lectures, which have satisfied me that it has no foundation. used the word north on the supposition that Dr. Gall had been a Scotchman; for never having been acquainted with any person of common sense who had deeply studied the system, before I had the honour of an introduction to Dr. E., I had always classed Phrenology with Palmistry, and had neglected to study it from an instinctive dislike to nonsense."

II. CASES AND FACTS.

I. Case of precocious Musical Talent, being a Notice of the late ERNEST AUGUSTUS KELLNER, Maestro Academico Filarmonico di Bologna, Pianist to her Majesty Maria Louisa ArchDuchess and Duchess of Parma, &c., &c., late Maestro di Cappella to the Bavarian Embassy, London: with some Phrenological Remarks on his Head and Character, by Mr. RICHARD CULL.

THE attention of society is occasionally awakened to witness a spontaneous manifestation of precocious talent in very young children. Such phenomena excite much temporary curiosity to see the child; but, instead of leading to investigation, it generally ends in an expression of wonder as to how the child can possess talent without having received instruction. It is much to be regretted that we are not only ignorant of the circumstances which accompany precocity, and which might probably throw some light on its cause, but that our knowledge even of the nature and extent of the talent is both inexact and incomplete.

The most marked, or at least the most popularly known, examples of precocious talent are the musicians and arithmetical calculators. The special faculties which are subservient to those talents, however, are not the only parts of the human mind which are capable of precocious manifestations; on the contrary, it appears from observation, that any one of the faculties can singly manifest itself both precociously and spontaneously.

Those precocious talents which command admiration are displayed before the public, as the juvenile musicians and arithmeticians; while those which are visited with disapprobation are cautiously concealed from the public, as the juvenile liars and thieves; and it may be remarked, that examples of the former are commonly thought to indicate a natural bias of

mind apart from the influence of education or example, while a similar conclusion concerning the latter is seldom entertained.

In the cases of precocious musicians and arithmeticians, the remarkable fact is familiarly known, that while the one talent displays itself in the accurate judgment, taste, power, and facility of practised maturity, the mind, in other respects, is infantine. Bidder, for a moment, left his playthings to solve arithmetical problems, when he immediately returned to his toys. His faculty for calculating numbers enabled him in arithmetic, while yet an infant, to take standing with men, while the rest of his faculties sought only childish objects. Crotch played his father's organ before he could speak; his musical faculty was ripe before its time, and fully displaying the fruits of maturity, while the other faculties of his mind were still only in the bud. The boy Mozart, "Master and Composer of music at seven years old," as he is styled in the portraits; and the boy Mori, the late lamented leader at the opera, are prominent examples in which the musical faculty was precociously manifested to the admiration of the wondering public, whose opinion of their juvenile concerts was expressed in gold.

It is also familiarly known, that those who have been remarkable for the spontaneous manifestation of precocious talent, in general cease to be distinguished for that talent in after life, and thus disappoint the high expectations which had been formed of their future excellence. In many persons, however, the talent continues to manifest itself through life, as in Mozart and Mori. The circumstances which have been observed in connexion with the continuance and discontinuance of that talent which has been precociously manifested, will form the subject of a future communication.

The late Ernest Augustus Kellner was born at Windsor, 26th January, 1792. His father and grandfather were natives of Saxe Weimar. His grandfather was an organist and composer of some reputation in his native town. His father was a violinist in Queen Charlotte's private band: it is well known that King George III. and his family had considerable taste

for music.

When an infant, E. A. Kellner evinced so decided a disposition for music, that his father began to instruct him on the piano-forte before he was two years old. At five he played one of Handel's concertos at an evening concert at Windsor Castle, before the Royal Family, who took great notice of him. The King, observing he had a good voice, desired Sir William Parsons, the singing master to the princesses, to qualify him

to sing classical sacred music at their Majesties' concerts; and so apt was the pupil, that before he was eight years old he made his vocal début at one of their Majesties' evening concerts. In the mean time he was not idle, as he continually had the honour of playing concertos before his royal patrons. He now became a favourite, and followed the Royal Family as they changed their residence, receiving his lessons occasionally in the King's presence, and frequently along with the princesses. He was much humoured and petted, until he became, in short, a spoiled child. He was placed under a tutor for general education, with whom he made but little progress, which in after life he attributed to idleness.

His father, in opposition to the King's wish, now made engagements for him to sing in public, after which he was seldom at the Castle. He next became the protégé of the Hon. John Spencer, an amateur musician of great reputation, who obtained for him many good engagements, as the Ancient Concerts, Harrison's, Bartleman's, the Glee and the Nobleman's Catch Clubs. At Dr. Arnold's oratorios he sang with Mara and with Banti; and more than once, when Banti was ill, he supplied her place. These two great singers retired at the end of the season of the year 1802, and in that October Dr. Arnold died; so that young Kellner took a conspicuous part in the chief concerts of the day, when he was only ten years old. He continued to sing in public until 1805, when he entered the navy as a midshipman, which at last, after much solicitation from his father, he left in 1808 to resume his musical engagements; in the interim, his voice had changed to a fine baritone.

He now seriously began the study of music to make it his profession, and to cultivate his other mental faculties, which had been much neglected. In 1813 and 1814 his engagements were very successful. In 1815, being twenty-three years of age, he married and went to Italy, where he soon discovered that he knew but little of the real art of singing. He resided at Florence for two years, studying day and night under Porri; he then went to Naples to receive instruction from Casseli and Nozzari, with whom he studied two years, when he proceeded to Bologna to consult Crescentini; and returning to England, he gave concerts in Italy, Switzerland, and Germany on his route.

He arrived in December, 1820, and published some music; he sang at the leading concerts, and made an eminently successful tour with Catalani. He introduced the peculiar intonation in which the Swiss mountaineers sing their Ranz des Vaches, called Jodeln, and with which the Rayner family have subsequently made us so familiar. He was appointed organist to the chapel of the Bavarian embassy in London, where his

great talent for sacred music soon became known, and amateurs of all creeds flocked to the chapel,

"Not for the doctrine, but the music there."

In 1824 he accepted an engagement at the Venetian opera, where he made his début as the Mosé, in Rossini's opera of that name, on the 1st January, 1825. This opera was represented thirty-six nights out of the fifty of which the season consists. In the Varietà Teatralia, p. 139., which is an opera periodical, there is a criticism on the production of this opera. After noticing and confirming the statements of the Nuova Osservatore and the Gazetta priviligiata, it describes the opera of the Mosé as miraculously got up in five or six days, as represented by four great singers who were applauded to enthusiasm, viz. Lalande, Davide, Tamburini, and Kellner. This last named actor, born and educated in England, had never before appeared on the public stage. He has, however, met with a favourable reception; and so great and numerous are his means of pleasing, derived from a profound knowledge of his art, from force and flexibility of a fine voice, and lastly, from a cultivated mind, that he will very soon become one of the first ornaments of the musical theatre. His triumph was complete, for he was rapturously received in that country where the opera is best understood and cultivated. The periodicals continued to praise him in those lavish terms with which that language so abounds.+

He now proceeded to Bologna, presented himself for examination, composed a symphony in score with a fugue for voices as his exercise, and thus obtained his musical degree of Maestro Academico Filarmonico. At Parma he was received with distinction by the Archduchess, who gave him a court appointment,

The words are, "Quest' ultimo attore, nato ed educato in Inghilterra, non erasi mai prima d' ora esposto sopra pubblicha scena. Su queste adunque ha incontrato favorevolmente il primo cimento; e sono per verità tali e tanti i suoi mezzi per piacere, derivantè da profonde cognizioni dell' arte, da forza e pregievolezza di chiara voce, ed infini da coltivato ingegno, ch' egli addiverà ben presto un primario ornamento del musicale teatro."

+ In the supplement to the Nuovo Osservatore of the 8th January, 1825, occurs the following notice of his excellences: -"Altro soggetto del tutto nuovo regalato ci viene ora dall' appalto nel primo basso, Signor Kellner, che rappresenta il Mosé. Giovine anch' esso, ed anch' esso dotato di commendevoli prerogative, ha ottenuto nell' approvazione del suo uditorio la meritata giustizia. Bella presenza, bella voce, buona agilita, e per quanto appare conoscenza franca di musica, si aggiunga per l'esercizio una più libera facilità di pronunzia ed una più sciolta declamazione, e si avrà nel Sig. Kellner, un artista di primo grado."

After deploring the absence of great opera actors at Milan, Turin, Genoa, and Naples, the same periodical states, that "Venezia ricca di Madame Lalande, dei Signori Davide, Tamburini, e Kellner, con dolce convincimento applaudisce quattro virtuosi di singolar distinzione esecutori d' una musica deliziosa."

and many solid proofs that she appreciated his talents. But in 1828 he received the most pleasing homage on his route through Poland and Russia; for, during his few weeks' stay at Lemberg, one of Mozart's sons, knowing his talents, brought all his pupils to him to receive his instructions and advice.

He delighted the Empress of Russia by singing, at her request, Scotch songs, which she prefers to Italian music. In 1833 he left St. Petersburgh for Paris; for the French revolution and the English Reform Bill had made foreigners of those nations obnoxious to the Russian court. In 1834 he returned to London, where, in consequence of ill health, he lived chiefly in retirement. He professed belief in Gall's doctrine, and joined the London Phrenological Society. After eight months' illness, he died of decline, on the 18th of July 1839, aged 47.

I have obtained the following particulars of his precocious talent. His disposition for music was observed, and he received piano-forte lessons, before he was two years old.* When a boy his perception of music was very accurate, while his memory was both slow in acquiring and treacherous in retaining; and yet he paid great attention to it. Like young Crotch +, he could by his ear distinguish, at a distance from any instrument, and when out of sight of the keys, any note that was struck. And he also could distinguish in what key any music was played. He evinced a sound judgment and a refined taste in music. Although he was so successful as a pianist and singer before he was ten years old, yet he only began seriously to study music in 1811, when he was nineteen. This is all that can now be collected of his early powers.

Mr. Kellner was better known in Italy, the land of song, than in England. Mr. Kollmann, the organist to her Majesty's German chapel, St. James's, states him, as a singer, to have been of the very first class. Of this extraordinary singing at sight, Mr. Kollmann relates that Mr. Kellner happened to call on him when he received from abroad the first copy of the Semiramide, and on looking it over together, Kellner at once and without the slightest hesitation sang one of the basses through. Mr. Kollmann tells me that his execution, for facility, flexibility, and accuracy, was wonderful.

The polish and cultivation of his singing were thought by some excellent judges to be extreme. He brought all his

This day, 13th November, 1839, I have seen a child, sixteen months old, exhibit an unequivocal disposition for music, by attempts to dance, waltz, and otherwise move in measure to music, and even attempt to sing. When the music ceased, she lisped "more more," and renewed her attempts to dance and sing. organs of Time and Tune are largely developed in her head,

See Vol. II. New Series, p. 139.

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