VIU DEDICATION. 



The stand-point claimed for the science of Ethnology 

 by the late Dr. Knox, by Captain R. F. Burton, the 

 present senior Vice-President of the London Anthropo- 

 logical Society, by myself, and by some others, was that 

 of a grave, erudite, and purely scientific study, requiring 

 the most free and serious discussion, especially on anat- 

 omical and physiological topics, for the elucidation of 

 the many difficult problems arising out of the subjects 

 brought forward. This, however, was far from being the 

 opinion of a large and powerful section of the Society, 

 headed by my venerable friend, Mr. John Crawfurd. 

 The party under his leadership desired to place the 

 Ethnological Society on a footing with the Royal Geogra- 

 phical Society, and to render its meetings fashionable 

 and popular by the admission of ladies. You will, doubt- 

 less, smile at the strange idea of admitting females to 

 a discussion of all Ethnological subjects. However, the 

 supporters of the " fair sex" won the day, and females 

 have been regularly admitted to the meetings of the 

 Ethnological Society during the past three years. 



Even now the advocates of this measure do not admit 

 their error, nor do they perceive how they are practi- 

 cally hindering the promotion of those scientific objects 

 which they continue to claim for their society. On the 

 contrary, they rejoice at their victory, and Mr. Crawfurd 

 has publicly on more than one occasion ascribed the suc- 

 cess which attended the Ethnological Society under his 

 regime to the admission of ladies. 



Apart from this fatal mistake,you will readily understand 

 that other important, and indeed vital diff"erences, existed 

 as to the mode in which such a society should be conducted. 

 Finding myself, therefore, unable to give my cordial sup- 

 port to a society whose apparent objects were so utterly 



