I9I2.] MINUTES. V 



From the Congres International d'Anthropologie et d'Archeol- 

 ogie Prehistorique announcing that the 14th Congress will be 

 held at Geneva in September next. 

 From the Congres International des Orientalistes to be repre- 

 sented at the i6th session to be held at Athens in April next. 



Prof. Leslie W. Miller, on behalf of the Curators, reported the 

 receipt of a gift to the Society of some valuable relics of one of its 

 honored presidents, Mr. Peter S. Du Ponceau, whose portrait by 

 Sully is one of the most benevolent of those that look down upon us 

 from our walls. They consist of two crosses, a larger and a. smaller, 

 of the order of St. Louis and the gold medal of the Institut de 

 France. The relics were presented to the Society by Miss Aline 

 Garesche, an elderly lady, who has lived for many years in Paris 

 and who states that as the last decendant of Du Ponceau she feels 

 that the Society is the proper custodian of these treasured heirlooms 

 of the family. 



Mr. Du Ponceau wrote a learned monograph on " The Structure 

 of the Indian Languages " which was printed in the Transactions of 

 the Historical and Literary Committee of this Society, of which he 

 was secretary, and in May, 1835, the "Prix Linguistique " founded 

 by the Count de Volney was awarded to him by the Institut de 

 France for a memoir on the Indian Languages of North America, 

 which was afterwards published in Paris. The medal is a beautiful 

 example of the work of the distinguished medallist, Rambert Du- 

 marest (1750-1806). 



Mr. Du Ponceau's attention was also directed, at this time, to the 

 structure of the Chinese languages and in 1838, when he was 78 years 

 old, he published in the Transactions of the Historical and Literary 

 Committee of this Society a memoir of 375 pages on this subject. 



The Royal and Military Order of St. Louis (to give it its full 

 title) was instituted by Louis XIV. in the year 1693. It is conferred 

 on naval and military officers who have distinguished themselves in 

 the service. 



