this in its largest acceptation, it must have included all. that is necessary to promote the manly virtues of courage and sincerity, the most important part of what is now considered the education of a gentleman. The Greeks, in the earlier part of their history, were a hardy and vigorous race, patient of fatigue, and capable of sustaining the greatest hardships. Unenervated by sloth, uncorrupted by luxury, their very sports and games consisted in exhibitions of personal strength, emulation, energy, and manly daring; while, to excel in these, they were led to cultivate the virtues of temperance and selfdenial to a degree with which modern nations are little conversant. The result of this sort of training appeared in the noble stand which these petty states were able to make against the whole forces of Asia led by Darius and Xerxes; and afterwards, when, by the prudence of Philip, and the fortune of Alexander, they were united under one head, in the astonishing rapidity with which, under the latter, they overran and conquered the great kingdoms of Persia and Egypt, and established an empire, which, though soon rent into four rival monarchies, endured afterwards with little alteration upwards of four centuries.

The beginnings of the Roman state are lost in fable, but at the time it first began to rise to eminence, namely during the second Punic war, we find among them much that, humanly speaking, is virtuous and praiseworthy. The self-devotion of Regulus-the continence of Scipio -the virtue of Cincinnatus-are only specimens of that firmness, temperance, and patriotic feeling, which in those days were far from being rare qualities. The indomitable spirit shewn by the senate after the repeated victories of Hannibal-their noble vote of thanks to their defeated general for "not despairing of the fortunes of the Republic," - evince a combination of great and

generous qualities of which there are few examples, and afford unequivocal proofs of the character of a people fit to obtain the empire of the world.

This being the case in the beginnings of these great states, it may naturally be asked, did they improve in morality as they increased in greatness? Does the principle of progression appear in this, or do we find society, in these large masses, to contain within itself the elements of improvement, which time has evolved and brought to maturity? Is it not notorious, that the very reverse is the case, that virtue and morality are

most conspicuous in the earlier history of states, and that from thence the tendency has universally been downwards to vice and corruption?

In support of these conclusions, drawn from history, and the remains of ancient monuments, we are enabled, in the case of the Egyptians, to produce a species of evidence to which Mr Combe, at least, can offer no objection.

*

In the remarks on the cerebral development of nations, contained in Mr Combe's System of Phrenology, we find the following passage: "The ancient Egyptians appear, from the stupendous monuments of art and science left behind them, to have been a highly intelligent and civilized people; and it is a striking fact, that the skulls of ancient mummies are found almost invariably to belong to the same class as those of modern Europeans. In the (Phrenological) Society's collection there are casts of the skulls of five mummies; and I have seen or obtained accurate descriptions of the skulls of half-a-dozen more; and full size, large development before the ear, and broad coronal surface, characterize them all." It is necessary to mention, that, according

* Second Edition, p. 475.

to the doctrines laid down by all phrenological writers, a considerable size of brain is found to be indicative of a powerful manifestation of the faculties; and that a large development before the ear, and a large coronal surface, are the marks of a high endowment of intellectual and moral qualities."

*

In farther confirmation of what is stated in the text, I may refer to the account of two skulls in the possession of the Phrenological Society, taken from an ancient temple in Egypt, which there are strong presumptive proofs for supposing to have been those of Ramesis II. and bis queen. These skulls were presented to the Society by Captain Felix, R.N. The circumstances in which they were found are thus related :-"A temple was discovered in December, 1828, which had been erected by Ramses or Ramesis II. Under one of the chambers was a small vault, containing two mummies, a man and a woman, richly and completely gilt. The mummy case crumbled to pieces on being touched. Much gold was found on the mummies, besides three hundred bronze gods of different sizes, &c. In the chamber where the mummies were, the king was dedicator, and no other name appeared. It is always the person to whom the tomb belongs who dedicates it." Some other conjectures are added, but the whole circumstances seemed to indicate it as probable, that these were really the skulls of Ramesis II. otherwise named Sesostris, (who flourished about the time of the Trojan war, nearly twelve hundred years before Christ,) and one of his wives. In an account of these skulls given in the Phrenological Journal, t it is stated, that the chief value of them is not so much their prodigious antiquity, nor even their increased antiquarian value, arising from the singular glimmer of light which chance has thrown upon their identity, (in which particular, we take it, they are unique among cabinet mummies,) but the confirmation they afford of the phrenological truth, that a people remarkable for intelligence, taste, enterprise, and all the elements of civilization, and such a people were the Egyptians, must have exhibited a brain well endowed with the organization through which such qualities are invariably manifested." The article then proceeds to shew that this was actually the case. It had been mentioned in a previous number, that "the mummies confirm our uniform experience, that the Egyptian head belonged to the Caucasian variety of Blumenbach, to which the European also belongs ;" and it is here added, that the skulls are of large size, indicating, according to the well known phrenological rule, great power and energy of character. The development, which is given at length, is stated to indicate a fair balance of

Vol. vi. p. 523.

From the above I think it is evident that Mr Combe is not borne out in assuming that "the civil history of man proclaims the march, though often vacillating and slow, of moral and intellectual improvement." In regard to intellectual attainment, at least, we have seen it proved, that the most ancient nations equalled, or rather surpassed, all that have come after them. The proofs from history, from existing monuments, from phrenological observation on undoubted cranial remains, all unite in leading to this conclusion. We have farther seen, that in every great people, the earlier periods of their history have been most remarkable for a pure state of morals, and that no great improvement in this respect has taken place since the earliest ages. If, then, we find the Egyptians and Babylonians, three thousand years ago, equal, in intellectual and moral qualities, to the principal nations of the world at the present day, what reason have we to suppose that their ancestors, the original stock from which they were derived, had ever been materially below the same standard? Again, if it be true that society is constituted on the principle of gradual progression, "containing within itself the the animal, intellectual, and moral qualities. In the male head, comparison and causality, (the principal reasoning powers,) also firmness, veneration, and hope, (three of the principal moral powers,) together with cautiousness, and love of approbation, are all stated to be large; self-esteem, benevolence, and ideality, also important powers, rather large; conscientiousness, or the sense of justice, wonder, gaiety, or wit, and imitation, full. This, in any head, would be considered a good development; and if, as is supposed, it belonged to a powerful king, its manifestations would doubtless be productive of great effects. The female head is not less highly endowed, with some striking differences, characteristic of the sex of the party. Both of the heads, in development as well as in size, are above the average even of the European head at this day; and if they afford any thing like fair specimens of the race to which they belonged, they prove, if there be truth in phrenology, that that race must have held a very high rank in the scale of intelligence and civilization among the nations of the world.

elements of improvement, which time is continually evolving and bringing to maturity," then Babylonia and Egypt should have been now the greatest, the most powerful, the most intellectual, and the most moral nations on the face of the earth. Enjoying, as they did, the finest climate, the richest soil, and the most splendid advantages of situation, with immense population, and the possession of what it is now the fashion to call "useful knowledge" (a knowledge of the arts and sciences) in a high degree of perfection, how has it happened that they did not improve these advantages farther? how has it happened that they have so entirely fallen from their ancient greatness? There must be some reason for this, that is not dreamt of in Mr Combe's philosophy.

It will be observed, that in comparing the Egyptians and Babylonians with nations now existing, it is not fair to compare them with ourselves, or with any other nation enjoying the superior lights derived from revealed religion. They ought to be compared with the Chinese, the Japanese, or other nations which are not favoured with a knowledge of revealed truth; for in this way only can it be seen how far the moral and intellectual nature of man may be brought to perfection by the sole aid of those principles of improvement inherent within itself. That a great and rapid improvement has now been going on for centuries, and is still proceeding, in those countries which have been brought under the influence of Christianity, is admitted on all sides; but that proves nothing in favour of Mr Combe's argument, unless it can be shewn that Christianity has nothing to do with this improvement.