and the Rev. C. E. Wilson (London 1923, with a supplement published in 1927), but it does not claim to be exhaustive. The Institute will avail itself of this as a basis, and also of the bibliography which has been compiled by the unremitting labours of Professor Struck, and hopes gradually to compile and to keep up to date a complete bibliography.

It is obvious that the success of the Institute must depend on its ability to obtain for the guidance of its activities the services of one or two highly qualified men whose international reputation would be a guarantee that the best scientific knowledge has been brought to bear on the subject in hand. Those connected with the direction of an international institute must, moreover, be men of large and liberal views, ready to receive without prejudice and to give its due weight to every variety of opinion. They must be in personal touch with the scientists and experts of the world. The Institute was extraordinarily fortunate in obtaining the services of two men for appointment as Directors, who in every way fulfilled these requirements-Professor Maurice Delafosse, former Governor in French West Africa, Professor at the École des Langues Orientales Vivantes, Paris; and Professor D. Westermann, Professor at the University of Berlin. Professor Delafosse died in 1926, only a few months after the acceptance of his new office; he had not only largely contributed to the formation of the Institute, but had started with great enthusiasm to take part in its work. His large experience, his erudition, and his familiarity with African problems-especially with those of West Africa-would have been a great asset for the Institute, and his death was a serious loss. The Institute was fortunate, however, in obtaining as his successor Monsieur H. Labouret, Administrateur des Colonies, Professor at the Académie des Sciences Coloniales, at the École Coloniale, and at the Ecole des Langues Orientales, Paris. Monsieur Labouret, like Professor Westermann, has himself lived in Africa. As Secretary-General the Institute has secured the part-time services of Mr. Hanns Vischer, whose equal fluency in English, French, and German is invaluable at meetings of the Executive Council, while his personal knowledge of Africa and of several of its languages, and his ability in organization, are additional and exceptional qualifications.

In Miss D. G. Brackett the Institute has been no less fortunate in its Secretary. The correspondence in three languages with which the Secretariat has had to cope has been very heavy indeed, and the initial organization has involved the issue of some thousands of circulars and other preliminary work, with which she has most successfully dealt. With such a staff it may be confidently assumed that the Institute is fully equipped to undertake the exceptionally difficult and perhaps somewhat ambitious programme which it which it proposes— provided always that adequate funds are placed at its disposal. Judging that the chief interest of my readers would be concentrated on the nature and objects of the Institute I have left to the last the details of its inception and constitution.

On 21 September 1925, a Conference was held in London, which was attended by a number of leading African linguists of the world, while others who could not be present submitted full statements of their views on the subject. The establishment of the Institute was decided upon, and the main objects to which it should devote its attention were settled. It was further agreed to approach a number of scientific, missionary, and educational bodies in various countries and to request them each to appoint a representative to serve on the Governing Body of the proposed Institute.

In June 1926, representatives of scientific, missionary, and official bodies in Great Britain, France, Belgium, Italy, South Africa, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia, the United States, and Egypt met in London and formally inaugurated the Institute. They decided that the central office should be in London, that representatives of the Associations present should form a Governing Body-others to a maximum of sixty should be co-opted later. The Institute at present consists of delegates of the following:

Académie des Sciences Coloniales, France.

Advisory Committee on Bantu Studies, South Africa.

African Society, Great Britain.

Akademie der Wissenschaften, Austria.

Anthropos, Internationale Zeitschrift für Völker- und Sprachenkunde, Austria.

Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte, Germany.

Colonial Office Advisory Committee on Native Education in Tropical Africa, Great Britain.

Conférence des Missions Catholiques en Afrique (four representatives). Deutsche Morgenländische Gesellschaft, Germany.

École des Langues Orientales Vivantes, France.

Institut d'Ethnologie, France.

International Missionary Council (four representatives).
National Research Council, U.S.A.

Naturhistoriska Riksmuseum, Sweden.

Royal Anthropological Institute, Great Britain.

School of Oriental Studies, Great Britain.

Scuola Orientale, Italy.

Seminar für Aegyptologie und Afrikanistik, Austria.
Seminar für Afrikanische und Südseesprachen, Germany.
Seminar für Orientalische Sprachen, Germany.

Société Française d'Ethnographie, France.

Société Royale de Géographie d'Égypte, Egypt.

Staatliches Museum für Völkerkunde, Germany.
Université Coloniale d'Anvers, Belgium.
University of Cambridge, Great Britain.
University of Cape Town, South Africa.
University of Oxford, Great Britain.

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.

It has also been resolved to invite the following associations to appoint representatives on the Governing Body:

American Anthropological Association, U.S.A.
Geographical Society of Lisbon, Portugal.

Institute of Comparative Cultural Studies, Norway.
Liga Afrikanista, Spain.

R. Instituto Orientale in Napoli, Italy.

Social Science Research Council, U.S.A.
Società Africana d'Italia.

University of Madrid, Spain.

An Executive Council of not more than fifteen members of the Governing Body was appointed to be responsible for the practical conduct of the affairs of the Institute. In attempting to frame a constitution the Institute was confronted with a serious practical difficulty which every international organization has to meet. The Governing Body of an organization of this character can be fully representative only at the cost of a quite disproportionate expenditure

of time and money on its meetings. If members of the Governing Body in America or in South Africa are to attend a meeting in Europe the cost in time will be, in the first instance, not less than one month and, in the second, probably not less than three, and the same thing applies so far as European members are concerned if the meeting is held in the United States or in South Africa. The Institute accordingly found itself confronted with the apparently inevitable choice of having a controlling body which was not fully representative or one which could only meet at rare intervals and at prohibitive cost. A way out of this difficulty was found by a somewhat ingenious provision. The conduct of the Institute is vested in an Executive Council which is composed of members drawn from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Italy, so that it is thoroughly international in character. The constitution provides, however, that when members of the Governing Body belonging to countries not represented on the Executive Council are, at the time of a meeting of the Council, in the country where the meeting is held they may attend the meetings of the Council as full members. This means that if a representative in the United States or in South Africa of any of the Associations which constitute the Governing Body happens to be visiting Europe arrangements can be made for him to take part in the meeting of the Council. An opportunity is thus provided, so far as the obstacles of physical distance permit, for the more distant countries to keep in personal and living touch with the practical conduct of the work of the Institute. The present members of the Executive Council are the following:

The Rt. Hon. Sir F. D. Lugard, G.C.M.G., D.S.O. (Chairman).
Colonel Derendinger (Société Française d'Ethnographie, Paris).

Rev. Father Dubois (Society of Jesus; head of the Conférence des Missions Catholiques en Afrique).

M. le Gouverneur Julien (late Governor in French West Africa. Professeur at the Académie des Sciences Coloniales, Paris).

Professor Lévy-Bruhl (University of Paris).

Professor D. C. Meinhof (Seminar für Afrikanische und Südseesprachen, University of Hamburg).

Mr. J. H. Oldham (Secretary, International Missionary Council, London).

Professor Dr. Schachtzabel (Museum für Völkerkunde, Berlin).
Rev. Father Schebesta (Editor of Anthropos, Moedling-Vienna).
Rev. Prof. W. Schmidt (Head of the Museo Etnologico-Missionario in
Laterano, Rome).

Professor Seligman (Royal Anthropological Institute, London).
Rev. E. W. Smith (London).

Professor G. Van der Kerken (late Governor, Belgian Congo, Université Coloniale d'Anvers).

Sir E. Denison Ross (Director, School of Oriental Studies, University of London).

Major Sir Humphrey Leggett (Hon. Treasurer).

A great deal of work has been devoted by the Executive Council to the framing of statutes for the Institute. This task has now been completed with the help of Messrs. Lawrence Jones & Co. who have generously given their services as Honorary Solicitors to the Institute. It is very much indebted to them for the great trouble they have taken in this by no means easy task.

Meetings of the Council have been held in London, Paris, and Brussels. Offices have been secured at 22 Craven Street, London, W.C., as the head-quarters of the Institute. Between the meetings of the Council routine business is dealt with by a Business Committee consisting of the London members of the Council.

When the meeting at which the Institute was inaugurated was held in London in June 1926, the British Government entertained the delegates to luncheon. On that occasion the Rt. Hon. L. C. M. S. Amery, the Minister for the Colonies, spoke of the aims and objects of the Institute, and I am venturing to quote his words as they give an excellent summary of what the Institute hopes to accomplish. Mr. Amery said that the people of Africa having come into contact with modern civilization, that contact might be fruitful or disastrous. Everything depended upon the effect it would have on the mind and thought of the African. The greatest problem to-day was that of education, and in dealing with it, it was necessary to get into the minds of the people who were being taught and to draw out what was there, not simply to try to cram something in from the outside. If that were to be done, the people's own languages must be used as an instrument of education in order to make good men and