Au£: 2 2, 1872] 



NATURE 



343 



prehistoric archaeologist, I can only add my humble testimony to 

 that of others who think thit this branch of anthropology is very 

 unsitisfactor ly dealt with by the metropolitan societies m which 

 it is discussed. Quite recently this happy family has been in- 

 creased by the birth of a fine child uuiier the ti^le of an His- 

 toric Society, and I observe that by way of specialising the 

 functions of this socie'y, it commenced life with a paper on 

 Prehistoric Man. But there are no signs of any limitation to this 

 improvident chiklbearlng ; it is announced that a Psychological 

 Society is confidently expected. No one would be moredispjsed 

 than myself to welcome psychology as a special branch of study 

 if this family of gutter children is to go on increasni:^ adlihilnin ; 

 but it will be admitted that a Psychological Society, of all others, 

 is liable to grow up scatterbrained, if completely severed from the 

 influence of its more experienced kinsfolk. 



I trust that I have made it apparent that Anthropology in 

 its various branches includes some of the most popular and 

 widely-disseminated scientific interests of the country ; that the 

 loss of power is enormous ; not only is there no means of 

 organ'sed exploration, but the inform \tion which is published 

 is either repeated over and over again in the different so- 

 c'eties, or it is so scattered as to be beyond the reach of the ma- 

 jority of the student-s. They labour also under the di-advantage 

 of being suppor'ed chiefly by men of small means, for the well- 

 to-do classes in this country do not, as a rule, take any interest 

 in either scientific or anthropological investigations. During the 

 p.^st year, a single .Vmerican his done more in the way of anthro- 

 pological exploration than the whole of the English societies, 

 institutes, and associations together. 



I will now briefly state my views as to the remedies for the 

 evils of which I have spoken. I am averse to the principle 

 of amalgamation ; narrow views are often the most pronounced, 

 and if they become dominant are liable to bring down the 

 standard of an amalgamated society instead of enlarging its 

 sphere of usefulness ; besides, this amalgamationneccssarily entails 

 a certain loss o( income by the loss of double subscriptions. 



If my experience as a member of the council of most 

 of the socifcties of which I speak does not deceive me, 

 it should be the object of those who have the progress of 

 anthropological studies at heart to induce the metropolitan 

 societies to speciaHse their functions. The following might 

 then become the titles of the v.arious societies included under 

 the term Anthropology, and they would represent not only the 

 natural divisions of tfie science, but practically the divisions 

 which are most consonant with the organisation of the existing 

 societies. Setting history and historic archieology aside as be- 

 yond our province, we should have (li Protohistoric Archieology ; 

 I adopt the term proposed by Mr. Hyde Clarke for this brinch, 

 which prac'ically includes all that comes under the head of 

 Biblical Archceology at present ; (2) Prehistoric Archaeology; (3) 

 Philology; {4) Biology, including Psychology "and Comparative 

 Anatomy, in so far as it rela'es to man ; (5) Descriptive Ethnology, 

 viz., original reports of travellers on the races of man, 

 conducted in association with geographical exploration. 

 Under these heads we should, I believe, include all the 

 various classes of special workers. These should constitute 

 independent but ais-^ciated societies ; that is to say, the 

 members of one should be privileged to attend the meetings 

 and take part in the discussions of the others, but not to 

 receive the publications of any but their own society. By this 

 means each would profit by the experience of the other societies, 

 but the funds necessary for the maintenance of each would be 

 secured. As branch sections of anthropology they would be 

 under the control of a general elected council, only in so far as 

 would be necessary to prevent their clashing with each other, 

 and for the control of any nieasnres which it might be necessary 

 for the several sections to undeitake in concert ; under the aus- 

 pices of the general council might also be held the anthropologi- 

 cal meetings devoted to such general subjects as either em- 

 braced the whole, or were not included iii the sections. By these 

 means the standard of anthropological science as a compre- 

 hensive study of the science of man in all its branches would be 

 secured, and the possibility of its becoming narrowed under the 

 influence of any dominant party would be obviated. It is hardly 

 necessary to say that the chief advantage of such an arrangement 

 as I suggest would consist in the employment of a single theatre 

 and library for these cognate societies ; they would employ a 

 single printer, and the arrangements might include one or more 

 artists, lithographers, and map-drawers, by which a great in- 

 crease, and at the same time economy, would be effected in the 



illustrations. TTie saving effected by the union of these societies 

 in a single establishment might be appliel to conducting ex- 

 plorations either at home or abroad in connection with the Geo- 

 graphical Society. The question of the utilisation of apartments 

 is one which con>mends itself especially to the notice of Govern- 

 ment in regard to those societies, for which apartments are pro- 

 vided at the public cost. It should be made a sim' qiid iioit that 

 the societies so favoured should fairly represent all the branches 

 of their subject. 



As regards the local societies, it has been proposed to re- 

 publish a selection of their papers under the auspices of this 

 association. It is to be hoped that some arrangement, such as 

 that proposed by the committee of which Sir Waller Elliot is 

 secretary, may be carried out. I have only one suggestion to 

 make on this point : re-publication is simply a repetition of cost 

 andlabour, if thedesiredobjectof bringing the papers together can 

 be accomplished by other means. As to selection, I have no faith 

 in it. If local and metropolitan societies could be induced to adopt 

 a uniform size for their publications — not necessarily a uniform 

 type — the papers relating to the same subjects might be brought 

 together without the cost of reprinting. It would only be 

 necessary to establish a classification of papers under various 

 headings, such as, for example, those which constitute the sections 

 of this Association. The societies might then print additional 

 copies of their papers under each heading, in the same manner 

 that additional copies are now struck off for the use of raUhors. 

 A single metropolitan society might be recognised as the repre- 

 sentative of each branch, and under its auspices the whole of the 

 papers of the local and metropolitan societies relating to its 

 branch might be brought together and printed in a single volume. 

 Time does not allow me to enter into the details of the arrange- 

 ments which would be necessary to carry out such a measure. I 

 believe the difficulties would not be so great as inight at first 

 sight appear, especially as the evils of the existing arrangements 

 are much complained of ; but it should be a primary object of 

 any arrangement that may hereafter be made that the indepen- 

 dence of the several branches should not be sacrificed unneces- 

 sarily ; it should be endeavoured to stimulate them and train 

 them into useful channels, rather than to bring them too mucli 

 under central control. 



SECTION E 



geography 



Opening Address by the President, Francis Galton, 

 F.R.S. 



The functions of the several .Sections of the British Association 

 differ from those of other Institutions which pursue corresponding 

 branches of science. We, who compose this Section, are not 

 simply a Geographical Society, meeting in a hospitable and im- 

 portant provincial town, but we have a distinct individuality of 

 our own. We have purposes to fulfil which are not easily to be 

 fulfilled elsewhere ; and, on the other hand, there are many 

 functions performed by Geographical Societies which we could 

 not attempt without certain failure. Our peculiarities lie in the 

 brief duration of our existence, combined with extraordinary op- 

 portunities for ventilating new ideas and plans, and of promoting 

 the success of those that deserve to succeed. We are constituents 

 of a great scientific organisation, which enables us to secure the 

 attention of representatives of all branches of science to any pro- 

 jects in which we are engaged ; and if those projects have enough 

 merit to earn their deliberate approval, they are sure of the hearty 

 and powerful support of the whcle British Association. 



These considerations indicate the class of subjects to which our 

 brief existence may be devoted with most profit. They are such 

 as may lead to a definite propoal being made by the Committee 

 of our Section for the aid of the Associatii>n generally ; and there 

 are others, of high popular interest, which cannot be thoroughly 

 discussed except by a mixed assemblage, which includes persons 

 who are keen critics, though not pure geographers, and who have 

 some wholesome irreverence to what Lord Bacon would have 

 called " the idols of the Geographical den." 



We may congratulate ourselves that many excellent memoirs 

 will be submitted to us, which fulfil one or other of these condi- 

 tions. They will come before us in due order, and it is needless 

 that I should occupy your attention by imperfect anticipations of 

 them. But I must say that their variety testifies to the abun- 

 dance of the objects of geographical pursuit, other than explo- 



