The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-16 00:00:00

HOME TEACHING FOR THE BLIND.

The anniversary meeting of the society for this object,
in connection with which is the Alexandra Institute for
training and employing the blind, was held at Willis's
Rooms on Monday. Colonel Rowlandson occupied the
chair. A somewhat novel feature at these meetings, and one
that by no means detracts from their interest, is that the
majority of the audience are those whose afflictions and
necessities have brought them within the scope of the society's
operations, the " visitors" being confined to the centre
seats ; and amongst them were obviously many of the
relatives and personal friends of those who bad been
benefited by one or other of the affiliated societies.
The object of the Home Teaching Society is to teach
the blind to read by means of an ingenious system of
raised letters, the form of which can be felt with the
fingers. It also provides free lending libraries of books
printed in this raised type. During the last nine years, by
means of eight home teachers, seven of whom are them-
selves blind, upwards of 800 blind persons in London
have been taught to read. The object of the Alexandra
Institute is to afford the blind industrial training and
employment without separating them from their homes ;
to provide work and sale for their work for the able-
bodied and industrious blind, and thus to supplement the
schools for the blind. The chairman called attention to
thebeneficial effects of the Society's operations, especially
in teaching the blind to read the Bible, and mentioned
some instances of persons who had lost their sight very
means of the system of •
dats Moon's system. Several
bhe society were delivered,
plartientiii
addresses lgi fef
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egg ttbahlluengcdhl takitnmooslrveonaf
and afterwards the 540-blind persons now being benefited
by the society were treated to tea at Messrs. Basil Wood
and Sons' gallery in Bond-street. The report stated that
a legacy of £5OO left by a lady had relieved the society
from debt ; but the subscriptions were inadequate to the
demands upon the institutions.

THE BIE,MINGIII.II HOME AND HOUND SI1017.—•
This popular exhibition, which is announced to be held at
Bingley Hall, Birmingham on the 23rd, 24th, 25th, and
23th instant, bids fair to be even more attractive than in
former years. The entries, which show an increase in
numbers, amount to upwards of 250, and will include
many of the celebrities exhibited at the late show in
Islington, amongst which may be named the winners of
the mile trotting match and the piebald pony which was
so admired by the Princess of Wales.

A DEFAuLTER CAPTURED.—In the course of last
month an individual, about 35 years of age, named John
M`Fie, supposed to belong to the neighbourhood of Glas-
gow, absconded from Walsall, where he had been employed
as a traveller by the commercial firm of John Shannon
and Sons, taking with him £4OO of his employers' money.
A reward of £5 having been offered for the apprehension
of the delinquent, and copies of his photograph forwarded
to various police establishments, amongst others to that
of Rotbesay, where it was lselieved he had relations, the
constable there, having observed him, a few days ago,
landing at the pier from a steamer, had his movements
closely watched, and on Saturday he felt warranted in
taking him from a respectable hotel, while irk the act of
regaling himself, and placing him in durance vils. •
THE COUNTESS OF DERWENTIVATER AND HER
CLAIMS.—in accordance with previous arrangement, a num-
ber of gentlemen, inhabitants of Blaydon and the district,
assembled at the house of Lady Amelia Matilda Mary
Tudor Radcliffe, who is at present residing at Blaydon-on-
Tyne, for the purpose of further investigating the validity of
her ladyship's title as heiress of the Derwentwater estates
and dignities. The documentary evidence in Lady Amelia's
possession was perused, and several of the curious and
ccstly heirlooms were minutely inspected, the survey elicit-
incident to a long series of years, the
ing surprise and admiration. It is a matter of calculation
how, in the changes
numerous relics of the Derwentwater family have been
preserved in their entirety and completeness. At the close
of the meeting a petition embodying the facts of the case
relative to Lady Amelia was submitted and approved of
by the gentlemen present, who likewise appended their
signatures to the said petition, to be forwarded to the
Queen, praying her Majesty to take the matter into con-
sideration.—Northern Daily Express.

CRICKETERS IN PARLIAMENT.—The cricketing in-
terest in the House of Commons, which has not bees.
strong of late, has received a most important accession in
the person of Mr. C. G. Lyttelton, lately elected to it as
member for East Woreestershiie. He will meet there,
though on the opposite benches, his old Oxford fiend, Mr.
s
De Grey, who centrivesp,keep pp some of his cricket inpite of the occupation nicidental to the possession of a
scat in the:House. Colonel Bathunit, a very useful all-
round cricketer, managed to lose his seat at the last gene-
ral election, and may poisibly regain it in the next ; and
in Essex there is some idda of getting Mr. Round, well
Houses,
including Lords Stamford,
and so on, could
Chesterfield, known as one of the best amateur wicket-keepers of
the day, to stand for one of the new divisions, so that
there is at least a fair chance that the House may be able
to turn out a very fair team with these four, Colonel
,
Kingscote, Messrs. Bathurst, Bruen, Du Cane, and
othersilcsfieter;w
make a pretty good match with the Zingari, without play-
ing twenty-two, according to their old custom.—Land and
Water.
lhd, ;while
Coventry,thetwo SusH

NEWA STREET —An. inquiry has been
held atSt. BAIIoll(3::::':Itilospital, relative to the
death of a painter named Charles Stacey, aged 315, who
was killed by the fall of a "cradle" suspended in front
ofa.
house. The deceased's family was represented by
ltlr Mote, solicitor; and Mr. Lewis appeared for Mr.
Leyster, the owner of
e the "cradle." It appeared that
the used
was employed on Thursday, the 2Sth
inMay, utifig the front of No. 30, Noble-street, and
c pa
lie and another man stood in a cradle suspended from the
fourth floor by means of ropes fifteen feet long. The
ropes broke, and the deceased was precipitated to the
ground, receiving fatal injuries. It appeared that the
ropes had been in use nearly six years, and Mr. Leyster
deposed that a lope of that kind should last nine years.
A. practical man on the jury, however, dissented from this
view, and said that the rope which broke was so rotten
from age that the strands, instead of supporting half a
hundredweight, gave way under the pressure of a pound.
The danger consequent upon the use of such ropes con-
cerned not only the men in the cradles, but the public
walking on the pavement underneath. The jury returned
a verdict of accidental death, and added that there was
great neglect QU the part of the master in, not rovicling
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