Blake.] 86 [June 17, 



June 17, 1868. 



The President in the chair. Eighteen members present. 



The President read the following letter from Prof. W, P. 

 Blake of San Francisco: — 



I have been very much interested in the perusal of the two arti- 

 cles by Mr. Bickmore in the last number of the Journal of Science 

 upon the Ainos, or hairy men of Yesso. 



Ever since I first saw and travelled among that strange people in 

 the interior of Yesso, in 1862, I have been very desirous of gaining 

 more satisfactoi'v information regarding their race and origin. Mr. 

 Bickmore's conclusion, that they are not Mongolian or Turanian, is 

 entirel^v in accordance with my convictions. They have no physical 

 resemblance to the Mongolians ; and they have always seemed to me to 

 more closely resemble the Turks and Hungarians than any other 

 part of the human family that I have seen. The general and the 

 minute descriptions of tliem given by Mr. Bickmore and other trav- 

 elers are in the main accordant with my observations. I can bear tes- 

 timony ^'articularly to the kindness and gentleness of this strange 

 peojjle, and their evident jaleasure in meeting men with moustaches 

 and flowing beards like their own. They seemed to recognize me as 

 of a kindred race, for they would stroke their beards and then point 

 signifieantly to mine. It seemed to give them great delight to find 

 bearded men treated with ceremony and distinction by the Japanese. 



In one of the expeditions into the gold regions, among the moun- 

 tains of the interior, the superior sagacity and skill of the Ainos in 

 mountain traveling was constantly shown. Tliey are much more dis- 

 posed to penetrate the interior and to hunt in the forests, than the 

 Japanese are. The latter spread along the ocean beaches, and rely 

 upon fish ami marine products for their sustenance, rather than upon 

 game, but tlie Ainos are fond of hunting, and of fishing in the rivers. 

 Their pei'ceptions are quicker, and they observe more closely than 

 the Japanese. In riding along the beach with Aino men running 

 alongside, they would often instantly detect a pebble or shell upon 

 which my sight was directed, and would stop and pick it up for me; 

 but with the Japanese attendants it was almost impossible to make 

 them understand what was wanted under similar circumstances. 



The physical peculiarities which were most striking to me were 



