298 THE HISTORY OF CREATION, 
them would occupy too much of my limited space, I must 
confine myself here to setting forth their great general 
importance, and refer for particulars to the numerous 
writings which have recently been published on the 
Primeval History of Man, more especially to the excellent 
works of Charles Lyell, Carl Vogt,” Friedrich Rolle,* 
John Lubbock,” L. Biichner,® ete. 
The numerous and interesting discoveries presented to us 
by these extensive investigations of late years on the 
primeval history of the human race, place the important 
fact (long since probable for many other reasons) beyond a 
doubt, that the human race, as such, has existed for more 
than twenty thousand years. But it is also probable that 
more than a hundred thousand years, perhaps many 
hundred thousands of years, have elapsed since its first 
appearance; and, in contrast to this, it must seem very 
absurd that our calendars still represent the “Creation of 
the World, according to Calvisius,” to have taken place 5821 
years ago. 
Now, whether we reckon the period during which the 
human race, as such, has existed and diffused itself over 
the earth, as twenty thousand, a hundred thousand, or 
many hundred thousands of years, the lapse of time is in 
any case immensely small in comparison with the in- 
conceivable length of time which was requisite for the 
gradual development of the long chain of human ancestors. 
This is evident even from the small thickness of all 
Diluvial deposits in comparison with the Tertiary, and of 
these again in comparison with the preceding deposits. 
(Compare p. 22.) But the infinitely long series of slowly 
and gradually developing animal forms from the simplest 
