76 Phrenology. 



diious and perilous tours into the interior of Eastern Australasia, 

 Australia Felix and New South Wales. The remote situation of 

 the farms and establishments for raising cattle and sheep, renders 

 it particularly important that they should not be exposed to the 

 depredations and plots of abandoned and desperate villains. 



It is also obvious, that in prison discipline, those who have only 

 begun in the career of villainy, should not be exposed to contami- 

 nation from individuals who are not only great criminals in fact, 

 but constitutionally propense to crime. We certainly know, inde- 

 pendently of phrenology, that such propensities and predispositions 

 exist, and it is obviously important to avail ourselves of all possi- 

 ble sources of light on this subject, so important to the communi- 

 ty. It becomes, therefore, an inquiry of deep interest, whether, 

 in the power to make these discriminations, we may not repose 

 full confidence in such men as Dr. Gall, Dr. Spurzheim, Mr. 

 George Combe, and other individuals of similar experience and 

 ability. 



Perhaps we may not be able to follow them in all their detailed 

 divisions of the position of the faculties, affections, and propensi- 

 ties ; but, after making all reasonable allowance for some possible 

 errors in discrimination, and for some suggestions of the imagina- 

 tion, may we not still rely upon their ability to indicate, decided- 

 ly, the prevailing faculties and the ruling aflfections and propen- 

 sities of far the greater number of individuals, in any assembly, 

 either of pupils or convicts, or of people brought together by ac- 

 cident? 



In yielding to our convictions on this subject, we should, how- 

 ever, exclude smatterers and pretenders, who, having only a super- 

 ficial acquaintance with the subject, and perhaps no uncommon 

 acumen in any case, examine heads to flatter self-esteem, and grat- 

 ify cupidity. 



The subject is liable to abuse, and not all who claim to be 

 phrenologists, can be deserving of entire confidence ; but is 

 not the same true of many other subjects, and especially of sur- 

 gery ? How large a proportion of surgeons should we be willing 

 to employ, in passing a knife among the nerves and arteries of our 

 own bodies, or of those of our dear friends ? 



We are persuaded then that phrenology has its foundations laid 

 in truth, and that its first principles, as regards the great regions 

 of the head, are established upon the same ground as that which 



