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sent him a skull which he thought confirmatory of his phrenological opinions. But the dying philosopher said to the person who brought it, "Take back that skull, and tell Cuvier that there is now only one wanting to complete my collection: it is my own it will soon be there, as a powerful testimony to the truth of my doctrine."

The next article consists of Cranioscopical Observations, by Dr Fossati. He justly observes, that long practice is necessary for the attainment of skill in judging of the development of the cerebral organs; and that to qualify for pronouncing on the mental qualities of individuals, it is not enough to have attended a course of lectures on Phrenology, and to know the situation of the organs within the skull. He reports several cases, in which he himself had successfully exercised his phrenological skill; among others that of M. Traviés, an eminent caricaturist. On examining the head of this artist, Dr Fossati found a large development not only of Constructiveness but also of Locality, which induced him to ask whether he had not a taste for landscape painting. M. Traviés instantly replied that this was his predominant taste, and that he drew caricatures only because this was more expedient for him. He added that the earliest productions of his pencil were landscapes. Dr Fossati remarked the same configuration in the forehead of M. Ferri, the very able decorator of the Théâtre Italien; who is also a landscape painter, and has published beautiful views of Paris, which are eagerly sought after by amateurs. His landscapes are more esteemed than his interiors and architectural decorations.

The fifth article is entitled, "Phrenological Considerations on the Heads of four Charruas, by M. Dumoutier." From this paper, and a pamphlet published by the individuals who exhibited in Paris the four savages now mentioned, we have gleaned the following particulars.

The tribe of Charruas occupied a tract of country on the northern shore of the Rio de la Plata in South America, between the rivers Uruguay, Ybicui, and Rio-Negro. When that part of America was first invaded by Europeans, these savages were considerably more numerous than in recent times, and extended from the Uruguay to Maldonado. They are extremely fierce, warlike, and vindictive, and are stated to have shed more Spanish blood than the armies of the Incas and Montezuma. Their dispositions, in short, closely resemble those of the North American Indians. They have never been in the slightest degree influenced by the vicinity of civilization; but when they thought themselves sure of success, were in the habit of coming down like wild beasts upon the peaceable inhabitants of the plains, burning their habitations, and sparing neither man, woman, nor child. Towards the end of last century, their num

ber had suffered a great diminution, in consequence of the incessant expeditions of the Spaniards against them. They still, however, remained extremely troublesome; till at length, in 1832, General Ribera, President of the Republic of Uruguay, finding it impossible to live in peace with these mischievous neighbours, and that all the conciliatory measures which had been used towards them were ineffectual, resolved to raise a war of extermination against them. They made a desperate resistance; but after a campaign of several months, the whole were massacred, except a few who escaped to the deserts, from which it is probable they will not speedily emerge. Among a dozen made prisoners were the four individuals mentioned above. The first is a chief called Vaimaca-Peru; the second a warrior named Sénaqué, noted for his bravery, and who has been a constant and faithful friend to Vaimaca-Peru in every vicissitude of fortune. His character is said to be "less open than that of the chief." Of the remaining two, one is a female. M. Dumoutier had frequent conversations with them all. In captivity, they were fond of boasting of their murderous exploits; and consoled themselves with the hope of regaining their freedom, and satiating with the most atrocious cruelties their thirst for revenge, Both Sénaqué and the chief died soon after their arrival. M. Dumoutier was permitted to take a cast of the head of the former, and also of his brain; and duplicates of these have been presented to the Phrenological Society by Dr William Gregory. (Bust, No. 160; and General Illustrations, Nos. 28. and 29.) The dimensions of the head, on which there is a little hair, are these:

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The middle lobe is of extraordinary size; the organs of Destructiveness, Secretiveness, and Cautiousness, being very largely developed. This seems to be a characteristic of the tribe; for, in the pamphlet, it is stated of the Charruas generally that the form of their head is almost round." Adhesiveness, Combativeness, Acquisitiveness, Love of Approbation, and Firmness, are also large. There is thus an accurate correspondence between Sénaque's dispositions and his cerebral develop

ment.

Our readers will find in Brewster's Edinburgh Encyclopædia (Art. Buenos Ayres, vol. v. p. 64), an account of the Charruas almost identical with that given above. The manifestations of Destructiveness, Secretiveness, and Cautiousness, are vividly described. The enemy is always taken by surprise, and attacked only after the probability of success has been ascertained by scouts.

The last article in this Number of the Journal, is a paper by Dr Sarlandière, on the Measurement of the Human Head. It is occupied chiefly with an account of an invention of his, meant to denote with mathematical precision the development of every individual organ in the brain. It is the last of a series of instruments which he has devised, but all of which except itself have been abandoned as unsatisfactory. It consists of a copper helmet, capacious enough to admit heads of the largest size, and is fixed on by means of screws. Exactly over the centre of each organ there is a hole in the helmet, through which there passes a graduated wooden screw, terminated at both ends by a knob of ivory, the outer knob having marked upon it the number of the organ over which the screw is placed. The instrument being fixed symmetrically on the head, all the wooden screws are turned till their inner knobs touch the head; after which, the num ber of degrees indicated by each is noted upon paper. We thus obtain, says Dr Sarlandière, a comparative table, representing mathematically the extent to which every organ is developed.

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It appears from some of the Doctor's expressions that his invention has been little admired by the other Parisian phrenologists; and we confess that to us also it is far from satisfactory. In the first place, the forms of heads vary so much, that though the wooden screws be exactly over the centre of the organs in a particular head, they will be found, when applied to many other heads, to be over organs altogether different: secondly, the breadth of the organs, which is an essential element of their size, is entirely left out of view; and, thirdly, the development of Veneration, for example, is not to be judged of merely by the altitude of the coronal surface from the base of the brain, but by the extent to which that surface is elevated above the top of the organs of the propensities, lower sentiments, and intellect. About ten years ago, a craniometer (figured in Mr Combe's Elements), similar in principle to that of Dr Sarlandière, and much more simple in its construction, was introduced among the phre. nologists of Edinburgh, but being found of no utility, was soon afterwards abandoned. The callipers effect all that can be done mathematically: they ascertain the length, breadth, and height of the head, indicate with considerable accuracy its general volume, and give a tolerably correct idea of the direction in which the brain is most developed from the ear to the mesial

ARTICLE VII.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE FUNCTIONS OF THE ORGAN OF WEIGHT. By Mr RICHARD EDMONDSON, Manchester.

SOME time ago I addressed a short paper to the Phrenological Journal (published in vol. vii, p. 306), stating that from my own observation, and that of my brother, I was led to suspect that one of the functions of the organ of Weight, was the perception through vision of the position of objects with respect to their perpendicularity; and since then my observations have been so numerous, and the results so unvarying, that all my doubts on the subject are removed. I have examined a great many heads with this particular object in view, and have found, without a single exception, that whenever the organ is small, there is a proportionate incapability of detecting deviations from verticality in any objects; and that when it is large, that power is strong in proportion, no matter what the development may be in other respects. I have met with it so small in two ladies, sisters, that in running my finger over the perceptive organs, I found an indentation over Weight so remarkable, that it appeared as if a piece had been taken out of the skull with a small gouge; and neither of them could detect a deviation from the perpendicular of an inch in a line of eighteen inches or two feet. I tried many experiments with them, and always with the same result. One of them, when I first saw her, had just left a boarding-school, and at my request she shewed me her drawingbooks. She displayed considerable taste in representing flowers, birds, and butterflies, but her attempts at any kind of architectural pieces were very inferior. One of her drawings was a view of a small town built on a river, and when I turned to it, she said, "I had more trouble with that piece than with all the rest in the book; my master made me do it four times over; he said all the buildings were tumbling, and I had such work to get it done right." And, although she had done it four times over, not a single line in it approached to perpendicularity: the buildings were in the most awkward confusion-some were tumbling to the right and some to the left; yet neither herself nor her sister could perceive any thing wrong with them. Both of them had large Form, Size, Colouring, and Order, and made considerable progress in drawing objects where the lines were curved; but they entirely gave up attempting pieces containing straight lines, as they never could please their friends with them. My brother and I invariably find, in our own business, that persons with large Form can cut good curved lines, but unless they have Weight also large, they cannot cut good straight ones;—

in squares, for example, they can never make them "true," as we say.

Another remarkable instance of deficiency in this organ, I observed in a joiner in our employment. He had an excellent development for his business, except of this organ, which was the smallest I have observed in any male head. In planning he was excellent, and in execution rapid; and when he used the square, &c. his work was unexceptionable. In fitting up our benches, a number of uprights were of course required, which he fixed by the eye, and out of upwards of thirty there was not one decently accurate; many of them were above an inch out of truth, and all of them so much so, as to offend our own eyes. We pointed this out to him, and strange to say, he could not perceive the slightest inaccuracy in any of them; but on our applying the plumb-line, he was of course convinced, very much to his astonishment, as he had always supposed he had a good eye,” as he called it. I shall mention only one other circumstance: Some time ago, I had to superintend the erection of some buildings connected with our establishment, at which a great number of hands were employed, and where time was of great importance to us. In watching the bricklayers I was much struck with the difference amongst them in the use of the plumb-line; some of them had continual recourse to it, all of whom had the organ small; while others, who had the organ large, scarcely used it at all. The master-builder had a very large development of the organ, and he frequently found fault with some of the men for losing so much time in plumbing. The bricklayers' turn-out commenced before our work was completed, and the master himself took the trowel in hand. I was quite astonished at the rapidity with which he worked, and the very little use he made of the plumb-line. I have seen him build up two feet of a stack of brick chimnies before he applied it at all; and when he came to plumb it, the inaccuracies were very trifling indeed. I remarked to him how very seldom he found occasion for the instrument, compared with many of the workmen; upon which he replied, "Aye, d-n them, some of them waste half their time in plumbing the corners a parcel of idle vagabonds; if they would only use their eyes, they might almost do without it altogether." Of course he was no phrenologist, and imagined that every one who pleased could do as well as himself. These few facts, out of many more that I have observed, will suffice for the present. Some other phrenologists in Manchester have made observations on the same subject, and have met with the same result without a single exception. In the third edition of Mr Combe's System, a work beyond praise, it is said on page 397, "The intoxicated soon lose a steady gait, fall down, see perpendiculars at other angles, believe

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