AREA OF THE FLOOD. 



culty indeed, as compared with the difficulty 

 of reconciling it with a very limited destruc- 

 tion of the Human Race. The evidence for 

 a higher antiquity of Man is derived from 

 countries in comparatively close proximity 

 with those which, under any possible supposi- 

 tion as to the area of a Deluge, must have 

 been then submerged. On the other hand, 

 we have seen how utterly uncertain and 

 how enormously different are the chronologies 

 which profess to be founded on the Penta- 

 teuch. They all involve suppositions as to 

 the principle of interpretation, and as to 

 the import of words descriptive of descent, 

 which are in the highest degree doubtful, 

 and which it is evident cannot be applied 

 consistently throughout. Thus, when we 



