Prehistoric Cremation in Scotland. 191 most absurd notions on the subject of the disparity of the sexes. I have conversed with politicians and read the writings of politicians, but I have seldom met with views more enlarged, more just, more truly patriotic; or with political reasonings more acute, or arguments more forcible than in the conversation of Theroigne and the writings of Miss Wollstoncroft. Let the defenders of male despotism answer (if they can) "The Rights of Woman" by Miss Wollstoncroft.' Dr. Ferriar addressed to him his essay entitled 'An Argument against the Doctrine of Materialism.' Mr. Cooper was a great friend of Dr. Priestley's, and was his companion, in this country as well as in America. See also A Political Episode,' pp. 121 and 171. Prehistoric Cremation in Scotland. On October 4, 1793, see vol. iv. p. 226, an account of a rare method of cremation used in Scotland was read by Mr. Alexander Copland, of Dumfries. We are astonished at an attempt to prove that cairns are really places of sepulture, following Pennant, and the difficulty of accounting for the meaning of the word Strath Blane. We have now become almost familiar with Blane as a saint, and cairns as places for the dead. Fore-history has since become almost a science, still there is an instrument described in this essay which will be new even to many of its students. Some instruments for cremation were found in a cairn in Galloway, near Knaer Castle. (The spot is not very exactly described.) One of them consisted of three rods set up so as to form a triangular stand, the rods meeting in the centre, and seven feet high. From this when used hung a chair by which the body was suspended, the fire being placed below on a triangular hearth. The iron found was in good condition, charred wood and spades were also found, and the whole apparatus served to indicate that the use was such as the author describes. A horse-shoe for luck was at the apex of the hollow cone formed by the three rods. Meteorological Tables of Last Century. Meteorology, a favourite study at the Society, is represented in the 4th volume by a series of observations from 1768 to 1793, by Mr. Hutchinson, Dockmaster of Liverpool, by observations made at Dover, by Mr. T. Mantell, surgeon, by Mr. Copland of Dumfries, by Mr. Peter Crosthwaite of Keswick, by Mr. Vernon at Middlewich, Mr. Gough at Kendal, the Rev. Mr. Wellbe (a contraction for Wellbeloved) at York, Mr. George Walker at Manchester, Mr. Thomas Blades at Garsdale, Lord George Cavendish at Chatsworth, Dr. Campbell of Lancaster, from Youngsbury near Ware by a lady, name not given, and Dr. Burgess of Kirkmichael. This series of communications on meteorology contains also a calendar of the times of birds and flowers at Dumfries. These observations were collected by Thomas Garnett, M.D., physician at Harrogate, and communicated to the Society by Dr. Percival. In vol. v. part i. we have a remarkable mixture of papers. It seems to be the end of the first era of the Society, and the Society itself had apparently the same opinion. This part, which contains papers from 1794 to 1796, has less vigour in the mode of thought. Dr. Samuel Argent Bardsley begins with an essay on party prejudice, from which he wishes to keep the mind free; although he goes to the root of nothing, and shows neither great force nor insight, it is still the work of a well-read man, a calm thinker, a sound mind, and a graceful writer. What would the world do if it had no violent bigots? if all its men would listen calmly to the other side, their objects of dislike would have no chance of being destroyed. Millions of gentle pattings will never do the work of one blow. Yet after this comes, as a great exception in this part, a paper by John Dalton-his powerful but gentle first introduction into the work of the Society-in an 'Essay on the Vision of Colours.' This is elsewhere spoken of-it was clear and new. We have then an inquiry into the name of the founder of Owen Abbey, in Northumberland, by Robert Uvedale, M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. On the Benefits Arising from the Institution of Literary and Philosophical Societics,' by the Rev. Thomas Gisborne, Yoxall Lodge. It is abstract, and produces no account of results. A Universal Written Character. Dr. Anderson, of Glasgow, founder of Anderson College, brings forward his treatise 'On a Universal Character,' and makes us think of Melville Bell, of Edinburgh, and his work on 'Visible Speech,' and of his still more illustrious son, who has given us the telephone and the photophone. Another paper on this subject is by Dr. John Kemp. Some of these writings show interesting workings of the mind, the influence exercised by the Society, and the vague sketchings of men who did not live long enough to find if they had begun that which had a useful terminus in nature. It may, perhaps, be unfair to call Graham Bell greater than his father, a man who is so successful in teaching the dumb to speak, an art begun in the seventeenth century, we believe, by Dr. Willis, one of those having an unknown future. This art was probably put on a firm basis for the first time in 'Visible Speech and the Science of Universal Alphabets, or Self-interpreting Physiological Letters for the Writing of all Languages in one Alphabet,' by Alex. Melville Bell, 1867. With these early teachings of his father, before leaving Edinburgh, Graham Bell's mind was sent from youth towards the goal sought -the production of speech by artificial apparatus. It would have been interesting if he had found the phonograph, as some such thing was evidently in the father's eye on his early inquiries; but one seeks and another finds. The writer believes that societies for correcting spelling are beginning at the wrong end. Their methods will inevitably produce diversity and confusion, because they use letters to express the normal sounds to be advocated, whereas these letters will be interpreted in various ways. We must first have sounds that can be reproduced at will, and this can only be had from mechanism so constructed as to be readily repeated, and so described that persons at a distance may make and produce the same sounds. On this subject it will be interesting to read 'On the Pneumatic Action which accompanies the Articulation of Sounds by the Human Voice, as Exhibited by a Recording Instrument,' by W. H. Barlow, F.R.S. Proceed. Royal Soc., 1874. It was called also a Logograph. Whilst speaking of the observation of the deaf, and the mode of instruction, it is interesting to think of an advance still greater, and indicating a mode by which not only the deaf but the blind may understand spoken language. The discovery has been quite forgotten so far as we know, and was made by a little girl, daughter of a minister at Geneva. It is described by Bishop Burnet in his letters to the Hon. Robert Boyle. That from Rome, Dec. 8, 1685, contains the account: 'There is a minister of St. Gervais-Mr. Gody-who hath a daughter that is now sixteen years old. Her nurse had an extraordinary thickness of hearing. At a year old the child spoke all those little words that children begin usually to learn at that age, but she made no progress; yet this was not observed till it was too late; and as she grew to be two years old they perceived then that she had lost her hearing, and was so deaf, that ever since, though she hears great noises, yet she hears nothing that one can speak to her. But the child hath, by observing the motions of the mouths and lips of others, acquired so many words, that out of these she has formed a sort of jargon, in which she can hold conversation whole days with those that can speak her own language. I could understand some of her words, but I could not comprehend a period; for it seemed to me a confused noise. She knows nothing that is said to her unless she seeth the motion of the mouths that speak to her; so that in the night when it is necessary to speak to her they must light a candle.' This part of the girl's discovery is up to the present day, but the next goes far beyond so far as we know. 'Only one thing appeared the strangest part of the whole narrative; she hath a sister with whom she has practised her language more than with any other; and in the night, by laying her hand on her sister's mouth, she can perceive by that what she says, and so can discourse with her in the night. It is true, her mother told me, this did not last long; and that she found out only some short period in |