George Combe Journal, Coventry, 29 August -- 1 September 1851
Title
George Combe Journal, Coventry, 29 August -- 1 September 1851
Title
George Combe Journal, Coventry, 29 August -- 1 September 1851
Sender
George Combe Journal
Recipient
U
Date(s)
- 1851-08-29–<br /> 1851-09-01
Place
Coventry
Letter Content
George Combe Journal, Coventry, 29 August -- 1 September 1851
MS: National Library of Scotland.
August 29 1851.
Coventry. Mr. Bray -- Miss Evans
We travelled from Liverpool to Coventry by rail and found Mr. Charles Bray waiting for us at the station, and went with him on a visit to Rosehill, close on the Town. He introduced us to his wife and her sister, the two sisters of the late Mr. Hennel the author of the work against Christianity as a Revelation; and to Miss Evans, the daughter of a farmer. The whole party are superior and interesting persons. Mr. Bray is a Ribbon manufacturer about 40; a Phrenologist and a convert to the natural Laws, with an excellent intellect, bilious, nervous, lymphatic and sanguine temperament, excellent coronal region, but great Comb[ativeness] and Destruc[tiveness] and very deficient Concentrativeness. He is proprietor of the Coventry Herald, which he uses as the organ of the new philosophy and its applications, so far as public opinion will allow him to go.
Miss Evans is the most extraordinary person of the party. She translated Strauss's work "Das Leben Jesu" from the German, including the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin quotations in it, without assistance; and it is said to be admirably executed. She has a very large brain, the anterior lobe is remarkable for length, breadth, and height, the coronal region is large, the front rather predominating; the base is broad at Destruc[tiveness]; but moderate at Aliment[iveness], and the portion behind the ear is rather small in the regions of Comb[ativeness] Amat[iveness] and Philopro[genitiveness]. Love of approb[ation], and Concentrativeness are large. Her temper[ament] is nervous lymphatic. She is rather tall, near 40 43 apparently, pale and in delicate health. She is an excellent musician. She read the Letters of Henry Atkinson on new organs in his and Miss
Martineau's Book, 44 and we discussed them. She shewed great analytic power and an instinctive soundness of judgment. We had a great deal of conversation on religion, political economy, and political events, and altogether, with the exception perhaps of Lucretia Mott, 45 she appeared to me the ablest woman whom I have seen, and in many respects she excells Lucretia. She is extremely feminine and gentle; and the great strength of her intellect combined with this quality renders her very interesting. Mrs. Bray also is a superior and accomplished woman, extremely modest and unpretending. Her sister plays well on the piano forte and is full of vivacity, with rather a large head, but the anterior lobe is not large.
September 1.
We visited Mr. Bray's ribbon factory, and saw a large apartment filled with looms weaving by steam. We saw a workman weaving a ribbon for the Queen on a Jackard loom, most beautifully flowered and about 5 inches broad. He is the best weaver in Mr. Bray's employment, but very drunken. He has a small brain, a small, but regularly formed, anterior lobe, Individuality, Form, Size, and Weight being predominantly large. His temperament is bilious nervous. He had been off work drinking for 6 days, and received notice that, unless he weave 2'bd yards a week, he shall be held as having resigned his employment. This is an example of a small brain with a special combination of certain organs fitting a man for a certain employment, or rather not operating as a disqualification.
MS: National Library of Scotland.
August 29 1851.
Coventry. Mr. Bray -- Miss Evans
We travelled from Liverpool to Coventry by rail and found Mr. Charles Bray waiting for us at the station, and went with him on a visit to Rosehill, close on the Town. He introduced us to his wife and her sister, the two sisters of the late Mr. Hennel the author of the work against Christianity as a Revelation; and to Miss Evans, the daughter of a farmer. The whole party are superior and interesting persons. Mr. Bray is a Ribbon manufacturer about 40; a Phrenologist and a convert to the natural Laws, with an excellent intellect, bilious, nervous, lymphatic and sanguine temperament, excellent coronal region, but great Comb[ativeness] and Destruc[tiveness] and very deficient Concentrativeness. He is proprietor of the Coventry Herald, which he uses as the organ of the new philosophy and its applications, so far as public opinion will allow him to go.
Miss Evans is the most extraordinary person of the party. She translated Strauss's work "Das Leben Jesu" from the German, including the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin quotations in it, without assistance; and it is said to be admirably executed. She has a very large brain, the anterior lobe is remarkable for length, breadth, and height, the coronal region is large, the front rather predominating; the base is broad at Destruc[tiveness]; but moderate at Aliment[iveness], and the portion behind the ear is rather small in the regions of Comb[ativeness] Amat[iveness] and Philopro[genitiveness]. Love of approb[ation], and Concentrativeness are large. Her temper[ament] is nervous lymphatic. She is rather tall, near 40 43 apparently, pale and in delicate health. She is an excellent musician. She read the Letters of Henry Atkinson on new organs in his and Miss
Martineau's Book, 44 and we discussed them. She shewed great analytic power and an instinctive soundness of judgment. We had a great deal of conversation on religion, political economy, and political events, and altogether, with the exception perhaps of Lucretia Mott, 45 she appeared to me the ablest woman whom I have seen, and in many respects she excells Lucretia. She is extremely feminine and gentle; and the great strength of her intellect combined with this quality renders her very interesting. Mrs. Bray also is a superior and accomplished woman, extremely modest and unpretending. Her sister plays well on the piano forte and is full of vivacity, with rather a large head, but the anterior lobe is not large.
September 1.
We visited Mr. Bray's ribbon factory, and saw a large apartment filled with looms weaving by steam. We saw a workman weaving a ribbon for the Queen on a Jackard loom, most beautifully flowered and about 5 inches broad. He is the best weaver in Mr. Bray's employment, but very drunken. He has a small brain, a small, but regularly formed, anterior lobe, Individuality, Form, Size, and Weight being predominantly large. His temperament is bilious nervous. He had been off work drinking for 6 days, and received notice that, unless he weave 2'bd yards a week, he shall be held as having resigned his employment. This is an example of a small brain with a special combination of certain organs fitting a man for a certain employment, or rather not operating as a disqualification.
Citation
George Combe Journal, George Combe Journal, Coventry, 29 August -- 1 September 1851, Complete George Eliot Letters(2026), George Eliot Archive, edited by Beverley Park Rilett. https://GeorgeEliotArchive.org, Accessed September 7, 2026. https://www.georgeeliotarchive.org/items/show/94237