head. Mr. Madden, who speaks of having examined a great number of heads in the Theban catacombs, says 'that the old Egyptian skull is extremely narrow across the forehead, and of an oblong shape anteriorly. I never found one with a broad, expanded forehead.' There is a remarkable resemblance among the innumerable heads sculptured in the temples of the Nile; and one who is accustomed to examine them, becomes so familiar with the Egyptian physiognomy, that when other races are introduced, as the Jews and Negroes, the eye can mostly detect them. There is also a singular accordance in confirmation between the sculptured heads and the real ones taken from the Theban catacombs. Two prominent varieties are discernible in each; one of these has the rather low and narrow forehead above mentioned, while the other presents the full developement of the Caucasian head."

The Indostanic family is thus characterised:-"The head of the Hindoo is small in proportion to the body, elongated and narrow, especially across the forehead, which is only moderately developed. * * * The Hindoos appear by nature to be a mild, sober, and industrious race, warm in their attachments, and fond of their children. But their love of the marvellous, fostered as it is by a fantastic religion, is almost without a parallel among nations. They are of a timid disposition, and not inclined to cruelty, yet their avarice, which is extreme, leads them readily to commit murder for the most trifling acquisition. They practise deception with infinite art, to which falsehood and perjury form no obstacles." The character of the Hindoos is too well known to require farther extracts. We may here state, that some English phrenologists, who made a thorough examination in Calcutta, found a most striking harmony between the cranial developements of the Hindoos and their peculiar characteristics.

*

The skull of the Malay family is thus described:-"The forehead is low, moderately prominent and arched, the occiput is much compressed, and often projecting at its upper and lateral sides. The Malays possess an active and enterprising spirit, but in their temper are ferocious and vindictive. Caprice and treachery are among their characteristic vices; and their habitual piracies on the vessels of all nations are often conducted under the mask of peace and friendship."

The following extract is copied from the description of the Chinese family:

"The head is large, rounded, and somewhat conical, owing to a high retreating forehead. *** The Chinese skull, so far as I can judge from the specimens that have come under my inspection, is oblong-oval in its general form; the os frontis is narrow in proportion to the width of the

face, the vertex prominent, and the occiput is moderately flattened. * * The moral character of the Chinese is thus summed up by Dr. Morrison, whose opinion is derived from long and intimate acquaintance with these people:- The good traits of the Chinese character, amongst themselves, are mildness and urbanity; a wish to show that their conduct is reasonable, and, generally, a willingness to yield to what appears to be so; docility, industry, subordination to juniors; respect for the aged and for parents; acknowledging the claims of poor kindred. These are virtues of public opinion, which, of course, are in particular cases often more show than reality; for, on the other hand, the Chinese are specious, but insincere; jealous, envious, and distrustful to a high degree. Conscience has few checks but the laws of the land; and a little frigid ratiocination on the fitness of things, which is not generally found effectual to restrain, when the vicious and selfish propensities of our nature may be indulged with present impunity. The Chinese are generally selfish, cold-blooded, and inhuman.' "He might with great propriety have added,' says Mr. Ellis, 'that in the punishment of criminals, in the infliction of torture, they are barbarously cruel; that human suffering, or human life, are but rarely regarded by those in authority, when the infliction of the one, or the destruction of the other, can be made subservient to the acquisition of power or wealth.'

"The intellectual character of the Chinese is deserving of especial attention, although in letters, in science, and in art, they are the same now that they were many centuries ago. They have their national music and their national poetry; but of sculpture, painting, and architecture, they have no just conceptions, and their national pride prevents their adopting the arts of other countries. Their faculty of imitation is a proverb; and their mechanical ingenuity is universally known. That nation,' says Mr. Ellis, 'cannot be viewed with indifference, which possessed an organised government, an army, a written language, historians, and other literati, in a period so remote as to be coeval with the immediate successors of the inspired historian of the Creation, and the lawgiver of the ancient people of God.' They have a copious literature, both ancient and modern; they have possessed the art of printing for eight hundred years; and their written language, with the same characters that they use at the present day, is of extreme antiquity, not less, according to Remusat and others, than four thousand years.

"The civilisation of China is nearly as old as that of Egypt, and bas probably remained stationary for thirty centuries; and, although it is based on a heartless religion, no doubt embraces as many both of the comforts and luxuries of life as the social institutions of Europe; at the same time that similar wants and indulgences, in these widely separated communities, are often gratified by very different, yet equally adequate, means. European civilisation has borrowed eagerly from China-the Chinese nothing from Europe. When the king of France introduced the luxury of silk stockings,' says Mr. Barrow, 'the peasantry of the middle provinces of China were clothed in silks from head to foot; and when the nobility of England were sleeping on straw, a peasant of China had his mat and his pillow, and the man in office enjoyed his silken mattresses. These were equally the luxuries of their ancestors, and they have not chosen to improve upon it. To prevent innovations, the laws prescribe for every thing, and a man must dress, and build, and regulate all his actions, according to a certain form. Hence it has been observed that unmovableness is the characteristic of the nation; every implement retains its original shape; every invention has stopped at the first step. The plough is still drawn by men; the written characters of

their monosyllabic language stand for ideas, not for simple sounds; and the laborious task of merely learning to read, occupies the time that might be employed in the acquisition of many branches of useful knowledge."

We have quoted the above facts respecting China, believing that they involve important principles in the progress of civilisation, and wishing to suggest two or three thoughts which may, perhaps, excite some inquiry and investigation on the subject. Man is, according to the constitution of his nature, a progressive being. It was undoubtedly the design of the Deity in creating the laws which govern his physical and mental nature, and in establishing fixed relations between these and the external world, that he should approximate to the perfection of his being in the same proportion as these conditions were understood and observed. A distinguished philosopher has remarked, that different degrees of civilisation depend on the perfection of man's nervous system. And this remark, in our opinion, is based not only on the true principles of physiology, but is confirmed by every fact which can be collected concerning the general state of society in different ages and nations. What is here meant by the perfection of the nervous system, evidently refers to the size and quality of the brain, as well as to all the conditions which in any way affect the performance of its legitimate functions. And this remark, too, must refer more especially to the relative size of the anterior lobe, as compared with that of the middle and posterior lobes of the brain. If we consider, now, the manner in which the nerves of motion and sensation are distributed to the different portions of the brain, we shall find that they have a most important bearing on this subject.

It has been proved by the discoveries of phrenology, that the nerves of motion, or the voluntary nerves, ramify the convolutions of the anterior lobe of the brain, whereas the nerves of sensation, or the involuntary nerves, ramify the convolutions of the middle and posterior lobes, which also receive a few nerves of motion, and only a few, compared with the anterior lobe. According to these principles, what is called Will, as connected with free-agency, depends chiefly upon the anterior lobe; and, therefore, the propensities, feelings, and sentiments, manifested by the functions of the middle and posterior portions of the brain, must be governed principally by means of the intellectual faculties. There are, then, what may be considered different degrees of free-agency; or, rather, some individuals have greater power than others, under the same external influences, to choose and pursue any given course of action. They have not only a greater desire and capacity for knowledge, but more innate power

to carry out that love of mental exercise, and independent thought and action, which are absolutely necessary to enable an individual to rise in the scale of being. Now, may not this principle be applied to the state of a nation in its progress of civilisation? May not certain cerebral developements favour an advance in the arts, sciences, literature, and every attainment which accompany civilisation? And is it not a fact, that just in proportion as individuals or a nation have risen in the scale of intelligence, they have possessed correspondingly similar cerebral developements? But may there not be such a proportion, as to size, existing between the anterior and the middle and posterior lobes of the brain, and such invariable external influences operating on the manifestation of the faculties connected with these, as to keep a people or a nation in a stationary state of civilisation? And may not such a state of cerebral organisation be transmitted for centuries, by the laws of hereditary descent? And may not this have been the case with China?

We must defer farther remarks on the "Crania Americana” till a future number.

ARTICLE VI.

A TEST OF PRACTICAL PHRENOLOGY.

Few persons are aware of the minuteness and accuracy with which character may be delineated by a skilful and experienced phrenologist. But, in order to do this, it should be remembered, that the examiner himself must have faculties adapted to such an exercise, as well as great experience in the application of the science, and a thorough knowledge of all its principles. He should also be made acquainted with the health, education, business, and, to some extent, with the circumstances of the individual to be examined. A knowledge of these conditions is necessary in order to judge of the effect of external influences in developing character, as well as to explain the manner in which the faculties will be most likely to be manifested. It requires, then, on the part of the examiner, such an amount of care, experience, discrimination, and knowledge of the science, as very few persons possess, or can easily obtain.

We have already presented several instances where the science has been severely tested by practical examinations. Such tests afford the most positive evidence of the truth of the science, as well

as of its utility. The following case occurred about two years since, in New York, an account of which was drawn up and published in the papers at the time, by a gentleman who is connected with the New York press, and is well known to the public. The individual examined, was a person who is extensively engaged in business, is quite active in promoting some of the benevolent operations of the day, and is personally known in many parts of the country. We are informed, that all who are, to any extent, acquainted with this individual, upon reading the description, have no difficulty in detecting at once the original of the portrait, though no name is given. It is said, too, by his friends and acquaintances, that the correctness of nearly every trait of character as given in the description, might be as fully confirmed and illustrated, as in the few instances which are presented in the form of notes. Some allowance should be made for the peculiar phraseology used in the description, it having been given verbally, and without the least expectation of its being published. The account, as published at the time, was as follows:

"In a social party, a few evenings since, in this city, the conversation turned upon the subject of phrenology; as usual, there was a difference of opinion. A regular set-to followed, and the question was eagerly discussed, till late in the evening. One of the party was an elderly gentleman, a member of the society of Friends, whose well-known character and history were marked and altogether sui generis.

"It was proposed to test phrenology by an experiment, and in compliance with the importunity of both sides, this gentleman consented to undergo an examination the next day, in the presence of the contending parties. To make the test as perfect as possible, it was agreed that the examiner should be introduced into the room, and go through with the examination, blindfolded; that the person examined should not speak during the process, as some inkling of the character might leak out through the tone and volume of the voice, and the mode of utterance; further, that no one in the room should make any remark or indication of any sort, during the examination, by which the operator could judge whether, in the opinion of those present, he had hit or missed. The well-known phrenologist, O. S. Fowler, was selected to conduct the examination. At the time appointed, he was brought into the room closely blindfolded, and his hands put upon the head of the subject. A rapid writer, a stranger both to the operator and the subject, took down the remarks of Mr. Fowler, as he made them, word for word. We have the original manuscript in our possession, and publish it because we believe it to be a perfectly fair and triumphant test of phrenology.

"It may be remarked, that Mr. Fowler, though blindfolded, and without the least intimation from any quarter as to the traits of the individual, drew his character and peculiar habits, not merely in generals, but even in minute particulars, so true to the life, that the numerous acquaintances of the gentleman examined, will be at no loss in at once recognising the individual from Mr. Fowler's description, which follows. A multitude of facts in the history of the individual might be stated, illustrating the singular correctness of the description, but it would swell this notice beyond our limits-two or three will be thrown into notes at the bottom.