224 EIGHT EEV. S. THORNTON, D.D., ON 



The Chairman (The Van. Archdeacon Thornton, D.D.) — I am 

 sure I may return the thanks of the meeting to the Bishop of 

 Balljirat for the extremely interesting subjecti which, he has dis- 

 closed to us. Perhaps someone will begin che discussion upon it. 



Rev. W. S. Lach-Szyrma, M.A. — I think the suggestion as to 

 these ancient people having come over from Asia is very interesting. 

 To my mind Mrs. Langton Parker, in her work on Legendary Lore, 

 seems to throw light on the theory as to Australians being similar 

 to Europeans — of the later Stone Age — and a good many ancient 

 legends and traditions seem to be somewhat similar to those found 

 in Europe, which I believe really existed in the early periods — 

 perhaps in this island in the Dolmen period — probably some 

 thousands of years ago. Some of the legends of the Folklore 

 of Europe represent that sort of transition or mixture of men and 

 animals which is certainly very striking in these Australian tales. 



Mr. D. Howard, D.L., F.C.S., &c. — This is one of those papers 

 which are exceedingly interesting from a point of view which it 

 is no novelty, perhaps, to remark on; but which needs to be kept 

 in mind now as much as ever ; that is, the necessity for suspense 

 of judgment. Not long ago, certainly in my early days, it was 

 said that the aborigines of Australia had been cut off from the rest 

 of mankind for unlimited periods. Now we cannot help feeling 

 that the evidence is all the other way. The fact that there are 

 no traces of man in the drift — nothing corresponding with the 

 discovery of human implements in the drift of many caves in 

 Europe, points to these people being recent rather than ancient. 

 Certainly what one sees of them helps to point to the fact that 

 they belong to the descending scale rather than the ascending, 

 and so far from indicating what we came from they, on the 

 contrary, indicate the horrible terminus ad quern to which the 

 human race may come. 



Mr. L. Thrupp. — I spent many years in Australia, and have 

 turned my attention to some of the subjects alluded to, and I 

 desire to express my agreement with the last speaker — that the 

 Australian is a degenerate race. It has gone down in the scale 

 instead of being an example, as is so frequently urged by some 

 scientific people, that the savage is the original specimen from 

 which we have all risen. In too many parts of the world there is 

 distinct evidence that in places of the earth where savages have 

 existed civilisation once existed. We can well understand this 



