ORDINARY MEETING.* 



The Yen. Archdeacon R. Thornton, D.D., Vice-President, 

 IN THE Chair. 



The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and confirmed, and 

 The following pajier was then read by the author : — 



PROBLEMS OF ABORIGINAL ART IN AUSTRALIA. 



By the Right Rev. S. Thornton, D.D., Bishop of Bal- 

 larat. 



I TENDERED a paper on another subject ; but, by re- 

 quest, submit one on the topic announced. In doing so, 

 I disclaim personal credit for any interesting products of 

 research it may contain. I have often held converse with 

 Aborigines in Australia, during a residence there of twenty 

 years, but have never myself seen any of the rock-paintings 

 or sculptures (some of them to be found in my own diocese) 

 which present the special problems I am to introduce to you 

 this afternoon. In doing this I am largely indebted to a lucid 

 and copious address given at Brisbane in 1895, before the 

 Australian Association for the Advancement of Science, by 

 the President of its Ethnological and Anthropological Section, 

 Thomas Worsnop, Esq., Town Clerk of Adelaide, South 

 Australia. Expressions in a letter received by me from that 

 gentleman warrant the belief that he will be gratified, rather 

 than aggrieved, by my making free use of the materials col- 

 lected by him, in drawing attention to the problems presented 



* 8th of 32nd Session. 



