The Sun.
London, England, 1815-11-22 00:00:00

110 Y.VL A C t)E.M Y.

& CAR-

On :Monday evening, at eight o'clock, ti.
LISLE, :Esti, P.R.S. delivered. his Second Lecture
on ".The, Principles of Aratooly;" at the Royai
Academy. •
The Learned Professor commenced his discoursa
by referring the Student, for an introductory View
of the principles of anatomy, to the- works Of his
distinguislred predecessor, Dr. WILLIAM HUNTER,
which would he found in the library -of the Aca-

In. treating this subject, he wonld not, lie ob-
served, consider it so much as an occult or ab-
stract science, as one, the practical knowledge of
which would, in many parts, form an important
and necessary feature in the attainments. of the
Student in Art. To inculcate this most essential
information, he woidd follow the high example of
the ancient Greeks, and illustrate the principal
properties of .human life by a reference to the corn-
portent partS Of animal creation, which would be
found quite sufficient for everyArseful purpose.—
The Greeks, from motives of policy and religion,
discouraged to a certain extent an inqoisitive
iu-
qui:-1 into the frail materials which composed the
fr.tme of man ; they ,disliked to make him too fa-
miliar with the compound of his own existence,
and judiciously preferred to illustrate his corporeal
properties by a des-elopement of the correspond- :
ing parts, which were to be found hr the other.
walks of animal life. •
The Learned Professor next recommended, as
art instructive guide in the paths of science; the
classification and arrangement of the almost end-
less.divisions ofs natural history, as laid down in
tire Linnzean system. He then entered upon a
description of the tree proportions of the human
frame, which wotOtt be found in the-greatest per-
fection in •periods of:cultivation and,. refinement,
and to degenerate in savage and barbarous
In ancient Greece, for instance, the standard was
in its perfect shape,-and the reverse would he d'is-
eovet'ed in the uncultivated tribes of New Holland
and China. The universally adopted standard for
the human height Wis the Greek one of six. feet.,
wanting a fractional -part of art inch.
The Learned Professor then gave an elaborate
description of the divisions of the bead, neck,
truok, and extremities of the body : in
the course of .whidi illustraied the particular
office of each part, *liy pointing out its distinct
situation in a human skeleton suspended for that
purpose. He also shelved, by a,sintilardemon-
stration, the affinity of -action between some of the
Organs of man, and those of other animals in the
great faniity of Nature----for instance, the strong
resemblance between the extremities of the tyre,
monkey; and itan7aroo species, end those of the
human frame. lie-also explained, with great in-
genaity,. the several properties of- these animals,:
;heir points of•separation, as well 'as those of ef-
I:laity—and adverted to the remarkable fact which
prevails through the entire of the quadruped race,;
namely; that the neck of each, from the smallest;
animal to the camekopard, contains seven dis-
tinct pieces. He also exemplified the distinct
structure of the lobster, whose muscles are in-
ternally placed, the bones forming the whole ex-
terior ,
, After dwelling for a considerable time upon the
useful attriblites With which animals are endow-
ed, according to the particular sphere in which
they are destined to move, the Learned Professor
stated, that Dr. CAN.:PEA, of Amsterdam, who had
already distinguished himself by some ingenious
publications, was engaged in the perfection of a
theory, in which he purposed the definition of in-
tellectual qualities by a geometrical scale, drawn
from an actual mensuration of the animal.,skull,
.columenciog with the exprtsSive and perpendicu-
lar skull of the Greek, in which the forehead
formed nearly a straight line, and' shewing the
grathfal 'diminution of mental vigour from that
standard through the gradations which. mark .the
heads of different
.iwople, among whom ,tbe:os
frontis assumes a more angular shape; until it be-
comes altogether extinct, as in the obtuse head
of the monkey. 'l.klr%CAlli.tst.F...conchnledan able.
dissertation upon coniparatie tin,ttomy,.,by pro-
inking in his next lectUre to enter intoa-more de-
tailed acconfiteof the minister parts connected with
this scientific investigation.
The attendance of Members and Students, was,
as upon the former night, unusually considerable.