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I will give some extracts from my diary showing her conscientiousness.

"Sept. 17. I tested Laura's conscientiousness by relating a simple story. A little boy went to see a lady, and the lady gave him two birds, one for himself, and one for his sister; she put them in a basket for him to carry home, and told him not to open the basket until he got home; the boy went into the street, and met another little boy, who said, 'Open the basket, and let me feel the birds;' and the boy said, 'No, no;' but the other boy said, 'Yes, yes;' and then the boy opened the basket, and they felt of the birds. Did he do right? She paused, and said, 'Yes.' I said, Why? She replied, 'He did not remember.' I said, If he did remember, did he do right? She replied, 'Little wrong to forget.' I then went on to say, When the boys did feel of the birds, one bird was killed. Here she became very much excited, and manifested the greatest anxiety and distress, saying, 'Why did boy feel hard? why did bird not fly?' I went on: He carried the basket and birds home, and gave the dead bird to his sister; did he do right or wrong? She said, 'wrong.' Why? 'to kill bird.' I said, but who must have the live bird, the boy or the girl? She said, 'girl.' Why? 'Because boy was careless, and girl was not careless.' She was at first a little confused about the persons, but decided promptly the question of right or wrong, both in respect to opening the basket, and about who ought to possess the bird.

She supposed it was all reality, and I could not well make her conceive the object of the fable, much less give her an idea of the ingenius author of it.

Her mind was for some time entirely occupied with this story, and she afterwards asked, "Did man knock -strike- boy because he killed bird? I said no, the boy's heart did knock him; does your heart knock you when you do wrong? She inquired about the beating of the heart, and said, My heart did knock little when I did do wrong.

She asked why blood came in face? I said, "when wrong is done:" she paused, and said blood did come in Olive's face when she did tell lie; do blood come in your face when you do wrong?

I reflected much upon whether I ought yet to give her any general rules of right, benevolence, duty, &c., or trust to example, action, and habit, and decided upon the last; example and practice must precede, and generalization will easily follow.

It is most pleasing to observe that beautiful spirit of charity which prompts her to extenuate the faults of others, and which, when any story of the kind just referred to is related to her, leads her to apologize for the person who appears to be in the wrong, and to say, He did forget, or, He did not mean to do wrong. The same may be said of that spirit of truthfulness which makes all children believe implicitly what is told them, how extravagant soever it may be, but which Laura has preserved long after the age at which others have thrown it aside.

I have already made this Report so long that I must leave unnoticed many subjects which I would gladly touch upon; and even upon that which will interest so many, -- her ideas of God, I must be brief.

During the past year she has shown very great inquisitiveness in relation to the origin of things. She knows that men made houses, furniture, &c., but of her own accord seemed to infer that they did not make themselves, or natural objects. She therefore asks "who made dogs, horses, and sheep." She has got from books, and perhaps from other children the word, God, but has formed no definite idea on the subject. Not long since, when her teacher was explaining the structure of a house, she was puzzled to know "how the masons piled up bricks before floor was made to stand on." When this was explained she asked, When did masons make Jennette's parlor; before all Gods made all folks?

I am now occupied in devising various ways of giving her an idea of immaterial power by means of the attraction of magnets, the pushing of vegetation, &c., and intend attempting to convey to her some adequate idea of the great Creator and Ruler of all things.

I am fully aware of the immeasurable importance of the subject, and of my own inadequacy; I am aware, too, that pursue what course I may, I shall incur more of human censure than of approbation; but, incited by the warmest affection for the child, and guided by the best exercise of the humble abilities which God has given me, I shall go on in the attempt to give her a faint idea of the power and love of that Being, whose praise she is every day so clearly proclaiming, by her glad enjoyment of the existence which he has given to her.

S.G. Howe.

APPENDIX B.

OLIVER CASWELL.

This lad was born November 1, 1829. He continued in health and in the possession of his senses until he was three years and four months old. He was considered a bright boy, and could prattle as freely as any child of his age.

He was then attacked by scarlet fever and canker-rash; at the end of four weeks it was perceived that he could not hear, in a few weeks more his sight began to fail, and he soon became entirely blind.