REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. H 



the author has been able to construct tables of relationship of as many 

 as 70 Indian nations, speaking as many independent dialects, and also 

 tables of the systems of the principal nations of Europe and Asia, a 

 portion of those of Africa, of Central and South America, and of the 

 islands of the Pacific. The tabulated schedules will represent the sys- 

 tems of relationship of upwards of four- fifths of the entire human family. 



The memoir presents in a brief form the following systems or 

 methods of indicating the relations of consanguinity: 1st. That of the 

 Aryan family, as typified by the Roman form. 2d. That of the Malayan 

 family, as indicated by the Hawaiian mode. 3d. That of the American 

 Indian family, as represented by the Seneca-Iroquois. According to the 

 author's generalizations all these systems of consanguinity resolve 

 themselves into two radically distinct forms, one of which he calls the 

 descriptive and the other the classificatory form. The first assumes as 

 its fundamental basis the antecedent existence of marriage between sin- 

 gle pairs. Before it could have come into existence mankind must 

 have made some advances in civilization ; it follows the regular course 

 of. descent, describing each individual with reference to his parental 

 derivation. In the second form the relation of consanguinity is only 

 given in classes, the same term of consanguinity being applied to a 

 number of persons not standing in precisely the same proximity of actual 

 relationship. This system, according to the author, seems to indicate 

 that it was adopted in a state of society in which marriage between sin- 

 gle pairs was unknown or exceptional. This memoir was first referred 

 to a commission, consisting of Professor J. H. Mcllvaine and Professor 

 William Henry Green, of Princeton, New Jersey, who recommended its 

 publication, but advised certain changes in the method of presenting 

 the subject. After these modifications had been made it was submitted 

 to the American Oriental Society and was by it referred to a special 

 committee, consisting of Messrs. Hadley, Trumbull, and Whitney, who, 

 having critically examined the memoir, reported that it contained a 

 series of highly interesting facts which they believed the students of 

 philology and ethnology, though they might not accept all the conclu- 

 sions of the author, would welcome as valuable contributions to science. 



Besides the foregoing the following papers have been accepted for 

 publication and are now in the hands of the printer: 



The Indians of Cape Flattery: by J. G. Swan; Investigation of the Path 

 of a Meteoric Fire-ball : by Professor J. H. Coffin, of Lafayette College ; 

 Description of a part of a Mummy Case : by Dr. Charles Pickering; Land 

 and Fresh- water Shells of North America : by W. G. Binney and Thos. 

 Bland. 



In addition to the foregoing the discussion and reduction of all the 

 observations relative to the rainfall of the north American continent 

 have been completed and will be published during 1869. The whole 

 amount expended during the past year for publications was about $6,800. 



