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ments to those who have thus manifested a desire to investi

gate them.

Resolved, That this Society disapproves of the conduct of Professor Sewall in relation to the said lectures.

Resolved, That this Society deems it inconsistent with selfrespect to make any further application to Professor Sewall on the subject of his lectures, leaving it to him to deliver them before the Society or not as he may think advisable. Resolved, That the corresponding secretary be directed to enclose to Professor Sewall a copy of these resolutions. The Society then adjourned.

ARTICLE III.

REPORT ON THE CASE OF FOUR SPANISH PIRATES, BY THE PHRENOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES.

We have been favoured with the following very interesting report. by Dr Brereton, secretary to the Phrenological Society of Washington, accompanied by casts of the skulls of the four pirates who form the subject of it. The accompanying cut will convey an idea of the development of Tardy, the leader of the conspiracy.

I

The brain is large; the mass situated behind the ear is enormously great; while the anterior lobe, the seat of the intellectual faculties,

is small; and the coronal surface, although not deficient in breadth, does not rise high ; so that it presents a relatively deficient volume compared with the base of the brain. The space marked I. indicates the seat of the intellectual organs. The plate does not give an adequate idea of the great predominance of the propensities over the sentiments on account of the impossibility of representing the rounded form of the skull on a flat surface : the difference is very great. The cast of the skull itself is in the Phrenological Society's collection, and is well worthy of inspection. In the Washington Society's report and observations the particular development and measurement of each skull is stated at full length. EDITOR.

ALEXANDER TARDY, The master spirit, which instigated the following atrocities, was a native of the island of St Domingo, and accompanied his father to the United States, where he sought refuge after the revolution of that island. The father of Alexander had several children, some of whom are still residing in different parts of the United States, and are useful and respectable citizens. Alexander was the eldest son, and engaged in mercantile business in Philadelphia, where he was for a long time respectable and respected by all who knew him. He was, however, of a restless disposition, and from want of attention failed in business. This occurrence gave a different direction to his pursuits; for, disgusted with Philadelphia, which had witnessed bis prosperity, he resolved to abandon it and go to sea; and through the influence of some friends, Captain Smith, who was in command of the Congress frigate, was prevailed upon to appoint him his steward. How long he served in this capacity is not known. In 1813, he accompanied the frigate to Portsmouth, where he was discharged. It was supposed that he had poisoned Captain Smith, but without foundation, as the physician who attended him in his last illness has declared that he died of a pulmonary complaint. From Portsmouth, Tardy went to Boston, where he remained in the service of a German dentist, from whom he received some instruction in his art. Tardy, however, had acquired a taste for dissipation, and to furnish the means

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of gratifying his inclinations he had recourse to his neighbours' pockets. Being detected in stealing the pocket-book of a Captain Balch at Colonel Wilde's stage-office in Boston, he was rewarded by three years' confinement in the state-pri

When released from his imprisonment, he seemed to be possessed with the most invincible hatred against the Americans; and revenge was the glowing passion of bis soul, which absorbed every

other: even avarice was made subservient to this first and most cherished passion ; and he afterwards executed many a deed of the darkest villany from no other assignable motive than revenge. From Boston he found his way to New York, where he took passage in a schooner commanded by Captain Latham, for Charleston, and, after. poisoning the passengers, had the audacity to charge the cook, who was a black man, and had always previous to that period sustained a good character, with the commission of the crime. Upon this charge the cook was tried, convicted, and executed at Charleston, although he declared that he was innocent until the last. Tardy remained at Charleston, where he had sufficient address to obtain employment; but his irregularities soon alienated the friends he had made, and, having contracted debts, which he was unable and unwilling to pay, he thought it prudent to decamp, and took passage for Boston. There, however, he was soon recognized, and chose to retreat. He took passage in the packet schooner Regulator, commanded by Captain P. Norton, for Philadelphia, under the name of Dr Tardy. Here he again resorted to poison. One evening after supper every one in the cabin was taken siek except Tardy, who acted as physician, and declared, that, from the symptoms, he was convinced that they had taken poison. The passengers, who regarded the presence of Tardy as extremely fortunate, freely took the medicines which he administered, and all of them recovered except a German passenger, who died, and was committed to the deep. On the following morning

Tardy detected arsenic among the sugar, which he had abstained from using during the voyage, and suggested his suspicions of the steward, (a black man.)

A strict examination into all the circumstances was had at Philadelphia, where, from the testimony of the captain and the consignees, in relation to the good character of the steward, his guilt was doubted, and he was permitted to remain at liberty. Tardy, however, persisted in declaring him guilty, and evinced such anxiety to have him convicted, that he became suspected. These suspicions were augmented by his demanding the property of the German passenger, under pretence of a verbal promise from him to that effect, in consideration of his services as physician during his last illness. The consignees refused peremptorily to give up the property to Tardy, and set a spy over him, who ascertained that he stayed but one night at the City Hotel, and then removed to an obscure residence. There he planned another piracy, to be executed on board one of the Richmond pack. ets; but, having been betrayed by one of his expected accomplices, he was charged with having poisoned the passengers of the Regulator, and was condemned to seven years' hard labour in the Walnut Street prison. There he was found very intractable, and boasted frequently of having committed more murders than any convict in the penitentiary, and threatened amply to revenge himself when released. After his discharge, he took passage in the brig Francis for Savannah; but, being recognized as he was about

1 to embark, he and his baggage were put ashore without much ceremony.

Afterwards Tardy found his way to Charleston, where he made an attempt to run off with a pilot-boat, but was detected, brought back, and notwithstanding the Mayor of Charleston was apprized of his character and former crimes, Tardy found means to escape and make his way to Havanna. Tardy was a man of small stature, rather delicately formed, his complexion was dark, and his countenance, which at first seemed destitute of expres

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sion, became animated when engaged in conversation, and he seemed to possess extraordinary command over the mus cles of the face. He never laughed, though a smile was occasionally playing about his lips. He usually spoke in a low tone of voice, and articulated with great distinctness. He represented himself as fifty-seven years of age, had grey hair, and after his death it was discovered that he wore a set of artificial teeth. He possessed the most unbounded

: confidence in his resources, and viewed mankind with the utmost contempt; his address is said to have been consummate, and he frequently boasted of his knowledge of human nature, and his power to sway the mind, and mould it to his purposes.

This gifted villain spoke several languages, and never hesitated for a moment to perpetrate a crime, even where there was danger of being detected. In his creed. he seem . ed to have proscribed all mankind, and was never more: in his element than when committing the most revolting crimes. Perjury, poison, and poniards, were instruments always at hand, and he wielded all with equal dexterity. Prompt to execute whatever a vicious fancy suggested as practicable, he never stopped long to consider of the means ; whatever was certain of producing the desired effect was chosen in preference, even though attended with the greatest danger to himself. That he displayed considerable tact in selecting his accomplices is evinced by the horrid transactions in the Crawford ; and he maintained his ascendency over them by his fertility in devising expedients to accomplish his atrocities, and his total disregard of danger in. carrying them into execution.

Tardy, whose life had been a continued scene of villany, arrived in Havanna in the month of January, 1827, and presented a petition to General Vivez, the governor of the island of Cuba, setting forth, that he had come to the island with the intention of settling some old claims; but that, being destitute of funds, he was desirous to obtain permission to clean

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