lamina of the skull too; there may be either a deficiency of osseous matter, or too great a redundancy; in both which cases, the cranium will be altered both in shape and size. In the same manner will the cranium be affected from the use of the trephine; and would it be wise, decent, or humane, to say that a man, who was unfortunately the subject of these calamities, had murderous inclinations, lustful propensities, or any other of the catalogue of the wicked organs. The inhabitants of the Caribbee Isles, have a practice of tying a plate of wood on the forehead, or of compressing the head, between two plates, which renders the head considerably altered in shape, so as to have the appearance of being without a forehead. There is a skull of one of the chiefs of these islands, who had distinguished himself for his great literary attainments, in the Museum of St. Thomas's Hospital. When Dr. Spurzheim saw it, he did not know what to make of it, the organ of talent and genius was lost; and yet the prince was a man of the greatest genius-a genius cultivated with the greatest industry and perseverance. There are others of the savage tribes who press the head into the form of a sugar-loaf, and will these oracles of genius, these sapient craniologists, say where all the organs of these savages are gone to?

It is time the public should be undeceived on these points; and be prepared to meet doctrines boldly, which, under the specious names of novelty, amusement, and science, are really the engines of materialism, infidelity, and atheism. The inju rious effects these principles must have upon morality, can only be equalled by the great exertions those distinguished moralists, Byron and Voltaire, have made in its cause. From these principles, there can be no necessity either to receive the instructions of the good, or shun the baneful influence of the example of the bad—for if we have the organs of veneration, goodness, and benevolence, we shall be pious, moral, and beneficent; and if we should, unfortunately, possess the organs of murder, rapacity, and lust, we shall be murderers, thieves, and voluptuaries.

But admitting for a moment, that the system of Gall and Spurzheim was true, it would not be impossible for a man to have all the

organs they describe, at once; and he might, at one and the same moment, contemplate murdering his friend and addressing the Deity-rob the rich to give to the poor-be an ascetic and a voluptuary-a patriot and a traitor-a hero and a coward. Away with education; where can be its use? Cease to be religious: what effect can religion have in opposition to those very impressions and feelings which are the natural results of the organization of the brain?

To conclude, I trust this short review of these pernicious theories, will be sufficient to show their poisonous and deadly tendency; and teach us to despise that useless knowledge and those baneful philosophic systems which corrupt mankind; and which, if they do not destroy the faith of the christian, tend very materially to obliterate those feelings of humility, modesty and obedience, the invariable concomitants of true devotion, and the surest guides to happiness and peace.

February 4, 1824.

FURTHER OBSERVATIONS ON PHRENOLOGY.

Mr. Editor,-Having already sent you a few observations on Phrenology, I could not let this opportunity pass without shewing that the principles I then advocated, have been most satisfactorily proved by some recent occurrences, which, singular to state, the phrenologists think, have been additional confirmations of their theory,

I allude to the cases of Thurtell and Johnson. Every one must be sensible of the difference of crime in the two individuals. One, a cool, wilful, deliberate, and malignant assassin, who under the garb of friendship, invited an acquaintance to go with him into the country, provided for days previously, weapons of destruction; and at a moment when his friend was completely unguarded, perpetrated the horrid deed of murder. In this man, who was clearly a wilful and designing murderer, the organ, which the systematists call the "organ of murder," was not to be found; and, as if to shew the abominable folly and complete absurdity of phrenology, what they call the "organ of benevo

was very conspicuous. In the other man, Johnson, of whose

the

head, (immediately the poor fellow was hung) the phrenologists hurried down to take a cast, they found, what they term, organ of murder" very largely developed. Without entering at all into the question, whether he was justly or unjustly condemned, I shall prove, at least, that he had no premeditation of murder, or no organic murderous propensity. The witnesses he called in his defence, swore, that he was a humane, quiet, and good young man. He took his scythe into the field, not to murder, but to mow; and from quarrelling, words proceeded to blows; he became exceedingly irritated, struck the man with a scythe, and the man's death was the result. If he had taken the scythe into a room, or a pistol into the field, and killed a man with it, there would have been, probably, premeditation of murder: but the principal witness against Johnson, swore that he was in a violent passion, and much agitated when he struck the man with his scythe. Now, what I must contend for is, that there is an immense difference between the two cases; and that a man who commits murder in a paroxysm of rage, cannot be said to be a murderer in principle. Now, it is evident that Thurtell was a murderer; that he designed, premeditated, and perpetrated the murder: and yet what the systematists call the “ organ of murder," was completely wanting in him. It is equally evident that Johnson was not a premeditated murderer-that he did not buy weapons to commit murder with; and that the event for which he paid the forfeit of his life, arose from quarrelling and anger: in him, this organ was very large; and this, I think, must satisfactorily shew, that science is much injured, morality wounded, and benevolence attacked by this race of pseudo-philosophers, who, to uphold this system, are distorting and perverting facts in every possible manner; ransacking the charnel-houses, and finding skulls which every one else thought had perished and become a sacrifice to the relentless ravages of time. These men are the very individuals who are scoffing at and ridiculing miracles; these are the men who ascribe every thing to the nerves; all propensities, all cures, &c. The brain is made up of a congeries of nerves, and nothing occurs but from the excitement of the nerves. Oh! profound philosophers! surely you will give us a new system of ethics, religion, and metaphysics.

Wisdom is the gift of God: "The Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding." Arrogant and self-sufficient, indeed, are those who abuse this excellent gift of God: and so far pervert it, as to endeavour to prove the non-existence of an Almighty Being. In the fulness of self-estimation, they forget what they are, and claim attention to which they are not entitled; and, by indulging in fanciful chimeras and useless speculations, they are lost in pride, and soar beyond the reach of those ideas which the all-wise Creator has destined to render useful to Society, and agreeable to individuals, when well directed and properly cultivated. Phrenology teems with mischief. If a man was to examine his own skull, and find that he had the organs of murder, lust, &c. it would be sufficient to make him miserable the remainder of his days he would say as the poet did—

"The fearful night still lies before me
In all its hideous length!

O ye successive terms of gloomy quiet!

Over my mind ye pass like rolling waves

Of dense oppression; whilst deep underneath

Lie all its noble powers and faculties

O'erwhelmed. If such dark shades must henceforth cross

My checker'd life with still returning horrors,

O let me rest in the foul reptile's hole,

And take from me the being of a man!!"

It has the worst effect on the morals of mankind; it asserts, that all the deadly and baneful feelings which arise from accident, bad example, bad habits, bad advice, the passions, &c. arise from that organization of the brain, (viz. the congeries of nerves, decussating with each other) which man has from his earliest infancy, and which it has pleased Almighty God to give him. It goes to prove that man is not an accountable creature for both reason and religion condemn the principle that man can be punished for crimes and propensities over which he has no controul. Besides, and this is not the least important +of the mischief, phrenology assumes, that the mind is not rerial; that from the substance of the brain, arise thoughts, and actions, independent of the soul, that is, the spirit

although anatomy most fully and satisfactorily

t without the soul, the brain itself is nothing

but inert matter, in fact, nothing superior to the stones on which we move in the streets.

This new doctrine, is then, it would seem, nearly allied to Atheism; for if, as these systematists assert, nothing can transpire but what has its origin from matter, they make the Creator of the universe a material Being! To refute such blasphemy, would be an insult to common sense. Before quitting the subject of phrenology, I think the system would be far more elucidated by examining the craniums of Martin Luther, king Harry the eighth, of wife-killing memory, Titus Oates, and Cecil. Nor will it serve the purpose of the phrenologists to tell us they cannot procure a sight of these precious skulls: they tell us the organs that were in Nero's head, Caligula's, Septimus Severus'; and that in king Robert Bruce's head, they found thirty-three organs!!—very like a whale! We know these oracles of wisdom and philosophy, are constantly lauding to the skies these men, as being great, learned, &c. and having conferred eternal favours on posterity by bringing about "the blessed Reformation:" and I must confess it would be an admirable illustration of this science, to find in the head of Martin Luther, the organ of meekness and obedience; in the head of Henry the eighth, the organ of the love of chastity and benevolence; in the head of Titus Oates, the organ of truth; and in the head of Cecil, the organ of the love of gunpowder. Several of the wiseacres of the present day, would afford excellent opportunities for the prosecution of this science; and, if their skulls were not too thick to admit of any impression made on them by their brains, we should, no doubt, be much instructed and amused by the examination. Perhaps, we might find that the heads of the Editors of the John Bull resemble very much the heads of Cerberus; we are apt to judge from analogy sometimes. We might find in the head of my Lord Eldon, the organ of the love of popery, in conjunction with the organ of positiveness, that is, of never doubting: in the head of the Right Rev. Dr. Robert Southey, Defender of the Faith, author of Wat Tyler; Joan of Arc; and Biographer of the late pious Rev. John Wesley, the organ of never changing sides, as well as the organ of patriotic aversion to pension and place; in the head of Lord