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known to us, through any affinity which of Gall and Spurzheim is intended to they can be supposed to bear to organs account. of sense. We would ask, then, what con- In the first place, then, we are by ception can we possibly form of them? no means to suppose that each faculty The eye, with its appropriate nerves, of Gall and Spurzheim's enumeration is a thing visibly separated from the has one determinate function, and that surrounding parts. Nay, it consists in we can always attribute to it, without a whole system of separate parts, each any danger of mistake, the particular of which is visibly separated from the feelings and actions which result from rest, and has a distinct use of its own. its operation. On the contrary, such But between one supposed organ of the is the uncertainty which reigns among brain and another there is no apparent the phrenologists themselves with redifference of organization,-no actual spect to the functions of their supor visible separation of parts. We may, posed faculties, that, in numberless it is true, suppose that there exists an instances, not only the same actions, invisible separation between them; but but even the same feelings, may be there is certainly a strong presumption, ascribed to many of them indifferentfounded as well on reason as on ana- ly. Illustrations of this remark are so logy, against such a supposition. Now numerous, that there is scarcely s the proof of their alleged distinct ex- phenomenon in the moral world, the istence rests with the phrenologists; consideration of which does not sug. and we need hardly add, that that mode gest several. Thus, an act of killing, of proof which is described as consist- or murder, may often be ascribed, with ing in " the comparison of manifesta- the same degree of plausibility, to Detions with developments,” is, in the structiveness, or Combativeness, or depresent case, manifestly incompetent. ficiency of Benevolence, or lastly, de. The evidence of our senses, which as- ficiency of Conscientiousness; and to sures us, (as far as that sort of evi- these Covetiveness, or Amativeness, dence can assure us,) that the brain may occasionally unite their operation. really does not consist of a number of “ Combativeness,” according to Mr separate organs, is direct, and cannot, Combe, “ gives courage.” Now it will therefore, be overturned by any indi, be observed that, according to the same rect inferences from other observac author, Cautiousness gives fear;tions.

therefore, defect of Cautiousness gives Upon the whole we may conclude, courage also. In the same way, a perthat Messrs Gall and Spurzheim's son who receives praise with much theory of the philosophy of the human pleasure, may be said to manifest mind, -that is, their system of specic either the love of Approbation, or Selffic faculties acting by means of distinct esteem, since it is only because he vaorgans,—may be overturned by what lues himself, that he values the esteem they are pleased to call a priori reuson- or approbation of others; and yet, acings, and that there is really no neces- cording to Mr Combe, David Haggart sity for having recourse to experiments possessed the organ of the former of in order to shew, that that system is these faculties small, that of the latter one which involves numberless absur- large! How can the phrenologist wardities, and which, were it to gain rant to us the propriety of his choice, ground, would throw a disgrace upon among such a multiplicity of possible the philosophy of this enlightened agents ?-If it is difficult for those de age. Our chief object, then, in the void of all theory to trace actions to present essay, shall be to prove, that their proper source in the mind, surely what may be called Messrs Gall and it must be next to impossible for him. Spurzheim's ethical doctrines, are ut- But, secondly, it is curious to obterly untenable, and to substitute in serve what a wonderful power Gall their room better and more rational and Spurzheim have procured to themviews of the moral and intellectual selves over their enemies, by placing nature of man. In the mean time, faculties within faculties in such a however, we may state one or two causes manner, that, like good generals, of fallacy which seem to be inseparable they can defend themselves either at from the nature of all phrenological their outposts or their citadel, or wherobservations, and the consideration of ever their strength may lie. Thus, which ought to render us at least ex- when a person shews himself, by his ceedingly sceptical with respect to those actions, to be resolutely determined to facts themselves, for which the theory gain any object, these actions may be said to spring either from the faculty and those which result from acquired which is thought to point particularly habits. Surely it is not to be taken to that object, (as Amativeness, for for granted, that their attachment to example,) or else from the more com- their system does not often induce prehensive faculty of Firmness. Or, them to take an undue advantage of let us suppose that a man, who has the latter, when they happen to suit committed a murder, chooses to suffer their present purpose, or that they do death, rather than inform against his not, for the same reason, frequently associate in the crime,-and that his place the former to account of the latskull comes into the hands of the ter, without consideration. Indeed, it phrenologists.- What a multitude of is very natural that they should do resources have they here !-Secretive- both of these things. Since it is imness or Firmness will either of them possible to go back to infancy, in orsuit their purpose. But if both of der to trace out the influence of all these should be found deficient, the those minute causes which contrigeneral faculty of Conscientiousness, bute to form the distinguishing quawhich gives a sense of justice, will suf- lities of individuals, it is therefore fice,- since the foundation of all jus- truly beyond the power of man to say, tice is the maxim, do to others as you with certainty, that any of these quawould be done to by them. Failing all lities is wholly ori, inal, or wholly acthese, however,- (and surely we need quired. not be at pains to shew that the defi- Taking the whole of the above circiency of Conscientiousness would be cumstances into consideration, we no less welcome in this case than the cannot surely be much surprised if abundance of it,)-the faculty of Be- it should turn out, that the results of nevolence, which gives the sentiment the observations of Gall and Spurzof compassion, may be had recourse heim, and their disciples, however unto ;-for, without doubt, the phreno- satisfactory to a rational mind, should logists might plausibly say, that that yet seldom fail to be successful in the man shewed a kind and compassionate degree which they, in their wisdom, heart, who sacrificed his own life to have deemed requisite. But if we save that of his friend or associate. consider the matter with some farther According to their established custom, attention, we shall find that there the circumstance of the atrocity and would really be room for surprise, if cruelty of all his former conduct would the case were otherwise. We would go for nothing, when weighed in the request our readers to endeavour, for balance with this one last act of compas- a moment, to consider the question sion.-The weight of a certain portion purely as one of chances. Let us view, of his brain would turn the scale. For in that light, the case of the only we find that, in the case of Haggart, phrenological observation whose dewho had displayed no such redeem- tails happen to be now before us, viz. ing act of kindness, the faith of Gall that of Mr Combe on the skull of and Spurzheim's system was sufficient, Haggart the murderer, already menin the eyes of Mr Combe, to make the tioned. mere supposition of his having had an There are only six of Haggart's faoriginal capacity or fitness to display culties that are stated by Mr Combe such acts outweigh the knowledge of as small, or very small, or rather small, all his cruelty and heartlessness. In- viz. the Love of Approbation, Hope, stead, therefore, of bringing forward Ideality, Colouring, and Wonder. All facts in support of their system, it ap- the rest are entitled by him, either pears that the phrenologists have hi- very large, large, full, or moderate. iherlo only brought forward the faith Now, if we were to select any faculty of that system, ere yet they have pro- whatever, out of the thirty-three, for ved it to be entitled to any faith, in which we think it likely, a priori, that order to add weight to certain gratui- Haggart was more or less remarkably tous hypotheses respecting the

causes distinguished, it is clear as noon-day, of actions.

that there would be nearly six chances Thirdly, It still remains to be shewn to one in our favour, that any portion that the phrenologists are always in of the skull, where we might suppose use to make a separation which is con- the organ of that faculty to be placed, formable to truth, between those fea- would, at all events, not be defective ; tures in the characters of individuals so that we would have a good chance which indicate natural peculiarities, to be considered very much in the right, and we would be unfortunate, tice to Mr Combe, quote his account indeed, if we proved very much in the of the circumstances which he himself wrong. Yet, Mr Combe did exactly conceives to denote a weak state of the what we are supposing. The confor- Love of Approbation. “He in whom mity of the development of three or this faculty is feeble, shews, by the four of the organs of Haggart's brain, undisturbed fixity of his countenance, with the manifestation of certain of that our censure and applause are alike the more prominent qualities of his unimportant to him. When we cenmind, was all that this gentleman pre- sure, he stares us in the face with abtended to determine : the correctness solute indifference, or gapes with stupid of his observations as to all the others, wonder.” We conclude therefore, then, was left by him to rest on the faith of that it was only by manifesting signs his system merely. No regard ought, of stupidity and of wonder (although surely, to be paid to the partial success his higher powers were great, and his of such an imperfect and indecisive wonder was small), that Haggart disobseryation as this. Yet, it seems to played any indifference to praise. O, be generally admitted that Mr Combe the unfathomable mysteries of Phrehas proved eminently unfortunate in mology! his observations on the “ cerebral de- We have seen, then, that Gall and velopments” of Dirvid Haggart. The Spurzheim, and their disciples, are, murderer's higher powers, of Judge by the nature of things, and indepenment, &c."appear to have been great ; dently of the truth of their system, and his Conscientiousness, or his power secured, in a great measure, against of judging with respect to the nature any signal failure in their pretended exand consequences of his actions, is periments, or at least against what they triumphantly stated, after a second themselves would conceive to be such. examination, to have been rather de- Now, surely we need not be surprised fective. His organ of Benevolence un- if, employing as they do their chief fortunately turns out to have been attention in comparing manifestalarge, and that of Destructiveness only tions with developments,” they should moderate. But the latter appears to sometimes appear surprisingly fortuhave been happily eked out by its nate in the discovery of correspondences neighbour Combativeness, which was between them, and rival the fortunevery large; so that Haggart was at tellers themselves, in the astonishment least qualified to kill people by fighting which they are able to excite in vulgar with them, if he could not, or would minds. « Quis, enim, qui totum diem not, do it otherwise. His organ of jaculans, non aliquando continuet?” Cautiousness, or the organ whose action Having now briefly examined Messrs gives birth to the emotion of fear, was Gall and Spurzheim's method of realarge; although his character was un- soning in support of their doctrines, doubtedly that of a daring and fearless and also noticed a few of the fallacies villain ; and although, as has been al- which seem necessarily to spring from ready mentioned, Mr Combe states, the nature of their pretended obscrvathat the largeness of combativeness tions, it is time to proceed to the more gives courage. But the most unlucky particular investigation of those docof all Mr Combe's statements, with re- trines themselves, considered as formgard to Haggart's faculties, respects ing a System of Ethical Philosophy. his Love of Approbation, whose organ is In doing so, we shall, for the sake of stated to have been small ; whereas, convenience, conform to their own it appears to us that the desire to ap- classification of the powers of the hupear clever in the eyes of his associates, man mind into two grand orders, disand the world, was one great main- tinguished by the general names of spring of his actions, and not only Feeling and Intellect; disregarding prompted him to the commission of that subordinate division, which they many an iniquity during his life, but have attempted to establish, of the faled him, regardless of the terrors of culties belonging to the former of these futurity, to publish a host of falsehoods orders, into Sentiments and Propepsiat his death. We may, however, in jus- ties.*

* Each of those faculties whose operation gives birth to sentiments, is said, by Mr Combe, to give rise to a propensity also ; accompanied, however, with an “ Emotion, or manner of ferling of a specific kind.” It is evident that this gentleman's meaning here cannot be understood, until he gives us some specification of the manner of feeling to which he alludes.

Sect. II.-Feeling: The facts observed by Messrs Gall sure or remove pain, in circumstances and Spurzheim can only be supposed of more rare occurrence only, are neto prove, that there exists an unvary- ver so called. ing correspondence between the mani. Galland Spurzheim have not thought festation of certain qualities of mind or fit to admit hunger, any more than a body, such as Amorousness, (or Ama- desire to sleep, and various others of tiveness,)Benevolence,Cautiousness,&c. the same class, into their list of proand the development of certain por- pensities. Indeed, the only one anations of the brain. They knew, howe logous to these, or the only natural ever, that all qualities, whether of propensity, which they have admitted body or mind, are the result of the into that list, is amativeness, which, combined influence of multitudes of it is necessary to observe, that they different causes, affecting the modes of treat of as a passion “common to man thinking, feeling, and acting, peculiar with the inferior animals,” and which, to individuals, and operating upon a therefore, is to be carefully distinguishfew broad natural characteristics; and ed from the passion of love, as it exhence they must unavoidably have ists in man alone ;—for the latter is seen, that the doctrine of an invaria- an exceedingly compound sentiment, ble connexion subsisting between their formed of the propensity which we have display and any single circumstance now mentioned, blended with various whatever, much less any mere pecu- other feelings of which human beings liarity of bodily structure, was quite alone are capable, but which are alunaccountable, or rather contrary to ways present, more or less, in what is reason and experience. They there. properly called love. fere had recourse to the old expedient Were we to tell a person newly reof attempting to deceive themselves and covered from a disease, which had for others by names, when common sense a time destroyed his appetite, that his shewed things themselves in a light renovated desire for food results solely unfavourable for their doctrines; and from the activity of a certain portion instead of simply maintaining, like La- of his brain, and not from the renewvater and his disciples, that the qua- ed action of his organs of digestion, lity of amorousness, benevolence, or he would either think us very foolish, cautiousness, is always indicated by a or strangely inclined to divert ourcertain external configuration of coun- selves. But we cannot, for our parts, tenance or skull, they said, that the see any greater absurdity in this asfaculty of Amativeness, &c. acting by sertion, than in the docirine of Gall means of an organ of the brain, is al- and Spurzheim, with respect to the ways more or less powerful, according circumstances which cause amativeto the greater or less development of ness, considered as a desire common to that organ. In order to make room man with the lower animals, to begin for their system, they have been un- to be felt at a particular period of life. der the necessity of thus attempting to Nor can we understand why that desire make men conceive of certain qualities should be different in its nature from of the mind, as if they were something hunger, which every one knows to be of the same nature with the external always more or less intense according senses, the perfection of each of which to the kind of food which happens to is known to repend upon nothing but be its immediate object, the state of the state of its own organ. The absur- the stomach, the habits to which its dity of this theory, particularly as ap- indulgence has been subjected, and plicable to the doctrine of propensities, other circumstances of a similar nature. we shall now attempt to shew in a very We can only account for the circumstriking light.

stance of the phrenologists' choosing Desires are of two kinds. One class to admit amativeness into their system of them are excited by objects calcula- of faculties, and not hunger, nor any ted to give bodily sensations, which other desire consequent upon a bodily nature has fitted all men to receive ; uneasiness, and the prospect of a boand these are called natural propensi- dily pleasure, by considering that, ties. Another class, being excited by owing to its compound nature, as it erobjects which are suited to give plea- ists in man, that part of it which alone

they have professed to consider, is not architecture, and every thing else reso readily seen as those other desires lating to that art, would have been at to be modified by the causes to which this day unknown. Children, no doubt, we have alluded ;--for it is to be obser- seem often to take a pleasure in imived, that the sentiments which we have tating the works of men employed in mentioned as blending in love, proper- building, as they do those of all others ly so called, as they do not necessarily whom they esteem ingenious persons ; depend upon these causes for their but we have too good an opinion of the produetion, so they bear no uniform or phrenologists not to feel confident, that necessary proportion to their effects. they themselves have not experienced But if Gall and Spurzheim really view the same childish propensity, after the passion of love as including these other and more manly desires have oesentiments, although they protess not cupied their minds, in consequence of to do so, they cannot have the shadow Nature and Reason poiuting out to of a pretence for attributing it to one them better sources of enjoyment. single faculty, employing a particular It appears to us to be no less aborgan of the brain, since they must in surd to talk of a natural propensity to that case admit that it does not even fight, than to talk of a natural prodepend upon any one set of causes, pensity to give and receive pain. These, but upon a multitude of totally dif- indeed, are the only immediate and inferent and independent ones. separable consequences of fighting. We

If the doctrines of the phrenologists submit, however, that these must neare untenable and absurd with regard cessarily be the objects of aversion, to amativeness, which is truly a na- and that its occasional and more retural propensity, and which depends mote consequences, as for example, the upon sensations universally felt among compensation of an injury, or the acmen, much more must they be so with quisition of applause, or lady's favour, regard to those desires which are only or dominion, or the preservation of life the occasional offspring of imagination or honour, can alone be the objects of or reason. Now, we deny that there desire. If the phrenologists affirm that exists in the human mind any natural there is a pleasure in the mere aet of propensity, or any desire independant fighting, independent of any of its acof intellect, to build, or destroy, or in- cidental and contingent consequences; habit, &c. We appeal to the common we would only recommend to them to sense of every one, whether or not the redeem their pledge of putting all their very same process of mind goes on doctrines to the test of experiment, by when a man desires to have a house to attacking each other in perfect friend shelter him from the inclemencies of ship,-—with their minds free, if possithe weather, as when he desires to have ble, from every wish but that of giving clothes to warm and conceal his body. and receiving blows,—and thus gratiIn either case, there is an act of reason, fying the pure and unalloyed propenseconded, perhaps, by the suggestions sity of combativeness. of fancy, which points out to him good Mr Combe endeavours to prove to be obtained, and evil to be removed, that Combativeness is a distinct faculand also the proper means of attaining ty of the mind, in the following manthese ends; and that state of mind ner :-“ Allow me,” he says, “ to rewhich is termed desire arises, in both quest every peaceable citizen who may cases, in consequence of the operation read this speculation, to examine liis of one and the same general law of our own feelings, and say if any prospect nature. If the phrenologists assert of emolument would induce him to that it is the mere act of building, or follow the calling of a prize-fighter on laying one stick or stone upon another, a public stage. if, on the other hand, which is the object of desire, not the there are other men who enter into consequences flowing from these ac- such exhibitions, not only without retions, we maintain that they are under luctance, but with avidity and delight, a great mistake; and that if men, when is it not clear that there is some modicivilized, could have found the same fication of feeling in their minds, that comfort or elegance in the caves which is not in his?” &c.—Now, this arguformed their habitations in a savage ment either proves nothing at all, or state, which houses or palaces are fitted else it proves a great deal too much ; to give, the latter would never have since it is applicable to every possible been heard of, and the whole orders of manifestation of human character alike.

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