Werneck requested me to send him a phrenological bust from Edinburgh; which I have since done.

Dr. Werneck also requested me to take his cerebral development, which I did. He at once said, "You have gone much

further than Dr. Gall had reached at the time when I heard · him. He was not so minute in his observations." On explaining to him the effects of the combinations of the organs, he again remarked, that " Dr. Gall had never explained them with the same clearness." This statement, however, it will be observed, applies only to Dr. Gall's teaching thirty years ago, and not to his subsequent attainments and practice.

I visited Innsbruck and Munich, in which last capital I was introduced to the Professor of Anatomy and one of the chief practising physicians, but could not learn that a single individual had adopted Phrenology there. Afterwards I proceeded to Ratisbon and Nürnberg, but having had no introductions, I had not sufficient means of inquiring whether any stray disciple existed in these towns or not. In this city (Frankfort) I possess several intelligent friends; but so far as their knowledge extends, the science is not cultivated here. One of these individuals, however, assured me that his brother, who is an advocate at Manheim, is well acquainted with Phrenology, and takes ai interest in its progress.

I conclude by sending you a list of German works on Phrenology which are in the possession of Dr. Kröger of Hamburgh, and which he regards as containing nearly all that have been published in that language. It is valuable as an index to the literature on the subject in the country of its birth. The early works are nearly all short imperfect reports, attacks, or defences of Phrenology, by Gall's scholars or opponents. In Vienna, a young physician, to whom I have already alluded, presented to me a copy of the work No. 4. in the list, which contains a copy of Dr. Gall's defence and remonstrance against the edict prohibiting him from lecturing. I shall translate it and send it to you for publication in a future number of the Journal.

[This list will be introduced into our next Number. -Editor.] In concluding this statistical account of the state of Phrenology in Germany, I may observe that the oblivion into which the science has fallen in many parts of that country, may easily be accounted for. 1st, Dr. Gall seems not to have been permitted to teach long enough, to instruct his pupils in the art of practical observation. 2dly, He was interdicted from lecturing

in the churchyard on the 24th September, 1541, and it was only in 1752 that his bones were removed into the church, and the handsome monument, which now exists, was erected. It is rarely that such honours are paid to an undeserving individual, at such a long period after his decease.

Remarks on the Function of the Organ named Melody.

33

in Vienna, and ultimately left Germany, while his discoveries were still very imperfectly developed even in his own mind. 3dly. He published no practical work on Phrenology in German, by means of which his pupils could advance in the study. They do not even yet possess his great French work. 4thly. The sufferings inflicted on them by the war, in the very heat of which he appeared, must have impeded the germination of any seed which he had sown in his travels. 5thly. In Germany political power is despotic, and it everywhere frowned on Phrenology, even when it did not directly prohibit its diffusion. And lastly, the minds of the Germans do not appear to me to have yet arrived at that stage of cultivation which seems to be necessary for the general appreciation of Phrenology. One portion of them is enamoured of the sentimental and the striking in fancy, without the rigid subjection of either feeling or imagination to reason; while another class pursues the abstract dictates of reason, apart from all moral and religious considerations, and wanders in a world of metaphysical ideas, having little relation to practical affairs or the common phenomena of human life. Phrenology is a philosophy in which feeling is recognised as blind until illuminated by reason; and reason as cold and barren until vivified by emotion. For its successful cultivation, therefore, it requires a mind in which the intellect, on the one hand, and the propensities and sentiments, on the other, have been trained into mutual co-operation, and taught mutual respect, if I may so express myself. This state, so far as my imperfect knowledge enables me to judge, is not yet general among the philosophers and literary characters of Germany.

In all these inquiries I expressed a strong opinion of the glory which the discovery of Phrenology shed on Germany, and assured the learned with whom I conversed, that ere long they would be ashamed of their neglect, and boast of Dr. Gall as the ornament of his country,

I am, Sir, your very obedient,

GEORGE COMBE.

III. Remarks on the Function of the Organ named Melody.— By a Correspondent.

MR. EDITOR,—I wish to draw the attention of Phrenologists to some remarks on the nature of Music and Sound, in order to give a precise direction to observations for ascertaining the function of the organ named Melody. Men of science, in general, are ill acquainted with music. They may like to hear it, but very few understand it as a science. The knowledge, too, of the laws of the production of sound is almost limited to the

musical instrument makers. Our imperfect knowledge of the function, and the sphere of activity of the organ of Melody, may perhaps be referred to this mere general knowledge of Music and of Sound. The original nomenclature of Phrenology arose from extreme cases, and in consequence was incorrect in names of special faculties, being in fact names of actions resulting from a very high, indeed an overbalancing, degree of power of the faculty. To correct this overnaming of the faculties more extensive observation became necessary, 1st, of the sphere of action of the faculty, and 2dly, of the external objects in nature that are in relation to the faculty.

Dr. Gall named the faculty under consideration "Sens des rapports des tons, talent de la musique." Dr. Spurzheim named it in English " Tune," and it has been spoken of by phrenologists as Melody or Tune, using them as synonymous terms. The terms tune or melody are indiscriminately employed by musicians to designate certain compositions; and like some other terms in the science of music they have more than one signification. Unfortunately most of the sciences are like that of music, in attaching different meanings to the same terms. Melody or Tune, however, generally signifies single sounds, each of a definite pitch and duration, succeeding each other in definite musical time. (See Dr. Busby's Grammar of Music, or Dr. Callcott's.) In this sense the name Tune or Melody is improper, as the name of the organ under consideration, for there exists a distinct organ called Time, the function of which is to give ideas of time; it gives the musician his ideas of the duration of single notes and their times of succession. But time is allowed by all musicians to be an essential element of melody. Hence we have 1st, one faculty with its organ to give us ideas of an essential element of melody, namely, its time; and 2d, another faculty with its organ to give us ideas of melody as a whole, that is, including its time. This puts us in a dilemma. For unless the organ of Melody actually gives us ideas of time it is overnamed; and if it give us ideas of time, there are then two organs giving us the same notions, which is opposed to the doctrine of special functions, the foundation of Phrenology.

That the organ of Melody has to do with music is amply supported by facts, although the precise nature of its function is not yet clear. To ascertain its function let us enable phrenologists to observe more precisely its sphere of activity, by inves tigating those objects in nature that are in relation to the faculty. Music is in relation to this faculty. In what does music consist? No argument is required to enforce the truism that music consists of sounds. To speak definitely of music and sound, the technical language of music and acoustics must be

employed. Music consists then of sound. Music is either Vocal or Instrumental, according as the sounds are produced by the human voice or by musical instruments. It is written either for one voice or instrument, and called a solo; or for more than one, when it is named according to circumstances, from a duet to a chorus in vocal music, and from a duet to a full band in concert in instrumental music. The music that is written for each voice or instrument is a melody, while the combination of several voices or instruments is a harmony. It is very important to keep this distinction in view, as the term Harmony is employed by painters in a different sense in speaking of colours; and philosophers, in speaking of the analogies between sounds and colours, have been led into error by this duplicity of the term Harmony. Melody, then, is a series of single sounds heard in succession. Harmony consists of several series of sounds heard in combination.

All the wonderful effects of music on the human mind are the results of the skilful combination of sounds. It is a truism that there is nothing in the nature of sounds but audibility. What is there then audible? The musician tells us that the generic terms Pitch- Duration-Force or Loudness, and Quality, contain all the varieties of audibility that he can detect, and which he employs to produce those effects that command our admiration. The varieties of Pitch and Duration are accurately written on the musical staff. The elementary part, or A B C of a musical education, is to learn the language of Pitch and Duration. The varieties of Pitch are comprised within the octave or eight sounds; for the wider degrees are only repetitions of the octave. These eight sounds hold a certain fixed relation to each other, and are, as Dr. Busby describes them, "the foundation of the art, the guide in composition, and the index to performance." The varieties of pitch in its regular degrees is called the Gamut or Scale of Sounds. The singer's practice on the Gamut is to be his daily exercise; first, to acquire these several degrees of the octave, and then to retain the acquisition so long as he wishes to sing at sight. The varieties of the duration of sound are comprised between a Semibreve, the longest sound, and a Demisemiquaver, the shortest duration of sound generally employed in music. Loudness or Force is not precise in its nomenclature or notation. The vague terms Loud and Soft are the chief distinctions under this general head. The Quality of sound is necessarily but vague in its nomenclature and notation. If several kinds of instruments, as flute, violin, &c., are sounding together, with the same degree of pitch and the same degree of loudness, the distinguishing property by which each would be recognised, is

called the Quality of sound. The French call it Timbre, and sometimes Ton.

Every sound must have a description under these four general properties. A sound must be of some degree of Pitch, of some degree of Duration, of some degree of Loudness, and of some Quality. The science of Acoustics teaches us the mechanical causes of these properties of sound. They may be generally described in a few words. Pitch of musical sound depends on the number of impulses in a given time. Duration, of course, depends on the continuance of the same number in equal successive times; Loudness or Force, on the extent of excursion of the vibration of the sounding body; and Quality, on the molecular structure of the sounding body. These properties of sound are all that enter into the composition of music. So that although musicians have felt great difficulty in defining the term Melody, it may be described as a series of sounds, each of a certain Pitch, Duration, Loudness, and Quality, succeeding each other with a certain velocity as in the wellknown tunes "Scots wha hae, Savourneen," and the national air, now "God save the Queen."

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With this description of Melody, and of the properties of sound, the question may be met, What is the function of that part of the brain called Tune? The field of enquiry will be somewhat narrowed by stating what it is not. It has nothing to do with the duration of sound, as that comes under the category of time. Time in music denotes the succession of sounds, and is divided into Common or Triple, each having several varieties. Consequently, it embraces the durations of the single sounds, and of the rests or intervals of silence. play in concert it is necessary to be a good timest, in order to apportion the whole duration between the beats, as given by the leader of the band, to the several sounds and rests composing the bar. This power is found to be in proportion (cæteris paribus) to the development of the organ of Time. The remaining properties of sound are Pitch, Force or Loudness, and Quality. The wonder of the generality of persons, and also of the philosopher, is, that those who are deficient in musical ear are not deficient in hearing. In those cases that the writer of these remarks has observed, he found that, in the ordinary sense of the term, they were not deficient in the power of hearing. For, 1st, They could estimate the relative distance of sounds. This is effected by perceiving and calculating upon their loudness. 2dly, They could estimate the direction of sound, for which the perception of its loudness is necessary. And, 3dly, They could predicate the nature of the body producing the sound. This is effected by perceiving the