Annual Address of the President, 



J. W. POWELL. 



1881. 



On Limitations to the use of some Anthropologic Data. 



Gentlemen : 



The Constitution of the Anthropological Society of Wash- 

 ington makes it obligatory upon its President to deliver an 

 address at the first meeting in February, upon the work of 

 the Society during the preceding year. 



Last year it had escaped the notice of the President that 

 his annual address was limited to a specified topic, and he 

 prepared for that occasion a paper on the " Evolution of 

 Language." As his mistake was not discovered in time, 

 he was permitted, through the courtesy of the society, to read 

 the address prepared, with the understanding that at some 

 subsequent time the review provided by the Constitution 

 should be presented by him. It thus occurs that the trans- 

 actions of the society for a period of two years are embraced 

 in the present address. 



In preparing the present paper under the restrictions im- 

 posed by the Constitution, it has been found difficult to give 

 an intelligent account of the subject-matter coming from 

 time to time before the society, while the papers thereon were 

 yet unpublished ; and it was finally concluded to be the better 

 way to prepare an abstract of the several papers and to fol- 

 low with remarks upon the subject-matter therein presented. 



In executing this plan the President's address of last year 

 is incorporated. 



In making these abstracts your President has attempted 

 to seize the more important facts and conclusions presented, 

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