LUBBOCK; ON THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN. 253 



particle of wood lla^'ing perished, without leaving even a stain behind. 

 Passing down the hill towards the river, all these strata are seen 

 to die out, and we find ourselves on the bare chalk ; but again at a 

 lower level occurs another bed of gravel, resembling the first, and 

 cappetl also by the bed of brick earth which is generally known as 

 loess. 



These strata, therefore, are witnesses ; but of what ? Are they 

 older than the valley, or the valley than they ? are they the result of 

 causes still in operation, or the offspring of cataclysms now, happily, 

 at an end. According to the accomplished writer in Blackwood their 

 testimony is but unsatisfactory. Examined they tell one tale; 

 cross-examined they contradict themselves, until the jury falls back 

 hoi:)elessly on a verdict of " not proven." 



If, indeed, we can show that the present river, somewhat swollen 

 perhaps, owing to the greater extension of forests in ancient times, 

 and by au alteration of climate, has excavated the present valley, and 

 produced the strata above enumerated ; theu " the suggestion of an 

 " antiquity for the human family so remote as is here implied, in the 

 " length of ages required by the gentle rivers and small streams of 

 " eastern France to erode its whole plain to the depths at which 

 " they now flow, acquires, it must be confessed, a fascinating gran- 

 " deur, when, by similitude of feature and geology, we extend the 

 " hypothesis to the whole north-west frontiers of the continent, 

 " and assume, that from the estuary of the Seine to the eastern 

 " shores of the Baltic, every internal feature of valley, dale and 

 " ravine — in short, the entire intaglio of the surface — has been 

 " moulded by running Avaters, since the advent of the human race." 



But, on the other hand, it has been maintained that the pliant 

 facts may be read as " expressions of violent and sudden mutations, 

 only compatible with altogether briefer periods." The argument of 

 the Paroxysmist, I still quote from Blackwood, would probably be 

 something like the following : — 



" Assuming the pre-existing relief, or excavation rather, of the 

 " surface to have approximated to that now prevailmg, he will ac- 

 " count for the gravel by supposing a sudden rocking movement of 

 " the lands and the bottom of the sea of the nature of an earthquake, 

 " or a succession of them, to have launched a portion of the tempo- 

 " rarily uplifted waters upon the surface of the land." 



Having thus heard the arguments of Counsel, let us now call the 

 witnesses to speak for themselves. 



Taking the section at St. Acheul and commencing at the bottom, 

 we have first of all the subangular gravel throughout Avliich, though 

 especially at the lower part, the flint implements occur. 



A similar bed may be found here and there all along the valley 

 of the Somme ; at St. Acheul it is about 90 ft. above the pi-esent 

 river level ; at Moulin Quignon, near Abbeville, the same ; while 

 at Picquigny and at Cai'sar's Camp near Liercourt, we found it at a 

 height of 150 feet. Though only occurring in places, this gravel is so 



