The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-05 00:00:00

ETHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY.

At the meeting of the Ethnological Society on
Tuesday evening—Mr. Crawfurd in the chair--a
paper:was read by Mr. Dunn, " On the psycholo-
gical differences which exist among the typical races
of man."

Mr, DuNst assumed that the genus man is the
same throughout the world, and that all races, how-
ever different, belong to the same species. He
considered that the psychological evidence is suffi-
cient to establish a complete distinction between the
lowest races of mankind and the chimpanzee and
gorilla, for even the lowest savage tribes possess
intellect and moral and religious sentiments which
place them far above inferior animals. The
various degrees of those higher faculties con-
stitute the most distinguishing differences among
the races of men ; and he observed that this
impottantd characteristic had not receive the
attention from ethnologists which it deserved.
Mr. Dunn proceeded to point out the differences
in th© cerebral developments of the European, of
the African negro, and of the North American
; and, adopting the general system of Gall and
Spnrzheim, he contended that the peculiar forma-
ltioe of the heads of the negro and of the Indian
were stfficient to indicate their distinguishing cha-
racter. To the negro he attributed greater intel-
lectual capacity, combined with docility and ami-
ability of disposition, which conduced to his being
subjected to a state of slavery, and rendered him
useful to his masters; whilst the Red Indians, with
less intellect, possessed an indomitable ferocity that
could not be tamed, and though conquered and ex-
terminated by the Europeans they would not be en-
slaved. The same differences exist between them
and the negroes as between the wolf and the dog.
In alluding to the size of the brain as an indica-
tion of intellectual power, Mr. Dunn said it was an
established fact that any person with a head less
than 13 inches in circumference 'must be an idiot.

Dr. COPELAND, though agreeing generally with
Mr. Dunn, differed from him in his estimate of the
mental and moral qualifications of the negroes ,
whom he considered a more degraded race than the
North American Indians. It was not only in the
shape of their heads, but in the whole structure of
their bodies, they differed from Europeans. In the
form of the bones and in the texture of the muscles
there was a degree of inferiority, and in some ex-
periments he had made on respiration he found that
❑sgroes exhaled one-third less of carbonic acid than
Europeans, and consequently they must absorb one-
third less of oxygen—their lungs being of less size.
The moral character of the negroes, he thought, had
been too favourably represented by Mr. Dunn, and
with regard to the improvement of the race by in-
termixture with the whites, he considered that the
mixed breeds were worse than the pure blacks.
He said that the descendants from African blood,
even when all trace of the original colour had dis-
appeared, continued to retain the disagreeable odour
which rendered them so offensive to Europeans.

Mr. DONOVAN confirmed Mr. Dunn's observations
on the marked differences in the phrenological de-
velopment of the African negroes and of the Rea
Indians, and asserted that from the forms of the
heads most of the different races of man can be
readily distinguished. With reference to the size
of the head he stated that no one whose head is less
than 18 inches in circumference can be otherwise
than an idiot, and that when the circumference does
not exceed 20 inches the individual must have very
low intellectual capacity.

Mr. CRAWFIIRD alluded to the atrocities com-
mitted by the negroer in St. Domingo, to prove that
they are not such amiable beings as Mr. Dann re-
presented ; and the condition of that country at the
present time showed that their intellectual powers
must be inferior to those of the Chinese, or of most
other races, who would, under similar circumstances,
have made far greater advances in civilisation. He
expressed the opinion that the form of the skull is
no indication whatever of intellect or character.

Mr. DONOVAN rather warmly vindicated phreno-
logy from such general condemnation ; and
After some remarks from Mr. BURKE, the meet-
ing adjourned.

THE SPRING HANDICAPS.

.E GREAT METROPO-

Age st lb
Lioness .. 4 6 4
Black Deer .. 3 6 4
Glenochty colt .. 3 6 4
Valentine .. .. 3 6 4
Golden Pledge .. 3 6 3
Bryn Gwyn .. 4 6 3
Adventurer .. 4 6 2
Donnybrook .. 3 6 2
Fanscombe .. 6 6 1
Kill or Cure .. 4 6 0
Citadel .. 4 512
His Excellency .. 3 5 12
Double X .. 3 5 11
Battery 3 5 10
Colombine.. .. 3 5 10
Odine .. 3 5 10
The Royal Stag 3 510
Chaff .. •3 5 7
Falcon .. • 35 7
Jack o' Hearts .. 3 5 7
Bro to Springbok.. 3 5 7
Canzonette .. 3 5 7
Event colt.. .. 35 7
Voluptas .. 3 5 7
Conical .. .. 3 5 7
Sister to Sage .. 3 5 7
LadyFauconberg.. 3 5 7
King of Italy .. 3 5 7
Luscinia .. 3 5 7
Lady Superior .. 3 5 7

E CITY AND SUBURBAN
,ICAP.

Age at lb
Portland .. 6 6 2
Donnybrook .. 3 6 2
Amazonian .. 3 6 2
Jacqueline colt .. 4 6 2
Ernest .. 3 6 2
Weatherspy .. 3 6 0
Honest Tom 3 6 0
Souveraine 3 6 0
Miss Armstrong .. 3 6 0
Escape .. 3 6 0
Mclandra .. • • 3 6
Physician (by Chan-
ticleer) a 5 13
Adventurer .. 4 5 12
HiA Excellency .. 3 5 12
Comet .. .. 3 5 12
Oberon .. 4 512
Erin-go-Bragh .. 3 5 12
The Royal Stag .. 3 5 12
Victor .. 4 5 12
Newchurch .. 3 b 12
Summerside .. 3 5 12
Dualla . , 3 511
Coupon .. 3 511
Sea. King 3 5 11
Newfoundland .. 3 511
Merry Maid 4 5 10
Colombine.. .. 3 6 10
Misfortune .. 4 5 10
Conical . .. 3 510
Perseverance .. 3 510
Sister to Allington 3 5 10
Battery .. 3 5 9
Father O'Leary 3 5 9
Stampede .. 3 5 9
Colleen Rhue .. 3 5 7
Pillion .. 3 5 7
Mrs. Somerville .. 3 5 7
Glance colt 3 5 7
Sand ford 3 5 7
Jaek o'Newbury 3 5 7
Jack o'Hearts 3 6 7
Lady of the Isles ..
7
Middlewatch .• .3 5 7
Voluptas '• 3 6 7
Tademas
Sister to to Sa.g.e 33 577
Jennyli iof Italy
555
777
Luscinia
Reserve .. 3 5 7
Tease-me-not 3 5 7
Sylvanie .. 3 6 7
Birdlime ;;;;,* ••3 5 7

E NEWMARKET HAN-

b
Magnum Bonum..A g
4e 6st
17
Barchettina 3 6
Fee.. .. 5 6 6
Attaman 4 6 5
Lapidist .. 4 6 5
Canace .. 3 6 4
Ernest .. 3 6 3
Amazonian .. 3 6 0
Equinox .. 3 5' 13
Battery .. .. 3 510
Monitor .. 3 5 9
Fantail 3 5 8
Sandford .. .. 3 5 7
Jack o'Newbury .. 3 5 7
Bro.to Springbok.. 3 5 7
Chaff .. •• 3 57
Curacao .. •• 3 5 7
Falcon .. .. 3
Colleen Rhue 6 7
Sylvania • • .. 3 3
3 7
King of Italy .• 3
Warhorse ••
Physalis colt .. 3