692 REPORT— 1904. 
principles must probably govern the development of the other arts, appliances, 
and ideas of mankind. With characteristic energy and scientific zeal Colonel 
Lane Fox began at once, in the year 1851, to illustrate his views and to put them 
to a practical test. He forthwith commenced to make the ethnological collection 
with which his name will always be associated, and which rapidly grew to large 
proportions under his keen search for material which should illustrate and perhaps 
prove his theory of progress by evolution in the arts of mankind. 
Although as a collector he was somewhat omnivorous, since every artefact 
product fell strictly within his range of inquiry, his collection, nevertheless, 
differed from the greater number of private ethnological collections, and even 
public ones of that day, inasmuch as it was built up systematically with a definite 
object in view. It is unnecessary for me to describe in detail the system which he 
adopted in arranging his collection. His principles are well known to ethnologists, 
either from the collection itself or from his writings, more especially from the 
series of lectures which he gave at the Royal United Service Institution, in the 
years 1867-69, upon ‘Primitive Warfare’; from his paper read before the 
Anthropological Institute in 1874 on ‘The Principles of Classification, as adopted 
in the Arrangement of his Anthropological Collection,’ which was then exhibited 
at the Bethnal Green Museum; from that portion of the catalogue raisonné of his 
collection which was published in 1877 ; and from numerous other papers dealing 
with special illustrations of his theory. Suffice it to say that, in classifying his 
ethnological material, he adopted a principal system of groups into which objects 
of like form or function from all over the world were associated to form series, 
each of which illustrated as completely as possible the varieties under which a 
given art, industry, or appliance occurred. Within these main groups objects 
belonging to the same region were usually associated together in local sub-groups. 
And wherever amongst the implements or other objects exhibited in a given 
series there seemed to be suggested a sequence of ideas, shedding light upon the 
probable stages in the evolution of this particular class, these objects were 
specially brought into juxtaposition. This special grouping to illustrate sequence 
was particularly applied to objects from the same region as being, from their local 
relationships, calculated better to illustrate an actual continuity. As far as 
possible the seemingly more primitive and generalized forms—those simple types 
which usually approach most nearly to natural forms, or whose use is associated 
with primitive ideas—were placed at the beginning of each series, and the more 
complex and specialized forms were arranged towards the end. 
The primary object of this method of classification by series was to demon- 
strate, either actually or hypothetically, the origin, development, and continuity 
of the material arts, and to illustrate the variations whereby the more complex 
and specialized forms belonging to the higher conditions of culture have been 
evolved by successive slight improvements from the simple, rudimentary, and 
generalized forms of a primitive culture. 
The earlier stages in these sequence series were more especially the object of 
investigation, the later developments being in the greater number of cases omitted 
or merely suggested. It was necessary for Colonel Lane Fox to restrict the extent 
‘ of the series, any one of which, if developed to the full extent, would easily have 
filled a good-sized museum. The earlier stages, moreover, were less familiar, and 
presented fewer complications. The general principles of his theory were as ade- 
quately demonstrated by the ruder appliances of uncivilized races as by the more 
elaborate products of peoples of higher culture ; and, moreover, there was doubtless 
a great attraction in attacking that end of the development series which offered a 
prospect at least of finality, inasmuch as there was always a chance of discovering 
the absolute origin ofa given series. Hence the major part of his collection con- 
sisted in specimens procured from savage and barbaric races, amongst whom the 
more rudimentary forms of appliances are for the most part to be found. 
The validity of the general views of Colonel Lane Fox as to evolution in the 
material arts of Man was rapidly accepted by a large number of ethnologists and 
others, who were convinced by the arguments offered and the very striking 
evidence displayed in their support. I have heard people object to the use of the 
