PROCEEDINGS FOR 1897 VII 



sympathize with the success of litei-aiy aspirants. His contributions to 

 Canadian literature brought him not a few readers, as he possessed much 

 charm of style. His love for the sea and nature in its varied aspects is 

 seen in his sketches of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, and its historical places. 



Mr. Horatio Hale was an aged man when he was called to the ranks 

 of " the great majority." His physical infirmities prevented him from 

 ever attending the meetings of the society to which he was elected on the 

 motion of Sir Daniel Wilson, who like so many other distinguished men, 

 had much respect for the learning of our late colleague. Mr. Hale con- 

 tributed two papers to our proceedings, — one of them dealing with the 

 subject of Iroquois customs, which he was more competent to discuss 

 with authority than probably any other man of his generation except 

 the late L. H. Morgan of New York State, the author of " The League 

 of the Iroquois," and other books of much ethnological value. All those 

 who had the honour and pleasure of Mr. Hale's friendship will never 

 forget his modesty of demeanour and his vained attainments always at 

 the command of the students in the field of thought and research, where 

 he won so high a place during the many years of usefulness. 



A distinguished scientist, Mr. Frank Boas, of Columbia College, New 

 York, who is exceptionally well qualified to speak of Mr. Hale's merits, 

 has paid him a well-deserved tribvite which we give in full from the New 

 Y'^ork Month. 



" By the death of Horatio Hale, which occurred at Clinton, Ont., on 

 December 29th, ethnology has lost a man who contributed more to our 

 knowledge of the human races than perhaps any other single student. 



" Horatio Hale was born on 8rd May, 1817, at Newport, N. H., and 

 was the son of Sarah Josepha Hale, whose efforts largely contributed to 

 the completion of the Bunker Hill Monument and to the general intro- 

 duction of Thanksgiving Day. In 1837 he graduated from Harvard, 

 and in the same year Avas appointed philologist of the Wilkes Expedition. 

 He improved to best advantage the opportunities offered to him during 

 this memorable journey, accumulating an astounding mass of philological 

 material, which he collected partly directly from the natives, partly with 

 the help of missionaries who had become familiar with the various lan- 

 guages. His labors confirmed the theory of the Malay aflflnities of the 

 Polynesian languages, and his theories on the migrations of the Poly- 

 nesians, which he based on linguistic studies, opened a most interesting 

 and important view of the early history of the Pacific Islands. No less 

 important were his contributions to the philology of Australia, but no- 

 where was his genius for linguistic research shown more clearly than in 

 his masterly treatment of the difficult languages of Northwest America. 

 His classifications and investigations have stood the test of all later 

 inquiries, and, as we grow more familiar with the subjects treated by 

 him, we become more and more forcibl}" impressed by the keen insight 



