MT. 80.] UNIFORMITARIANISM. 367 



be. All you have to say is that Sir J. E. accepts some spec, but 

 rejects others. Let every one judge for himself. I am glad you 

 have ceased field-work for the winter. 



J. Prestwich to Sir J. Evans. SHORBHAM, 2nd December 1892. 



MY DEAR EVANS, In the short glance at my paper the other 

 day you could hardly have formed an idea of its scope and object. 

 It is not, as you supposed, a paper of minute geological detail, 

 like my paper on the raised beaches, &c., in the ' Journal Geolog- 

 ical Society,' but it is a paper in which, following up that line of 

 research, I pass in review all that bears on the subject in South- 

 western Europe and on the Mediterranean coasts, and generalise 

 upon these observations, employing only so much detail as is 

 necessary to illustrate my hypothesis. The detailed papers to 

 which I refer would occupy volumes, and are within reach of the 

 reader. It is also a new departure, and, as such, comes, I think, 

 within the scope of the Eoyal Society rather than of the Geo- 

 logical Society, from the fact that it involves questions which 

 concern naturalists, physicists, and anthropologists. I am aware 

 that I must expect opposition, as it touches upon questions on 

 which geologists and physicists must differ. All I can wish for 

 is to have the facts fairly considered, and judgment formed on 

 them, and not on assumed postulates founded on very doubtful 

 bases. The votaries of uniformitarianism are, I fear, apt to 

 consider their doctrines as infallible, and to act accordingly. For 

 my own part, I believe that in another half century geologists 

 will wonder that a doctrine so unphilosophical was ever held. 

 Physicists, who pin their faith to a certain rigidity and thickness 

 of the earth's crust, should look to the geological facts before 

 putting geological opinion on one side. I am aware that my 

 hypothesis will appear startling, but if it explains all the facts 

 and apparently discordant phenomena, it surely deserves con- 

 sideration. As to the facts themselves, I presume I am not 

 saying too much when I claim for myself a better knowledge of 

 them than most geologists. I have decided, therefore, to send 

 my paper to the Eoyal Society. I have written a short abstract 

 for reading, and that you may see the scope of the paper I send it 

 for your perusal, if you will kindly devote a spare half hour to it. 



