The Sun.
London, England, 1851-10-30 00:00:00

A STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY.

A private letter, written by an English lady, who
has recently visited the United States of America, to
a friend in this country, gives the following interest-
ing account of a lady whom she met with at an hotel
in Boston :
Mrs. de Kroyft was a bride, a widow, and blind—
in a month. Her history, as she related it to me, is
as follows :—When she was eighteen, she became
attached to a young man, without fortune, who was
studying the medical profession. Having no money
herself, his friends wished him to marry a young lady
of property, who was supposed to have a penchant
for him. This stimulated her ambition, and she re-
solved to make herself superior to her rival, mentally,
since she could not vie with her pecuniarily. Ac-
cordingly, she contrived to raise twenty dollars per
annum, to pay for studying at Lima College, where
she remained four years, carrying off the first prizes.
The next year they were to be married, on the 24th
of August. A short time before this, her intended
husband was seized with a spitting of blood. It
ceased for a time, and he was better. After a little, it
returned ; he was told he had„Lbut a short time to live.
On hearing this she went aiM lodged in the same
house, nursing him night and day. When their
wedding. day arrived, he said he should die happier, ii
be could once call her his own. They were married,
end he died four days after. The necessity for
exertion which had hitherto supported her was gone;
she gave herself up to grief. This added very much to
an inflammation that had settled in her eyes, since
her night watchings. One morning she awoke, and
could not open them. The doctor told her she
would open them in a day or two. A week
elapsed ; still they remained the same. One
morning, the doctor forced them open, and ex-
claimed, "My God ! you are blind!" She thought
before nothing could exceed her misery, but this
terrible announcement seemed to absorb everything
else. She could not believe that she should never see
again. The endeavour to realise it seemed to be-
numb every feeling. She was roused from this state
of lethargy by the kindness of her college com-
panions, who, when they heard of her misfortune,
collected fifty dollars amongst themselves, and sent
one of their number to give her the money, and
nurse her for a fortnight.
At the expiration of this time she was well enough
to walk about, and to feel that if she could not find
some way of exercising her powers she should go
mad. She is one of those energetic spirits who
find it much easier to do than to suffer. Besides,
her father was not well off, and had nine
children younger than herself. Through the in-
fluence of Senator Badkus, she spent a year
at the New York Institution for the Blind, to try if
she could learn music sufficiently to teach it. In this
she failed. This disappointment, with her blighted
hopes and lost sight (for she says she could not ac-
custom herself to be blind), so preyed upon her spi-
rits, that she could neither eat nor sleep; and often
spent the greater part of the night in walking in the
gardens. She was a constant mourner between
two graves ; in one lay buried her affections and
hopes, in the other a world of light and beauty, in
which she might hare found consolation. A friend
of hers, Dr. Nutt, sent her to a water establishment,
where she remained six months, made many friends,
and recovered her health. Still she was no nearer
finding something to do, to secure herself an indepen-
6ence, now become the great passion of her life.
During her stay at the above-named institution, she
had, by means of a grooved card, written a great
number of letters to her friends, in which she des-
cribed, with considerable eloquence, her feelings and
sufferings, and her sources of consolation. These she
was induced to publish by subscription. She waited
on the managers of the institution, who gave her
their influence, and set down their names for several
copies. From thence she went to the City. ball ; they
gave her the same encouragement there. She then
went on boldly, with her prospectus in her hand,
and a guide, and called on all the principal merchants
of the city, putting down their names, and receiving
their dollars in advance.

In a very short time she possessed a thousand dol-
lars, which was quite sufficient. She brought out the
first edition of 1,000 copies, September, 1849. These
she delivered herself to the subscribers, most of whom
never expected to see her again, but gave her a dollar
because she was blind. They were so pleased with
her or her book, or both, that they recommended
her to their friends. She brought out another
thousand, disposed of them quickly, then another.
Now she is selling the fourth thousand, and expects
by the end of the year to have disposed of them all,
and to be worth one thousand dollars towards the
four thousand that he thinks will secure her from
want. She secures9ll the profits by selling them
herself. She travels from one town to another, takes
a pretty girl as a guide, and a boy to carry her books.
Goes to all the stores, tells her tale, and solicits them
to buy her book ; and does it so handsomely, to use
her own expression, that very few decline to purchase.
When she sells 30 she returns, considering that a
day's sale. Sometimes she does this in an hour and
a half—sometime three hours. She sold 500 in
Washington in a fortnight.
She was introduced to President Taylor, Mr.
Clay, and the principal members of Congress, and
their wives, through Mrs. Bell, wife of the Secretary
of the War Department. This lady established an
institution for the blind in Tenessee, and conse-
quently took a great interest in her. She says she
went in style to sell her books in Washington,
Mrs. Bell, and, after her, many of the other ladies,
took her boots and her in their carriage, went round
the city, sent the footman in with a book to every
house likely to buy it, left the book to be looked at,
and called for the money coming back. Vary
few returned a book left under such favourable
auspices. These people gave her letters of in-
troduction to their friends in other places. She has a
very nice note from Henry Clay, another from Presi-
dent Taylor, with his signature outside, which is a
very important document. By showing this, she and
her attendants travel free of expense all over the States,
that is, in public conveyances.

SEABORNE MAILS.
[N signifies that the mails are sent front the General cost-office
by the night—and M by the morning--dispatch.]