280 FOOTPIUNTS OF VANISHED RACES IN CORNWALL. 



The absence of long-barrows (which are thought to be 

 entirely Neolithic sepulchres) from Cornwall, has led to the 

 adoption of the strange idea, that Cornwall was iminhabited all 

 through the Neolithic age \'^^ . This notion needs no discussion. 

 The numerous polished stone weapons, such as hatchets, scrapers, 

 hammers, battle-axes, and arrow-heads found in Cornwall, prove 

 that our county was well peopled during the Neolithic period. But 

 who were these primitive inhabitants of Cornwall ? Long-barrows 

 are characteristic of the Neolithic age, and from their complete 

 absence from Cornwall, it has been concluded that the Cornish 

 Neolithic inhabitants were quite different from those who dwelt 

 in other parts of Britain during the Neolithic era, and were direct 

 descendants of Palaeolithic man. I cannot accept this theory. . 

 Palaeolithic man was chiefly distinguished from Neolithic man by 

 the special character and particular beauty of his bone implements, 

 and by his artistic ability. His bone harjooons and engravings 

 are found in Kent's cavern, "^^ and in the caves of Cresswell Crags,™ 

 but not one of these particular bone harpoons or engravings has 

 ever been found amongst the relics of Neolithic man in Cornwall. 

 This proves that between the two races of men there was no 

 connection whatever. 



I believe that the first human beings who entered Cornwall 

 in the Neolithic period belonged to a race of dwarfs or pigmies, 

 and were veritable "little people." The study of dwarf races 

 is a new branch of anthropology, and it has wonderfully developed 

 during the last twenty years. Ancient classical authors'''^ men- 

 tion pigmies living in remote parts of Asia and Africa, and the 

 conflicts of the latter with the cranes are described in amusing 

 language. These stories were for long thought to be childish 

 inventions, but recent discoveries have proved that they were 

 perfectly correct. When the Dutch occupied South Africa, they 

 m.et with the dwarf Bushmen, who are the smallest pigmies in the 

 world. The Sj)aniards also had become acquainted with the 



68. Jourrialof the AuthropologicallHstitute,vo\.'\yi,\ViQi, p. 147. 



6g. A^icieiit Stone Implements of Great Britain, bySir John IJvans, pp. 505, 506. 



70. Early Man in Britain, by Professor W. Boyd Dawkins, pp. 184, 185, 



71. Such as Herodotus, Pliny, Ctesias and Aristotle. M, de Quatrefages has 

 shown that pigmy races have been found in those very regions of Asia and Africa in 

 which they were located by these writers. See Lcs Pygmees, p, 27. 



