was that of a stunted Hercules; such limbs, shoulders, and neck I never looked at; and it is a curious fact, that to his surpassing strength, in a great degree, he owed his convic

tion.

Knowing the localities of the country, Sweeney chose the little dell as a safe place wherein to dispatch his illfated companion. The path was narrow; the victim led the way; the murderer followed. With one shattering blow the deed was done, and the pedlar's skull crushed as if stricken by a crowbar. But the violence detached the copper strap from the measure; it was found beside the body, identified by the ship-carpenter who had nailed it on, and left no doubt by what means the murder was effected.

For three assizes Sweeney's trial had been postponed, as a material link in the chain of evidence was wanting. A beggarwoman, whose name and residence were unknown, had been by accident wandering in Erris; she had crossed the moor the morning of the murder; met the pedlars proceeding towards the dell; saw both descend together; had sat down to rest, and in a short time observed but one man quit the valley, and he was the shorter of the two. The very morning of the trial she unexpectedly appeared in Castlebar. She knew not even that a murder had been perpetrated until she

was ascending the table to assist in the conviction of the assassin.

Sweeney was not twenty years old when he suffered. For nearly two years, while he remained in prison, he steadily denied his guilt; but the moment the jury returned their verdict, he confessed freely every circumstance attending on the murder. The memory of the foul act never appeared to have disturbed him for a moment. He spoke of nothing but what he should do when liberated; he slept soundly, eat and drank heartily, and during his confinement became amazingly fat. He seemed a tiger-hearted monster, to whose wolfish nature pity or remorse were alien.

It was a lucky circumstance for society that he was so speedily removed from the world. He had tasted blood, and had he been unfortunately loosed again on mankind, he would have lived by murder.

I could have knocked down a puling sentimentalist who attended the ruffian's execution. He pitied the

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poor young man," and reprobated the sanguinary code of Britain that consigned "a fellow-creature to the gallows." Pity a bloodhound, that for days had hung upon his victim, and done the ruthless deed to obtain a sum under five pounds! I confess that I saw the monster hanged with pleasure; but then, I am not a man of sentiment.

“Madame,” said I, taking my hat off -she was a person of perhaps thirty, leading a little girl by the hand. As I pronounced the word Madame, they both looked full at me, and I saw by a resemblance in their eyes that I had been right in calling her Madame; but there was a quiet look of resignation in her countenance-not resignation at that moment, but it had been there, and left its character on her features, with perhaps a line or two remaining of sorrow; yet I began to think she could not be thirty at most; I determined twenty-five, but a widow "will perhaps have the complaisance to tell me the way to the hotel of the Prefecture,” I continued, and then there was a slight pause, during which she appeared to be reading my history as I had read her own. When she began to answer, she did so without turning her head or pointing to any of the streets, looking full at me the whole time. As soon as she had finished, however, she cast her eyes first a little to one side, and then to the other, for I was standing right in front, which would oblige her to go aside in order to pass me. I retreated backwards out of the way, and she then went on without looking at me again, even whilst I thanked her; the little girl looked back and smiled. I folded my arms. It was a bright, broiling day. "Here," said I, half aloud, "I have been for four days at Marseilles, trudging over this hot pavement after these fellows, and cannot get away: the fleet will have sailed from Toulon, and then"-Just then the widow and her little daughter turned into another street, about a hundred yards off, and as she turned, I thought she looked back a little, a very little. "As for the Prefecture," said I, continuing my soliloquy, and beginning to walk slowly towards the corner where the widow had disappeared-" as for the Prefecture, if I had really come from Malta as a spy, the Prefecture, and the police, and the Santé, and Monsieur le President, who is gone to his maison de campagne"-As I said the last

word I reached the corner, and there was the widow, not three steps beyond it. Her shoe had come untied, and the little girl was trying to fasten it again: it was a sandal shoe with long strings, and the child had no idea how to do it ; nevertheless, the widow stood in a sort of reverie, with her foot advanced, whilst the child pulled the strings all à tort et à travers, making ropes of them. Monsieur est fort complaisant," said she, when I had knelt down. "Mais"-and she was about to withdraw the foot, but my finger had hooked itself behind the heel, and prevented her. I began to flatten the strings; they were to be crossed in front over the instep, then drawn back, then forward again, and tied; now, in drawing them back I lost one, and had to feel for it with one hand, and in putting one hand past the other, the palm was a little squerzed against the soft part of her leg, just above the tendon of Achilles. "Monsieur est un peu maladroit," she said, and seemed again inclined to draw away her foot, but as that only increas ed the pressure, she desisted." Helas," said I, "I have lost the riband and cannot find it, nulle part,”—just then I found it; crossed them successfully behind; drew them round her ancle; and, whilst I was engaged in tying them, just looked at the foot ;-the little slipper just covered the toe; I began to think of all the feet I had ever seen, with or without stockings on; this put it out of my head how to make a bow, (I always tie my own shoes in a knot) and then I was obliged to stop thinking about anything else, at last the widow burst out a laughing.

I don't know how it was, but when I had rubbed the dust off my knee, we walked forward together as if we had been acquainted for a century. The little girl came round and took me by the hand; the widow's arm was within mine; I scarce felt the pressure, so lightly did her hand rest upon it; we all walked on.

In a few minutes we came to the

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port; it was crowded with vessels; some of them had been taken up as transports, to convey the troops to Africa, and had their numbers at the masthead. There was great bustle and running to and fro, but when we came to that part which opens into the principal street of Marseilles, every one seemed to be going in the same direction, towards the further part of the port, and there was a murmur among the crowd that induced us to think that something extraordinary had taken place. We asked what was the matter? Nothing-it was a steam boat going to sail for Toulon, and every one was going to see her put off." We went with the current: suddenly I recognized the man, Antoine, close by me, pushing along in the same direction. Hola, Monsieur," said he, vous voici, and I have been running over the whole town in search of you; there's the steam boat just on the point of sailing, and your luggage is all on board, and" coming up close behind and whispering, “I've settled with the captain how it's to be done he's to swear, and he'll swear e very thing, and you're to give him a piece of twenty francs, and au diable la Prefecture et la police et la Santé." "Au diable, yourself," said I, "and the captain too. I won't give him twenty francs for perjuring himself." "But you promised."-" Well, never mind," said I, "it's very wicked and I won't do it; besides, I am not in a particularly great hurry to leave Marseilles." Oh," said Antoine, "that's quite another thing," and he began answering the little girl, who wanted to know where the ships were going to. I turned to the widow; she looked first at Antoine, then at the little girl, then at me; we both smiled-I bent my head to whisper something, but had not thought what to say, so that when my lips were close enough to speak, I said nothing; she turned her head to see what I was about, her cheek touched my lips; she reddened, so did I; I thought I felt her heart beating against

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my arm; Antoine was chatting with the little girl.

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"But," said he, suddenly, "comment faire vos effets sont à bord." "Run Antoine," said I, and get them out." "It is impossible-there are forty-nine passengers, and your's are at the very bottom-I put them in myself." "Go and get them out," I repeated," or some one's else insteadI'm neither tall nor short." Antoine ran off. "Do you intend to remain long at Marseilles ?" inquired the widow. "The longer the better," said I," I love Marseilles." We got to the steam boat. "Hola," said the captain, who was standing ashore, looking anxiously about, "here he is at last, s Pardien," he continued, wiping his forehead, "you've kept us waiting, joliment." Waiting," said I; "what for?" "Ventre bleu," he answered, "don't you know we could not land at Toulon without our number; they'd make us perform quarantine?" He spoke so loud and vehemently that I had moved a step in front of the widow, in order that she might not be too near him. I was standing quite on the edge of the quay. Come," said he, "get on board," and took my arm to assist me into the vessel. "But I'm not going, I tell you."-I believe it was that villain Antoine, that pushed me at that instant, and I was obliged to leap or fall headlong. I stumbled as soon as my feet reached the deck, and fell forward against a passenger who had a pipe in his mouth we rolled over together, and he remained lying across me, vociferating, for he had lost his pipe, but not making the slightest effort either to raise himself, or to set me free. "Oh heaven!" I ejaculated, as I felt that the machinery was set a-going, and we were moving from the quay. I struggled at last I rolled the man off, and stood upon my feet. I looked back; the widow was standing where I had left her; the character of quiet resignation was still upon her features.

VOL. III.

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We have long meditated a paper upon phrenology: not as the advocates or the opponents of the science, or the no science, as it may turn out to be; but, as the calm observers of the controversy that has been carried on concerning it, now for a period of more than thirty years; and with a sincere desire to act the part of unbiassed umpires in the contest. We know well the species of disrepute into which those individuals are liable to fall, who halt between two opinions. We know how little satisfactory their reasonings are likely to prove, either to the confident assertors of some peculiar system, or its contumelious revilers. But, nevertheless, we are well persuaded that the cause of truth must, ultimately, be a greater gainer by the labours of moderate and guarded investigators, who are not enlisted by prejudice in favour of, or arrayed by passion against the opinions and the principles which are the subject of enquiry, than by the more zealous and adventurous, or brilliant and sarcastic efforts of those, whose predisposition, upon the one side or the other, may have given somewhat more than a tinge to their convictions. There are many who look upon phrenology, not as a system to be discussed, but as an absurdity to be exploded. By any grave consideration which may be bestowed upon it, therefore, they must be offended. To such we shall only say, that the individuals by whom the theory of Gall and Spurzheim has been adopted, are far too eminent to be treated with disrespect. They are gentlemen of very considerable ability, whose peculiar pursuits and avocations give their opinions a more than ordinary value. Their judgment has been formed, as they profess, after a rigid investigation of facts, founded upon an accurate knowledge of cerebral organization. This judgment may be right, or it may be wrong; but it is, we maintain, entitled to somewhat more of courtesy than it has yet received from its impugners.

There are others who must be dissatisfied with us, because we do not enter upon the discussion of their favourite science with the zeal of advocates; and who, no doubt, consider that enough has been already done by the supporters of phrenology to satisfy every unprejudiced mind that it has a foundation in nature. To these we shall only say, that there are few candid and reasonable men who will not acknowledge, that a system which contemplates nothing less than a complete revolution in moral philosophy, cannot be too closely or rigidly investigated, before it is permitted to take its stand amongst the accredited sciences; and that, even admitting that the phrenologists have already made out a very plausible case, that only renders a careful enquiry into the mode in which they conduct their reasonings, and a searching cross examination of their testimony, the more indispensably important. If the system of phrenology be true, it can suffer nothing by this; and if it be false, it is right that the errors upon which it has been built should be detected. At present, neither its advocates will be induced to renounce their favourite persuasion by the revilings of its adversaries, nor its adversaries to repent of their contemptuous rejection of it, by what will be deemed the partial or unfounded statements of its advocates. But, if the whole subject may be treated of by those who neither come under the denomination of advocates or adversaries, we flatter ourselves that its real merits may be more fully and fairly canvassed, than could be expected in the case of individuals whose characters were already so far committed, either opon the one side or the other, that they could neither write nor speak concerning the matter to be examined, without evincing something like a personal interest in the issue of the contest.

The fundamental principle of the phrenologists is, that the mind acts by means of a material organ, and that that organ is the brain. If this propo