reception of the _Annuaire_ for
1873, and a statement of the present condition of the Society in the
_Journal des Orientalistes_ of February 5, 1876, gives occasion for a
more extended notice. The Society was founded in 1857; and among those
most active in its creation were M. Brasseur de Bourbourg, M. Leon de
Rosny, and M. Alfred Maury. The objects of the association, as
officially set forth, were, first, the publication of the works and
collections of M. Aubin, the learned founder of a theory of American
Archaeology, which it was hoped would throw much light upon the
hieroglyphical history of Mexico before the conquest;[4-*] second, the
publication of grammars and dictionaries of the native languages of
America; third, the foundation of professorships of History,
Archaeology, and American Languages; and fourth, the creation, outside of
Paris, of four Museums like the Museum of Saint Germain, under the
auspices of such municipalities as encourage their foundation, as
follows:

A.--Musee mexicaine.
B.--Musee peruvienne et de l'Amerique du Sud.
C.--Musee ethnographique de l'Amerique du Nord.
D.--Musee des Antilles.

The list of members contains the names of distinguished archaeologists in
Europe, and a foreign membership already numerous; and it is
contemplated to add to this list persons interested in kindred studies
from all parts of the civilized world. The publications of the Society,
and those made under its auspices, comprehend, among others, _Essai sur
le dechiffrement de l'Ecriture hieratique de l'Amerique Centrale_, by M.
Leon de Rosny, President of the Society, 1 vol. in folio, with numerous
plates: This work treats critically the much controverted question of
the signification of Maya characters, and furnishes a key for their
interpretation.[5-*] Also, _Chronologie hieroglyphico phonetique des
Rois Azteques de 1352 a 1522, retrouvee dans diverses mappes americaines
antiques, expliquee et precedee d'une introduction sur l'Ecriture
mexicaine_, by M. Edouard Madier de Montjau. The archaeology of the two
Americas, and the ethnography of their native tribes, their languages,
manuscripts, ruins, tombs and monuments, fall within the scope of the
Society, which it is their aim to make the school and common centre of
all students of American pre-Columbian history. M. Emile Burnouf, an
eminent archaeologist, is the Secretary. The _Archives_ for 1875 contain
an article on the philology of the Mexican languages