190 AXNITEESART ADDRESS 



struck me that possibly something in connexion with Archaeology 

 might be of interest to you ; but then I considered that this Society 

 is a Field Club of Naturalists, and does not include any branches of 

 Archfcology within its province. In many counties, however, 

 Field Clubs and Naturalists' Societies study Archaeology. I think 

 that even we have ventured into churches, and found that they 

 added interest to what was an interesting excx^rsion in connexion 

 with Natural History. Archaeology, after all, appears to me but 

 a branch of the natural history of man, which of course comes 

 within the range of our inquiry ; and when we get beyond the 

 domain of written records, and attempt to study primeval man, his 

 antiquity and early history, — when, indeed, we have to trust to 

 monuments alone, — the study of Archaeology must, to a certain 

 extent, follow the methods of Natural History, and may be regarded 

 as a branch of it. Your Secretary, moreover, suggested to me that 

 I might say this evening something with regard to that border pro- 

 vince between Geology and Archaeology in which we find the 

 earliest traces of man on the globe. Acting on his advice, I have 

 brought here a few implements found under peciiliar geological 

 conditions, about which I shall have to speak to you ; and I propose 

 giving you some account of the discoveries made in the pro^•ince 

 known as Archaeo-geology, and offering you some few remarks with 

 regard to the antiquity of man in this and other countries, and the 

 geological formations in which the discoveries of the last twenty 

 years have been made. 



All of you are aware that the history of man has been divided 

 into different Periods— that is to say, that of late years it has been 

 the habit to speak of an Iron Period, a Bronze Period, and a Stone 

 Period, and, possibly, of subdivisions of these periods. The use 

 of this general classification is, I think, evident ; because, though 

 strictly speaking during the Iron Period bronze and stone were 

 not excluded, and though during the Bronze Period "stone was 

 not absolutely disused, yet there is a great distinction between the 

 people who were in so low a stage of civilization that they used 

 stone instruments only, and those who were acquainted with the 

 use of metal. "We live in the Iron Age or Steel Age ; but some 

 2000 years ago, say 300 or 400 years B.C., the knowledge of iron 

 was extremely limited in this country ; and instead of iron the 

 ordinaiy tools and weapons were made of brass, or strictly speaking 

 bronze, that is to say, formed of a mixture of copper and tin, and 

 not of copper and zinc. Not only do we find, in examining the 

 relics which have come down to us, an evident development from 

 the forms in one metal to those in another ; but in history there 



