h 



809 



iu the gravels of Egypt traces of human work. We must recollect how 

 much the gravels around London have been explored, Priestley, a 

 surgeon in London, who added so much to the early history of geology, 

 worked nearly all his life among the gravels of London as well as of Suf- 

 folk and Norfolk, and he never came across one of these flint implements. 

 Therefore, the fact that doubtful implements have been found in the gravels 

 of Egypt leaves it open to us to say that, if we could carry out a large 

 amount of research in that country, we might find as much evidence of 

 human handiwork there as we do in England and other parts of Europe. 

 In conclusion, I will only express the warm thanks we must all render to 

 Dr. Dawson for the really great intellectual treat he has aflbrded those 

 present this evening. 



The Chairman. — I am sure this meeting will heartily join with me in the 

 duty we have now to perform of thanking Dr. Dawson for the very able and 

 interesting paper he has read to us. In the presence of so many eminent 

 geologists it is not for me to say a word as to whether in my opinion he has 

 established the principal points he has put before us. It seems that Dr. 

 Dawson failed to discover any worked flints in the Pleistocene gravels of 

 Thebes or elsewhere, but he found evidence in the bone breccia of the Lebanon 

 caverns sufficient to satisfy him that they were occupied by the earliest race 

 of mankind, whom I suppose we must continue, in the present state of our 

 knowledge, to call post-glacial men. Whether or not the learned Dr. has 

 made out the points he has started it is not, I repeat, for me to say ; but I 

 would, at any rate, impress on this meeting the great value attached 

 to the personal testimony of a thoroughly trained geologist like Dr. 

 Dawson on questions of this kind, especially when he has had the oppor- 

 tunity of recently visiting the places of which he speaks. It is one of 

 the objects of this Institute to elicit and discuss questions of this kind, and 

 I am sure no one will gainsay me in asserting that we are deeply indebted 

 to Dr. Dawson for a very profitable and successful paper and discussion 

 thereon. Dr. Dawson will now say what he may deem fit in reply to what 

 has been put forward by those who have spoken. 



The Author. — The answers to the questions that have been put and dis- 

 cussed would be quite suflicient to form the materials for a second lecture 

 and I think it would be very unwise to attempt replying to them all to-night. 

 Upon a few of them, however, which are of the greatest importance, I think 

 a few words may be said. My friend Mr. Pattison referred to the question 

 of civilised men existing at the very early periods spoken of. That question 

 is one which I do not think is settled yet. It may have been that races were 

 dwelling in the Lebanon mountains in a very rude condition when there were 

 more civilised races on the plains upon the borders of the Mediterranean 

 and in the adjacent valleys, of which we have no knowledge. That is, 

 indeed, one of those negative points on which one ought not to say anything. 

 My friend, Professor Rupert Jones, has brought up some interesting points 

 such as one might expect a geologist of his experience to put forward. 

 With regard to the flint dagger in the British Museum, to which he has 



