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For a

I began to feel coming upon me the influence of a reverie.
long time, my good friend whom I'occupy' at present with this
matter, I have had my day-dreams sadly broken in upon; in the
few roses I have gathered, I have found the cypress mingling among
their faded leaves; and a voice, as from the lowly leafiness of an
autumnal wilderness, has spoken of the lost and of the past. Why
is it, that though the mind may wander, the heart can never forget?
Well could I say with him who sings so well:

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And there they rest, in dust and cold obstruction! Oh, that those who walk about in the beauty of the morning, with the greenness of earth around them, and the mysterious vitality which makes the elements in their nostrils, would think of this; considering truly their coming end!

BUT I digress entirely; being about to say, that this reverie was superinduced by looking at some observations that had been made upon the charming theory of my friend. I thought of the time when such a thing as steam-music should at least equal the common museum-music, if not surpass it, and distance conclusively the airs wherewith the godly puritans of yore were wont to chant the immortal metre of Sternhold and Hopkins. Imagination took a wide range and presently I was in a dream.

--

And methought in my dream, that I was in the second story parlor of the Atlantic and Pacific Hotel, and United States' Half-way House,' on the very top of the Rocky Mountains. This hotel was built of marble, with splendid Corinthian pillars, gracing a portico nearly three hundred feet long. Meseemed I had just arrived there by rail-road, in four hours and a half from Philadelphia, which I remembered, as I left, was on each side of the Schuylkill, that being central, as the Thames is in London. We did not stop at Pittsburgh, or any of those immense metropoles, but whizzed at the rate I have mentioned. My destination was to the city of Memphis, on the shore of the Pacific, where I expected to arrive at two o'clock the next day.

A considerable village stretched along the mountain, although the place was not in existence three weeks before. After a sumptuous repast, and a beautiful view of the country, east and west, which I may hereafter describe, I took up the village newspaper. It was entitled the 'New-Babylon Observer, and Register of the World.' The copy I held in my hand bore the date of May the seventeenth, nineteen hundred and forty. It was sent round the place by a rail-car, and was thrown into the dwellings by machinery, conducted by

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steam. The first paragraphs that struck my eye, were these, amply emblazoned, suddenly to catch the general eye:

REPORTED FOR THE NEW BABYLON

OBSERVER.

TERRIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE!

'It becomes our painful but imperative and extraordinary duty, to promulgate the facts of a disaster which reached us to-day, by the mail from Thebes, via the perpendicular rail-road. As a party were ascending, with the locomotive playing a lively tune, assisted on the piano-forte by another locomotive, that had been hired by Signor GOITINI, preparatory to his first concert in New-Babylon, some religious persons of the United States' Established Mormon Church,' insisted that the tune, being irreverent, should be changed. This offensive tune was no less than the well known and popular song, (supposed to have been written in England, previous to the subjugation of that place by the Russians,) entitled 'Proceed it, ye Crippled Ones, Babylon's Nigh. This complímentary course on the part of the locomotive, and the gentlemanly engineer with whom it associates, was hissed by the Mormons, until they were overcome by the encores of the majority. The locomotive was of course embarrassed, but we understand, continued to play. One of the Mormons, enraged beyond measure at this circumstance, rushed forward through the door-ways of the train, and wantonly turned the stop-cock of What's Become of Good Old Daniel?' one of the slowest tunes of the day. The consequence was, that the train proceeded with the greatest discord, because the latter tune was for the back-track, in descending the mountain. The result was, the cars were thrown off the rails, down a precipice of nearly three hundred feet; but owing to the exertions of Mr. INCLINATION PLAIN, first engineer, they were got back by his Upward Impulse Screw, which has thus far answered admirably, stopping cars in mid-air, if they run off a precipice, and returning them safely, by means of the patent steam wind-bags, which extend beneath the trains, and destroy their gravity.

'We are authorized to state, that no blame attaches to the quick-tune party; whereas the slow-tune faction were entirely in the wrong. Thus has a science, invented by a monk of the Unitarian order, in the city of Alleghania, (then called New-York,) and which worked its way into so much respect and favor, been the cause of danger, by the pertinacity of a few. We trust it will not occur again; if it do, we shall proclaim it to the tune of the Rogue's March, through the whole of New-Babylon, in our Steam-car Extra. No doubt our dastardly contemporary, of the 'War-horse of Freedom and America's Champion,' whose prospectus and types arrived last night, and whose first number appears to-morrow, will endeavor to contradict this statement. We dare him to his teeth to do so. He knows, while the snaky blood writhes at his caitiff heart, and the malignity of twenty-three demons, (we think we should be justified in mentioning more,) glares from his diabolic eye, that what we state is fact; and that each member of the quick-tune party, in asserting his inalienable musical rights, was as innocent as an unbegotten merino.'

READER, the record of my reverie is not ended, but my sheet is full. If I live and prosper, we will meet again. Heaven bless you, and all the children! Ever thine,

OLLAPOD.

HYMN O F NATURE.

THEE praise, Almighty One, the choral starry throng!
Thee praises, thou All-good, the cherubim's loud song!
In everlasting harinonies thy whole creations turn,
As far as worlds revolve, or hosts of suns may burn.

Thy temple Nature shows thy glorious lordliness,
And gentleness as well! The spring-time's flowery dress,
The summer's sea of corn, the harvests' vine-clad height,
The winter's silver peaks, are mirrors of thy might.

What am I, LORD, to thee? But yesterday a man!
I'm parted from the tomb but by one little span !
Yet well is me! who sleeps within his Father's arms!
The word - Compassion-wakes; he feeleth no alarms!

LITERARY NOTICES.

A NEW SYSTEM OF PHRENOLOGY. By J. STANLEY GRIMES, President of the Western Phrenological Society at Buffalo. Buffalo: O. G. STEELE. New-York: WILEY AND PUTNAM.

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'LET phrenology alone,' said the celebrated ANDRAL, and it will throw all obstacles behind it, with marvellous force. There is no instance of a truth once fairly launched, having failed to make its way.' Long and arduous has been the conflict, but victory is no longer doubtful. The choicest flowers of vituperation, the most subtle argument and witty sarcasm, have all been unavailing. The often slain now flourishes, to all appearance, in the fulness of youthful vigor, and the calmness of conscious strength. And why has phrenology stood thus unshaken, amid the storm of opposition? Simply because it is founded on a rock the rock of nature. Its doctrines are generalizations of almost innumerable carefully scrutinized and verified facts, and against these no force of argument, nor keenness of sarcasm, nor virulence of bigotry, can prevail.

The book before us, we are sorry to say, is a specimen of what phrenological writings in general are not. For that patient, careful, truth-loving spirit, which is their noblest characteristic, we have names changed, and classifications disarranged, without any adequate reason; and organs stated as established, of which we never before heard, on evidence most unsatisfactory, apparently to gratify a morbid desire for originality. For example: we are presented with a new theory of temperaments, in which 'small eyes' are cited as a sign of the nervous temperament; an assertion utterly unfounded. Again we are told, that persons of the lymphatic temperament 'never rise to great eminence, even if they possess good mental powers.' Now the fact is, they do not possess good mental powers, and therefore they never rise to great eminence.

But we proceed to the explanation given of the bilious temperament. 'After much observation and reflection,' says our author, 'I am satisfied that the arterial system sometimes predominates, and sometimes the venous; and that what is called the ' 'sanguineous temperament, is produced by the predominance of the arterial system, while the bilious temperament is produced by the predominance of the venous.' That the venous sometimes, nay always, predominates over the arterial system, is certain; and it is right that it should, inasmuch as in it the motion of the fluids is slower, owing to the propelling forces not acting so energetically on the returning as on the distributing vessels; consequently, what is lost in velocity, must be made up in space: but then no particle of matter, except the chyle, can pass into the venous system, which has not first been in the arterial system; and the blood and depositions of the absorbent systems must be returned through the venous system to the heart, with due uniformity, except in the case of obstruction, when the veins become varicose, or distended, and the blood 'ponded;' but this varicosity constitutes disease, and no constitutional and general temperament can be founded on a diseased condition. But granting Mr. GRIMES' premises: is it possible that a temperament the most hardy, that a temperament imparting the greatest capability of endurance and persistent activity, and which is often accompanied by the most stubborn health, can depend on the preponderance of black blood ; 45

VOL. XV.

blood almost as unfit for the purposes of nutrition, as ditch-water, and which, could it be transferred to the arteries, would cause immediate death? Surely 'much observation and reflection' have been of little service in this case.

Professor ELLIOTSON says, that 'an Irish gentleman announced the discovery of seventy-four new faculties to the London Phrenological Society in one night.' Our author merely announces the discovery of three: an organ of chemicality, one of pneu mativeness, and one of sanitativeness, for an explanation of which we must refer to the book. But that on which the author seems most to plume himself, is his classification. He talks of the 'beauty of the new classification, which his friends have so much admired.' Into its merits we deem it superfluous to enter, but shall exhibit his reasons for dividing the mental faculties into Ipseal, Social, and Intellectual. This division into three classes,' says he, 'is founded on the following considerations :' he then goes on to state, that the spinal column is in three columns, the medulla oblongata in three columns, the brain has three lobes, each of the ventricles three horns, and that at the base of the brain, there are three commissures: he then naïvely adds, that 'there is no other phrenological principle supported by so many anatomical facts.'!

It would be amusing to follow our author into the labyrinth of absurdity in which he immediately involves himself; but we must close with a few quotations, the merit of which phrenologists will readily appreciate :

'In the internal parts of the brain, the fibres of all the organs are blended and confounded together!' p. 41.

'I consider language as one of the lowest animal perceptives!' p. 62.

Let the three following sentences be compared :

'It is, in my opinion, the office of individuality to perceive light, sound, savors, odors, etc. p. 64.

'Chemicality (a new organ,) may be defined the perception of those chemical qualities which affect the senses of taste and smell.' p. 69.

'The polypus manifests individuality in the most perfect manner!' p. 67.

We sincerely hope that Mr. GRIMES will eschew 'originality' in future, and expend that zeal which he evidently possesses, in the more useful and fitting occupation of extending the well-established truths of phrenological science.

THE PATHFINDER OR THE INLAND SEA. By the Author of "The Pioneers,' 'Last of the Mohicans,' etc. In two volumes. pp. 473. Philadelphia: LEA AND BLANCHARD. New-York: WILEY AND PUTNAM.

MOST gladly do we welcome Mr. COOPER back to the field wherein he won his early laurels. His is 'no middle flight,' in his peculiar region. We have not found leisure quite to complete a perusal of 'The Pathfinder,' before this part of our Magazine passes to the press; but we are fully enabled to pronounce upon the beauty and faithfulness of its descriptions of nature, and its felicity of individual portraiture, in one or two of its prominent characters. In the language of another, whose earlier years were ours, we may say: 'Accustomed as we have been from childhood, to the scenes and splendors, and the deep spirit of sylvan romance, which attaches itself to all the incidents and histories of the Six Nations, we hail a work like this with peculiar pleasure. Our inland seas' are sources of as much poetic and imaginative interest, as half the seas of Europe. They have seen races born, the smoke of whose fires of council have arisen in the bright or shadowy lands along their borders, until generation after generation has passed away; and they are destined yet to receive and transport, as a highway for the innumerable population which will multiply from them to the Pacific, the riches of empires. We are glad to remember all the rural features of these vast regions; while step by step

we can trace up the rapid and brilliant advances of white innovation, and the well-ordered culture of civilized life. The Pathfinder reveals to us many pictures whose grand fidelity. we recognize at once; and we should be unmindful of what we have ever owed and acknowledged to the author who has painted them, if we did not here express the hope that, abandoning abstract disquisitions, or a censorious portraiture of manners and politics of civilized nations, he would liberate his genius in the spheres where it must shine; upon the trackless ocean, and along our leafy land.' We shall aim to do more elaborate justice to the volumes before us, in a succeeding number.

THE REFORMATION OF MEDICAL SCIENCE DEMANDED BY INDUCTIVE PHILOSOPHY. A Discourse delivered before the 'New-York Physicians' Society.' By WILLIAM CHANNING. Second Edition. New-York: WILEY AND PUTNAM.

THE author of this discourse is known as one of the earliest advocates of the medical philosophy of HANNEMANN, on this side of the Atlantic, and as one of its most successful and respected practitioners. Educated in the tenets of the old system of medicine, associated with its ablest professors, exposed to all the prejudices, and imbued with all the predilections, of the schools, it certainly required more than ordinary independence for such a man to release himself from the trammels of his professional and personal position, and more than ordinary courage to avow a faith which was regarded by the regular practitioner as quackery, and received by the community with distrust and incredulity. Against all these adverse influences, Dr. CHANNING has persevered in the advocacy and practice of HOMEOPATHY, until it has in a great measure ceased to be the object of idle ridicule, and equally absurd denunciation; until public opinion has driven ignorance to inquiry, and has compelled many of the profession to substitute patient investigation for the easier privilege of contempt.

We have read the discourse before us with no little interest. It is an able and elaborate performance, indicating habits of well-disciplined reflection, of philosophical inquiry, guided by a sincere love of truth, and a boldness to follow its directions to their inevitable results. The author avers that he admits and believes nothing that he does not KNOW, establishing his doctrines on the unshaken rock of the Baconian philosophy; assuming as the first principle and axiom of his faith, that 'man, the servant and interpreter of nature, understands and reduces to practice just so much as he has actually experienced of nature's laws; more he can neither know nor achieve.'

The general object of this discourse is to establish the position, that medicine cannot be entitled to a rank among the positive sciences, until its professors shall have compassed a successful generalization of the curative powers of the materia medica. Until the discovery and application of some common principle to the relations of disease and remedies, it is obvious that the whole system of medicine can be nothing but a patchwork composition of shifting expedients and lawless experiments. The accidental remedies of one day, are supplanted by the equally accidental discoveries of the next; and medicine blunders on, century after century, in a labyrinth of principles uninvestigated, and mysteries consequently unexplained. Homeopathy claims to lend a cue to the labyrinth; it presents a touch-stone to the mysteries; it claims to be the key-stone of the arch, to complete the hitherto imperfect circle of medicine, and to elevate it, by the introduction of an uniform and eternal principle, to the rank of a positive science. Its pretensions, moreover, are not speculative. They do not rest on any fanciful and unproved theory. They assume nothing that is not confirmed by the most searching analysis, and that is not based on the logical conclusions of inductive philosophy.

The leading principle of Homœopathy, and the foundation of the system, is presented in the compendious axiom, 'Similia similibus curantur;' expressive of the general truth, that 'agents, medicinally administered, are curative of those sufferings of the sick,

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