oiigin. its descent, its migration, its admixtures with others, its 

 traditions, its archaeology, its language, its history, and its customs. 



" The same subject has been pursued by M. Girard de Eialle, 

 in an aiiicle in the Revue Scientijique for the 20th December, 1879, 

 founded on Dr. Topinard's paper; in which he points out that 

 Topinard's system, whether he is conscious of it or not, is very 

 nearly allied to the transformist theory, as he calls the doctrine of 

 Evolution. If human races are nothing but optical illusions, their 

 definition as 'human groups which offer a particular type,' would be 

 perfectly acceptable to the transformist. If it be said, in opposition 

 to Topinard's view, that history offers us numerous cases in which 

 the pei-manence of types is an ascertained fact — for instance, that 

 on the ancient monuments of Egypt, 6000 years ago, are represented 

 peoples whose physiognomy can be found at this day in the li\'ing 

 Egyptians : the answer is that, in these cases, these peoples have 

 not been subjected to the influence of crossing. This is the secret 

 of the transfoi-mation of ancient tjrpes, and sometimes of their 

 re-appearance by the phenomena of atavism." 



After refeiring to the Proceedings of the Science Department 

 of the University of Tokio in Japan, and to the discoveries in Science 

 of the year, the Peesident concluded as follows : — 



" I have nothing more to say but to offer 3^ou my thanks for 

 the generous confidence mth which yon elected me to this office, for 

 the kind support you have extended to me in fulfilling its duties, 

 and, I may add, for your patience in listening to me to-night. I do 

 not know whether it is the more interesting situation to look back 

 on a long hne of predecessors, and hope you have not been unworthy 

 of them ; or to see before you, Hke Banquo's descendants before 

 Macbeth, a long line of successors, and indulge the hope that, years 

 hence, they may think j'ou were not unworthj' of them. At any 

 rate, I bequeath to them, whatever may have been the plentiful lack 

 of ability with which the Chair has been filled, the record of a year 

 in which no breath of dissension has mffled the calm surface of our 

 Councils, no murmur of dissatisfaction been evoked by any of om- 

 proceedings." 



The following Report was presented by the 

 Teeasueeb : — 



