though he was careful to conceal this fact from his friends; and though above asking charity for himself, he was never ashamed to apply for others. Many a destitute creature in fact was more befriended by Blind Tom than by persons who had much more power, and at the periodical divisions of the poor's money his representations were always listened to with the greatest attention both by elders and ministers. Everybody knew that he was perfectly disinterested, and that, so far from appropriating anything to himself, he would rather have taxed his own very slender means. Though humble in station, his moral worth and integrity were high, and, independently of his age and services, a more deserving character never carried to the grave the regrets, we may say, of a whole community.'

Due honour was done to the remains of Blind Tom; the corporation and upwards of three hundred respectable persons attended his funeral, and a subscription has been opened for erecting a suitable monument to his memory.

REMARKS ON INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENTS.

KNITTING, NETTING, ETC.

The employment of knitting is perhaps the most widely diffused and the oldest of those carried on by the blind. We find that about the year 1550, Joan Wast, one of the four blind martyrs of England, maintained herself by knitting stockings, which occupation must have produced considerable profit before the invention of the stocking-weaving machine. The adoption of knitting by the blind at such an early date is the more remarkable, as it appears from Sellon White's History of Inventions, that the art had only just been introduced into England from the Continent. It is believed that knitting is the only occupation

that is common to all the blind institutions of the world, and although it cannot now be said to be a profitable investment of time, yet its practice is attended with some advantages.

In the case of children it is a means of enabling them to acquire the use of their fingers, while for women it is a never-failing source of amusement attended with some profit.

The excellency reached at some blind schools in knitting, and its twin-sister crochet, is truly surprising; but the time employed to secure this excellence would be much better expended in imparting to the pupils the knowledge of an employment more likely to give them the means of providing for their own maintenance.

Knitters should wind a piece of thread several times round one end of each knitting pin, and tie it tightly at the distance from the point beyond which they do not wish the work to pass.

Fancy netting is often carried on by women, but seldom with profit.

Twine netting is sometimes done by females; but generally it is an occupation for men, and until the introduction of netting by machinery, which has thrown the trade chiefly into the hands of one firm at Musselburgh, near Edinburgh, the making of fishing and other nets by hand was a profitable employment, of which the blind often took advantage; and although it cannot now be classed among remunerative occupations, yet it is of some use, as many persons insist that hand-made nets are superior to those produced by machinery; very few blind schools, however, now pay any attention to the art.

Hair-work, bead-work, and the making of watchguards and vase-stands are useful acquisitions, although not very profitable in a pecuniary sense.

BASKET MAKING AND CANE-WORK.

Few trades practised by the blind are as useful as basket making, for it deals with articles in general demand, both in country and town. It was introduced into the first blind school, namely, that of Paris, in 1784, and it has since been adopted by nearly all the European and American institutions. It is, however, a singular circumstance that while this trade is almost universally taught in establishments for the blind, it has been discontinued in the very institution which first introduced it, so that Paris now almost stands alone in the rejection of this handicraft. The finer kinds of baskets can be made by women, but no female has ever been known to maintain herself by this means, unless connected with the Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind.

The writer undertook, in 1857, to ascertain the means by which the French were enabled to surpass the English in the production of fancy baskets. He visited France, and found, after much difficulty, that the articles imported into this country, and known by the name of French baskets, were made in the poorest rural districts in the winter season, and sold at astonishingly low prices to factors who have establishments in central French villages for receiving the baskets, and warehouses in London and other places for their sale. Persons of all ages and both sexes are employed in the manufacture, and the cottagers, in many instances, grow their own osiers. The tools used by the French are peculiar, the shave and upright being made so as to take off two thicknesses from the skein at the same time, and the cleaver has three divisions at one end and four at the other. The baskets are made on blocks which take to pieces, so as to be easily removed when the body of the basket is finished.

After making these discoveries some blind women were taught on the French plan with perfect success,

at the institution of the Association for Promoting the Welfare of the Blind, London, which success was shown by the circumstance of ordinary purchasers, who knew nothing as to the makers of the goods, selecting baskets made by the English blind women in preference to those manufactured by the sighted in France; and it is much to be regretted that circumstances have not permitted this plan to be fully developed, for it is almost certain that, under proper management, the blind women of this country could produce baskets which would compete successfully, both in quality and price, with those now imported from France and Ger

many.

The stronger kind of work, called rod-work, offers excellent employment for men, and possesses the advantage of being in constant demand. This trade, however, has some drawbacks of considerable importance, viz., it can only be successfully carried on by persons who have correct ideas of shape, and the necessity that exists for the workman being often in a stooping posture, and having his hands always kept damp, makes it very prejudicial to health, which renders basket-making only suitable for those who have peculiar abilities and robust constitutions.

Bottoming chairs with cane is a valuable addition to the trade of a basket-maker, and it is capable, under favourable circumstances, of being carried on advantageously as a separate employment. It is a profitable occupation for females, and was first introduced by the Association for Promoting the General Welfare of the Blind in 1857, in the establishments of which society it has since been in use as an employment for women. It has also been introduced into several other institutions. A basket-maker should also know how to bottom chairs with rushes, and to make bee-hives.

SACK, MATTRESS, AND BED-MAKING.

These trades were first introduced by the Edinburgh

Asylum, and they are now carried on in five institutions in Great Britain and America. In some of these establishments, however, they only exist in name, and are considered almost useless. Where they succeed sighted labour is added to that of the blind, and the success at Edinburgh would seem to imply some special circumstance connected with the locality. Many branches of the above employments are extremely simple, and the needlework may be done by blind women. Much space is required for workrooms, and the dust from the feathers, hair, and flock are not conducive to health, the cleaning of beds from hospitals, which is often done, is a very questionable proceeding in the case of the blind, who, as a class, are more delicate than other persons, and therefore more liable to contagious diseases. Although these propositions are self-evident, we are not in a position to show that mattress and bed-makers are unhealthy, simply because there are no records to which. reference can be made for information.

MAT AND MATTING-MAKING.

The arts of mat and matting-making were first introduced at the Liverpool Asylum for the Blind about the year 1791, and they have since been adopted by many other institutions. They are handicrafts which are readily learnt, but there is no demand for them outside large towns, and even there the call for them is very small, which is due to the way in which mats are produced in prisons, and sold to the trade at very low prices. At St. Mary's Blind Asylum, Dublin, in 1865, the girls worked at making mats on boards under the direction of the nuns in charge of the establishment, but this employment is very ill-suited to females, as it requires considerable muscular strength.