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September 17. Oliver talked of kites, and I told him a story about two boys and a kite. To-day too for the first time he was interested in the subject of color, and talked nearly an hour about it. He remarked, "I talk, learn much." It is singular, but I can never get him to say he wants a thing unless be thinks he can have it. To-day, I tried it again and again. He was very desirous to write to Osborne, which he did in the following words:

"MY DEAR OSBORNE:

Your boat go in the water will float, -- stones, and iron, and lead not float. They will sink in the water. I did go in the water, and float to bathe. I am not afraid. I am brave boy. Good bye."

These extracts will give one a tolerable idea both of the simple method used in teaching Oliver, and of his usual course of thought. It will be seen that he does not yet show much disposition to inquire into causes, and indeed that he is but a little child in intellect. You must keep constantly in mind the immense disadvantage under which he labors; you must consider that his powers of acquiring knowledge are as much more limited than those of the merely deaf and dumb, as theirs are limited in comparison with ours, or else you will be disappointed with the result of the last year. The great difficulty, however, is already vanquished in his case; he has become familiar with the outline and general purpose of language, and he will now go on acquiring it in geometrical progression.

He has been under the immediate charge of Miss Eliza Rogers; and to her patient and persevering kindness he owes the improvement which he has made.

We shall, during the current year, be able to do much more than in any previous year; and I doubt not that with his expanding intellect he will seek as earnestly for light upon moral and religious subjects as he does now upon merely material ones. Thus far, he is pure in heart and correct in conduct; and we hope and trust that his poor single talent may be so improved as that his mortal life shall not be a total blank in his soul's existence.

S. G. HOWE.