February, 1907.] Annual Report, xvii 



Anthropology, etc. 



A considerable number of etlinogi^apliical papers has been 

 published in the Jotirnal and the Memoirs of the Society. The 

 majority have been primarily of local interest and there is unfor- 

 tunately still a tendency, so far as the Society is concerned to 

 regard all branches of anthropology except the purely physical, 



which has not been represented during the year, as being within 

 the range of intelligent observation unattended by library re- 

 search. It is impossible for the Secretary to sci'utinize every 

 detail in every paper submitted to him, and it is undesirable that 

 he should do so ; but it is to be feared that much of the material 

 published by the Society is not new in the sense of being hitherto 

 unpublished ; not because the authors are conscious plagiarists, 

 but because they take it for granted that they are the first workers 

 in the fields they exploit. Little a=J we know of Indian anthio- 

 pology, repetition of authentic observation tends to obscure I'athei^ 

 than to elucidate the points at issue. If anthropology is a science, 

 it is just as impossible to write a scientific ethnoi^raphical paper 

 without previous study as it would be to write one on chemistry 

 or botany. These remarks fortunately do not refer to all the 

 papers issued recently by the Society, for, hi some few, a wide?' 

 survey has been taken than is in the immediate sight of a man 

 whose knowledge is merely local, but it would be invidious to 

 sinorle out individual instances. The project referred to in last 



year's report of issuing figures and desciiptions of Indian and 

 other weapons, implements and the like, has so far borne fruit 

 that a short supplement to the Memoirs has been issued with 

 three plates, and another is in the press ; but the stress of official 

 work has prevented the Anthropological Secretary from paying 

 as much attention to the matter as he would have wishe<l, and no 

 other member of the Society, except the Reporter on Economic 

 Products, OLir Natural History Secretary, has as yet shown any 

 interest in the matter* 



Coins. 



During 1906 the number of coins presented to the Society was 

 7 gold, 74 silver and 10 copper, which may be briefly clasftified as 



shown below : 



A^ M M 



Mediseval India ... Gadhaiya coins ... 4 



South Indian ... I 



Indepei^dent Bengal ... Rukn-ud-din Kaikaus ... 1 



Bahmani ... Taj-ud-din Firoz ... 1 



Malwa 

 Qutb f: 

 M ugh a 



4 



Abdullah Tzana) Sl'uh :i 



Akbar ... ,.. 2 4 



Shah Jahan •.. 12 1 



Murad Bakhsh ... 1 



Carried over ... 1 25 8 



