Recent Progress of Ethnology . 69 



tage, draw attention to those ethnological questions which 

 require solution to enable us to advance to higher general- 

 izations. 



The literature of Ethnology like that of other sciences, 

 may be conveniently considered under two general heads, 

 viz., as that which — 



1. Advances Ethnology ; and 



2. Diffuses a knowledge of Ethnology. 



It is quite true that a work written to advance the science, 

 does also, to a certain extent, diffuse a knowledge of the 

 science ; but a work that is written to teach the science does 

 not necessarily advance it, and hence the distinction. Dur- 

 ing the past year, works have been written with both these 

 objects in view. I proceed briefly to notice them. 



Three works on Ethnology from the pen of one of our Fel- 

 lows, Dr Latham, have appeared since last May. " The 

 Ethnology of the British Colonies and Dependencies" is a 

 small work, which represents a course of lectures which Dr 

 Latham delivered at the Royal Institution, Manchester, dur- 

 ing February and March 1851. " Man and his Migrations'* 

 is another small work, and which also represents a course of 

 lectures which the author delivered at the Mechanics' Insti- 

 tution, Liverpool, in March 1851. These works being de- 

 voted to the teaching of what is known, i.e., to the diffusion 

 of Ethnological knowledge, require no further notice on this 

 occasion. 



Dr Latham's edition of the Germania of Tacitus, with 

 Ethnological dissertations, is a valuable contribution to our 

 science. The object of the work, is to exhibit in detail, the 

 Ethnology of ancient Germany. The means of effecting this 

 object is the study of the different languages of the families 

 and nations descended from and allied to the Germans of 

 Tacitus. We all know the difficulty of reconciling the Eth- 

 nology of Germany at different epochs in the historic period 

 with the Germania of Tacitus. The question, as Dr Latham 

 no 'dees, is not whether certain nations of the Germanise are 

 rightly placed therein, but whether Tacitus' test of German- 

 ism was the same as ours ; and whether, if different, more 

 correct. 



