THE NEGLECT OF PHRENOLOGY. 171 



character. Dr. Elliotson, to whom the person who sent 

 the skull was quite unknown, gave him the following 

 sketch of the character of the deceased person: 



" I should say that he was a man of strong passions, 

 which overbalanced his intellect; that he was prone to 

 great violence, but by no means courageous; that he was 

 extremely cautious and sly; his sexual desires were 

 strong, but his love of offspring very remarkable. I can 

 discover no good quality about him except the love of 

 his children, if he had any. The most striking intel- 

 lectual quality in him, I should think, was his ivit. He 

 might also have been a good mimic" 



The actual history and character of the man are given 

 at length, but the following are the main points. He 

 was of respectable parentage, but was sensual and 

 vicious. He became a farmer in Cheshire, and took to 

 smuggling salt, which was then contraband; but he 

 always escaped detection, though long suspected. Later, 

 he made use of his assistants in the smuggling business 

 for the purpose of robbing the farmers around of corn, 

 which, being a farmer, he was able to sell without suspi- 

 cion. He was at length detected and condemned to 

 death, a sentence which was commuted to transportation 

 for life. He was, however, on account of his age, not 

 sent abroad, but kept in the convict-hulks. After two 

 years, being in very bad health, he was transferred to the 

 hospital-ship, where he remained till his death. Here 

 he was very reserved as to his own history, but, being 

 treated with great kindness, he made statements to the 

 following effect: (1) That though he had led a lawless 

 life he had never committed murder. (2) That he had 

 a wife and eight children, a natural son in Wales, and 



