and succeed only in establishing that he is utterly ignorant of the doctrine which he attacks. The task of the phrenologist is, nevertheless, a hard one. His arguments go for nothing because of his opponents' want of ideas. He must furnish ground on which his arguments will take hold— like the mariner who should be tasked first to make his anchorage and then to cast his anchor. This want of ideas is secretly not a little painful to the anti-phrenological disputant himself, and not the less so, that it is generally perfectly apparent to the rest of the company. We have seen some salutary warnings on this head. While the phrenologist is armed at all points,-not only master of his own science, but able, as he ought to be, readily to compare it with any of the numerous systems of mind and morals which have neutralized each other from Plato's downwards,—while he knows more of the anatomy of the brain than ninety-nine in every hundred of the medical profession itself, his antagonist, with a smile of contempt, for the poor egarè, founded in the same sort of superiority which the Chinese possesses over the European, commences his extinguishment of the "craniologist." Let any such extinguisher recall his far-from-comfortable experiences on the occasion; how severely he was tasked to call up all that would come of that valuable practical store his metaphysics; or of the few meaningless names which he has been accustomed to consider the anatomy of the brain;* let him recollect his feelings when he found himself mired after a few steps, and angrily persevering in the debate, when deserted by every definite idea; let him remember how he then left an argument which had first left him, and began to charge the phrenologists with presumption for believing, they being few, what the rest of the human race, being many, reject; and especially in pretending to demonstrate thirty-three primary mental faculties in man, when no other philosopher of mind has

• We have witnessed some amusing instances of the retreat of a medical man, after a very confident attack upon a phrenologist, on this presumed his weak quarter.

succeeded in demonstrating one. His antagonist's defence, on this head, he may likewise remember, namely,—that there is neither pride nor presumption in assenting to facts which are evident to his senses and his reason; and may be equally so to others who may choose to exercise them; whereas there are both pride and passion, in abundance, in the committed philosophers of preconception, the theorists, and inventors of metaphysics. So simple are the elements of our creed, and so easy the beautiful system of human nature to which it leads, that the necessity of its perfect comprehension by any educated man who gives it his attention, denies any thing like merit to the mere learners from the first observer, and allots even to him the praise of merely following out an accidental discovery. A dull joke may finally have come to our disputant's succour ;-one of the beridden hackneys which have done much good service in expediting a retreat from the field, and which are known and numbered in their stalls by the phrenologists.

The public are likewise misled by hits at phrenology, as certain question-begging insinuations are called, in the works of eminent authors, whose eminence in other matters has not made them acquainted with phrenology; and likewise, as before noticed, in the lectures even within the walls of our universities.

But the most persevering of the public deluders are the writers in certain periodical journals; who, although their ridicule be a tissue of solecisms, and their arguments unredeemed drivelling, seem to the uninformed public to triumph, merely because they have hitherto been unnoticed. One important object of this Journal will be to disabuse the world of such false impressions, by watching the movements, hitherto so vapouring, of these less dignified foes, and visiting them with that exposure, which is itself ample vengeance on their offences.

Another department will be allotted to furnishing the public with the means of forming a just estimate of that venerable delusion, the science of metaphysics, or philosophy of

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mind, as hitherto established;-to learn and forget which so much time is wasted at our universities, and with the simple and satisfactory explanation which phrenology affords of many curious phenomena, given up in despair by the metaphysicians.

In another department we propose to institute a course of critical analysis on phrenological principles, of our best and most popular authors, in almost every branch of writing which has man for its subject, in which we shall endeavour to shew that the best writers are the most strictly phrenological; and that, like the Bourgeois Gentilhomme of Moliere, who had spoken prose for forty years without knowing it, these writers owe their popularity to their being phrenological, which is another word for natural. The poets will afford us a noble field, and none more than that "priest “ of nature”—Shakspeare.*

We shall occasionally review new publications, when we can thereby illustrate phrenology-try the soundness of the author's views, by what has never yet failed us, a phrenological test, or in any way bring phrenology to bear upon the subject.

Wishing to vary the matter of our First Number, we have given but one example of the application of phrenology to criticism, and we have taken that example from Shakspeare himself. In his character of Macbeth, he not only never departs from the view of human nature which phrenology has pointed out to be the true one, but often absolutely uses the phrenological language. We have other writers in our eye who owe their fame to their truth to nature. To the author of Waverley we shall, in our next Number, apply the infallible phrenological touchstone. He will not differ from us in opinion, that the characters which he has delineated in Quentin Durward are so many types of nature. We rather think we have the whole European public committed this length. We pledge ourselves to demonstrate, that that nature is the nature which phrenology, and no other philosophy, is fitted to analyze and explain. We will use the chief excellencies of his work as an exposition of our science; and when we have adduced him as one of our most powerful witnesses, we will remind him, that even he, in ignorance, compared our science to the palmistry of the Egyptian wanderers ! and when we have done so, our revenge will be complete.

Of the universal application of this powerful analysis, which, like some of the agents of chemistry, reduces the most complicated moral compounds to their first elements, the reader will find some examples in the Transactions of the Phrenological Society, lately published,-among others, a historical application to the case of King Robert Bruce, and a histrionic to that of Clara Fisher and Kean. We understand, too, that an exposition of the peculiarities of the genius of Raphael, as explained by his cerebral development, known from a cast in the Society's pos session, will hereafter be given to the public.

We will omit no opportunity of removing those grounds of unjust dislike to our science, arising from an erroneous belief that it leads to materialism, fatalism, immorality, or irreligion; by shewing that, while it is perfectly consistent with, and most favourable to the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, it leaves the question of its essence just where it was, beyond human view-that it is perfectly consistent with the freedom of human actions-that it tends to a very highly-improved moral economy-and that it is beautifully in harmony with the precepts of our Holy Faith. Our readers may rest assured, that they will not only never find this Journal inculcating or countenancing principles at variance with sound morality and pure religion, but, on the contrary, they will find it bringing to speedy justice any pseudo-phrenological writers, who may attempt to pervert the science by a contrary course.

We shall find room for treatises tending to throw light on our important science, and for all new phrenological facts, information, and intelligence, which may be worth publication. Many curious facts have been communicated to the phrenologists, in the whole range of human nature, which those in possession of them never dreamed of transmitting to the metaphysicians, who would only have pronounced them

unexplainable in the present state of human knowledge.” A Phrenological Journal will attract such information in the whole extent of its circulation.

We have mentioned some of the intended allotments of our work, without meaning thereby to limit its range, or to exclude a variety of matter, instructive or amusing, having always a tendency, directly or indirectly, to illustrate or defend the science of phrenology.

We scarcely deem it necessary to apologize for the occasional introduction of lighter matter, more suitable to our subsidary title of a Miscellany; when by means of it we can indirectly support phrenology, by pointing out amusing absurdities in the tenets and conduct of its opponents. It is they, not we, who tumble into the incongruities on which

the ludicrous is founded. The incongruities which they impute to phrenology appear so only to ignorance, and move laughter, just as the doctrine of the rotation of the earth, quicker than a cannon bullet, did in the witlings of the sixteenth century.

One department, at present much called for, will be reserved for the exclusive benefit of the ENEMIES of our subject and ourselves, who may in future distinguish themselves, as they have hitherto done, by one or more of the following laudable modes of refuting an inductive science. RAILING and ABUSE-FALSEHOODS and MALIGNITIES-IMPERTINENCIES and INSOLENCIES-DULL JOKES-INDECENCIES -NASTINESSES and BRUTALITIES-the three last sometimes separate, and sometimes combined. To this choice catalogue we engage faithfully to add any newly-emerging species. While we pledge ourselves to honour and respect all candid, fair, and philosophical opponents, whose object, like our own, is scientific truth, and not mere victory-above all, that most worthy opponent who has never yet blessed our sight, an inductive adversary, who shall scrutinize our facts-while we shall ever approve in others the utmost cauion in assenting to our observations and propositions, and leave to their own self-satisfaction all who do us no possible arm, by merely resolving not to believe-we mean to repel all OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS of those we designate eminently our ENEMIES, and to brand their attacks as disgraceful to the age in which we live, and its certain reproach in the next; and we trust that no instance of our retaliation, for retaliation every iota of it will be, of attacks made with perfect impunity for several years past, shall lack the entire sympathy, nay, the hearty approbation of our impartial readers, who, in their love of justice, do not object to witness punishment condign.

That we have not exaggerated the sum of " many a wrong" suffered by the phrenologists, we deem a few specimens of the treatment imperatively called for.