12 The Primitive Inhabitants 



Professor Morlot, of Switzerland, has tried to fix 

 the date from geological data. He noticed in a rail- 

 road cut through a bank thrown up, sand and gravel 

 deposit at the mouth of a little stream emptying into 

 one of the lakes, in which, at different depths, were a 

 stratum of rubbish, containing Roman remains, another 

 containing bronze implements, and a third, containing 

 stone implements. In another lake,- where, at the 

 mouth of a similar stream, made land has extended into 

 the lake, the remains of a convent, and of one of the lake 

 settlements, denote the position of the shore at the re- 

 spective dates of these two settlements. M. Morlot 

 argues from the date of the Roman remains in the one 

 case, and of the convent in the other, that the Swiss 

 lake village must have existed from six thousand to 

 seven thousand years ago. By a similar calculation 

 he fixes the date of a settlement (Yverdun) of the 

 transition period at three thousand three hundred years 

 ago. These calculations are generally not regarded as 

 based upon sufficient data; but Sir Charles Lyell, who 

 speaks more favorably of them than any one else, says 

 "they deserve notice, and appear to me to be full of 

 promise." 



Calculations from other data arrive at a different 

 result. The settlement of Marin, the distinctive set- 

 tlement of the iron period, has an entirely distinctive 

 character, altogether the most modern type. When the 

 Emperor Napoleon was preparing his Life of Caesar, he 

 instituted careful explorations of the site of Alesia, 

 which was taken by Caesar after a memorable siege. 

 The iron swords found there are identical with the 

 swords found at Marin. Moreover, at this settlement 



