S&SWM PR papers L557

L557

Note that there are 2 L557s the other is from John Sparks, see here.

Museum of Antiquities | Edinburgh | Oct. 22/ 88

Dear Sir,

I venture to write to you regarding your series of Lectures on "Primitive Warfare", delivered before the United Service Institution, and to suggest for your consideration the advisableness of republishing them in a separate work for the use of the rising generation of anthropologists.

Through the kindness of the Assistant Curator of the Museum of Science and Art I had the loan of a set of the Journals containing the lectures, and they seemed to me well worth republication in book form.

Yours very truly
Geo. F. Black

P.S. I trust you will overlook my forwardness in writing to you

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L572

Museum of Antiquities | Edinburgh | Nov. 3/ 88

Dear Sir,

Your letter just received on my return from Aberdeen. I am very glad to hear that you contemplate republishing you lectures on Primitive Warfare, as I am sure they will be of much service to Anthropologists in their new shape, besides being more handy for reference.

I am much interested in the curious Peruvian implement which you refer to on p 420 of No LI vol xii (and pl. xviii 169) Besides the four referred to [insert] in [end insert] your lecture, there are no less than five others in the Museum at Kelso, with shafts from 6" to 16" inches in length, each mounted with a large arrowhead of flint. There are also the shafts of four others, from 8" to 14" inches in length.

These were all found together with a number of other articles in a tomb at Arica, after an earthquake in August 1868.

In the Museum of Science and Art there is one found with a mummy &c. at (I think) Arica.

There are also three in the Peabody Museum of Archaeology, found in 1836 in a grave at Bay of Chacota along with a large number of other objects (11th Ann. Rept. Peabody Museum, 289, 290, and fig. 15).

I am inclined to think these implements have been used as Knives, precisely as the American Indians use their larger arrowheads "Col. Long said that 2 inches was the greatest length of stone arrowheads that he found in use among the Indians; that all longer not used for javelin and spearheads were strongly hafted and used as cutting implements. This was confirmed by Catlin." - Smithsonian Report, 1885, p. 884.

Dr Mitchell is now Sir Arthur Mitchell, K.C.B. As Sir Arthur is staying at Pettycur House, Fife, just now, it is probable he does not know about your book, which will be waiting his return to Edinburgh.

I venture to congratulate you on publishing such a valuable record of your excavations, but I think it is a pity it cannot obtain a wider circulation archaeologists. [sic]

If you think I can be of any service to you in the republication of your lectures, it will give me great pleasure to do what I can.

I am &c
Yours very truly
Geo. F. Black

Transcribed by AP May 2011 as part of the Rethinking Pitt-Rivers project.