sensations of the body are aroused, and the mind takes cognizance of them. Memory refers each sensation of a particular part of the nervous system to a corresponding impression made at some time or other, by some agent of relative sensibility; and the mind thinks, and perhaps the man talks, of something out of doors, and possibly far off, and unknown to those present. The man is delirious. It may be that in the excitement of this discord, his eyes may become injected by the pressure of the blood through the capillary vessels, particles of blood pass and

repass

before the field of vision, and unable to refer the phenomena to its right cause, he mistakes them for flies or bugs. Sometimes, in a peculiarly excitable state of the nerves, the ordinary inorganic sensations, which are unusually unnoticed on account of the more intense impressions of external agents, become troublesome and affect the mind even when there is no fever. In the best health, if a person will press a pillow upon his eyes and attend strictly to his sight, he will see innumerable little spots moving about, though grouped in stellate masses. These are blood corpuscles. They are often mistaken in fever for flying insects; and sometimes when there is no fever, they take many imaginary shapes, and account for many of the visions and sights of those who, excited and starved, have been in a “trance."

In delirium tremens, the mind is depressed and depraved, and naturally dwells upon the horrible. Here the moving blood corpuscles are taken for flies, bugs, lizards, serpents, and even devils, while the roaring of the blood, as it rushes in the proximity of the nerves of hearing, is imagined to be the yelling and groaning of the damned.

In dreams, the nervous system is composed during sleep; the ordinary agents of sensation are in part withdrawn from the body. Light and sound are partially inoperative. The attention is not sufficiently awake to take note of things which might operate upon the mind from without; yet it is sufficiently active, from ill health, over-eating, or some other cause, to be aroused and fixed by the agents of internal sensation. Accordingly, as the mind may be despondent or elated, the molecular activity of vitality, and the circulation of the blood, will originate visions and trains of thought which are unpleasant, or are delightful. Sometimes a sound from without, or a brilliant glaré upon the eyelids, failing entirely to awaken the sleeper, will start the ever watchful mind into activity, and busy life is all enacted in its hopes and fears, and labors—in dreams. In dreams, too, it may be remarked incidentally, sometimes there is exemplified a curious proof of the eternal nature of mind. The untrammelled mind takes no note of time. Time is only measured by the notchings of pain upon the body of man. A sound will cause the sleeper to dream of the thundering battle-storm, or the deadly fray, with toil, and danger, and intense anxiety. Hour after hour will be passed in the scenes which imagination will create, incident to the prevailing idea. At length, overcome with numbers perhaps, or just escaping with life, the dreamer awakes and even yet the noise of some falling, rattling article in the room, echoes

Yet how much has that mind suffered and endured in that brief instant! Such things make men ponder. The eternal mind makes no note of time. The everlasting elements of eternity are not divided into periods or parts, and the immortal soul crowds years into an instant, and can, doubtless, equally as well, make an instant of infinite delight seem years of pleasure.

As the mind in delirium, and dreams, and infancy, and disease, may be withdrawn from its ordinary external relations, and put on a new life under new auspices, retired from the influence of external things and men, so in insanity, by some agency or other, (and it is of little consequence what,) the organic sensibilities obtain partial or complete control of the mind-get unrivalled possession of its ear, so to speak the consequence is, that while intelligence is perfect in itself, and thought, and motive, and conduct, are strictly rational, considered with reference to the information which the mind receives; yet, to those whose conduct is swayed by the situation of agents without, and who are accustomed to judge of others as though influenced in the same manner, the conduct of the insane,-harmonious with the impulses of internal sensation,-jars upon the mind and displays no evidence of reason, or of a sense of the fitness of things,

These facts indicate that the common relations and reactions of mind, are not the only ones that apply to it, even in its human connection. Mind, while yet in the body, may be placed in various strange positions, and still exist; and, moreover, display perfect strength and integrity, and operate-naturally and fitly, according to the circumstances by which it is surrounded, and according to the impressions which are made upon it by agents without. This view of insanity is the only one which can be supported by physiological and pathological science. It is perfectly explanatory of all the strange delusions which have harassed the world; and it alone is in accordance with the sublime doctrine of the immortality of the soul. The soul is an eternal element, and fades and falters not, although its earthly prison-house sickens and dies. It is an evidence of the exalted nature of the soul, that it loves truth. Truth and the soul of man are the sole offsprings of eternity which are upon earth. They affiliate together, and seek out each other, and are happiest when united.*

THE HAIR AND WOOL OF THE DIFFERENT

SPECIES OF MAN.
Our much esteemed friend, the ingenious, indefatigable and learned Dr.
Browne, of Philadelphia, has for some time devoted much attention to
the teguments of mami

mmalia, and particularly to the pile of the several
species of man. We have just been favored with the subjoined commu-
nication from him, which will, no doubt, be highly valued by many, and
especially scientific readers. We will take this occasion briefly to notice
his excellent paper read to “ The American Ethnological Society," of this
city, on the 30 November last, in conjunction with a few suggestions on
the paper now before us; as what we have to say will form a suitable

preface, or introduction, to his present communication. These investigations of Dr. Browne bear directly and importantly on the question of the unity or diversity of the human species, and, consequently, naturally follow in the train of argument advanced in the series of articles contained in our periodical for several months.

But the researches of Dr. Browne, valuable as they are to the naturalist and physiologist, bear a relation to the agricultural industry and wealth of the nation of far greater value. His article in “The Plough, the Loom and the Anvil,” for May last, in which he gives the accurate diameters, or degrees of fineness, of sixty-four specimens of wool collected from all parts of the world, and the comparative capacity of this country for the production of this valuable staple with the best wool-producing regions of Europe, is the most valuable contribution science has yet made to agriculture. It exhibits—not by argument, supposition, or experiment, but from specimens of wool collected from an extensive region of our favored country-1st. That the wool of imported sheep, without crossing, actually improves by domiciliation of the animals in our climate and on our soil. 2d. That we can produce finer wool than they can in Wallachia, Mexico, Buenos Ayres, Deccan, (East Indies,) Van Dieman's Land, Odessa, Australia, &c., and as fine as they can in Saxony, where, hitherto, the finest grade of wool in the world has been produced from sheep. Such facts are worth volumes of speculations, or experiments conducted by wealthy and abstract men, whose teachings are worth little or nothing to the practical agriculturist—whose object is not to ascertain what can be done by a disregard of expense, but how the most money can be made by the smallest outlay of capital, under ordinary thrift and management. But we must confine ourselves to the special subject of this article.

It is not our design to examine the details of the paper read by Dr. Browne to the American Ethnological Society, which are new, very curious, and highly interesting facts; but to confine our present remarks to the conclusions resulting from his microscopic investigations. The conclusions are :

“ 1st. Hair is, in shape, either cylyndrical or oval; but wool is eccentrically elliptical or flat; and the covering of the negro's head is eccentrically elliptical or flat.

• 2d. The direction of hair is either straight, flowing, or curled; but wool is crisped or frizzled, and sometines spirally twisted, and the hair of the negro's head is crisped or frizzled, and sometimes spirally twisted.

“ 3d. Hair issues out of the epidermis at an acute angle, but wool emerges at a right angle ; and the covering of the negro's head issues out the epidermis at a right angle.

“ Ath. The coloring matter of a perfect hair—for example, that of the head of the white man—is contained in a central canal; but that of wool is disseminated in the cortex, or in the cortex and intermediate fibres ; and the covering of the negro's head has no central canal.

" 5th. The scales of the cortex of hair are less numerous than those of wool, are smooth, less pointed, and they embrace the shaft more intimately; and the scales on the filaments of the negro's head are numerous, pointed, and do not embrace the shaft intimately.

“COROLLARY.—Hair will not felt, but wool will; and the covering of the negro's head will felt-has been felted."

These are the facts actually ascertained from microscopic inspection,

conducted most carefully and conscientiously, without any regard to theories, prejudices, or prepossessions. It appears extraordinary that these discoveries should be reserved to this late day, notwithstanding the attention paid to such investigations by many eminent men in Europe, to be discovered by an American philosopher. In matters of induction, and in new fields of research, so far from being surprised at the greater rapidity and power of American, compared with European genius, we regard them as the necessary results of our climate, political and social institutions, and the impulsive effects of the geographic and scenic features of our extensive country; but we confess we were not prepared for a discovery depending almost exclusively on rigorous, laborious, and untiring research and inspection, in a matter to which many European philosophers have given years of attention. But still more are we surprised, that Dr. Prichard, who examined the pile of several species of men, assisted by Mr. Estlin, "who," says he, "is skilful and long practiced in the use of the microscope," could only see that "the hair of the negro was extremely unlike that of wool, and *** had the appearance of a cylinder with a smooth surface." If our readers will take the trouble of averaging the greater and smaller diameters of the 1st, 2d and 3d varieties of the 2d class of hair in Dr. Browne's subjoined paper, he will find that the average diameter of the three varieties of white men's hair is greater one way than the other; while the average diameter of the two negroes' wool is greater one way than the other. Now, as Dr. Prichard used a glass of about 400 magnifying power, which presented these objects to his view at about an inch in size, is it not strange he could not discover this vast difference between them? And yet more strange, that Dr. Prichard, with the assistance of his powerful microscope and the experienced Mr. Estlin, could not discover the serrations on negro wool, but could see a 66 smooth surface" where there was none; and yet could easily discover the serrations of merino, tiger, and seal wools, all of which are many times finer than negro wool?

09

343

In his "Natural History of Man," p. 7, Dr. Prichard very candidly admits, that he does not "regard the question now to be discussed," (the unity or diversity of the human species,) "as one of which the decision is a matter of indifference either to religion or humanity." "But," he continues, "the strict rule of scientific scrutiny exacts, *** that we should close our eyes against all presumptive and extrinsic evidence, and abstract our minds from all considerations not derived from the matters of fact which bear immediately on the question." We hope we have found the true excuse for the above strange circumstances, in the piety and humanity of the man having so mastered the philosopher as to shut the eye directed to the eye-glass, to prevent him from seeing "the matters of fact" exhibited on his object-holder. But what shall we say to Mr. Estlin, who "is skilful and long practised in the use of the microscope?" He stands before us nakedly, with his qualifications for accuracy vouched for, but nothing in excuse. What shall we do with him? Let him escape under the ample cloak of his principal, as he saw with his eyes and echoed his sentiments.

Some very curious speculations arise from an attentive examination of the classes and varieties detailed in the subjoined paper by Dr. Browne. For the present we will confine our remarks to the mongrel, or hybrid pile. In every instance of a cross of species, the pile of the progeny ap

66

eccen

pears to exhibit, distinctly, the characteristic of each parent. It does not appear that an amalgamation of characteristics takes place in the offspring, as might be supposed ; as that each fibre would exhibit a medium charac ter between the two parents ; but that the two distinct characters of pile are preserved on the head of each offspring.' 'As, for example, in the first variety of “hybrids," the offspring of a negro mother and white father presents some filaments “lesser ovoidal," some “oval," and some trically elliptical.” Here we have two varieties of the white species, sepa rated from the negro characteristic on the same sealp. Whence came the two varieties, and what were the proportions of the three? If it had been s greater," instead of “lesser ovoidal,” we might suppose it to be a com. mingling of functions—a medium between the parents to this extent; but “lesser ovoidal” is the contrary inclination, and forbids this belief. The same singular peculiarity occurs in the 5th hybrid example, in which an Indian squaw and white produced offspring with “

some filaments cylindrical,” and “some greater ovoidal ;" which is a deviation as far from, and as contrary to the medium of the parents, as in the first example. But there are also two examples which appear to lean to the contrary of the above—the 7th and 8th—an examination of which we, for the present, omit. It appears from the 3d example of hybrids— “ Indian and white, but bred towards the white, A and B plus B”-that the “plus” accompanies the inclination of the progeny to the parental type, as well in respect to pile, as to physical and psychical properties and qualities.

Dr. Browne has opened a new, and, probably, a rich field of physiological investigation. It appears to have a direct bearing on Van Amringe's opinion, “ that functions must be the joint gift of both parents ; we cannot say, at present, whether it is favorable to it or unfavorable.

Many other reflections might be profitably made on this singular and interesting communication, which we must omit until a more convenient season ; but we cannot permit this opportunity to pass without expressing our pleasure at the rapid strides making in our republic in the higher branches of literature and science. That we possess every element of intellectual power, Europeans often deny, or reluctantly acknowledge. Conscious of actual strength, we are under no anxiety to have it acknowledged. The time was when our monetary affairs were wholly disregarded on the Exchanges of London and Paris; when our political institutions were despised; when our commercial, agricultural, mechanical, and manufacturing enterprise was ridiculed ; but all these things have changed within the memories of men whose locks are not yet silvered. The crowning triumph is now in progress; and we hail the investigations of Dr. Browne as an omen, that the strife will not last long, and that the victory is not doubtful.

.'* but