*

at the instant that I must have met him on equal terms, perhaps, many times before. But by no effort of memory could I recollect when, where, or how often I had seen him before, his name, occupation, or, indeed, any event whatever relating to him. I puzzled my brain all that day to find out something about him, but all to no purpose; he was a problem too hard for me to solve, so I gave it up. A few days after this, having occasion to make some purchases at a shop where I had been before to look over and select some articles, who should come forward and assist me but the person in question. Now the riddle was solved. I recollected that it was here I had seen him before, that this was only the third time in my life I had seen him, and in short I immediately brought to mind many little events which happened whilst choosing the things I was in want of; but seeing him in a different situation, and under different circumstances, I could recollect nothing but the individual. This is only one instance out of many of the same kind that are continually occurring to me. I am very often placed in exceedingly unpleasant situations in consequence of this deficient memory for events. One day, in a public room, I met a gentleman whom I instantly recognised as some old acquaintance, as I thought; and as luck would have it, whilst conversing with me, he mentioned his own name, but until he did so I was utterly ignorant of every circircumstance connected with him. I believed, but was not certain, that we must have been tolerably intimate at one time, and so it was; for as soon as he mentioned his name, I immediately associated it with other names, and then remembered that we had been on very good terms but a short time before, and many little events were by this means brought to light. On another occasion I conversed for a short time familiarly with a gentleman, whose face and person I knew; but to this day I cannot bring to mind a single circumstance of any former meeting between us, nor could I recollect his name.

I do not think myself competent to judge nicely on my own development of brain; and as my head has not been examined by a phrenologist, I cannot speak with certainty as to the size of all my organs, but this is certain, Eventuality is without doubt relatively much smaller than the surrounding organs.

I conceive that in this case the organs of Locality and Comparison being excited, stimulated their respective neighbours, Causality and Time, which together with excited Individuality, not to mention Form, Size, &c. were sufficient to bring slothful Eventuality into that action, which Individuality alone was unable to effect.

VII. Case of Deficient Perception of Colours, with Pain in the Site of the Organ, relieved by Electricity. (By a Correspondent.)

SIR, I beg to forward for insertion in your periodical the following statement of a case which occurred at Exeter, and which was communicated to me by Miss Cragg, a lady not altogether unknown in the scientific world as a pneumatic chemist, and on whose probity and exactitude the most implicit reliance may be placed. It is one among the many facts strikingly illustrative of the truth of phrenology, and the great benefit to be derived from the operative effects of a diffusion of this science amongst all classes of persons.

A young lady was brought by her friends to Miss Cragg, for a defect of vision in the left eye. She could perfectly distinguish every peculiarity of form in any object presented to her; but in the diseased eye she had no perception of colour; every thing, even of the brightest tints, appeared black. The eye itself, on examination, had no visible symptom of disease. She had never experienced the slightest sensation of pain in it, but she complained of a "constant mouldering pain in exactly that part of the eyebrow where the organ of Colour is situated. This circumstance, viewed speculatively, led Miss Cragg to suspect the probability of some internal obstruction operating on that part of the cerebral mass, and thereby preventing the perfect transmission of nervous sensation through the medium of the optic nerve. The effect of electricity, with its stimulating influence, suggested itself to her; she placed the patient on an insulated stool, and directed the aura electrica to the spot in which the pain was felt. This experiment was repeated every alternate day; and in the course of a week was attended with evident beneficial results. At the end of three weeks the pain had entirely disappeared, and she could clearly distinguish even the minutest shades of colour. With the right eye closed, she was taken into a room in the window of which were placed some chrysanthemums in full bloom. Many of these flowers were most delicately tinted, indeed their indeterminateness of colour rendered them difficult to describe; nevertheless she, without the least hesitation, assigned the proper colour to each of them; and on uncovering the other eye, she satisfied herself that she had not been mistaken in any of the flowers she had been looking at.

It is gratifying to observe the experiment was crowned with It is a fact full of importance to phrenologists, and I

success.

think must tend to controvert the arguments of those who have enlisted themselves as the enemies of phrenology. This science has justly attracted the attention, and exercised the reflecting faculties of a large portion of those thinking members of society who have employed themselves and their energies in the service of philosophy. Few, indeed, among the modern physiologists venture to deny to the expansion of the anterior lobes of the cerebral hemispheres a corresponding development of intellectual power, and to the contraction of the same portion of the brain a proportionate deficiency in the mental operations. It is not my present purpose to discuss the many unsubstantiated and fanciful objections that our opponents have brought forward to confront us. Additional evidence and facts, equally positive and undeniable, are daily accumulating in favour of the phrenologist; and we are not without hope that, when human reason has so far advanced as to be able to throw aside its leading strings and stand in its own strength to examine truth and error, and rejecting every preliminary supposition or assumption, to judge impartially between them, phrenology will be hailed as the correct system of philosophy of the mind. All other systems have been proved destitute of universal application; and the numerous wild and baseless theories which the metaphysicians of all ages have brought forward on this subject, succeeding ages have proved to be the wayward wanderings of genius unassisted by judgment. No system can sustain for any lengthened period the repeated and vigorous exertions of writers of high eminence, unless it be really based on truth. How many means have been resorted to for the downfall of the one of which I now speak, sound argument, violent assertion, and that most offensive and effectual weapon, ridicule, have all by turns been wielded by its opponents; but still it stands uninjured, and has many a staunch and unyielding advocate; many who, having experienced its efficacy in following the important advice contained in the celebrated inscription on the Temple of Delphos, " Know thyself," are desirous of extending the means of this knowledge to others. Among this description of persons I venture to class myself; and with a sincere wish for an increased circulation of your journal,

I remain, Sir,
Yours, &c.

2. CLAREMONT TERRACE, EXETER,

Feb. 13, 1840.

E. M. A.

III. NOTICES OF BOOKS.

I. Strictures on the Conduct of Hewett Watson, F.L.S., in his Capacity of Editor of the Phrenological Journal; -with an Appendix, containing a Speculative Analysis of the Mental Functions. By T. S. PRIDEAUX. Ryde: Hellyer. 8vo. pp. 72.

THIS pamphlet commences with a highly disingenuous statement, which has just sufficient admixture of truth, to give a colour of reality to representations eminently calculated to convey false impressions to readers. The rest of the "Strictures" are in keeping with that auspicious introduction, being a medley of unscrupulous misrepresentation, spiteful abuse, and cavilling criticisms worthy of the fly that could see only the roughness of a marble column. The readers of the Phrenological Journal are aware that we do not bring such charges as these against any published work, without at the same time adducing proofs sufficient to substantiate their correctness; and it is with much regret that we now feel called upon to trouble them with the character of a pamphlet involving so much of mere personal accusation and invective; but they will see by the title under which Mr. Prideaux has distributed his publication, and still more clearly by the examples presently to be given from its contents, that an exposure of the calumniator is forced upon us. Abuse and captious cavillings might, indeed, be safely left to their own natural fate; but mis-statements of fact, perversions of meaning, and other modes of misrepresentation, often require more close scrutiny and collation, in order to their exposure and refutation, than readers feel disposed to give to so unprofitable a subject as personal controversy; and if not exposed and refuted, they leave on most minds an impression that there must be at least some truth in them. It is trusted, under these circumstances, that our readers will hold the Editor excused in devoting a few pages to an exposure of the calumnies put forth in the pamphlet of Mr. Prideaux, and thus showing that the tone and character of the pamphlet itself fully establish the propriety of not allowing its author to remain amongst the contributors to a Journal which requires to preserve a reputation for fidelity and independence.

First, as to the misrepresentations. We shall give a few examples of these, but cannot devote the space that would be required for an exposure of the whole series. At the foot of the first page of the pamphlet, we find the following note:

'He [Mr. Watson] observes that he hopes his readers, after reading the extracts, will be prepared to estimate any complaints made on the score of

non-insertion'!!! Did Mr. Watson ever hear of an individual making complaints of the non-insertion of a private letter in a public journal ?"

The author here avoids a direct assertion, by putting a question; but we ask our readers whether the question (taking it in connection with the preceding lines) does not convey to their minds an insinuation, first, that the extracts alluded to had been copied from some private or confidential letter to Mr. Watson; and, secondly, that Mr. Prideaux had been represented as likely to complain, because that "private" letter had not been printed? There is no allusion, either in this note or in the text of the page from which we have quoted it, to any paper sent for publication, to which the "complaints" could apply, or from which the "extracts" could have been made. The truth, however, is simply this. On pages 20 and 21, of our Number for January last, we gave Two extracts in illustration of the rude style of correspondence indulged in by Mr. Prideaux. As we had then only occasion to show the fact of his impertinence towards ourselves individually, we did not enter into any unnecessary explanations as to whether Mr. Prideaux had wished his impertinent language to be printed, or not so. In the note above quoted, he insinuates that the said extracts were not sent for publication, and that, nevertheless, we had represented them as having been sent for that purpose. Both turns of the insinuation are false. We gave no such representation, though we might have done so with perfect truth, in reference to ONE of these two extracts, since it was copied from a paper, sent by Mr. Prideaux, expressly for publication in this Journal; the OTHER extract having been copied from a letter which accompanied that paper, to require that it should be printed. By thus suppressing the fact of one of the extracts having been copied from a paper sent for publication, and avoiding allusion to any such paper, Mr. Prideaux has connected the "extracts," and also the "complaints" about non-insertion, with what he designates a "private" letter only. The other fact, of one of the extracts having been taken from a letter not itself sent for publication, although sent to demand publication of another which accompanied it, is just that partial admixture of truth which gives a colour of reality to insinuations that are in other respects totally false.

But this word "private," applied to the letter, is calculated to deceive a reader into the supposition that there was something confidential in the letter, and by writing "Mr. Watson," instead of "Editor," Mr. Prideaux gives a semblance of something like personal confidence. Mr. Prideaux, however, is personally a stranger to Mr. Watson; -his letter was addressed to "the Editor" of the Phrenological Journal, and might have