1802. ] 
Many perfons, however, were much dif- 
turbed on their death-beds with the 
thought, that their heads and fkulls would 
fall into the hands of our. Craniofcopitt ; 
and therefore in their laft will enjoined it 
en their heirs, as a moft facred duty, 
to proteét their remains from the unhal- 
lowed hands of his refurreétion-men. The 
teftament of Denis, the celebrated poet, 
' and firft keeper of the Emperor’s library, 
attracted in particular the attention of the 
Vienna public, as he protefted, in very 
harfh terms, againft any mutilation of his 
body, which he fufpeéted might be medi- 
tated by Dr. Gall, and therefore ordered 
it to be depofited ina fecure vault, at a 
place feveral miles diftant from Vienna. 
Denis was an Ex-jefuit. Holfiatter, ano- 
ther Jefuit, who has the greateft influence 
in the direction of the fchools and univer- 
fities of Auftria, watched now for the 
- fitt convenient opportunity to put a ftop 
to Dr. Gall’s inveftigations. An occa- 
fion foon prefented itfelf.. Dr. Gall had 
again commenced a feries of craniofcopi- 
eal le&tures laft winter to feveral audiences, 
“each auditor paying him five ducats for 
eighteen hours attendance. Thefe lectures 
were delivered in the French language, 
and were attended by feveral ladies; the 
, greater part of his audience, however, 
was compofed of Frenchmen, Englifhmen, 
and other foreigners. But fuddenly an 
erder was addrefled to the Profeffor to 
difcontinue his lectures, becaufethey had 
a tendency to materialifm and to unfettle 
the principles of hishearers. Lacuée and 
Dodun, Secretaries of Legation, and. fe- 
veral others belonging to the fuite of 
Champagny, the French Ambaflador, had | 
been among the moft diligent hearers of 
Dr. Gall’s leé&tures, and to thefe in parti- 
cular this prohibition caufed much vexa- 
tion, efpecially as they had already paid 
their fubfcriptions in advance. Lacuée 
(who had been Aide-de-Camp to Bona- 
parte, and who had attended him in that 
capacity at St. John D’Acre and Majsen- 
0) therefore wrote to the Emperor, re- 
quefting that Dr. Gall might be permit- 
ted to continue his leétures, at Jeaft to 
his French pupils, who, he added, could 
not thereby be {poiled, as they were alrea- 
éy all materialifts., In confequence of 
this requeft, leave was again granted to 
him to continue his leétures, with fome re- 
ftriftions, however, as to the admiffion of 
native Auftrians. 
Befides Dr. Gall, in Vienna, another 
celebrated German phyfician, Profeffor 
_ Blumenbach, ef Gottingen, has, for more 
On Bridges. 21S 
than twenty years, been forming a coilec- 
tion of fkulls of all known nations. In 
his cabinet we fee—here the fkull of a 
New-Zealander ftanding befide that of a 
Samoyed ; and there, befide that of a Ca- 
raib, one that formerly belonged to aw 
ancient Egyptian. From a comparative 
examination of thefe various fkulls, the 
Profeffor has drawn important refults re- 
lative tothe different races and tribes into 
which mankind are divided. An atten- 
tive examination of this fine colleétion al- 
moft convinces the fpeclator, that at the 
beginning’ their muft have been feveral 
original ftocks whence the various races of 
man have fprung. For the benefit of 
thofe who have not an opportunity of fee- 
ing the collection itfelf, Profeffor Blumen- 
bach is publifhing copper- plate engravings 
of thé fkulls, with a fhort explanatory | 
text. The fourth number appeared in 
the year 1800, and is intitled Decas quar~ 
ta Craniorum diverfarum Gentium Collec- 
tionis fue illufirata, vo. Goitingen. The 
collection is arranged in a room adjoining 
to the Profeflor’s ftudy ; and it affords ex- 
quifite entertainment to hear him difcourfe - 
on the curious articles it contains. One 
is never tired of liftening-to him. When 
_he points out any remarkable fkull to the 
attention of his vifitors, he generally re- 
lates the wonderful hiftory of the perfon 
between whofe fhoulders it formerly ftood, 
and the frequently no lefs wonderful man- 
ner in which it at lait, 
wor——e- poft varios cafus et mille labores, 
came into the pofleflion of a Gattingen 
profeffor. 1) 
EET 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, ) 
WRITER in your Magazine (Sup. 
No, 89, p. 645) has inadvertently, 
or in following too implicitly the Month- 
Jy Reviewer (Mr.Woodhoufe), mifrepre- 
fented fome of the principles employed in 
my Treatife on Bridges, and I will thank 
you to allow room for two or three lines 
to correct the miftake. It is there faid, 
that ** Dr. Hutton confiders the arch to 
be one body, that is to fay, compofed of 
materials united by cement, fo as to form 
buta fingle fubftance.”” This miftake, Sir, 
for which there is no ground or furmife con- 
tained in my book, is one of thofe injurious 
aflertions made‘by the Monthly Reviewer, 
which 1 objected to, and complained cf, 
and which he afterwards retracted. I may 
have an opportunity foon of giving you 
an 
