forth all your powers in defence of materialism. 

 As to your arguments. Sir, I must confess they 

 lie within a very small compass, being almost 

 confined to the following sentence " that un- 

 less we allow the brain to be identified with 

 <c thought,* its office is only one remove above 

 "a sinecure; it is a kind of porter, entrusted 

 " to open the door, and introduce new comers 

 " to the master of the house, who takes on 

 " himself the entire charge of receiving, enter- 

 " taining, and employing them." 



After this, you most earnestly exhort the stu- 

 dent to enter on this subject with a serious and 

 earnest love of truth , but who would believe 

 that you commence the investigation with at- 

 tempts at ridicule and tales of impiety ? The 

 story of the " homunculus" and the syringe, as 

 a piece of wit, belongs to Sterne and Tristram 

 Shandy ; but as an endeavour to raise the mirth 

 of your pupils " at the little mortal who has a 

 <e soul to be saved/ 1 it is exclusively your own. 

 You are probably, Sir, the first Lecturer at this 

 Royal College who has ever brought forward sub- 

 jects of this nature as illustrations of Physiology ; 

 and I trust your own sense of shame, conjoined 

 to the indignation of the public, will leave 

 you no successor. You may discourse as you 

 please on the contracted cranium and the re- 

 treating forehead of the unfortunate negro \ but 

 I am sure there is no rational being, however 



* P. 106. 



