Ixvii 



REPORT OF THE COUNCIL. 



Be;port of the Council for the year 1885-86, presented to the General 

 Committee at Birmingham, on Wednesday, September 1, 1886. 



The Council have received reports during the past year from the 

 General Treasurer, and his account for the year will be laid before the 

 General Committee this day. 



Since the Meeting at Aberdeen the following have been elected 

 Corresponding Members of the Association : — 



Professor Putnam. I Dr. Max Schuster. 



Rev. Dr. Renard. | M. Jules Vuylsteke. 



As Professor Huxley was unable to accept the office of a Vice-President 

 for the present meeting, the Council have nominated in his stead Professor 

 Stokes, Pres.R.S. 



The Council have received a letter from Sir Charles Tapper, Hio'h 

 Commissioner for the Dominion of Canada, enclosing important com- 

 munications from the Government of that Dominion, in reference to the 

 record and preservation from obliteration of such traces as still remain 

 of tbe indigenous characteristics of the native races of America, which 

 subject, the General Committee will recollect, was mentioned in the 

 Report of the Council at the Aberdeen Meeting. Copies of this corre- 

 spondence will be communicated to the Sections interested in the subject. 



Invitations have been received from Bath and from Sydney for the 

 year 1888 ; and the invitation from Melbourne, given at Montreal, has 

 been renewed. 



The following resolutions were referred by the General Committee to 

 the Council for consideration, and action if desirable : — 



(a) ' That the Council be requested to consider the desirability of 

 admitting ladies as OiEcers of the Association, or as Members of the 

 General or Sectional Committees.' 



The Council, after careful consideration of the question, are of opinion 

 that the time has not yet come when it would be for the advantage of the 

 Association to depart from the established custom. 



(l) 'That the Council be requested to consider the advisability of 

 rendering the special Reports of the Association more accessible to the 

 scientific public by placing them on sale in separate form.' 



(c) ' That the printed Reports on Special Subjects be offered for sale 

 to the general public at the time of the Meeting, or as soon afterwards as 

 possible.' 



There are several matters of detail, requiring careful consideration, in 

 the subject of these two resolutions, and the Council, owing to exceptional 

 circumstances during the past year, have not been able to come to a 

 decision regarding them. They recommend that the question should be 

 referred to the next Council. 



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