ON THE EXPLORATION OF THE BOENEAN CAVES. 149 



Report of the Committee consisting of Mr. John Evans, Sir John 

 Lubbock, Major-General Lane Fox, Mr. George Busk, Professor 

 W. Boyd Dawkins, Mr. Pengellt, and Mr. A. W. Franks, ap- 

 pointed for exploring certain Caves in Borneo. 



Your Committee have to report that with the grant of 50Z. from the Asso- 

 ciation, a similar grant from the Royal Society, and a further sum of 

 about 2001. from private sources, they have been able to prosecute an 

 examination of various caves in Borneo, under the superintendence of 

 Mr. A. Hart Everett, who has devoted himself to the task for a period of 

 nearly nine months. 



His final report upon his work has not yet been received, but it appears 

 from his letters, and from the specimens which have been transmitted to 

 this country, that nothing of special interest, either from an anthropo- 

 logical or a geological point of view, has resulted from his explorations. 

 The animal remains discovered have all been of recent species ; the human 

 bones are probably of no very great antiquity, and none of the few objects 

 of human manufacture which have been found can be regarded as of 

 palasolithic age. Pending the arrival of Mr. Everett's final report it 

 appears needless to enter into details, but it may be mentioned that up- 

 wards of twenty caves appear to have been explored in a more or less 

 complete manner, and the principal objects found, after examination by 

 some of the members of the committee, have been forwarded to the British 

 Museum. 



Although the examination of these caves has not, as was hoped, thrown 

 any light upon the early history of man in that part of the world, it is 

 still satisfactory that the examination should have been made, and the 

 character of the cave-deposits ascertained by so competent an observer as 

 Mr. Everett. The evidence obtained, though negative, is not without 

 value, and those who are specially interested in cave explorations, and who 

 have so liberally assisted in tbe present instance, cannot now be re- 

 proached with not having availed themselves of the opportunity afforded 

 by Mr. Everett's presence of obtaining further information as to the con- 

 tents of the Borneo caves. 



It may be added that though for the most part the objects secured 

 were unimportant, there were among the cave deposits a number of shells 

 of land and fresh water mollusca, which have been examined by Colonel 

 Godwin- Austen and have proved to belong to at least twenty-five genera 

 and forty species, some of which are apparently new. Mr. Everett has 

 been requested to devote some attention to collecting a larger series of 

 these shells, but owing to the difficulties of postal communication it is 

 possible that the request may arrive too late. Tour Committee propose 

 to communicate Mr. Everett's final report, together with any observations 

 which seem called for on the specimens which are still to arrive, to the 

 Royal Society. 



After the reading of the above the following letter was received from 

 Mr. Everett : — 



Second Quarterly Report on the Bornean Cave Exploration. 



To J. Evans, Esq. 



dear Sir, — I beg to submit the following Rejiort of my work during 

 . past three months : — 



