On the phenomena of hybridity in the genus Homo

by Paul Broca

The Anthropological Society of Paris.
The Royal Academy of Sciences at Amsterdam.
The Imperial German Academy at Dresden.
The Royal Society of Victoria, Melbourne.
The Smithsonian Institute, Washington.
The Imperial Academy at St. Petersburg.
The Canadian Institute, Toronto.
The Imperial Academy of Sciences, Vienna.
The Royal Bengal Asiatic Society, Calcutta.
The Upper Hesse Society for Natural and Medical Science, Giessen.
The Physio-economical Society of Königsburg.

In the foreign department, eighteen gentlemen have been elected Honorary Fellows, thirty-five Corresponding Members, and twenty Local Secretaries. Communications have been received from nearly all of these gentlemen, expressing great interest in the work of the Society and offering to advance its objects in every way in their power.

Honorary Fellows. The Council have felt it their duty to limit the present number of Honorary Fellows to twenty-five. It is proposed, however, eventually to increase this number to forty.

Corresponding Members. Thirty-five Corresponding Members have been elected, and the Council recommend that no more than forty be elected.

Local Secretaries. Twenty-two Local Secretaries have been appointed in Great Britain, of these seven are Fellows of the Society. The Council are still anxious to increase this number, and to have their official representative in every county, and also in every large town throughout the kingdom. They will be glad to hear from gentlemen who are really anxious to promote the objects of the Society. Twenty Local Secretaries have been appointed abroad, but the Council hope during the next year that their number will be largely increased. The Council invite the assistance of the Fellows in nominating gentlemen to fill this important office in different parts of the world. The Council have not yet been able “to indicate the class of facts required,” but they hope during the ensuing session to be able to do so.

Donations. Besides the valuable donations which the Society have received for the Library and Museum, they have also the pleasure of announcing the following:—Henry Christy, Esq., £5.; J. F. Collingwood, Esq., £10; S. E. Collingwood, Esq., £5.; Henry Hotze, Esq. £5 (for the library).

Special Donations. The following sums have been received as a special fund for preparing or stuffing a specimen of male Gorilla, presented to the Society by Mr. Winwood Reade:—J. Frederick Collingwood, Esq., £5; S. E. B. Bouverie Pusey, Esq., £5; S. E. Collingwood, Esq., £5; James Hunt, Esq., £1; Charles Stenning, Esq., £1; C. R. des Ruffières, £1; W. Chamberlain, Esq., 5s.

The Council having made a few remarks on each of the chief objects of the Society, would now beg to invite the attention of the Fellows to the important question of Finance, which will necessarily regulate its future operations. The experience of the past year has convinced the Council, after mature and earnest consideration, that the objects of the Society cannot be fully carried out until there are Five hundred Fellows. The Council would, therefore, suggest the desirability of not increasing the subscription or of making an entrance fee, until this number has been obtained. It will be readily seen that the objects of this Society include something more than those generally included in a scientific society, and that the expense of printing is very large. The Council are glad, however, to state that the present number of Fellows, two hundred and thirty-six, will enable them to accomplish all they have done during the past year; but they feel that the ultimate success of a Society of this sort will require a larger annual expenditure. The Council feel especially anxious to establish as soon as possible a good reference library. They also look forward with earnest hope of being able to found a reliable Anthropological Museum, and thus remove the disgrace under which this country is now suffering, that with all our colonial possessions no independent Anthropological Museum has yet been established in this Metropolis.

The Council are fully sensible of the important services which the officers of the Society have rendered during the past year, and they feel that it is their duty to again call on all the officers for renewed exertion during the ensuing year. The Council trust that the ample success which their efforts have met during the past year, will be an encouragement to the official representatives of the Council to again use their exertions to put the affairs of the Society in a permanently satisfactory state.