BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF JAMES HOLMAN,

A CELEBRATED BLIND TRAVELER.

THE history and writings of this wonderful man cannot fail, we think, to especially interest those of our readers who are wholly unacquainted with the progress which the blind of all ages have made in the intellectual pursuits, and with the various methods adopted by them for the acquisition of knowledge. By those who know but little of the ardent wishes cherished by this class of persons, to make themselves active and useful members of society, the first inquiry will very naturally be-What pleasure will one derive from traveling who cannot look out upon this beautiful world, with all its gay and varied scenery; its green earth; its starry skies; its gay flowers, with their endless variety of sweet faces waving in the clear sunlight; the sloping lawns and rich meadows; the mountains, the woods, and, in short, all that is truly grand and beautiful in nature? This inquiry deserves a kind consideration; and we cannot better meet it than by copying Mr. Holman's own answer to like interrogations:

"I am constantly asked, and I may as well answer

the question here once for all, what is the use of traveling to one who cannot see? I answer, Does every traveler see all he describes? and is not every traveler obliged to depend upon others for a great portion of the information he collects? Even Humboldt himself was not exempt from this necessity. The picturesque in nature, it is true, is shut out from me, and works of art are to me mere outlines of beauty, accessible only to one sense; but perhaps this very circumstance affords a stronger zest to curiosity, which is thus impelled to a more close and searching examination of detail, than would be considered necessary to a traveler who might satisfy himself by the superficial view, and rest content with the first impressions conveyed through the eye. Deprived of that organ of information, I am compelled to adopt a more rigid and less suspicious course of inquiry, and to investigate analytically, by a train of patient examination, suggestions and deductions, which other travelers dismiss at first sight; so that, freed from the hazard of being misled by appearances, I am the less likely to adopt hasty and erroneous conclusions. I believe that, notwithstanding my want of vision, I do not fail to visit as many interesting points, in the course of my travels as the majority of my contem poraries; and by having things described to me on the spot, I think it is possible for me to form as cor rect a judgment as my own sight would enable me to do; and to confirm my accuracy, I could bring many living witnesses to bear testimony to my end

less inquiries and insatiable thirst for collecting information.

"Indeed, this is the secret of the delight I derive from traveling, affording me, as it does, a constant source of mental occupation, and stimulating me so powerfully to physical exertion, that I can bear a greater degree of bodily fatigue than any one could suppose my frame to be capable of supporting. I am frequently asked how I take my notes. It is simply thus: I keep a sort of rough diary, which I fill up from time to time as opportunities offer, but not from day to day, for I am frequently many days in arrear, sometimes, indeed, a fortnight together; but I always vividly remember the daily occurrences which I wish to retain, so that it is not possible that any circumstances can escape my attention. I also collect distinct notes on various subjects, as well as particular descriptions of interesting objects, and when I cannot meet with a friend to act as my amanuensis, I have still a resource in my own writing-apparatus, of which, however, I but seldom avail myself, as the process is much more tedious to me than that of dictation. But these are merely rough notes of the heads of subjects, which I reserve to expatiate upon at leisure, on my return to old England."

It is thought by many that the lack of sight always presupposes both mental and physical debility, dull perceptions, feeble imagination, and, as a natural sequence, sluggish energies, a tasteless and melancholy existence. But these false conclusions have

been drawn from instances of restlessness and inactivity among the blind, which were not the result of their peculiar situation, and should not be attributed to their blindness.

It was evidently not a roving disposition, which some have thought a characteristic of the blind, that prompted our worthy author to go abroad, but rather a wish to place himself among eminent travelers, and to increase his sphere of usefulness, by presenting to the world facts that always escape the more superficial observer. "I have been conscious," says he, "from my earliest youth, of the existence of this desire to explore distant regions, to trace the varieties exhibited by mankind under the different influ ences of different climates, customs, and laws, and to investigate, with unwearied solicitude, the moral and physical distinctions that separate and diversify the various nations of the earth. I am bound to believe that this direction of my faculties and energies has been ordained by a wise and benevolent Providence, as a source of consolation under an affliction which closes upon me all the delights and charms of the visible world."

Mr. James Holman, R. N., (a sketch of whose life we have the honor of publishing for the first time in this country, together with some extracts from his writings,) was born at Exeter, in the year 1786. He lost his sight at the age of twenty-five years, while on service on the coast of Africa, as a lieutenant in the royal navy. In 1820, strange as it may appear, E*

he traveled through France and Italy, and, in 1822, favored the public with an account of his interesting travels, which work was favorably received. In the same year, he undertook an arduous journey through Russia, Siberia, Poland, Austria, Saxony, Prussia, and Hanover. These travels he published in 1825, in two vols. 8vo. The object which Mr. Holman had in making this tour is developed by himself in the following words: "On the 19th of July, 1822, I embarked in the Saunders Hill schooner, commanded by Captain Courtney, then lying in the London docks, and bound for St. Petersburgh, with the ostensible motive of visiting the Russian empire; but my real intention, should circumstances prove propitious, was to make a circuit of the whole world." He was, however, unfortunately prevented from carrying his plans into execution, for after having traveled thousands of miles, and spending some months in the midst of Siberia, he was apprehended as a spy, and was con ducted from thence, a state-prisoner, to the frontiers of Austria. In Russia, Mr. Holman was called the "blind spy," an appellation wholly unworthy of our hero, and still more ludicrous in view of his peculiar situation. He gives a most interesting account of the manners and customs of the Russians, their buildings, shipping, commerce, &c.

Being obliged to leave Moscow, his mind was seriously occupied with various reflections. "My situation," says he, "was now one of extreme novelty, and my feelings corresponded with its peculiarity. I