It is one in which the ladies have quite as much interest as we have; and I think every thing should be done, therefore, that may tend to smooth and soften their reception of it. In its essence, it possesses many, very many, points of captivation, which I should think were likely to operate with wonderful success on the imagination of the female sex. The best and the wisest of the sex, with whom I ever conversed in a confidential manner, confessed to me, that the great and constantly besetting plague of women, is their suspicion that they are not permitted to see into the true depths of the character of men. And indeed, when one considers what an overbalancing porportion of the allusions made in any conversation between two men of education, must be entirely unintelligible to almost any woman who might chance to overhear them, it is impossible to wonder that the matter should stand as it does. It is not to be expected, that she should be able to understand the exact relation which the intelligible part of their talk may bear to the unintelligible. She sees a line tossed into a depth, which is to her as black as night, and how should she be able to guess, how far down may be the measure of its descent?

Now, what a charming thing must it appear in the eyes of one, who is habitually tormented in this way, to hear of a science that professes to furnish a key, not indeed to the actual truth of the whole characters of men, but to that of many important parts in their characters? I can conceive of nothing more ecstatic than the transport of some bitter unsatisfied Blue-Stocking, on first hearing that there is such a science in the world as Craniology. "Ha!" she will say to

herself" we shall now see the bottom of all this mystery. The men will no longer dare to treat us with this condescending sort of concealment. We shall be able to look at their skulls, and tell them a little plain truth whenever they begin to give themselves airs."

Now, I am for making the science as popular as possible-indeed, I think, if kept to a few, it would be the basest and most cruel kind of monopoly the world ever witnessed-and, therefore, I should like to see my craniological brethren adapt their modes of expression and explanation, as much as possible, to the common prejudices of this great division of disciples. It is well known what excellent proselyte-makers they are in all respects; and I am decidedly for having all their zeal on our side. One plain and

obvious rule, I think, is, that the head should always be talked of and considered in the light of a Form-an object having certain proportions from which certain inferences may be drawn. Besides, in adhering to this rule, we shall only be keeping to the practice of the only great Craniologists the world ever produced-the Greeks. I do not mean to their practice in regard to expressing themselves alone; but to their practice, in gathering and perfecting those ideas concerning this science, which they have expressed in a far more lasting way than words can ever rival. As dissection of human bodies was entirely unknown among the ancients, it is obvious, that their sculptors and painters must have derived all their knowledge from the exterior of the human form. The external aspect of the head is all that nature exhibits to us, or intends we should see. It is there that expression appears and speaks a natural language to our minds a language of which our knowledge is vague and imperfect, and almost unconscious; but of which a few simple precepts and remarks are enough to recall to our recollection the great outlines, and to convince me at least, that a very little perseverance might suffice to render us masters of much of the practical detail.

You will smile perhaps when you hear me talk in so satisfied a tone about the craniologi cal skill of the Greeks; and yet there is nothing of which I am more thoroughly convinced, than that they did, practically at least, understand infinitely more of the science than any of the disciples of Gall and Spurzheim are likely to rival even a century hence. There is one circumstance, -a small one, you will say,-which suggested itself to me yesterday, for the first time, when I was sitting after dinner, in a room where several large plaster-of-Paris busts were placed on the extremities of a side-board. What is called Grace, is chiefly to be found in those movements which result from organs on the top of the head. In women, there is more of it than in men, because their animal faculties are smaller. Now, in all paintings of Madonnas, particularly of the Matres Amabiles, the attitude evidently results from the faculties in the region above the forehead. The chin is drawn in, and the upper fore-part of the head leans forward. This is not done with a view to represent modesty and humility alone; which, by suspending the action of pride and self-love in the back part of the head, take away what kept it upright. The attitude of humility, therefore, results from a nega

tive cause. But the Madonnas have often a look quite dignified and assured, of unquestioning adorable divine serenity; and the leaning forward of the brow in them, is accompanied with an air which denotes the activity of a positive cause namely, the principle of love in the upper parts of the forehead. This was suggested to me, however, not by a picture of the Madonna, but by a Grecian bust and I think you will scarcely suspect which this was. It was one of which the whole character is, I apprehend, mistaken in modern times one which is looked at by fine ladies with a shudder and by fine gentlemen with a sneer. Artists alone study and love ittheir eyes are too much trained to permit of any thing else. But even they seem to me entirely to overlook the true character of that, which, with a view to quite different qualities, they fervently admire. In the Hercules Farnese (for this is the bust,) no person who looks on the form and attitude with a truly scientific eye, can possibly believe that he sees only the image of brute strength. There are few heads on the contrary more human in their expressionmore eloquent with the manly virtue of a mild and generous hero. And how indeed could a Grecian sculptor have dared to represent the