ly becomes embarrassed and confused, particularly if more than ordinarily unwell.

He understands distinctly and clearly every thing that is said to him, and likes to have any interesting occurrence in the newspapers repeated, but does not attempt to read for himself. So far the deprivation of speech might be supposed to depend upon disease of the mechanical vocal apparatus. But if that were all, he should be able to communicate his thoughts in writing. This, however, he cannot do; and the great peculiarity of the case is, that while his efforts to put his thoughts on paper are uniformly abortive, and accompanied with such evident marks of mental confusion and agitation as to be distressing to his friends and harassing to himself,-as though he felt provoked at being unable to accomplish what he thinks he ought to be able to do,he can calculate figures with perfect accuracy and facility, and even takes at times a pleasure in the employment. Of late, he has succeeded occasionally in writing an intelligible word, which has been observed to be always a proper name. In attempting other words, he so misplaces the letters as never to be understood. It is also quite apparent that the effort is unpleasant to him. Recently he wished to communicate something respecting a particular individual; and, after several efforts, such as writing Hu, Huh, finally accomplished so much as to write intelligibly the word Hugh, and then turned to his daughter with an air expressive of a desire that she should help him by repeating the surname, which she did, naming different individuals who had that name, until he gave his assent. In other respects, as far as can be judged under such circumstances, his mind exhibits no want of integrity whatever.

He took so warm an interest in the result of our contested election, as to go in a chair to give his vote, when he found his party was likely to be unsuccessful; and this contrary to the wishes and entreaties of his friends, who were apprehensive of its injuring his health. In money transactions, he shews as much acuteness as ever. He not long since made a transfer of some property; and, after signing the deed, and finding that it had been given to the purchaser before the purchase-money had been paid, he became quite unhappy until informed that the original deed of transfer to himself was in his own possession, when he was perfectly satisfied. He was also desirous of knowing how a certain sum of money had been appropriated, and would write down without difficulty or exertion the amount he wanted to inquire about, such as 800, 200, &c.; but for any thing farther, he would only look and listen, expressing his assent or dissent, as his friends happened to hit upon his meaning or not they are able to understand much of his wishes by the expression of his countenance.

The sound of his voice is as strong and clear as ever. He was always particularly fond of music, and still continues to derive great pleasure from it; keeping accurate time during its performance.

As he began to recover, he employed a schoolmaster to teach him to write with his left hand, and made unusual progress in that acquirement: but he can form letters accurately only when he has before him a copy from which to write; whilst he has no difficulty in writing figures:-evidently shewing that though Form is intact, Language, which associates the word with its symbol, being impaired, is incapable of exciting the former organ into correct action; whilst with Calculation the fact is otherwise.

A most extraordinary peculiarity in this gentleman's head is the existence of two fissures in the skull, having the appearance of the fontanels in children, as if there had been an absorption of the bone, but lying, as far as I could learn from mere description, the one on the left nearly over Veneration and part of Firmness, and that on the right across part of Conscientiousness and Hope: and I am positively assured by his daughter, that his clerks could at any time tell when he was angry, without hearing him speak or seeing his face, but simply from the great depression which on such occasions occurred in those fissures, or, as they termed it," the holes that would appear in his head;" and that she has at different times observed the same phenomenon herself.

Viewing the circumstance physiologically, is it not possible that the excitement of Combativeness and Destructiveness causes, as in the case of blushing, a sudden impulse of blood to the parts, and that the unequal distribution of blood thus produced is attended with a temporary collapse of the organs of the moral sentiments, which are situated in the neighbourhood of these openings, thereby diminishing the resistance which they afford to the atmospheric pressure? Whether this be the reason or not, the fact is indisputable: the appearance is described to be as if the integuments were "drawn in."

BELFAST, 22d April 1835.

[The fact mentioned in the two concluding paragraphs of Mr Grattan's communication is so curious and important, that we have requested from him information upon several points not above adverted to. He has kindly undertaken to investigate the case as thoroughly as possible, and we hope to be able to publish the result in our next number.-ED.]

MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES.

EDINBURGH.-The following donations have recently been added to the collection of the Phrenological Society :-Cast of the head of Mary Ann Burdock, executed at Bristol on the 15th April 1835, for the murder, by poison, of Mrs Clara Ann Smith; and casts of two Peruvian skulls, one from the Temple of the Sun at Pachacamac, and the other from an ancient Peruvian tomb at Huacho, an India town north of Lima-all presented by Samuel Stuchbury, Esq., Bristol; cast of the skull of a mechanician at Alyth, presented by the Dundee Phrenological Society; skull found in a stone coffin in a cairn at Nether Urquhart, Fife, 16th March 1835, presented by the proprietor of the estate; Eloge Funébre de S. M. Don Pedro, and Manuel des Maladies Veneriennes, both by Count Godde de Liancourt, presented by the author; Annals of Phrenology, No. 5, presented by the publishers; two old skulls found at Gogar near Edinburgh, presented by Dr J. R. Sibbald; and cast of the brain of the whale lately exhibited by Dr Knox in Edinburgh, and mask of the late Rev. J. Brown Paterson, minister of Falkirk, both presented by Mr Anthony O'Neil. In expressing the gratitude of the Society for these valuable donations, we embrace the opportunity to urge on all who take an interest in the advancement of Phrenology, the importance of letting slip no occasion of adding to the collections of phrenological societies. We would, in particular, solicit the exertions of medical men at home and abroad; than whom no class of persons enjoys so many favourable opportunities of obtaining crania. The collection of the Phrenological Society is already rich in Asiatic, African, and American skulls; but these are by no means so numerous as we desire to see them. Skulls of the aborigines of New Holland, China, the South Sea Islands, North and South America, and the different parts of the European and African continents-skulls, in a word, from every country under heaven-will be most thankfully received; and their value will be much enhanced by minute information as to the place where they were found, the evidence of their authenticity, their probable age, and the characteristic dispositions of the tribe to which they belong. It is only from extensive collections of national crania that satisfactory general conclusions can be drawn, and we hope that there will speedily be accumulated materials sufficient to enable us to treat of the Phrenology of nations more fully than heretofore. Skulls and casts of remarkable individuals in our own country are likewise highly valued.

The Edinburgh Ethical Society for the Study and Practical Application of Phrenology has met regularly every Friday evening, during the winter and summer sessions, and many interesting papers have been read. The discussions also have been in general very animated. We have not room to mention the essays in detail.

GLASGOW.-We are happy to learn that Phrenology has made a decided advance in Glasgow during the last twelve months. It was discussed at two of the Andersonian Soirées, and was received in a different spirit from that manifested with respect to it on former occasions. In November 1834 a lecture on Phrenology was delivered in the Assembly Room, by Dr Crook of London, for the benefit of the Royal Infirmary. It was given under the patronage of the Lord Provost and Magistrates, and was numerously and respectably attended. Dr Wood, in his course on popular anatomy and physiology, delivered at the Mechanics' Institution, devoted several lectures to the consideration of Phrenology. The managers of the institution have announced a course of upwards of twenty lectures by Dr Weir, to be delivered during September and October. They have made this arrangement in consequence of numerous applications from those who heard only a part of Dr Weir's last course.

The Glasgow Phrenological Society has, during the last session, exhibited

symptoms of improvement. It has received a considerable accession of members, and has commenced the formation of a phrenological library, which is likely to prove of considerable advantage. At the annual meeting, on the 22d October 1834, the following gentlemen were elected office-bearers for the ensuing year:-Dr Andrew Alexander, President; Dr Wm. Weir and Mr Wm. Cassels, Vice-Presidents; and Mr Richard S. Cunliff, Secretary. The following are the Essays which have been read during the session :-October 22. Mr Cassels, "On the Causes of the Difference of Religious Opinions ;" Nov. 5. Dr Crook of the London Phrenological Society, "On the Organ and Function of Gustativeness" (Alimentiveness); Nov. 19. Dr Maxwell, "On Religious Public Instruction;" Dec. 17. Dr Alexander, "On the Moral Character and Cerebral Development of Robert Burns;" Jan. 28. 1835, Mr Harvie, "On Adhesiveness;" March 11. Dr Maxwell," On Benevolence;" March 25. Dr Weir, "Character inferred from the Development of a Female Skull, with Remarks;" April 8. Mr Cunliff, "On the Legitimate Application of the Intellectual Powers;" April 22. Mr Brown, "On Instinct;" May 5. Dr Hunter, "On the Development of the Foetal Brain, and on some Anatomical Arguments in favour of Phrenology." During the session, the Society received the following donations:- Chart of Phrenology, by Dr Crook, from the author; Cast of the Skull of Robert Burns, from Mr Andrew Rutherglen; Busts of Gottfried, Goss, and Rammohun Roy, from Mr M'Clelland; Combe's Constitution of Man, Bust of the Salford Idiot, and Bust of himself, from Dr Weir; Bust of himself from Dr Maxwell.

DUNDEE AND MONTROSE LUNATIC ASYLUMS.-We owe Mr Mackintosh, the intelligent and indefatigable superintendent, our best thanks for the last Annual Report on the Dundee Asylum, and rejoice to see that the success which has attended the institution has led to no relaxation of the efforts hitherto made to deserve it. Within the last year, three new workshops for the pauper female patients have been erected, and two new airing courts open. ed, one for the ladies and the other for the gentlemen. The system of constant occupation, as a means of cure and of comfort, is carried more and more completely into effect, and its value is becoming more apparent. By most of the patients work is felt to be a privilege, and idleness a punishment; and the result in promoting bodily and mental health is precisely what every thinking physiologist would expect. Mr Mackintosh has experienced so little difficulty in inducing the patients to labour, that, out of 96 paupers, 92 are generally employed, and of the recent cases rather more than onehalf have been cured, being a larger proportion than is common even in the best asylums. We regret to notice the death of Dr Ramsay, the able and zealous physician of the establishment, to whose services it owed much in its days of difficulty, But as the internal and moral management depends essentially on the resident superintendent and matron, we see no reason to anticipate any falling off on that account. His successor Dr Nimmo has been long in high reputation in Dundee, and it is expected that he will prove equally efficient and zealous as Dr Ramsay. We sincerely wish that our friend Mr W. A. F. Browne, had the same facilities for improvement in the Montrose Asylum; but the difficulties which he has to encounter have been very great. We are glad, however, to perceive from the Report of the Directors of that Asylum for the year ending 1st June 1835 (with a copy of which we have been favoured), that a great deal has been accomplished in the way of classifying the patients, and especially in separating the furious and vindictive from the docile and industrious-a step extremely conducive to the comfort and convalescence of the latter. For this purpose four large cells, well lighted, warmed, and ventilated, and every way comfortable, have been erected at some distance from the main building. The patient receives frequent visits from the keepers, superintendents, &c., and, whenever he manifests a disposition to become reasonable and gentle, is again admitted to the common hall. Each cell opens into a court-yard, where the patient may take constant exercise, unrestrained by fetters, and without danger to his own person, or to the property of the institution. "As a remedial measure, this system of

isolation has been found in some asylums to prove highly serviceable in quieting the turbulent and irascible, probably from its excluding all those sources of annoyance and irritation to which they are exposed in public halls. In the penitentiaries of America, a similar plan has been found efficacious as a punishment. In both cases it may act by producing a strong desire for society, and by impressing upon the mind the necessity of using efforts to control paroxysms of passion-in other words, of regulating itself to such a degree as to render the gratification of that desire possible or expedient." A parlour has been constructed for such of the educated female patients as do not require incessant surveillance, so as to afford them opportunities of pursuing their work, reading, or enjoying music. Many of the paupers are engaged in spinning and weaving. The clothes of the females are generally made, and the clothes of all the patients are mended, in the house, and by the assistance of the lunatics themselves. The majority of the female workers are busied in knitting, spinning, or sewing; some of them assist in the laundry, kitchen, and in various departments of the household. One, strange to say, has acted, and acted with exemplary fidelity, as porter to the establishment. The male patients are principally engaged in gardening, weaving, &c.; but some of them have literary tastes, and greedily peruse such works as are procured from the library-the newspapers, Penny Magazines, &c. One is a zealous politician, and, after a confinement of seventeen years, complains sadly that he hears so little of the state of parties, and that the newspaper is a month old before it reaches him. Another retains his business habits, and carefully copied the description of the cases of the lunatics, his own among others, for the medical superintendent, expressing himself highly amused at the follies which he had to record, and regretting when his task, which he designated lunatic biography, was finished. The great inducement to work is generally found in the patient's own bosom, in the insipidity of idleness, or in the wish to escape from himself. Where such mo. tives are wanting, persuasion may sometimes avail, an appeal to the selfish feelings is still more successful, and the expectation of rewards, or rather remuneration for labour, proves in nine cases out of ten successful. Punishment is an act and even a word that should never be alluded to. Coercion may be absolutely necessary; but to designate it punishment, is to treat the man who is held to be guilty as sane at the very moment when he is least so, as evidenced by the violence or insubordination which it is intended to control. Very rarely does the employment of this agent, or even the threat of it, avail any thing in compelling a patient to work. It rather inspires a spirit of disobedience, dislike, or resistance; feelings which are likely to frustrate the end in view, and tend directly to aggravate mental disease. Hence the managers have judiciously proposed that the patients should in future have an interest in the products of their labour, and receive payment in the form of those innocent indulgences or additional comforts they may desire. The regular occupations of the paupers are relieved by weekly music and dancing; and the anxiety with which these amusements are anticipated, and the zest with which they are enjoyed, are highly gratifying. In general, greater difficulty is experienced in restraining than in arousing their disposition to participate."—" The internal economy of the establishment has been greatly improved by the introduction of gas into the passages, sitting rooms, and parlours, and will be still more so by carrying into effect a plan for heating the whole building by means of water, which is now in contemplation. The whole house may now be said to be well and sufficiently lighted; and no one can imagine how great an additional amount of comfort and cheerfulness is secured for the lunatic at those periods of the year and day when his sorrows press most heavily upon him, but those who have visited the common halls when supplied with only two miserable lamps. Besides enabling them to read or pursue their occupations or amusements, the enlivening and exhilarating impression which it conveys to the mind may be compared to that of warmth to the body." An adequate supply of baths has been obtained, and every patient bathes at least once in ten days. No visitors, whose motive is mere curiosity, are now admitted. Mr Browne has been indefatigable