national peculiarities. Messrs. Fowler appear to make a trade of Phrenology, first manipulating the heads of those who will employ them, and then publicly printing selections from their notes of the cranial developments and characters of those who have consulted them. If we could rely implicitly on the exactness of these notes, and on the good judgment of the authors, their details would really be very valuable to phrenologists, even to those in this country; but we fear there is a little tendency to case-making and aphazard inferences not warranted by phrenological indications, though perhaps apparent to the manipulators from previous knowledge of their clients (must we so term them?) or from some personal peculiarities exhibited at the time of consultation. We observe some interpolations on the marked head published by Messrs. Fowler, but they have the modesty (wanting in some of our English interpolators) to speak of these under the separate head of "unascertained organs," in their work. One of these is "Suavity," between Comparison and Benevolence, which is described to have the very useful function of enabling its possessor to ingratiate himself with others, and to obtain their good-will and favours. On the side of this supposed organ of Suavity is placed another marked "Human Nature," which is imagined to give the faculty of readily perceiving " the state of mind or feeling possessed by others." The space allotted to this latter is part of Imitation, the space allotted to the former being part of Benevolence; and according to our reading of the phrenological faculties, Benevolence and Imitation would include the functions thus attributed to these newly invented organs of Suavity and Human Nature: whether regarded or not as distinct organs, the fact remains the same, as to certain manifestations being found to correspond with a large development of this part of the brain. They adopt the suggested division of Concentrativeness and Inhabitiveness, but with the same blunder of transposing the names that is made by Mr. Sidney Smith. They have placed "Vitativeness," in the neck, behind the mastoid process, where there is no brain at all.

The next work is a second edition of the excellent Practical Treatise on the Management and Diseases of Children,' by Professors Evanson and Maunsell. Although strictly a professional work, the style of the authors is so clear and explanatory that the volume is rendered intelligible to parents who have made themselves acquainted with the general ideas of structure and functions contained in the popular publications on physiology. But the volume is too completely a medical work to come into our department of phrenological literature, unless it be for a chapter on "mental and moral education," including

master;

66

66

some very judicious and practical remarks, and said to have been introduced because "the connection between mental and moral education, and the physical management of children, is so close, and the action and reaction of the one upon the other so constant and influential, that an essay upon the latter would be incomplete, indeed, almost useless, without some notice of the former subject." On page 71, we have the following apposite illustration of the uselessness of teaching children mere words without ideas, and the extreme folly of taking the ver bal memory of pupils for the measure of remuneration to the we were much struck with the monstrous absurdity of this wordy instruction, upon observing its effects in some of the parochial schools of this country" (Ireland). Many of these institutions are under the patronage of a society whose inspectors annually visit them, and examine the pupils. The examination chiefly consists in ascertaining how much of the Scripture can be repeated by rote, and the rule is, that unless a certain number of children be produced, each capable of reciting at least four chapters of the New Testament, no remuneration is to be given to the master. The result of this system, as we have repeatedly found from personal investigation, is, that while so much as an entire epistle will, in some instances, be correctly repeated, the sense of a single paragraph will often not be comprehended by the child. In the course of a very extended visitation of these schools, we have been repeatedly told by the masters that their own time, and that of the pupils, were so completely occupied with the committing of mere words to memory, that it became utterly impossible to pay any attention to their meaning." We might have thought it impossible that the visitors of any School Society could be such dolts, had we not in person experienced the ill effects of being compelled to learn unintelligible words at school, by being set to acquire the Latin Grammar by rote, written in that very language the study of which we were thus to commence parrot-wise, without understanding a word that we were so painfully committing to memory.

A Treatise on English Bronchocele,' by Dr. Inglis, may have some interest for phrenologists, and particularly for medical phrenologists, on account of the frequent connexion between that disease and idiocy. According to Dr. Inglis, the great local cause of Bronchocele is found in the prevalence of some varieties of limestone, more especially the magnesian limestone; a sympathy between the thyroid gland and other parts of the frame being the principal condition in the living system. His remedy is iodine in combination with iron, as the ioduret of iron.

An Essay towards a Science of Consciousness,' by J. L. Murphy, is a small volume of much higher pretension than performance, and one which will speedily drop into the waters of oblivion,' without creating much respect for its author's judgment. Mr. Murphy makes a rude assault on Phrenology; and the degree of truth and justice in his censures may be gathered from two short quotations. "To prove the particular developments," he writes, "the head of Raphael, Sheridan, Thurtell, Voltaire, Haggart, Clara Fisher, and a few others, all perhaps not making up a dozen, may be found in most phrenological publications, and every fresh book that comes out is illustrated with the same pictures, all of which are exaggerated in some bump, to demonstrate a development; these same facts are adduced on all occasions, to prove the existence of the thirty-five organs."..." The fanaticism of the phrenologists is such, that in many instances servants have been dismissed from their situations with a sullied reputation, on a 'professor' reporting to the master or mistress, that some bad bumps were predominant; they have even the astounding assurance to propose that the shape of the head of a person undergoing trial should sway the judge and jury in their decision." The author, however, puts phrenologists in good company in his disrespect; seeing that they may sympathise with Newton, Locke, Adam Smith, and Malthus. The book is dedicated to Mr. Owen; and this dedication bespoke our good-will towards the treatise, before reading it, for we must respect Mr. Owen's assiduous efforts to benefit his fellow-beings, although in some points our own views widely differ from those which he would inculcate for this purpose. The book is ably reviewed in the Birmingham Journal of Nov. 24.

6

The Christian Examiner' is the first No. of a new quarterly periodical "by the Author of an Essay on Man;'" but there are several parties to whom this description might apply. The work is too scriptural for our criticisms, though we have no objection to give this notice of its commencement. Our study is the natural and terrestrial Man, and on the doctrines of religion we cannot pretend to set up our own opinion above that of our neighbours, or to enlighten our readers by it.

The Report of the directors of the Dundee Lunatic Asylum, for the year ending with May last, and that of the directors of the Montrose Asylum, for the year ending with the first of June, will probably furnish matter for a future notice, along with a letter in the Globe Newspaper, of September 15th, on the Asylum of the Phrenologists Voisin and Falret, at Vanves, near Paris.

A Report of the Dundee Watt Institution is interesting to

phrenologists, because it records the extinction of one of the earliest phrenological societies established in this country, extinction as a distinct society, but under circumstances likely to render its books and casts more generally serviceable to the inhabitants of Dundee. The particulars will be given in our department of INTELLIGENCE. Societies devoted exclusively to the cultivation of single or isolated sciences rarely flourish in the provincial towns; and we should suggest, that in all places where an institution for general science, for medicine, or for natural history, would allow Phrenology to be one of its proper subjects, and assist in forming a phrenological museum and library, it would be desirable for phrenologists not to aim at a separate society, unless by way of private club, or section of a more general institution.

Of the Prospectus of the National Association for the encouragement and protection of authors, and men of talent and genius,' we cannot speak well. That an Association for this purpose is desirable, and (properly managed) would be highly useful, we have no doubt." Of some of the parties concerned in this one, and their purposes, we regret to say, our estimate is extremely unfavourable.

Amongst works lately advertised, but not very likely to reach our own table, are Sewell's Examination of Phrenology,a reprint, in London, of that foolish and mendacious work mentioned in our last volume, under the notice of Caldwell's Phrenology Vindicated. Two other works, yet unseen, must have some connexion with our proper subject, if we dare trust to their titles; namely, Physiological Observations on Mental Susceptibility, by T. B. Johnson; and, The Science of the CerebroSpinal Phenomena attempted, by Dr. Waugh. The science of the cerebro-spinal phenomena ought to be attempted by a phrenologist only, but we know not the English phrenologist who would be likely to attempt it with success.

IV. The Periodicals and Phrenology.

THOSE of the Periodicals for the last quarter, which have fallen under our inspection, contain very little matter directly on Phrenology, although several of them have allusions and interesting facts bearing upon our own department of science.

The Analyst for October, No. 25, has an article on the natural history of the cuckoo, by Mr. Blyth, probably not

designed to have any bearing on Phrenology, though illustrative thereof if we make due allowance for the non-technical manner of adverting to the mental peculiarities of birds. In allusion to an ornithological group including the cuckoos and mothhunters, we have a statement that their mental faculties are inferior to those of most other birds, in accordance with the lower development of their brains. "Throughout the long series of groups which compose this order," writes Mr. Blyth, "that is to say, in all those Insessores of Mr. Vigors' arrangement which have a simple vocal apparatus, the brain is less highly organised than in the contiguous ordinal division; and there is a corresponding marked inferiority in the intellectual capacity, for while the extreme docility of the parrots, and of the crows, finches, &c. is notorious to every one, I am unaware that a single instance can be adduced, of any species belonging to the distinct order adverted to, manifesting the least capability of receiving instruction. It is true that they may be tamed, may exhibit attachment to one person more than to another, that some of them, at least, will readily distinguish those they are accustomed to, while they evince distrust of a stranger; but I am greatly mistaken if any of them could be trained to any purpose, could be taught to perform a single action that is not natural to them. Whoever has observed a kingfisher, a cuckoo, or a woodpecker, in a state of captivity, will readily acknowledge the force [accuracy] of this remark." The cry of a helpless young animal is well known to excite strongly the philoprogenitive feeling of its own mother, and not uncommonly it has a similar effect upon the same feeling of other animals, particularly of females which have recently been (or, we may perhaps add, are about to become) mothers. Of this effect we have some curious illustrations in the paper of Mr. Blyth. "The anecdote which I next mention," says Mr. Blyth, "is a remarkable one. 'In my neighbourhood,' relates Mr. Ensor, 'a tenant's son found a cuckoo in the nest of a meadow pipit. He brought it home, and fed it on potatoes and oatmeal dough. In a few days two wrens, which had a nest with eight eggs in the eaves, and just above the window fronting the cage in which the cuckoo was placed, made their way through a broken pane, and continued to feed it for some time. The cage was small; and the boy, preferring a thrush to a cuckoo, took it away to give greater room to the thrush. On this, the wrens repaired to their own nest, and brought out the eggs that had been laid.' The truth is, that the sight and imploring cries of a helpless, gaping nestling, excite the parental sensibility of most birds. I have seen a brood of ten bottle-tits reared in confinement by a tame (male) tree-pipit;