fhores. Since that period after having diffociated and neutralized the most formidable foes of his country, by the fubtle ftratagems of his confummate diplomacy, we beheld him as the fucceffor of la Croix, - armed with the powers, and clothed in the gaudy costume of the minifter of foreign relations. In the polifbed Babel of the anti-chamber of this extraordinary man, I have beheld the ftarred and glittering reprefentatives of the most diftinguished princes of the. earth, waiting for hours, with exemplary refignation, <contemplating themfelves, in all their pofitions, in his reduplicating mirrors, or examining the fplendor and. exquifite ingenuity of his time pieces, until the filver founds of his little bell announced, that the invoked. and lagging moment of minifterial leifure was arrived.

It is certain that few people poffefs the valuable qualities of imperturbable calmness and felf poffeffion, more than Monfieur T- Balanced by thefe

amiable and valuable qualities, he has been enabled to ride the political whirlwind, and in the diplomatic cabinet, to collect fome advantage from the prejudices or paffions of all who approached him. The caution and cunning of T have fucceeded, where the fword and impetuous fpirit of Bonaparte would. have been unavailing. The fplendor of his apartments, and of many of the perfonages prefent, dif played a very court-like appearance, and inclined a. ftranger, like myself, to think, that nothing of the old government was miffing, but the expatriated fam ily of France.

F45076 px CHAP. XIX.

The College of the Deaf and Dumb.-Abbe Sicard.Bagatelle.-Police-Grand National Library.-. Bonaparte's Review.-Tambour Major of the Confu lar Regiment. Reftoration of Artillery Colors.

IHAD long anticipated the delight which I expected to derive from the interefting public lecture of the abbe Sicard, and the examination of his pupils. This amiable and enlightened man prefides over an inftitution which endears his name to humanity, and confers unfading honor upon the nation which cherifhes it by its protection and munificence. My reader will immediately conclude that I allude to the College of the Deaf and Dumb. By the genius and perfeverance of the late abbe Charles Michael de l'Epee,. and his prefent amiable fucceffor, a race of fellow be ings, denied by a privation of hearing, of the powers af utterance, infulated in the midft of multitudes. bearing their own image, and cut off from the partici. pation, within fight, of all the endearing intercourfes of focial life, are reftored, as it were, to the bleffings of complete existence. The glorious labors of thefe philanthropists, in no very diftant ages, would have conferred upon them, the reputation and honor of beings invefted with fuperhuman influence. By mak ing thofe faculties which are bestowed, auxiliary to thofe which are denied, the deaf are taught to hear, and the dumb to fpeak. A filent reprefentative lan

guage, in which the eye officiates for the ear, and communicates the charms of fcience, and the delights. of common intercourfe to the mind, with the velocity, facility, and certainty of found, has been prefented to thefe imperfect children of nature. The plan of the abbe, I believe is before the world. It cannot be expected, in a fugitive sketch like the prefent, to attempt an elaborate detail of it. Some little idea of its rudiments, may perhaps, be imparted, by a plain defcription of what, paffed on the examination day, when I had the happinefs of being prefent..

On the morning of the exhibition, the ftreets leading to the College were lined with carriages, for humanity has here made a convert of fashion, and directed her, wavering mind to objects from which the cannot retire, without ample and confoling gratification. Upon the lawn, in front of the College, were groups of the pupils, enjoying those sports and exercifes which are followed by other children, to whom Providence has been more bountiful. Some of their recreations required calculation, and I obferved that their intercourfe with each other appeared to be cafy, fwift, and intelligible. They made fome convulfive movements with their mouths, in the courfe of their communication, which at firft, had rather an unpleafant effect. In the cloister I addreffed myfelf to a genteel looking youth, who did not appear to belong ...to the College, and requested him to fhow me the way to the theatre, in which the lecture was to

delivered. I found he took no notice of me. Que af the affiftants of the abbe, who was ftanding near me, informed me, he was deaf and dumb, and made twe or three figns, too fwift for me to difcriminate; the filent youth bowed, took me by the hand, led me into the theatre, and, with the greatest politeness, procured me an excellent feat. The room was very crowded, and in the course of a quarter of an hour after I had entered, every avenue leading to it was completely filled with genteel company. The benches of the auditors of the lecture, displayed great beauty and fashion; aftage or tribune, appeared in front, behind was a large inclined flate, in a frame, about eight feet high, by fix long. On each fide of the ftage the scholars were placed, and behind the fpectators was a fine buft of the founder of the inftitution, the admirable de l'Epée.

The abbe Sicard mounted the tribune, and delivered his lecture with very pleafing addrefs, in the courfe of which he frequently excited great applaufe. The fubject of it was an analysis of the language of the deaf and dumb, interfperfed with feveral curious experiments upon, and anecdotes of his pupils. The examination of the fcholars next followed, communication which has been opened to them in this fingular manner, is by the philofophy of grammar. The denotation of the tenfes was effected by appropriate figns, The hand thrown over the shoulder expreffed the paft, when extended, like the attitude

The

226

THE STRANGER

[CHAP. XIX. borzalde ze zuidrag doll*

of inviting, it denoted the future, and the finger inverted upon the breaft, indicated the prefent tense. A fingle fign communicated a word, and frequently a fentence. A fingular inftance of the first occurred. A gentleman amongst the fpectators, who appeared to be acquainted with the art of the abbe, was requested to make a fign, to the pupil then under examination; the moment it was made, the scholar chalked upon the flate, in a fine fwift flowing hand,” "une homme." The pupil erred; the gentleinan renewed the fign; when he immediately, wrote, "une perfonne," to the aftonishment of every perfon prefent. This circumstance is a ftrong instance of the powers of discrimination, of which this curious communication is fufceptible.

Some of the fpectators requested the abbe to def cribe, by figns, feveral fentences which they repeated from memory, or read from authors which were immediately understood by the pupils and penciled upon the flate.

The lecture and examination lafted about three hours. Upon the close of this interefting exhibition, a filent fympathy reigned throughout the fpectators. Every face beamed with fatisfaction. A tear was feen trembling in the eyes of many prefent. After al momentary paufe, the hall rang with acclamations. Elegant women preffed forward in the crowd, to prefent fome little token of their delighted feelings to the children protected by this inftitution. It was a