In some cases the inner plate of the skull recedes so far from the outer, at the lower part of the front of the brain, as to leave a cavity between the two plates; this cavity receives the name of frontal sinus, and presents a difficulty requiring great caution on the part of the phrenologist, before he gives an opinion on the development of any organ, situated under the parts liable to frontal sinus, in the heads of adults and more especially of the aged. The skulls of young persons are generally found on examination to be nearly of equal thickness throughout.

There are difficulties arising from the varied thickness of the integuments enveloping the skull, but they easily yield to the persevering observer. A thick temporal muscle, for example, is frequently mistaken by young and careless students, for a great development of the Organ of Acquisitiveness.

The temperaments also present considerable difficulty to the inexperienced student. The stimulus of temperament appears often to exceed or fall short of the instrumental power of organization, in either of which cases there will be defective operation. There is frequently great difficulty in ascertaining the predominating temperament, the combination of two or three producing such complicated appearances, that even experienced phrenologists are sometimes at fault.

I have thus touched upon the principal difficulties met with in the study of phrenology. Perhaps the timid and the secretive devotee to the science will fancy that by thus blazoning our difficulties, we shall afford a handle for our opponents which they will use to the disadvantage of the science. But in reference to this apprehension, I would say,-Give them every possible handle, and let them amuse themselves by applying our handles to their own puny levers, and fruitlessly endeavour to overturn the laws of nature, which we have had the happiness to discover and to ascertain; and which they also might ascertain, would they but apply themselves to the subject in a rational manner, by careful and persevering research, free from the negativing influence of prejudice; which candid procedure alone can authorize a person to pronounce for or against any science.

He who will thus investigate must become a phrenologist, or at least a believer in phrenology, because he cannot fail to find that the laws of nature loudly proclaim the truth of the science, however its professors may err in their individual judgments and views. I must say that I have never met with an unbeliever in the truths of phrenology, who could unblushingly declare that he had thoroughly investigated the subject; indeed, they generally acknowledge that they were so disgusted at the threshold, that they never could be tempted to venture into the

temple of the science. Is it not lamentable that men who expect a fair fame in the world should thus disgrace themselves by denying the truth of that which they openly pride themselves in refusing to examine? Can any one give himself a more disgraceful character, than to decide against a science on the ground of its being beneath his inquiry? Whoever will not inquire should have the modesty and prudence to remain

silent.

The hasty judgments of many professors of phrenology have afforded much more powerful handles to the anti-phrenologists, than can be formed out of candid avowals of all the difficulties existing in the science. If we practise concealment, and allow our opponents to discover the difficulties, we afford them weapons wherewith to attack us with some appearance of force. Let us then honestly and boldly set forth to view the difficulties with which the science is beset, and show that they are to be overcome only by years of careful and intelligent observation of development, in connexion with ascertained facts of manifested disposition of mind; that the student has a long straight road to travel, and therefore there can be no cuts across the fields, by which the road may be shortened.

Superficial inspection will avail little or nothing towards the attainment of the end. I do not hold the notion that phrenology can ever be "made plain to the meanest capacity;" all the books that can be written on the subject, however luminous, will never supersede the necessity of a careful and persevering investigation of nature, being pursued by each individual who wishes to understand the science thoroughly. All that books can do for us, is, to afford materials for thinking on, but they can never render deep thought unnecessary.

In order to become phrenologists we must, after obtaining our A, B, C, from the marked bust, and from elementary books, examine the living heads, skulls, or casts of well-known characters, of persons whose manifested dispositions are ascertained. After this course of study has been pursued for some time, without venturing to draw inferences from organization, the heads of persons associated for specific purposes may profitably be looked at, for in each of such associations there is to be observed a sort of family likeness.

In churches there will be found a predominant development of certain organs, varying according to the creeds. In theatres, another class of organs are seen strongly marked. And thus we may gain experience by looking at the respective groups assembled in various places. We may perceive distinct differences in the frequenters of theatres, of concert rooms, and of ball rooms; in the counsellors of the courts of common law,

and of chancery; in the meetings of merchants, and of manufacturers; in religious meetings; in political meetings; and in temperance meetings; in the meetings of debating societies, and of prize fighters: and thus we might go through a long list of meetings, and find distinct differences in each, yet in all a great resemblance in some points.

Strongly marked differences in the forms of heads are noticeable in every nation, and in every province of a nation. I have observed in travelling, very decided differences in almost every county in England, as well as in various nations of Europe.

When the student has gone through a long course of observations in this manner, he may possibly have acquired sufficient experience to warrant him in hazarding, now and then, an opinion upon the probable character of a strongly marked organization, but he should ever have a dread of venturing out of his depth. In endeavouring to infer character from organization, I would recommend the commencing by taking a general view of the proportionate dimensions of the head in the first instance and then proceeding to observe the particular subordinate parts.

First, To look at the altitude above the orifice of the ear, and determine whether it be, very high, high, medium, low, or very low, and whether the greatest altitude be forwards or backwards. Secondly, To notice the longitude and the proportion of it before and behind the orifice of the ear, and whether each of these portions be, very long, long, medium, short, or very short. Thirdly, To observe the latitude or width from side to side, and whether the greatest breadth be, high, low, forwards, or backwards. These three dimensions with their proportions indicate the general character and the previous consideration of them will afford great facility towards judging of the development of the particular organs.

Great altitude appears to have an elevating tendency; when the greatest height is forwards, a combination of elevation and progression may be inferred. When the greatest height is backwards, the indication, is combined elevation and resistance, or holding back. Great longitude from the orifice of the ear forwards, implies a tendency to progression, to research, to investigation. Great backward longitude from the orifice of the ear, tends to repression, to pulling back, to retrogression. Great latitude or width of head occasions a looking aside, digression, drawing aside, watching for collateral circumstances. When the greatest latitude is forwards, it seems to afford a breadth of progressive effort, giving force to research or intellectu-animal power. When the greatest breadth of the head is backwards, animal

power is implied. When the greatest breadth is high, great moral power is observed; when low, brute force is found to predominate.

I frequently note many combinations of these various tendencies, but language refuses terms to express what I feel to be the facts of nature, in this most interesting view of the formation of the human head, and in the manifestation of character. After forming a general opinion from the summing up of the various tendencies, the phrenologist is well prepared for examining the comparative development of the three regions of the brain, the moral, the intellectual, and the animal,from which he may observe the general preponderance, and may then profitably consider the development of the individual organs, in subordination to the general view acquired in the way described.

By thus proceeding, the student may have a fair chance of being able to form a sound opinion of the development of the organs of a head brought under his notice; but I would advise him to indulge himself sparingly for a long time, until he feels his powers to be sufficiently matured, to render his risk of error very small; thus he will avoid affording a handle for the anti-phrenologists to labour with, and make a show of having something whereby to attack a science of which they know nothing.

X. Letter from the Emperor of China to Dr. Thomas Sewell, on the Merits of Phrenology. (From the New York Evening Post.)

SINCE the second edition of Dr. Sewell's work, "Errors of Phrenology exposed," was published, the following letter has been received. It came too late to be printed along with the letters from Mr. John Quincy Adams, Dr. Reuel Keith, and other distinguished men, prefixed to the volume itself. The Evening Post is, therefore, requested to give it a place in its columns. It is proper to observe that, in the Chinese lan.. guage, the word "barbarian," which occurs frequently in the letter, has a signification very much resembling the word "foreigner" in English. All who are not subjects of the Celestial Empire are "barbarians" in the court language of China; and the term is not intended to be offensively applied.

"We, Whang-Ho-Ching, Brother to the Sun and Moon, Cousin of the Stars, Grandfather to the Comets and Meteors,

Supreme Ruler of the Celestial Empire, and only Fountain of Universal Truth, to the learned barbarian Thomas Sewell, M. D., Professor of Anatomy and Physiology in the city of Washington, district of Columbia, in the United States of America, greeting:

6

"Thou hast done well, oh, learned barbarian! to lay at our feet thy production entitled An Examination of Phrenology, in two Lectures;' for we are the fountain of all science. Thou askest our judgment on thy grand proposition the brain is a unit.' We condescend to inform thee that we have never inquired into the dark mysteries of the human skull, but, in virtue of our high relationship to the sun and moon, it belongs to us to know all things without study; and also, in matters recondite and strange, to judge infallible judgment even without knowledge. Learn then that, in the celestial empire, men distinguished for their stupendous wisdom have no brains at all. It is only in the desolate outskirts of the universe, in regions far removed from the dazzling glories of the celestial kingdom, that brains are known to exist; and there they darken the sublime and immaterial spirit. We, and our treasurers and sub-treasurers, our postmasters and collectors, our mandarins and judges, district and supreme, men of surpassing wisdom, our wives and concubines, and the ten thousand millions of subjects who live on the breath of our celestial nostrils, are all brainless. Hence the greatness and glory of the celestial empire. Know, then, that the great sun of science Confucius, before whom all barbarian sages are ignorant as unborn babes, hath written a hen's head to a wise man, a big head to a fool; small heads shall be exalted, because they are light; large heads shall be abased, because they are heavy and full of brains.' In the empire which encircles the universe, and is endless as time, we cut off all heads that are large because they are troublesome. Hence our everlasting peace.

"But oh, most learned barbarian! we chide the presumption of thy friends. Know that it belongs to us alone, in virtue of our high prerogative, to judge infallible judgment without knowledge. To barbarians this is not vouchsafed, yet a certain barbarian, who in thy pages indicates his existence by the hieroglyphic marks J. Q. Adams,' speaketh as one possessing wisdom concerning the uses of the brain; nevertheless, this barbarian saith, I have never been able to prevail on myself to think of it as a serious speculation.' We, the great WangHo-Ching, rebuke the barbarian Adams. It belongs to us ALONE to judge infallible judgment without knowledge.

6

"We rebuke, also, the barbarian, whose marks are John M'Lean,' who useth these words: I am, in a great measure,