TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 171 



too often suffered at our hands. These are branches of the subject into which I 

 have no time to enter on the present occasion. I believe, however, that for some 

 time to come prehistoric archceology, and the comparative study of the arts of 

 races in different conditions of culture, must continue to hold a prominent place 

 amongst the researches of anthropologists, not on accoimt of the greater importance 

 or interest attaching to the investigation of these subjects, but on account of the 

 superior quality of the evidence which these studies afford. 



The consideration of the value of evidence naturally leads us to the third part of 

 my subject — namely, the mode of collecting it and of digesting it after it has been 

 brought together ; and as this is, I believe, the most defective part of oui' organiza- 

 tion, or, to speak more properly, the part of our existing institutions in which our 

 want of organization is most conspicuous, I had intended to have spoken at greater 

 length on this subject ; but as I have already trespassed upon your time so long, I 

 am under the necessity of curtailing what I had to say on the subject of organization. 

 If I am wrong, as I have heard it suggested by some anthropologists, in supposing 

 that the greatest difficulties under which we labour are attributable to the absence 

 of reliable evidence, and if we already possess as much information about savages 

 and about prehistoric men as we require, and we have nothing to do but to read 

 the books in our libraries, and write papers calculated to promote discussion and 

 fill journals with interesting controversies and speculations — if, as I gravely heard 

 it asserted not long ago at a public meeting, it would be a pity to explore Stone- 

 henge for fear so remarkable a monument should be divested of that mystery which 

 has always attached to it, owing to our entire ignorance as to its origin and uses, 

 then to those who entertain such views the few remarks I shall venture to offer on 

 this subject must appear not only superfluous but mischievous. But if, on the 

 other hand, I am right in supposing that oiu- existing evidence is lamentably 

 deficient, and in many cases false — that it has been collected by travellers many of 

 whom have had but little knowledge what to look for and observe — and if, this 

 being the state of our knowledge, the evidence which we desire to obtain is now 

 rapidly disappearing from the face of the earth (the Tasmanians have been 

 swept away before we know any thing about them; the New-Zealauders and all the 

 Polynesiaii-l slanders are fast changing their habits ; and it is now difficult to find a 

 North- American Indian in a state of unadulterated savagery ; whilst at home our 

 prehistoric monuments are broken up and ploughed down day by day in the con- 

 struction of buildings and railroads), it is evident that a set of societies which 

 provide no organization whatever for promoting exploration at home or abroad 

 can only be regarded as fulfilling very imperfectly the functions which institutions 

 established for the purpose of anthropological investigation might reasonably be 

 expected to serve. Beyond the limits of this Association there is but one Society 

 in this country which has the funds necessary for promoting explorations, 

 and that is the txeographical Society. Every expedition which goes out under the 

 auspices of that Society is necessarily brought in contact with the races in- 

 habiting the districts which are explored; but it can hardly be expected 

 that the Geographical Society should do as much as could be desired in the 

 way of promoting anthropological investigation, as long as Anthropology and 

 Ethnology are excluded from the functions of that Society. A Geographical 

 Society should be regarded as the eyes and ears of an Anthropological Society 

 abroad, in the same way that the Archaeological Societies should fulfil the 

 functions of eyes and ears directed to the past history of man, and the most inti- 

 mate alliance ought to exist between them. A step in the right direction has lately 

 been taken, at the suggestion of Mr. Clements Markham, by the establishment of a 

 joint committee of the Geographical Society and Anthropological Institute, to draw 

 up questions for travellers whom it is proposed to send to the Arctic seas ; and this, 

 it is to be hoped, Avill be the first step towards a more intimate alliance in the future. 

 As to the Archaeological Societies, whose name is legion, and the functions of which 

 are necessarily anthropological in a great degree, they are as a rule the most im- 

 potent and unprogressive bodies, living from hand to mouth, with funds barely 

 sufficient to maintain a secretary and to produce a small volume of Transactions 

 annually ; without the means of promoting exploration, they are dependent entirely 

 upon the casual communications of members, the substance of which is sometimes 



