condition of the blind, as a class, would, with the
blessing of God, be materially raised and improved, and this
nothing could so effectually ensure as the sanction and gracious
patronage of your Majesty and of your Royal Consort. The plan of
the undertaking for which I have ventured humbly to plead with your
most gracious Majesty, is to ensure to the blind workman a fixed
sum weekly, in remuneration for his labour; and also to teach those
too old for admission into institutions, some trade. Should your
Majesty be pleased of your gracious condescension to grant this
request, the hearts of your Majesty's blind subjects will be ever
bound to your Majesty in love and gratitude.--Your Majesty's most
dutiful, loyal, devoted, humble servant,
E. M. GILBERT.

Perhaps at this point one may venture to call attention to the fact that
a person born blind or blind in early life can seldom spell quite
correctly. The training of the eye tells for much in the English
language, and the unaided memory cannot be relied upon. Bessie's
autograph letters are rarely free from defects; and the letter here
copied may have been discarded when it was found on supervision to
contain _admition_ for admission, _Concert_ for Consort, and one or two
other trifling inaccuracies. Some of her intuitions in spelling--only
think in how many cases a blind person's spelling must be intuitive--are
delightful. She gives instruction for a letter to be written to the
Rector of Marlbourne, our old friend Marylebone, and speaks of a
statement she remembers in De Feau.

The autograph letter to the Queen was duly corrected, no doubt, and
despatched. It elicited the following reply from Colonel Phipps:

TO MISS GILBERT.

WINDSOR CASTLE, _15th January 1856_.

MADAM--I have received the commands of Her Majesty the Queen to
inform you in reply to your application, dated the 11th instant,
that that paper does not contain sufficient intelligence with
regard to the institution which you advocate, to enable Her Majesty
to form any judgment upon it.

I am therefore directed to request that you will have the goodness
to forward to me the prospectus of the institution in question,
containing the particulars of its objects, locality, and mode of
management, an