Anniversary Address. XXXvil. 
importance. So determined was M. Maclay to lose no opportunity 
of acquiring a knowledge of the Papuan race, that he submitted to 
all the discomforts of living amongst them for several months at a 
time, away from all European society, dwelling in a small hut, and 
for some time supporting himself by hunting. He has come to the 
conclusion (in opposition to the view formerly held) that the inhabi- 
tants of New Guinea are all of one race, although some who dwell 
near the coast have intermarried with the Malays and the inhabitants 
of other islands; and so low is the stage of culture to which they 
have attained that they have not learned even how to kindle a flame, 
but can only carry a torch from another fire; yet even amongst 
savages such as these the labours of the missionaries have not been 
in vain, as they have succeeded in teaching them something of the 
truths of the Christian religion, and have introduced the art of 
reading and writing. M. Maclay is of opinion, although he will 
not speak positively until he has made further investigations, that the 
Australian blacks are not connected either with the Papuans or the 
Polynesians, but form an independent race. I have lately heard that 
he has returned to this part of the world to carry on his ethnological 
investigations ; and I trust that, should he come to New Zealand, he 
will be cordially weleomed by the members of the Institute. 
Whilst speaking on this subject I should like to draw the atten- 
tion of all here to the Geographical Society of Australasia, which, I 
learn, has been founded, and before which an interesting paper on 
New Guinea was lately read by Mr. La Meslee. I believe that the 
establishment of a society by which the residents in the various 
colonies would be united for the advancement of geographical know- 
ledge, more especially in connection with the imperfectly known parts , 
of Australasia, would be of great value, whether regarded from a 
scientific, commercial, or educational point of view, and I sincerely 
hope that New Zealand will unite with the other colonies in so 
admirable an undertaking. 
The hand of death seems to have been unusually busy during the 
past year amongst men of science and letters. Scarcely had. the 
grave closed over the remains of Charles Darwin before the news 
reached us of the fatal accident which had carried away Professor 
Balfour, at the early age of 32, one of the ablest and most promising 
men of his generation at Cambridge. In Professor Palmer we have 
lost one of the brightest scholars of Oriental literature. Amongst 
others whose loss we have to deplore are—Mr. Green, whose careful 
researches, made in spite of all the obstacles of a life of anxiety and 
feeble health, have placed English history in a new light; Robert- 
son, the Ecclesiastical historian; Anthony Trollope, one of the most 
