TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 147 



the same origin; Nigritian, low nature-worship; Tatar, magic. The ancient 

 Egyptian religion had never been explained as a system. It was self-contradictory, 

 as in the case of animal- worship, for which no reason could be assigned. A critical 

 examination would show that the Egyptian religion consisted of two elements, high 

 and low nature- worship Shemite and Nigritian, which was further proved by the 

 actual Shemite or Nigritian characteristics of these two portions. 



-^rt. — Art was often connected with race. But. as pure Shemites and Negroes 

 had no art, the Egyptians could not have been of either stock alone. The gradual 

 increase in size and importance of the monuments and engineering works in the 

 earliest period might be explained by the existence of a serf-race of Nigi-itians 

 gradually destroyed or absorbed by the Shemites. 



Lam/uar/e. — Languages might be classed, according to seeming development, as 

 monosyllabic, agglutinate, and amalgamate ; according to relations, as the Semitic 

 family, the Iranian family, and the so-called Turanian family. The last is not 

 proved to be a ftimily, and its different groups are connected bv similaiities that do 

 not establish cognation. The author proposed the term " BarWrie " for this class, 

 not family. The monosyllabic and agglutinate languages are barbaric ; the amal- 

 gamate, Semitic and Iranian. The Egyptian language had a barbaric monosyllabic 

 vocabulary and an amalgamate Semitic grammar. This, it was maintained^ could 

 only be explained on the supposition of a double origin of the Egyptians. These 

 opinions were stated in the 'Genesis of the Earth and of Man,' aiitf were adopted 

 by the autlior of this paper as affording a solution of the great difficulties of his 

 special study of Egj-ptology. 



On the Princijtles of Ethnology . By T. S. Prideattx. 



On the Scythians. By the Due be RousiLLOif, 



A Journey to Xienf/7nai and Moulmein. By Sir Egbert ScHOMBURsii. 



On some Rude Tribes suj^posed to he tlie Aborigines of Southern India. 



Bif Dr. Shortt. 



On the Meenas, a Wild Tribe of Central India. 

 By Lieut.-Col, Showers, F.R.6.S. 

 The_ ethnological description of the tribe was prefaced by some observations on 

 aborigines generally, and introducing the different modes in which contact with the 

 dominant race had been found to modify their character and condition ; and taking 

 it as a test of the character of the rule of the dominant races respectively, the 

 author referred to several examples of the successful reclaiming of wild tribes in 

 India by the enrolment of them into military and police corps, as affording a vantage 

 ground of comparison, in favour of the government of the late rulers of India, 

 against that of any other government. The detailed account of the particular tribe 

 described represents a remarkable race, which, ha\-ing retreated centuries ago to a 

 strong hilly tract at the quadruple boundary of four independent native states, had 

 niaintained itself in a state of lawless independence, by taking advantage of the 

 jealousies of the different states concerned, and subsisting by plimdering as a pro- 

 fession. Emboldened at length by long impunity, the tribe seems to have had the 

 audacity to make a series of inroads into the neighbouring British district, attack- 

 ing even walled towns, and carrying off the plunder and some of the inhabitants 

 to their fastnesses. These outrages are stated as the cause of our author having to 

 take the Meenas in hand : and -in referring to the present tranquillity of that once 

 immemorially distm'bed district, and the changed behaviour of the tribe, by the 

 operation of the measures adopted on that occasion, it is satisfactoiy to learn that 

 all was effected without a shot being fired, affording as it does a pleasing contrast 

 to the deplorable contests with savage tribes going on at the present day in other 

 parts of the world. An armed demonstration sufficed to introduce the administra- 

 tive measui-es which have been attended with such happy results. 



10* 



