142 EIGHTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



Extracts of a letter from the President of the American Ethnological Sodety 

 to the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution. 



New York, Jurie 12, 1847. 



"Dear Sir : I have the honor to enclose a copy of the proceedings 

 and resolutions of the New York Ethnological Society upon the MS. 

 work on American antiquities, by Messrs. E. G. Squier and E. H. 

 Davis, submitted with your letter of the 2d inst. 



"I approve entirely of the resolutions and recommendations of tlie 

 society. 



" Whatever mny be the intrinsic value of the remains of former times 

 which are found in the United States, it is necessary that they should 

 at least be correctly described, and that existing gross errors should be 

 corrected ; and I repeat my conviction that, though ardent, Messrs. 

 Squier and Davis are animated by that thorough love of truth which 



renders their researches worthy of entire confidence. 



*********** 



" I have the honor to be, &c., 



"ALBERT GALLATIN. 



"Prof J. Henry, 



" Secretary of Smithsonian Institntion.^^ 



At a regular meeting of the American Ethnological Society, held at 

 the house of the Hon. Albert Gallatin, on the evening of the 4lh of 

 June, the president laid before the members a communication iroih 

 Professor J. Henry, Secretaiy of the Smithsonian Lislitution, trans- 

 mitting, for the examination and opinion of the society, a MS. work on 

 the Ancient Aboriginal Monuments of the United States. On motion, 

 the letter and accompanying ]MS. were referred to a committee consist- 

 ing of Edward Robinson, D. D., John R. Bartlett, Professor W. 

 W. Turner, Samuel G. Morton, M. D., and Hon George P. Marsh, 

 to report upon the same. At a subsequent meeting of the society, this 

 committee submitted the following report and resolutions, which were 

 unanimously accepted and adopted : 



REPORT. 



The committee of the American Ethnological Society, to which wa? 

 referred the communication of the Secretary of the Smithsonian Insti- 

 tution, transmitting a manuscript work, entitled " Ancient Monuments 

 OF the jNIississippi Valley, comprising the results of Extensive Original 

 Surveys and Explorations,'' by E. G. Squier and E. H. Davis, beg 

 leave to report that: 



They have examined the work in (jucstion, and regard it not only as 

 a new and interesting, but as an eminently valuable addition to our 

 stock of knowledge on a subject little understood, but in which is felt 

 a deep and constantly increasing interest, both in our country and 

 abroad. In their judgment, the work is worthy of the subject, and 



