My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

—I40MY LIFEone, and before sunrise we left our gloomy bedroom,walked up to the main road to get into the sunshine,descended into the Nedd valley and strolled along,enjoying the fresh morning air and warm sun till weneared Pont-nedd-fychan, when, finding a suitablepool, we took a delightful and refreshing bath, driedour bodies in the sun, and then walked on to thelittle inn, where we enjoyed our ample dish of eggsand bacon, with tea, and brown bread-and-butter.There is one subject on which I obtained conclusiveevidence while living at Neath, which mayhere be briefly noticed. I have already describedhow at Leicester I became convinced of the genuinenessof the phenomena of mesmerism, and was ablethoroughly to test them myself. I also was ableto make experiments which satisfiedme of the truthof phrenology, and had read sufficient to enable meto understand its general principles. But during myearly residence at Neath after my brother's death, Iheard two lectures on the subject, and in both casesI had my character delineated with such accuracy asto render it certain that the positions of all the mentalorgans had been very precisely determined. It mustbe understood that the lecturers were both strangers,and that they each gave only a single lecture on theirway to more important centres.I will give the more detailedof the two delineations.It is as follows, only omitting a few words atthe end which are of a purely personal nature :" (a) There is some delicacy in the nervous system,and consequent sensitiveness which unfits it for anyvery long-continued exertion ; but this may be overcomeby a strong will. There is some tendency toindigestion ;this requires air and exercise." (d) The power of fixing the attention is very