Miscellany: A Living Wonder

Within five miles of Huntsville, Alabama,there lirca a negro boy. He was serenteen years old last August,and weighs over two hundred pounds But his body is not the wonder. It is his mind. if t may bo said he has any: On the 8th of June, 1844, Rov. John C. Burriií, Mr. T. Brnndon and myself went to sec him, and wero amazed. From himself and Mr. TVÏcLemore, (his master,) we learned that he has no idea oí a God. Whön asked, ''who made you?" ho answered, "nobody." He has never been but a few times half a niile frum the place of his birth. He has not mind enongh to do the ordinary work of a slave; cats and slecps in the ¦ame house with the white lulks, having his own tablo and bed. He will not ask for any tin ng. nor touch food, howeyer hungry, unless it be oflered to him. lic 'was never known to commtnee a conversation with any one, nor continue one, furtber than merely answering questiona in the fowest words. Ho speaks vèry low and tardily.- He has never been know to utter a falsehood, or to steal, and isbut little subject to anger - will not strilcc a dog or any thing else; but When vexed by hia sister, he will take holdo'f her Arm, as if hc would break it with his hands. - He cannot be pur6uaded to tírete intoxieating hquors. Í lis utter aversión to tliis bane, is either Ihe result of his having seeir ils effects in his master, or it is instinctive. He has never manifested any prcdilection for the sex. There is nothing rcmarkable in the conGguration of his head or hi? countenance, save that his eye is uncommonly convex and continually rolling about vith a wild and glaring expression. His laugh and movonients are perfectly He does rtot know a letter of figure. Withal, in one respect) he 8 the most extraordinary human being I ver aaw. Almost his only manifO6tation of mind. is in relation to numbers His power over numbois is at once extraordinary anti rncredible. Takeany number under one hundred. and ask hitn its product when multipliod into itself, or ny other number, and he will state it at oncè, as readily as any one who can give the sum of 12 times 12. He multiplica thousands, adds,6ubfract, and divides with the samo certainty, tho'I with more mental labor, lie has, however, n Tidea of numbers nbove mülions. Whh pencil and paper we made tho.following calculations, and aaked him the questions, thus "How much is 99 times 9.9?" answered immedi aiely, "9.801." "Well; how muchis 74 time 861-S7" He answered, 6.401. "How many nines in'2,000?" He answered, "two hündrci oud twenty-iiine3, and two ovcr." IJow many fiftesns in 3,356? He answered, "323 fifteen und 11 over." How many twenty-threes in 4,000? He answered, 173 twenty-threes anc 21 over." How much ís 321 times 739? II answered aftcr a ehort pause, 253,369. Ifyou take 21 from 85, how many will be left? He an swercd, 64. Ifyou íake 4,111 from 5.920, how many will be left? He angwored, 1,809. How much is 7 times 922 and 14? He answered 99. How many is 17 timos 17 and 16T He said, 305. Ifyou had to givo orte dollar ond a half ior one chicken and a. half, how much would yon have to ie for two chickens? He eaid "two dollars. " Ifa stick, standing straight up, three feet lonf makes a shadow five íeet long. how high woulc a pole be, that has a shadow thirty feet long? At this he put his hand to his chin, drew himself up, and gaye a silly Jaugh. His moster said he did not understand sucti as that. We then asked him, how much is 3.33;; times 5,555. In this instance, as insotne of the others, he looked serioiiá, began to twist nbontin his chair, tj piek his clothcF. finger nails; to look at his hands, put the points of his thumbs to his teeth. move his lips a little, and then he seemrd io think a Hule, and then his countenance would give indientions of mental agony, andsoon. Hismaster toldhim to walk nbout and rest himself. He wentinto the yard and nppeared to be nhcrnately elated with rnpture, and depressed 'with gloom. He would run, jump up, throw his armsinto the air above his head; then stand siill, and then drag his foot over the weedsj look up and down; in a word he took on all sort of crazy motions. We sat down to dine, nnd wiien we arose, we found him on the piazza setting down perfectly composed. On heing told he had done it, I said, how much is itT He answeied, ':eiglitecn millions, five hundred ana foartcen thousand, eight hundred and fiftecn." What? said I, he replied, "18,514,8)5." We could get no clue to the mental process by which he ascertained euch resulta. Whenaskcd; how he did it; his unvarying answee was, Ci] studies it up." But what do you do first, and whatnext? He merely drawled out,. "I studicd t up." He did not count on his lirigers, nor anything, external, nor indeed did he seem to count at all; and vet he combined thousands anc played with their combinations. just as others would do with unita. All the instruction he ever received, was from hismaster, who taughthim to count one hundred; and would ask him how many twenties in a hundred, and how many fives, &c.On the following Monday I saw hitrf again, and asked him what was lliat hard sum I gave last Saturday. He replied, "3,333 times 5.555." On Saturdny we told him there were .'365 days in a year, and tweniy lour times ihat would give the hours, which he said was 8,760; sixty times ihat, the minutes; and he said, 5,256.000; and siïty times t.hat the seeonds and he said 31.53G,000. On Monday, I asked him how 'rr.any seeonds in a year; and he recoilected the nuniber. - Being then asked how rnuch is 24 1-2 times 48 J.-2; he answered, 1,183. How much is 15 times -11 and 78 and 7? He said 700. How many thiriy-threes in 777? He said "23tlurtythrees-and 18 over." His rccollection of numbërs is almost as wonderful as his power to comliine them. f stibmit these -f acts, to the considation and reasoning of menlnl philosöphers; for whoever has carefully read tliis paper, knows about as much as I know of this living iconder.