MACFARREN

His health was poor from childhood and his eyesight was weak, so much so that he had to use a powerful magnifying-glass for reading. He was withdrawn from school in 1823 to undergo a course of eye treatment. The treatment was unsuccessful, and his eyesight progressively worsened until he became totally blind in 1860. The correspondent is probably William Henry HANN (1831-1920) who was an English viola player, and Musician in Ordinary to the Queen. He was the head of a musical family from Brixton who often performed chamber music together in the 1890s.