portraits and similitudes in the brain? by what devious path, and by means of what extatic velocity, do they appear there, giving place to each other with an order and rapidity far exceeding thought, or, perhaps, the meteoric light of heaven itself? Whence all this? The refinement which the mind attains, when occupied in the study of the laws of nature, may partly qualify its owner to appreciate in contemplation the varied habits, exercises, and employments of this wonderful organ. Its capacity and delicacy, its mobility, the peculiar softness of the nervous system which surrounds it, are altogether wonderful, and form part of the many exquisite alliances which aid in sustaining its ever-varying sensibilities and powers. This is of all the senses the most reflective and powerful; by its rapid agencies man principally acts and thinks, and through its channels pass influences more numerous than the sands of the sea-shore,—influences which are as sparks of eternal light shining amidst kindred glories. By the aid of this acute sense, man is enabled to act amidst the social throng with order and excellence; through its agencies his imagination is captivated, his affections secured, and an irresistible and seductive influence consummated over his will, his judgment, and every attribute of his nature. He yields without constraint even to the impulse of the moment, and seizes the exact time for observation, whether urged by accident or meditation. There is an acquisitiveness and a retention, an arrangement and a distributive ability, which create no confusion, and encounter no opposition. Through these portals fair Truth makes her first advance; timidly she peers in to regard the majestic regalia of the dominions of thought. Yes, that angel, Truth, enters, to whom distance is no hindrance; for she can fly on the wings of the morning or the trembling shadows of night. From the fringed
