Two gentlemen of the name of Vincent, brothers, and somewhat acquainted with the science, saw one of them last June playing on a dulcimer, or some little instrument, before their father's door for amusement. They were struck with the enormous size of the organ of Music, entered into conversation with the children and parents, and finally requested that the children might be taken to Mr De Ville's, whose skill in ascertaining development is well known. Mr De Ville, before a word was uttered by the party, exclaimed, "What a develop"ment of musical power!—with a little instruction these chil"dren will be prodigies in music." The Messrs Vincent made an offer, on the strength of Mr De Ville's judgment, to the parents, of taking charge of the children's education, wishing to cultivate not only their musical, but their other talents, and the fine moral development which accompanies these. The mother, however, preferred raising money enough on Mr De Ville's judgment to hire a music-master herself, in the hope of ultimately exhibiting them. They received instruction for four months only, and are now daily performing in public. They are known as the Infant Sisters. Another prodigy, called the Infant Lyra, is also exhibiting. She is about four years of age, and displays extraordinary musical talent upon the harp. The organ of music in her head also is of very great size. I send you the development of all three. At the last meeting of the Society, a little boy possessed of surprising calculating power was exhibited. We asked him how much 375 multiplied by 117 was? In a minute and a half he told us. We asked him how many hours and seconds there were in 137 years? He mistook the question, and gave the right answers for 135 years. This being told him, he said he thought it was for 135 years,' and in a quarter of a minute gave us the answers for 137 years. While calculating he had no appearance of thought, but was talking and laughing, running about, creeping under the table, and playing every kind of trick. He can neither read nor write, is not seven years old, and is the son of a poor man. His organ of Number is decidedly large. The moment he was brought into the Society, the president remarked to those near the chair, that it was greatly developed, before he heard any thing respecting the child; and the preceding evening it appears, that the little fellow was taken to the Society of Arts, many of the members of which are Phrenologists, when Mr De Ville, who had never heard of him, was requested to attend for the alleged purpose of seeing an extraordinary instance of power in learning language. But the first word that Mr De Ville uttered was, 'No, not so; you mean Number.' This is an instance of extraordinary power of calculation. His talents have been known but three months. The father remarked, that when the child was sent to buy little quantities of tea, sugar, butter, tobacco, bread, &c., he always calculated the amount accurately to a farthing, and was led to ask him arithmetical questions, when he became astonished, and mentioned the fact to his acquaintance. The prodigy is not yet publicly exhibited, but will be so in all probability before long. Assuring you, that in London we have nothing more than a silent smile for all antiphrenologists, however I remain angry they may be, obedient Servant, your A MEMBER OF THE LONDON PHRENOLOGICAL SOCIETY. PHRENOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS.* MARY MANNING, aged 7 years.-June 14, 1825. In. 10ths. Meatus auditorius externus to Individuality.. .4 4 Ditto to Philoprogenitiveness.. .3 7 Ditto to Comparison...... 4 8 Ditto to Benevolence............ .5 1 1 Ditto to Veneration....... Ditto to Firmness or Perseverance.. Ditto to Self-esteem..... Ditto to Inhabitiveness..... Individuality to Philoprogenitiveness.. Destructiveness to Destructiveness... Secretiveness to Secretiveness..... Acquisitiveness to Acquisitiveness.. Constructiveness to Constructiveness.. Cautiousness to Gautiousness......... Ideality to Ideality..... ..5 1 .4 5 ..4 G 6 6 5 5 5 5 ..5 4 .4 7 5 4 .5 1 *The crgans are numbered by our correspondent according to Dr Spurzheim's new arrangement. VOL. III.-No X. T 1. Amativeness, moderate. 2. Philoprogenitiveness, very large. 6. Destructiveness, very large. 9. Constructiveness, very large. 10. Self-esteem, large. JI. Approbativeness, very large. 12. Cautiousness, large. 13. Benevolence, very large. 14. Veneration, large. 15. Firmness or Perseverance, large. 16. Conscientiousness, very large. 17. Hope, large. ¡19. Ideality, very large. 20. Gaiety or Wit, large. 25. Weight or Power, rather large. 27. Locality, large. 29. Order or Arrangement, large. 32. Melody or Tune, very large. 34. Comparison, very large. Ditto to Benevolence... Ditto to Veneration..... 18. Marvellousness, very large. ..4 8 .4 9 .5 5 .4 8 4 .6 4 .5 6 .5 6 ...5 5 .4 5 .5 2 .5 2 Ditto to Firmness.... Ditto to Self-esteem.. Ditto to Inhabitiveness...... Individuality to Philoprogenitiveness.. Acquisitiveness to Acquisitiveness... 1. Amativeness, small. 2. Philoprogenitiveness, very large. 3. Inhabitiveness, large. 4. Adhesiveness, very large. 5. Combativeness, large. 6. Destructiveness, very large. 7. Secretiveness, large. 8. Acquisitiveness, large. 9. Constructiveness, very large. 10. Self-esteem, very large. 11. Approbativeness, very large. 12. Cautiousness, large 13. Benevolence, very large. 14. Veneration, very large. 15. Firmness or Perseverance, very large. 16. Conscientiousness, very large. 17. Hope, very large. 18. Marvellousness, large. 19. Ideality, very large. 22. Individuality, very large. 23. Form, very large. 24. Size, rather large 25. Weight or Power, rather large. 27. Locality, large. 29. Order or Arrangement, large. 32. Melody or Tune, very large. 33. Language, large. 34. Comparison, very large. 35. Causality, very large. ISABELLA RUDKIN, the Infant Lyra, aged three years and 10 months. 1. Amativeness, moderate. 2. Philoprogenitiveness, very large. 5. Combativeness, very large. 9. Constructiveness, very large. 10. Self-esteem, large. 11. Approbativeness, very large. 12. Cautiousness, large. 13. Benevolence, very large. 14. Veneration, rather large. 15. Firmness or Perseverance, very large. 18. Marvellousness, large. 19. Ideality, very large. 22. Individuality, very large. 24. Size, rather large. 25. Weight or Power, rather large. 26. Colour, rather large. 27. Locality, very large. 28. Numeration, large. 30. Eventuality, very large. 32. Melody or Tune, very large. 34. Comparison, very large. 35. Causality, very large. ARTICLE XI. A View of the Philosophical Principles of Phrenology. By J. Spurzheim, M. D. 3d Edition, greatly improved, 8vo. pp. 216; price 7s. Charles Knight, London; Hill and Son, Edinburgh; Duffield, Bath; and Duffield and Weller, Cheltenham. THE opinion which Mr Locke ventured to pronounce on the logic of his day, will be held by every Phrenologist as perfectly and therefore equally applicable to the scholastic metaphysics, of which, indeed, that logic is a scion or an offset and the judgment of Bacon, adduced by Mr Locke, in support of his attempt to introduce a better system of dialectics, may, with as much propriety, be quoted in favour of a new philosophy of mind. "The logic now in use," says Mr Locke," has so long possessed the chair as the only art "taught in the schools for the direction of the mind in the study of "the arts and sciences, that it would perhaps be thought an affec"tation of novelty to suspect that rules that have served the learned "these two or three thousand years, and which, without any complaints of defects, the learned have rested in, are not sufficient to guide the understanding; and I should not doubt but this at"tempt would be censured as vanity or presumption, did not the great Lord Verulam's authority justify it; who, not servilely thinking learning could not be advanced beyond what it was, because "for many ages it had not been, did not rest in the lazy approbation "and applause of what was because it was, but enlarged his mind "to what might be." (Conduct of the Understanding; Introduc"tion, Section 1.) The judgment of Bacon may be summed up in one of his own authoritative and prophetic sentences, the import and cogency of which are as claimant in our time as in that of his illustrious disciple; "Necessario requiritur, ut melior et perfectior mentis et intellectus humani usus et adoperatio introducatur." The reason for this preliminary remark is easily given. Phrenology, as it appears to those who have both satisfied themselves of its conformity to nature, and witnessed its utility, possesses, to say the least of it, all the theoretic excellencies of the ancient metaphysics, so far as correctly expository of the intellectual and moral constitution of mankind, and admits all the efficacy of the ancient logic, so far as really conducive to the guidance of the faculties in the acquisition or the maintenance of truth. The production before us, to the notice of which we now hasten, as a proof, will, we think, not only sustain but materially enhance the reputation of its accomplished and singularly able author. We are aware that the essence of it is contained in the two first editions of Dr S.'s Physiognomical System; but, we may remark, it is here given with so much more detail, so many additional and im |