The Presidential Address.
68
occupy the attention of local science clubs at a time when we
are beginning to realise the great loss which the science of
Anthropology has sustained by the ignorant and wilful
demolition of many venerable relics of past ages. Happily,
under Sir John Lubbock's Act, the ancient monuments, of
this country will come under the protection of the Govern-
ment ; but while the larger and more generally known
remains are thus insured against destruction, the smaller
and more obscure earth-works, tumuli, cromlechs, &c, which
are in their way of equal importance, might escape such
protective influence unless special attention was directed to
their existence. Local catalogues such as I have suggested
would thus be of great use in this scheme of protection, and
would greatly facilitate the work of the Government Inspector,
our Honorary Member General Pitt-Rivers, to whom I have
already broached these ideas and who has expressed his warm
approval of them.
With regard to the publications of local societies, I am
glad to see that the Council of the British Association has
appointed a Committee "in order to draw up suggestions
upon methods of more systematic observation and plans of
operation for local societies, together with a more uniform
mode of publication of the results of their work." This
Committee is composed of Mr. H. G. Fordham (Secretary),
Mr. Francis Galton, Mr. John Hopkinson, Mr. W. Whitaker,
Mr. G. J. Symons, Sir Walter Elliot, Prof. W. J. Sollas,
Mr. A. Ramsay, Mr. C. E. De Rance, the Rev. Dr. Crosskey,
and myself.
The duty of presenting the Preliminary Report on the
results of our excavations at the Loughton Camp devolved
upon me at the Southampton Meeting of the British Asso-
ciation ; and our Committee was reappointed, as you are
aware, with the addition of Mr. Worthington Smith, and a
grant of £10 towards our expenses. Four sections have now
been made through the rampart of this earth-work, and a
considerable number of relics have been found on the old
surface-line. These, relics consist of numerous flint flakes in
remarkably fresh condition, a partially-finished flint celt,