nstruct some of our teachers
gratuitously." The Sub-committee recommended that this offer should be
accepted; the General Committee had resolved to adopt the
recommendation. "They have also very properly," he continues, "agreed to
reimburse Mr. Gall the expenses of his journey and of his necessary
residence in London. The account which Mr. Gall has given of his
invention is doubtless overcharged; it exhibits all the enthusiasm which
generally attends all new discoveries. His estimate of the expense is
somewhat vague. He requires very little _time_ to enable his poor blind
pupils to read and to write as correctly, and almost as quickly, as the
more fortunate poor who have the blessing of sight. However, if Mr. G.
does but accomplish one-half of what he has promised, our Committee will
be quite satisfied.

"Thus far, then, I may congratulate you, my dear madam, on the
successful result of your active and persevering exertions."

After this there is a long pause; and the next letter from Mr. Vynes is
dated Clapton, 24th August 1831. We can picture to ourselves the
feelings with which Mrs. Wood would read it in the far-off Broadwater
rectory.

DEAR MADAM--I have now the pleasure of returning to you the various
books and papers which you so kindly sent up for the inspection of
the Committee of our Blind School, and have to give you our best
thanks for the use of them. You will be pleased to hear this new
system of reading and writing is making some progress in the London
school. As a proof that the General Committee are satisfied, I will
report to you the results of their meeting on the 13th of this
month. They first voted fifty guineas to Mr. Gall as a compliment
for the service he has already done to the Institution. But when
Mr. G. was called in and acquainted with their vote, he at once,
respectfully, but very positively, declined to accept of any
remuneration for what he had done, saying his object was to
introduce the new system to serve the poor blind and not himself.

The Committee then elected Mr. Gall as Honorary Member of the
Corporation, and requested the House Committee to find out (if
possible) something acceptable to Mrs. Gall, and empowered them to
present it to her. I mention all this in justice to Mr. Gall. It is
indeed highly creditable to him, for we are told that he is by no
means in affluent circumstance