LIFE OF FLOWER 53 



The Mongols, as typified by the Tatars and Chinese, 

 and their relationship on the one hand to the Eskimo, 

 and thus with the " Indians" of America, and on the 

 other with the Malays, were also discussed at consider- 

 able length in these lectures. 



The origin of the Egyptians was also a subject to 

 which much attention was devoted by the Hunterian 

 Professor. " The much vexed questions," he said, 

 " who were the Egyptians ? and where did they come 

 from ? receive no answer from anatomical investigations, 

 beyond the very simple one that they are one of several 

 races which inhabit all the lands surrounding the Mediter- 

 ranean Sea ; that they there lived in their own land far 

 beyond all periods of time measured by historical events, 

 and that in all probability it was there that they gradu- 

 ally developed that marvellous civilisation which has 

 exercised such a powerful influence over the arts, the 

 sciences, and the religion of the whole western world." 

 The truth of these suggestions has been fully confirmed 

 by the subsequent researches of Professor Flinders 

 Petrie. 



As a whole, these Hunterian lectures on anthropological 

 subjects were a great success, and won for the Pro- 

 fessor increased respect and admiration from scientific 

 men of all classes. They paved the way for the pre- 

 paration of that invaluable Catalogue of the anthropo- 

 logical specimens in the museum of the College to which 

 allusion has already been made. 



When in 1884 Professor Flower, on the resignation 

 of Sir Richard Owen, accepted the Directorship of the 

 Natural History Departments of the British Museum, 

 and was thus compelled to sever his official connection 



