The Sun.
London, England, 1849-10-09 00:00:00

387 115

c for six weeks the nobles would depose of the Cliar'i
1 I eccentricity in order to sell their commodities.—(Hear.i 1 He hughed heartily at the idea of Russia going
' ito war with Ergland, more heartily still at her
I going to war with England and France. Ile
heartily joined with Lord Dudley Stuart in the Pope
that Lord Palmerston had represented to Russia ti`iat
the unanimous feeling of the people of Western Eurore
was against the attempt now being made to hang these
people. Though he spoke thus, he did not mean in the
least to detract from the peace doctrines which be had
enunciated. The meekest member of the Society of
Friends, if he saw a ruffian beating a child in the streets,
would not hesitate to express his opinion at all evea; te.
—(Loud laughter.) If he was told that he mortis
endangering the risk of the Emperor of Russia attacking
us by what he was saying, he would take all the risk upoa
himself. But, in truth, there could be no war between
Russia and England if the Emperor could not come here
at the head of a heed of Cossacks; in fact,
lie would not show himself in an aggressive capacity
before Englishmen at all.—(Hear, hear.) Why, we
should not require more ships to blockade the ports
of Russia than we were keeping up in a time
of peace. In the eturse of a foe-tnight he hoped
Ito see Korsw.li and his brave comp.inions in this
country.—(Prolonged cheering.) The Emperor of
Austria was hourly decorating the bre..vts of 'the
butchers recently employed in "lunge 1- 7 ; and
would they lend him money to rewar, 1 such
butchers?—(No, no.) And when Kossuth and ht.' com-
panions came here let them see if they could not dect `rata
them with something more valuable still—the genet% mu
applause of a great, free, and indepandent nation.
The motion was carried unaeimou sly.
The CHAIRMAN returned thanks, and the meeting'
separated.

TESTIMONIAL
TO THE HUNGARIAN REFUGEES.

" THE HUNGARIAN NATION COUNTS ON THE SYMPATHY
OF EVERY NATION WHICH LOVES EIGHT AND la-
BERTY."—Kossuth's Protest against Russian Interven-
tion.

Subscriptions may be sent to the following bunkers:—
Messrs. Coutts and Co.
Messrs. Drummond.
Messrs. Smith, Payne, and Smith ;
or to any one of the members of the committee formed
to carry out the Testimonial.
•**All further Post-office orders to be made payable toMurdo
Young, Esq., at the Money Order Office, Strand.
Subscriptions already received ... £1,106 19

RESCUE OF SIR J. FRANKLIN.

To THE _EDITOR OF THE SUN.
Sia,-1 have addressed a copy, of the follow-
ing to the First Lord of the Admiralty ; should you
think it worthy of notice, perhaps you would give it
publicity in your widely-circulated paper.
I am, &c.
G. SHEPHERD, C.E.
THE RIGHT HON SIR F. BARING, BART., FIRST LORD OF

THE ADMIRALTY.

Sir,—l trust your Lordship will excuse the liberty
I have taken in addressing you, but in the year 1844
I witnessed an experiment on the Danube river. A
mere shell was exploded under the ice, which was
nearly four feet in thickness. The effect it produced
was terrific; large masses of ice were forced in all
directions, or, in other words, rendered the space where
the explosion had taken place completely navigable. My
object for informing your Lordship of this circumstance
is for the rescue of Sir J. Franklin and his compa-
nions by the same means. I beg to suggest that two
or more ships should be sent out, with suitable cases
or charges of gunpowder or gun cotton, varying in
power to suit the various thicknesses of the ice ;
holes could be bored through the ice, the charges
inserted, and fired by means of safety fusees. It is
obvious that, from the incompressive state of the
water and the brittle nature of the ice, that the above
means might be employed in making a road (infinitely
better than ice sawing) for the gallant adventurers
to return to their friends. I beg to tender my ser-
vices to your Lordship, should the above means be
deemed advisable, to join any expedition for
the above purpose. Judging from the above
experiment, I have no hesitation in saying that from
10 to 15 miles per day could be effected, and this
with trifling amount of labour. I have the honour
to be your Lordship's most obedient servant,
G. SHEPHERD, C.E.
26, Fleet-street, Oct 6, 1849.

THE PHRENOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT
OF THE HEAD OF THE MURDERER
WILSON.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sra,—Considerable attention of late years has been
directed, by scientific men, to the phrenological deve-
lopments of great criminals; some very just and im-
portant remarks have been made on the subject, and
some striking manifestations certainly have been
occasionally furnished—though we unquestionably
think that many of the representations mad© in so
positive and absolute a manner should be received with
great caution, and with considerable limitation.
It appears that, when the late atrocious murderer,
Wilson, was executed at Liverpool, only one cast of
his head was taken, and that presented some striking
developments.
It is stated that he had, according to Spurzheim's
technical, or as many deem it, scientific phraseology,
" amativeness, combativeness, destructiveness, secre•
tiveness, self-esteem, and firmness, very large ; acqui-
sitiveness large, and love of approbation full."
The region of the moral sentiments was both low
and narrow. The organ of ideality was most strik-
ingly deficient, thus leaving the character utterly
unrelieved in its grossness. The cincipital part of the
head was in the form which an idiot's head might be
expected to assume. The organs of the perceptive
faculties were tolerably well developed ; but those of
the reflective powers were very small. The tempera-
ment is represented as having been a combination of
"the sanguineous and the bilious"—a most unfavour-
able one, as giving the greatest activity, permanency,
and strength, to the manifestations of the predomi-
nating animal propensities.
Now, granting that all this is phrenologically cor-
rect, arid admitting, as we ingenuously do, that phre-
nology has made some singular disclosures, and that it
is, by no means, as many tell us, to be disregarded
and despised, ought not its representations to be care-
fully weighed, and to be received with great caution,
in connexion with moral tendencies, and positively
necessary tendencies, arising out of physical confor-
mation, and particularly the structure and appearances
of the skull? We would not ridicule, nor would we
idly disbelieve, still we consider that, in reference to
these points, very great caution is requisite.
We have examined the casts of more than one
atrocious criminal, and have not found the develop-
ments which we expected; sometimes very different
have been presented.
If the statements of phrenologists be absolutely
credited, it was necessary for Wilson to be a murderer,
and one certainly of the vilest and most atrocious
character; that in consequence of the phrenological
developments, there would necessarily be " the cun-
ning
of the
gof thefoxh,yaenn.
and the" violent, savage, rind ruthless
passion
But is it, we ask, really, necessarily, invarbbly so ?
Is a man, because he has similar structural develop-
ments, compelled to commit murder, and muriler of
the vilest kind ?

Would such a combination of phrenological mani-
festations necessarily, and in every instance, lead to
the perpetration of foul crime ? Have early training:,
the omission of early moral discipline, the abandon-
ment or the forgetfulness of religion, nothikg what-
ever to do with it ? We would not indulge, as many
superior men do, in unqualified remarks opposed to
phrenology as a science, or pour forth any raillery,
because we consider that there is much truth aud
force in some of its representations ; still we cannot
help thinking that they are carried very often, in the
case of criminals, a great deal tco far. Phrenological
developments may often communicate much, or pre-
dict much ; still, in regarding these, we would not
lose sight of moral causes—the want of early atten-
tion, early education, early discipline and restraint--
the neglect of inculcating those sentiments of morality-
and Christianity, by regarding which all crime would
be avoided, whatever its comparative insignificance,
as well as those enormous offences whose penalty is
the gibbet.
We often consider that these points are much lost
enthusiastic
hey a r i
nu n
theirqua .
and
ins
as
so .c
science, that everything
devotion in
t bhtyoe
ratheir
pe iftrai eovnno ous
must be made to square with it—everything must be
subservient to it, and even moral and religious consi-
derations are passed by, as matter comparatively un-
deserving of attention and regard.
We would, in conclusion, observe that phrenology
cannot be utterly disbelieved, still it cannot be abso-
lutely credited. Its statements on moral develop-
ments, particularly, often demand great cautiozi.
I remain, Sir, yours, &c.,
Bridport.

T. W.

ROYAL SAPPERS AND MINERS.—WOOLWICIL OCT.
B.—lntelligence was received at head-quarters here this'
morning of a serious accident which occurred at Sand-
hurst on Saturday last, by which Sergeant Cameron, of
the Royal Sappers and Miners, was severely hurt, and a
private of the same corps much injured. Sergeant
Cameron, in the performance of his duty as i n instructor
of the cadets stud3ing at the Royal Artillery College at
Sandhurst, in order to illustrate the manner in which
stockades are destroyed, had a small one com.tructed.
While in the act of approaching the spot where di.' POw"
der was placed, to ignite the blow match with the port-
fire which he had previously lighted, and was carry ing
in his hand, the explosion of the whole charge,
weight of powder, took place, and he had his right arm'
blown off, his eyes driven out of his bead, and his lower
jaw so shattered, that it fell down on his breast; and he
was altogether so dreadfully injured, that no hope was
held out that he could survive, although he was not dead
when the bearer of the intelligence left Sandhurst. The
private, who was at a short distance fry him, escaped
with less injuay