JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS. QI 
CHOVOCICM NOMS, BIC 
Read before the Hamilton Scientific Association, April 26th, 1901. 
BAe COIs (Cos CARA, 
There lives more faith in honest doubt, 
Believe me than in half the creeds. 
— Tennyson. 
The writer is perfectly aware of many opinions erroneously 
credited to the late Sir William Dawson, and often wonders 
how such false ideas regarding the eminent scientist could ever 
have got into circulation. In general you find in tracing up the 
matter either ignorance of geological affairs, or idle gossip with 
its usual exaggeration rather than religious prejudice may be 
accountable for the misrepresentation. ‘The President of the 
British Association for the advancement of science (Sir John 
Evans) in his opening address at Toronto in 1897, stated, ‘“The 
duration of the Palzeolithic period must have extended over 
an almost incredible length of time which was_ sufficiently 
proved by the fact that valleys some miles wide, and a depth 
of 100 to 150 feet have been eroded since the deposit of the 
earliest implement bearing beds. He also referred to the Europ- 
ean caves and the thickness of the stalagmite layers over their 
bone beds. Now Sir William previously was fully aware of 
both circumstances and in admitting the immense time for the 
valley erosion, he points out the excavating process may have 
taken place at a far distant time, that they were perhaps filled 
up with sand, debris, etc., even to the level of the beds on the 
entrance to the caves, which hold the human implements etc., 
there discovered. The point raised can scarcely be explained 
by, ‘‘ If such were the case what became of the vast amount of 
the material removed.’’ It is probable (if it existed) that 
it could have been swept away seaward by the mighty river 
