128 FORGED IMPLEMENTS. [l859. 



implements in his great collection, in the authenticity 

 of which he himself had implicit faith. These carefully 

 worked counterfeits lacked the vitreous glaze and the 

 staining of true implements, now termed " pakeolithic," 

 which the dishonest fabricator had been unable to re- 

 produce. M. de Perthes had recklessly held out too 

 tempting rewards for every implement found, and had 

 probably paved the way for these forgeries which were 

 readily detected by the experts, but they did not for 

 a moment invalidate the evidence afforded by the many 

 genuine flint implements. 



Among the letters addressed to Prestwich, none 

 throw more light on the questions which at that date 

 occupied the minds of geologists than those from Mr 

 Godwin-Austen. One more example is given in which is 

 expressed, as usual, his delightful sense of humour: 



R A. C. Godwin- Austen to J. Prestwich. 



CHILWORTH, June 13 [1859 ?]. 



MY DEAR PRESTWICH, I have two of yours unanswered : the 

 first is as to whether " Quaternary " would not be a better word 

 than "Post-Pliocene." Most decidedly so, for I hope to see 

 Eocene, Miocene, Pliocene, and all their degrees ere long banished 

 from geological nomenclature. Their introduction was a worse 

 event for geology than even De Beaumont's mountain-systems. 



I could not get away on Saturday : an old schoolfellow, wife, 

 and children came here. 



The Antiquity of Man question, in respect of which Owen now 

 has his say, is doomed to be damaged by bad evidence and worse 

 reasoning. I have long seen what the fate of the geologist would 

 be from the time that he allied himself with the anthroDologist 



A. O 



and antiquarian. Falconer and Evans are to us what the two 

 cunning Greeks were who conducted the fatal horse into Troy. 



The only thing that can save us is to restrict us to the Silurian 

 system for a year or so. Believe me, yours ever truly, 



EGBERT A. C. GODWIN-AUSTEN. 



