614 Transac tions . — Miscellaneous . 



very solid foundations — so solid, indeed, that there is exactly 

 as much stone-work below the surface of the ground as there 

 is above. 



Eeluctantly leaving the many items of interest that time 

 will not allow me to bring under your notice, I may call atten- 

 tion to the loss sustained by anthropology generally and by 

 the Polynesian Society in particular by the death of Mr. S. E. 

 Peal, of Assam. He for years with untiring energy devoted 

 himself to studies in ethnology as well as to researches in 

 botany. He tried to direct the attention of scholars to the 

 many points of similarity in customs, costume, &c., between 

 the Nogas and other tribes of Assam and the Dayaks of 

 Borneo and other eastern islanders, urging the necessity of a 

 central society being formed to act as a medium between the 

 savants of India and those of Oceania. 



The mention of Mr. Peal's death brings me to the sad 

 duty of chronicling the deaths of other well-known and 

 regretted scientific men lately in our midst. The names of 

 Professor Parker, of Dunedin ; of Mr. Maskell, Eegistrar of 

 the New Zealand University ; and of Mr. T. Kirk — all dis- 

 tinguished men, regretted by the whole world of intellect — 

 will be trebly mourned by us among whom they lived and 

 worked, and to whom they are endeared by a thousand kindly 

 personal recollections. 



The thought of those who have passed away brings one ta 

 the consideration of beliefs as to the soul of man, and especially 

 to the different aspects under which the subject is considered 

 by primitive peoples. I had intended to present to you a 

 synopsis of the remarkable inquiries made by M. Zaborowski 

 into the belief held in the double and triple soul by the natives 

 of Madagascar. He compares it with a similar belief among 

 the Nias of the Malay Archipelago, and it appears very won- 

 derful to us, who are in the habit of considering primitive 

 people as simple-minded, to notice the clearness with which 

 so-called savages pursue their inquiries into mental conditions 

 which even to cultured men, with ages of philosophy behind 

 them, appear cloudy and difficult to investigate. But M. Zabo- 

 rowski's discoveries would need a whole evening in themselves^ 

 and I must defer them to another occasion, wishing now to 

 turn to one or two subjects practical to ourselves and to our 

 interests as members of a civilised society. 



Perhaps one of the most interesting subjects of study, when 

 comparing savage and civilised men, is as to the amount of 

 moral and social responsibility that should be allotted to each 

 individual. It seems fairly easy to note the degree in which the 

 members of a savage tribe stands to its other members. Well- 

 understood customs and usages, intricate to outsiders but 

 simple to those " to the manner born," regulate every action 



