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It may be remembered, that in the Report of the last Board, particular mention was made of a deaf, dumb, and blind girl, named Laura Bridgman, then a pupil, and promise was given of further notice of her case.

It has been ascertained beyond the possibility of doubt, that she cannot see a ray of light, cannot hear the least sound, and never exercises her sense of smell, if she has any. Thus her mind dwells in darkness and stillness, as profound as that of a closed tomb at midnight. Of beautiful sights, and sweet sounds, and pleasant odors, she has no conception; nevertheless she seems as happy and playful as a bird or a lamb; and the employment of her intellectual faculties, the acquirement of a new idea, gives her a vivid pleasure, which is plainly marked in her expressive features. She never seems to repine, but has all the buoyancy and gaiety of childhood. She is fond of fun and frolic, and when playing with the rest of the children, her shrill laugh sounds loudest of the group.

When left alone, she seems very happy if she has her knitting or sewing, and will busy herself for hours: if she has no occupation, she evidently amuses herself by imaginary dialogues, or recalling past impressions; she counts with her fingers, or spells out names of things which she has recently learned, in the manual alphabet of the deaf mutes. In this lonely self-communion she reasons, reflect and argues: if she spells a word wrong with the fingers of her right hand, she instantly strikes it with her left, as her teacher does, in sign of disapprobation: if right, then she pats herself upon the head and looks pleased. She sometimes purposely spells a word wrong with the left hand, looks roguish for a moment and laughs, and then with the right hand strikes the left, as if to correct it.

During the year she has a attained great dexterity in the use of the Manual Alphabet of the deaf mutes; and she spells out the words and sentences which she knows, so fast and so deftly, that only those accustomed to this language can follow with the eye, the rapid motions of he fingers.

But wonderful as is the rapidity with which she writes her thoughts upon the air, still more so is the ease and accuracy with which she reads the words thus written by another, grasping their hand in hers, and following every movement of their fingers, as letter after letter conveys their meaning to her mind. It is in this way that she converses with her blind playmates, and nothing can more forcibly show the power of mind in forcing matter to its purpose, than a meeting between them. For, if great talent and skill are necessary for two pantomimes to paint their thoughts and feelings by the movements of the body, and the expression of the countenance, how much greater the difficulty when darkness shrouds them both, and the one can hear no sound!

When Laura is walking through a passage way, with her hands spread before her, she knows instantly every one she meets, and passes them with a sign of recognition; but if it be a girl of her own age, and especially if one of her favorites, there is instantly a bright smile of recognition -- an intertwining of arms -- a grasping of hands -- and a swift telegraphing upon the tiny fingers, whose rapid evolutions convey the thoughts and feelings from the outposts of one mind to those of the other. There are questions and answers -- exchanges of joy or sorrow -- there are kissings and partings -- just as between little children with all their senses.

One such interview is a better refutation of the doctrine, that mind is the result of sensation, than folios of learned argument. If those philosophers who consider man as only the most perfect animal, and attribute his superiority to his senses, be correct, then a dog or a monkey should have mental power quadruple that of poor Laura Bridgman, who has but one sense.

We would not be understood to say that this child has the same amount of knowledge that others of her age have; very far from it: she is nine years of age, and yet her knowledge of language is not greater than a common child of three years. There has been no difficulty in communicating knowledge of facts -- positive qualities of bodies -- numbers, &c.; but the words expressive of them, which other children learn by hearing, as they learn to talk, must all be communicated to Laura by a circuitous and tedious method. In all the knowledge which is acquired by the perceptive faculties, she is of course backward; because previous to her coming here, her perceptive faculties were probably less exercised in one week, than those of common children are in one hour.

What may be termed her moral nature, however, her sentiments and affections, her sense of propriety, of right, of property, &c., is equally well developed as those of other children.

She is now able to understand simple sentences expressive of action, as "shut the door," "give me a book," &c.; or rather, as she expresses it, "shut door," "give book," for she does not know the force of the particles, the and a, any more than a prattling infant, who understands -- give cake -- but puts in me and a from imitation, without knowing their meaning; or than many a child in school understands the difference between a noun and verb, though he has gone through all the parsing exercises and can give a rule for every thing about it. For a more detailed report of this case, and the method of instruction which is followed, we refer you to Appendix C, being a report of the Director.