December, 1841.] 135 



Dr. Morton communicated the results of the measurements 

 of forty-five adult negro crania, in order to ascertain the in- 

 ternal capacity of the skull and consequent size of the brain 

 in the African race. These skulls were those of negroes born 

 in Africa, of theBassa, Grabbo, Makoua,Benguela, Mina and 

 other tribes. They consist of 25 males and 20 females, vary- 

 ing from 18 to 50 years of age. The largest heads in the 

 series, three in number, give ninety-nine cubit inches of inter- 

 nal capacity ; the smallest head, that of a Makoua, 6S cubic 

 inches. The mean of the whole series gave eighty-five cubic 

 inches. 



Dr. Morton added, that he was not yet prepared to give a 

 decided opinion in relation to the comparative size of the 

 European and Negro brains, but so far as his observations had 

 gone, he believed the former would be found to exceed the 

 latter by at least seven cubic inches. 



The measurements adverted to give the absolute size of the 

 brain, and were conducted on the plan described at page 7 of 

 these Proceedings. 



STATED MEETING, December 21, 1841. 



Vice President Morton in the Chair. 



Written Communications. A letter was read from the 

 Rev. William Coggswell, corresponding Secretary of the 

 Northern Academy of Arts and Sciences, at Hanover, New 

 Hampshire, soliciting for that Institution a portion of the pub- 

 lished transactions of this Society. Whereupon the committee 



