Prof. Pictet on the Diluvial Epoch. 371 



sary to distinguish between the creation of man and his esta- 

 blishment in Europe. It is probable that he did not arrive 

 there till after the inundations which destroyed the cavern- 

 bears and the contemporaneous animals. It may even be sup- 

 posed that the last diluvial deposit, and, in particular, the 

 arenaceous formations of Switzerland, were formed before the 

 human species inhabited our regions. There is nothing, how- 

 ever, to prove that man had not been created in Asia at the 

 commencement of the diluvial epoch. It must be remembered 

 that the Sacred Writings, and the traditions of various nations, 

 authorise us to believe that man witnessed some of those great 

 inundations which were entitled to the name of deluges. Sub- 

 sequently, tribes of the human race became more numerous, 

 and migrated to Europe ; and everyone knows that philological, 

 historical, and physiological researches all combine to demon- 

 strate that Asia was the cradle of the nations which have suc- 

 cessively invaded our continent. 



Lastly, it may perhaps be said that this idea is opposed to 

 the theory of the peculiarity of species in each formation, and 

 to that of successive creations. I do not think so, for the ques- 

 tion remains untouched as respects all the anterior epochs. But 

 even though the result of this manner of viewing the subject 

 should be to place in doubt the theories which I believe to be 

 at the present moment the least inadmissible, I cannot, on that 

 account, refuse to adopt an explanation of facts which seems 

 to me evident. The state of theoretical palaeontology is still too 

 uncertain to allow of our attaching ourselves too strongly to 

 this or that hypothesis. It is the study of facts which is essen- 

 tial, and we must engage in that study unbiassed by precon- 

 ceived ideas or particular systems.* 



* From Traite EUmmtaire de PaUontologifi , vol. i. p. 359. 1844. 



