MEETINGS. SEPT. 14.-INAUGURAL MEETING. Royal Institution, 21, Albemarle President: S. BIRCH, LL.D., F.S.A. Hon. Secretaries: Prof. SEPT. 15.-SEMITIC SECTION. Rooms of the Royal Society of Literature, 4, St. Martin's Place, Charing Cross. President: Sir HENRY RAWLINSON, K.C.B., F.R.S., M.R.A.S. SEPT. 16.-TURANIAN SECTION. King's College, Strand. President: Sir WALTER ELLIOT, K.C.S.I., M.R.A.S. Secretary: SEPT. 17.-ARYAN SECTION. Royal Institution, 21, Albemarle Street. President: Prof. MAX MÜLLER, M.A., LL.D., M.R.A.S. Secretary: Prof. EGGELING. SEPT. 17.-HAMITIC SECTION. Rooms of the Society of Biblical Archæology, 9, Conduit Street. President: S. BIRCH, LL.D., F.S.A. Secretary: W. R. COOPER. SEPT. 18.-ARCHEOLOGICAL SECTION. Royal Institution, 21, Albemarle Street. President: M. E. GRANT DUFF, M.P., M.R.A.S. Secretary: SEPT. 19.-ETHNOLOGICAL SECTION. Royal Institution, 21, Albemarle Street. President: Prof. R. OWEN, C.B. Secretary: R. CULL, F.S.A. Meeting to decide where the Third International Congress of Orientalists is to be held, and to nominate its President. PROCEEDINGS OF THE SECOND SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF LONDON. ON Monday, the 14th of September, the Second, or London "International Congress of Orientalists," commenced its sittings under the Presidency of Dr. Samuel Birch, Keeper of the Oriental Antiquities in the British Museum. The first meeting of the Congress took place in the evening, at 8:30, in the Rooms of the Royal Institution, 21, Albemarle Street, Piccadilly; when the President commenced the proceedings by reading his Opening Address. During the proceedings Professor Albrecht Weber received the following telegram from that distinguished Orientalist, Professor Ascoli, of Milan, who was appointed Italian Delegate to the London Congress of Orientalists: London.-From Milan, Sept. 13. Au Professeur Albrecht Weber, au Congrès des Orientalistes par bonté de Messrs. Trübner & Co., 57 & 59, Ludgate Hill, London. Il reale ministero Italiano della pubblica istruzione mi ha incaricato di assistere nella mia qualità di cultore degli studi linguistici orientali a codesto congresso. Mi duole che impedimenti insuperabili mi vietino di obbedire all' onorevole incarico, e intanto mi permetto di avanzare i miei rispettosi saluti ed auguri al congresso, e di assicurare gli onorevoli suoi membri che se l'Italia sarà scelta la sede della futura riunione le autorità e i privati andranno certamente lieti di manifestarne la loro contentezza nel miglior modo che per loro si potrà. G. D. ASCOLI, Preside della Reale Academia Scientifico-Letteraria di Milano. At the conclusion of the President's Address, Professor Léon de Rosny, the President of the First Congress (Paris), and Delegate to the London Congress, delivered the following speech: Monsieur le President, Messieurs et Savants collegues,-Il m'appartient, comme Président de la première Session du Congrès International des Orientalistes, de remercier publiquement l'illustre Président de cette Assemblée et tous les Membres du Comité central d'organisation, du zèle éclairé, du dévouement incessant avec lequel ils ont mené à bonne fin les préparatifs de cette seconde Session. Lorsque les Délégués de tous les Pays de l'Europe ont proposé au Congrès de Paris, de confier à la docte Angleterre le soin de poursuivre l'œuvre inauguré en France, ils n'ont point douté un seul instant que, dans la grande métropole de la glorieuse Albion, cette œuvre serait continuée de la façon la plus brillante et la plus fructueuse pour le progrès de nos études. Les Congrès scientifiques internationaux sont appelés, je crois, à signaler une ère nouvelle pour le progrès des Sciences et des Lettres. Ces Congrès réunissent en effet des conditions de succès qu'il serait difficile, pour ne pas dire impossible, de rencontrer dans tout autre genre d'association. Prévenus une année à l'avance, les savants du monde entier, convoqués à ces grandes assises de l'érudition et de la pensée, préparent à loisir leurs meilleurs travaux, mûrissent leurs idées, complètent leurs découvertes; et lorsque le jour de la Réunion est arrivé, ils savent que le résultat de leurs efforts et de leur intelligence, sera simultanément apprécié, par les juges les plus autorisés de toutes les nations civilisées. Ils savent en effet que la grand publicité, -que la science n'a pas toujours raison de dédaigner,-fera connaître leurs services tous les hommes amis des travaux de l'esprit. Mais là n'est pas seulement l'utilité de ces Réunions internationales. Leur plus beau titre à la sympathie des hommes honnêtes, est certainement d'apprendre aux nations à se connaître, à s'encourager, à s'estimer mutuellement. Au Congrès de Paris, le Délégué de votre grande cité, nous disait en termes qui ont ému tous les cœurs français, que l'Angleterre, en ambitionnant l'honneur de tenir la seconde Session dans sa capitale, devait nous rappeler que l'Angleterre avait toujours tenu à marcher a côté de la France dans les voies de la Justice et de la Civilisation. Permettez-moi d'ajouter à mon tour, qu'en nous offrant aujourd'hui la plus gracieuse, la plus courtoise des hospitalités l'Angleterre nous fournit l'occasion de constater que sur le terrain neutre de la science, il ne saurait naître dans le cœur d'aucun savant d'autres sentiments que ceux d'une cordiale estime, pour quiconque s'efforce d'arracher une vérité au vaste domaine de l'inconnu. Mr. Shankar Pandurang Pandit, who was commissioned by Lord Northbrook to represent the Indian Empire at the Congress, also made a short speech expressive of gratitude for the kindness and hospitality with which he had been received in England. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15. The members of the International Congress of Orientalists met in the British Museum at ten o'clock, Dr. Birch and other officers of the institution doing the honours on the occasion. The proceedings were of an informal character. At 2.30 P.M. the Orientalists assembled in the Rooms of the Royal Society of Literature, 4, St. Martin's Place, Trafalgar Square, where the meeting of the Semitic Section was to take place; but the smallness of the space, which would only accommodate about 80 persons, necessitated the adjournment of the meeting to the Royal Institution, 21, Albemarle Street, after the proceedings had already commenced. Sir Henry Rawlinson, K.C.B., opened the Section with an address; after which Professor Oppert addressed the meeting in French on the Median Dynasty. On the conclusion of Professor Oppert's Address, Professor Schrader, of Jena, rose at the call of the President of the Section, and made a few critical remarks in German on the theories advanced by his learned colleague. In the course of his reply he objected to the theories of Prof. Oppert, firstly, that the Turanian character of the second kind of Cuneiform Inscriptions, and of the so-called Accadian language of old Babylonia, was not certain, and that it would be best to avoid this name in order to prevent misunderstanding; secondly, that there is not sufficient ground to believe that the language of the second kind of Cuneiform Inscriptions is of the same origin as the language of the proto-Chaldeans or the Accadians; thirdly, that the evidence in support of the view that the names of Ctesias are the Persian translation of the so-called Turanian names of Herodotus is not given by Dr. Oppert, and that it is on the whole very improbable that the Persians had given such a translation of Median names. It would be hard to find an analogy in history of such a translation of names. Then examining Professor Oppert's chronological views, Professor Schrader, who said that he had nothing to object to Professor Oppert's explanation of the passage of Sargon, added that he dared not pronounce a decisive judgment before the Congress upon the theories of Professor Oppert relating to the cyclical numbers of Berosus, because he is not in a position to examine the calculations of which Professor Oppert gives only the results; but he would not conceal his doubt that the origin of the cyclical numbers of Berosus is to be found in such a combination of the Sothiac and Lunar periods, as Professor Oppert supposes. Professor Schrader concluded that it may be as Professor Oppert maintains; but he added that there is not sufficient ground to assert that it is as Professor Oppert supposes. Further examinations and investigations may, he thought, throw light upon the subject. Professor Schrader was followed in French by M. le Baron Textor de Ravisi. Professor Schrader was, on account of the lateness of the hour, compelled to give up the idea of reading an essay prepared by him, on the Transliteration of the Cuneiform Character of the Assyrian Syllabary into Roman Letters, which will shortly be published. A paper on the First Person of Dr. Hincks's Permansive Tense in Assyrian terminating in -Ku, was taken as read; and, after some re |