II. Synopsis of Phrenology;-directed chiefly to the Exhibition of the Utility and Application of the Science to the Advancement of Social Happiness. With two Plates. By JOSHUA TOULMIN SMITH. Boston: Francis. - London: Simpkin, Marshall, and Co. 8vo. pp. 27.

(Reviewed by a Correspondent.)

THE author of this brief Synopsis, though still young, has been for some years known as the strenuous defender of the "true science of mind." He has shown from the first that he was imbued with a deep conviction of what Phrenology really is, in its ultimate character and its results; recognising in it the great Educator,' the able co-operator with every true teacher of religion, of morals, of political economy, the infallible director to wisdom, virtue, and happiness.

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Mr. Smith divides his subject into three parts: the first embraces a view and demonstration of the truth of those fundamental principles upon the truth of which the whole science depends; the second comprises a view of all the faculties and powers of man, and the circumstances under which each is called into activity; the third embraces the useful application of the knowledge gained by the consideration of the two former branches. The views of the author, on the principles and applications of Phrenology are sound and correct; but our principal attention shall be bestowed on the second division, as it contains some novel suggestions, and as it indeed occupies by far the larger part of the whole pamphlet.

Besides ascertaining by long and laborious observation the place in the brain occupied by each faculty, and giving to each organ an appropriate appellation, it was early felt to be necessary, or at least convenient, to divide the entire mass into a few groups or portions, each containing a number of organs bearing a relation, real or presumed, the one to the other. Spurzheim accordingly proposed to include the whole under the four divisions, of the animal propensities— the sentiments or feelings the intellectual and the reflecting faculties. This division, though in so far tolerably agreeable to fact, does not, with sufficient precision, state the office or function of either of the portions, and further attempts at distinction have been made, by stating that the propensities and some of the sentiments are common to man and the lower animals,” while others are "peculiar to man;" and also by allusion to the influence on character, of the frontal, the coronal, and the posterior regions of the brain, as they respectively prevail in dif

ferent subjects. But neither of these varied forms of expression conveying any definite ideas beyond their announcement of certain physical or organic facts, they require explanation, and may be considered as duplicated formulas, arising out of the feeling that some explanatory division is necessary, and perhaps may puzzle rather than elucidate, by applying different terms to the same thing.

It has appeared to Mr. Smith, that in classifying the powers and faculties of the mind, more may be done without complexity, without confusedly increasing the technical data of the science. It has therefore been his aim to divide and subdivide the organs on analytic principles, distinguishing the portions by terms which, etymologically examined, excite in themselves, abstractedly, definite ideas of the actual offices of the groups to which they refer.

With respect to any comparative statement of the relation of the brains of the human race, to those of the lower animals, it may be presumed a superfluous and uncertain distinction. The brain is a mass of organised matter, whose office it is to be the medium of mental action; and in which, possibly in all cases, the germs of every faculty exist, and if in any instance we can point out the organ of any faculty, we may feel assured that in the sentient being which owned that brain, the quality, so indicated, existed in due proportion to the relative magnitude of the organ. And if in the brain of any individual or species, we can find no assignable trace of certain organs, we must simply conclude the individual or the species to be void of the correspondent faculties; or rather, that the organs are too slightly developed to have, in their action, any appreciable effect in the character or capacity.* But in some individuals of the same species or genus, as in some men, there may be a difference in the relative organisation, and the effects of these differences are seen in the authentic anecdotes which appear in our books of natural history, and which seem to prove that certain dogs, elephants, and eagles have been known to exhibit traces of mental combinations superior to those of other individuals of their species in similar circumstances. Instances might be

copiously adduced, but they will be easily recollected by the reader, and may probably induce the conclusion, that the great principle of analogy, which prevails in other parts of the animal economy, is not violated in the brain; as we see the bones of the hand and arm-in man beautifully adapted to minister to

Our correspondent is not an anatomist, and his mode of expression may appear rather ambiguous here. In no instance can we certainly point out the organ of any separate faculty, in an anatomical sense. The truth is, phrenologists infer the existence of the organ solely by reason of the manifestation: our friend reverses this inference. - Editor.

his necessities enormously developed in the bat tribe, for the attainment of a definite object, and still traceable, though almost in a rudimental state, in the apod mammalia of the cetaceous tribe.

Thus reasoning on the organisation of the encephalic mass, while admitting that the classification of animals, as it has been, so it must always in some measure be made by comparison of their external points of resemblance and difference, — Mr. Smith quotes with approbation Gall's anticipation of the time when the diversities of cerebral conformation shall enter as a most important element into natural history."

In order to convey the desired distinctness of ideas, in his division of the brain, our author considers each power and faculty in the abstract, as to its result and effect; and perceiving that in each region of the head certain contiguous organs are capable, from the mutual relation of their results, of being "grouped" together under a distinct and general term applicable to each faculty in the group, and not applicable to any others, he offers the following arrangement as being convenient and elucidatory, while it is simple, obvious, and logical.

"All men's lives," says he, " consist of nothing but knowledge gained of the nature and qualities of the objects by which they are surrounded, and of actions performed by themselves upon those surrounding objects." And this proposition affords him the key to his mode of considering the functions of the brain. He therefore distinguishes its entire organs into two principal classes, each of which is subdivided into several groups. The first class comprises those powers by means of which we are enabled to attain a knowledge of the objects of nature; and to these powers is affixed the intelligible appellation of comprehensives. The second class includes those powers by which we are impelled to action; and these are appropriately termed propellents.

The Propellents include all the propensities and all the sentiments except Wit. The Comprehensives include the intellectual or perceptive faculties, and the reflective, together with Wit, which is placed among the latter. These two principal classes are subdivided into eleven groups; namely, the Propellents into six, and the Comprehensive into five groups, which may be enumerated here; but we must refer to the original for full and expressive definitions : —

1. Preservative

2. Social

Vitativeness, Alimentiveness.

Amativeness, Philoprogenitiveness,

Marriage, Adhesiveness, Inhabitiveness.

3. Protective

4. Dignitative

5. Moral Directive

6. Progressive

7. External Senses

8. Simple Perceptive 9. Objecto-relative

10. Reflective

11. Expressive

- Similitude (Comparison), Connexion (Causality), Discombination (Wit). Language.

Every classification of natural objects into groups, is a thing made by man for convenience only: it is not a thing which nature has made. And as the sole object of the philosopher is the discovery of truth, any suggestion offered for facilitating this great object, must be worthy of respectful attention. Any proposed manner of classifying the cerebral organs will therefore have a fair claim to adoption, if, on careful examination, it be found, more vividly than others, to excite ideas that truly represent the facts of nature; and the prescriptions of past years in phrenological science will be no more regarded, than the prescriptions of past years in any other mode of studying the philosophy and phenomena of mind.

It was natural for Gall and Spurzheim, coming forth into an unknown field of discovery, to classify according to the first impressions they received. It was natural also for those who immediately followed them, to adopt the same classification, even without inquiring into its completeness; passing, it may be, this section of their science, as a matter of small moment in comparison with the more intensely interesting discussions so continually arising. But it is equally natural now, that a young and ardent student, heir of the discoveries of Gall, Spurzheim, and Combe, enjoying at once the result of their thousands and tens of thousands of observations, commencing where they ceased, taking his first stand on the vantage ground which they have full hardly won, should look out thence for new worlds to conquer, should perceive deficiencies, and should aspire at precision in the data of the science, which have not hitherto been appreciated.

III. Our Library Table.

UNDER this head, in our last No., we spoke briefly of two or three works, each of which merited a more ample notice. Το these we have now to add another publication, on a subject very intimately connected with mental science, namely, Captain Maconochie's "Australiana, or Thoughts on Convict Management, and other Subjects connected with the Australian Colonies." And the second edition (which we rejoice to see) of Dr. Verity's "Changes in the Nervous System produced by Civilization," also affords matter for some useful reflections. To these must be added an American volume of "Lectures on Phrenology by George Combe, Esq." from notes taken by Mr. Boardman. But, whilst our subjects have accumulated, we find our proof sheets already well nigh filled, and must reluctantly postpone notices, though postponement may unavoidably become abandonment of intentions. When it is thus out of our power to notice all the published works conceived to have an especial interest for phrenologists, it may be looked upon as the province of a Phrenological Journal, to select those on its own subject - even though hostile thereto - in preference to others on subjects only connected with Phrenology: this, it will be seen, has been done.

There are also some articles in the (chiefly medical) periodicals for the last half-year, which should have now had a passing notice, in accordance with the lately adopted plan of directing our readers to such articles in other journals, as might have any phrenological interest: but we must omit or delay these likewise, for the reasons just given.

V. INTELLIGENCE.

Miscellaneous Notices. We have an accumulation of short articles in the way of Contributions, Extracts, and Reports of phrenological doings such as discussions, lectures, and proceedings of societies which are unavoidably postponed, for the reasons given under the preceding head of Library Table," and that referred to near the foot of page 27., namely, the insufficient size of this Journal. We regret this, because, however true may be the remark that, intelligence worth printing at all, must be worth printing for March when it cannot be given in January, we should greatly prefer to publish such notices in the earliest No. after receiving them. As it happens, we must endeavour briefly to state the principal points of Intel