afflicted with this malady need be despaired of in experienced and judicious hands. It is not long since Dr. Down, the physician at Earlswood, was requested to see a boy living in London with his mother and sisters, and who was becoming altogether unmanageable. He was filthy, obstinate, and dangerous to a degree that caused him to be dreaded. Dr. Down recommended his being sent to Earlswood,-advice very reluctantly taken. He came in a horrid condition, and was to all appearance hopelessly vicious, at first refusing every kindness and even food, threatening any person who came near him, thinking to terrify his attendants as he had done his relatives. Dr. Down met his menaces kindly, by perseverance won him, and in a month changed him into a tractable being. When this was reported to his mother, she became uneasy, fearing that violent measures had been taken, and hastened to the asylum. Placed in one of the rooms, she saw her son cross the garden, and heard Dr. Down ask him to gather him a rose, which he brought, to her astonishment, to the doctor in a pleasant manner. It was still thought advisable that he should, during this visit of his mother, not know that she was present. In two months from this time they were allowed to meet, and she talked with joy to her altered son. She declared that all was to her a mystery, for nothing but brute force could do anything with him before;