6 Director's Annual Report. 



Group, to cover at least all Polynesia. Sketches, still in existence, 

 of a vessel thought to be suited for this work were drawn under 

 the advice of Captain Woods, a skilful navigator and scientist, and 

 the young students of science lately associated wath the writer as 

 students in Harvard, who seemed best fitted to take charge of 

 the several departments, were seledled. The scheme never materi- 

 alized, and the names of these young men did not beome famous 

 through Pacific exploration ; but it is a matter of pride to the 

 dreamer of those days that all of them did become distinguished 

 in scientific pursuits, and have done good work as teachers in our 

 foremost universities. 



The early plan was not wholly lost, for with the foundation of 

 this Museum the intangible became concrete, and I believe that 

 there can be no better preparation for the thorough exploration 

 of a region than a comparative study of the produdls of peoples 

 both physical and psychical : their implements, arms, houses : 

 their domestic and social economy, their religion and language, 

 such as a curator of a considerable museum devoted to such 

 matters must be to a greater or less extent master of. The Trus- 

 tees of this Museum encouraged this, perhaps unconsciously, by 

 printing the card catalogue of Pacific Islands that had been formed 

 to help an orderly study of the Museum collecftions. They have 

 helped on the good work to a greater or less extent by every Memoir 

 they have published describing the works of man or the creations 

 of God in this region. The publications of Societies all over the 

 world that come to us by exchange or purchase have kept us 

 au cojirant on what ethnologists, zoologists, botanists and geolo- 

 gists have gathered from this island world, and conversely' what 

 the}' still need. The methods of investigation, tested in similar 

 climates and for cognate purposes have been eagerly followed and 

 their adaptability to our region settled, where possible, by direct 

 experiment. Other studies have been undertaken, that it would 

 be tedious to even enumerate in this report, until it has been found 



