HISTORICAL TRADITIONS AND MYTHS OF OBSERVATION. 323 



moss, sand, and gravel ; tliese strata demonstrate it to have 

 been an antediluvian boat."^ 



Both in Scotland and in South America, upheaval of land in 

 more or less modern times is a recognized fact, and the finding 

 of boats, as of various other productions of human art, in places 

 w^here they could hardly have been placed by man, is readily 

 accounted for between this upheaval and the effects of ordinary 

 accumulation and degradation. 



Geological evidence bearing on traditions of a Deluge is 

 scarce. Sir Charles Lyell seems disposed to adopt the view of 

 old writers that some of the South American deluge traditions 

 are connected with the memory of local floods, such as are 

 known to happen there. Dr. Szabo says that the Hungarians 

 still preserve traditions of their plains having been once co- 

 vered by a freshwater sea, the waters of which afterwards 

 escaped through the narrows of the Iron Gate. The draining of 

 the country in this manner is considered by Dr. Szabo as hav- 

 ing really happened, so that this may be a case of tradition 

 handing down the memory of a geological change from a very 

 remote period.^ It would require a large body of scientific 

 evidence of this character to make possible a thorough investi- 

 gation of the Diluvial traditions of the world, and any q,ttempt 

 to draw a distinct line between the claims of History and My- 

 thology must in the meantime be premature. 



It fortunately happens that the difficulty in analysing the 

 Diluvial traditions into their historical and mythological ele- 

 ments is one which only partially aff"ects their use to Ethnology. 

 Were they merely stories cui-rent in various parts of the world, 

 saying little more than that there was once a great flood, or 

 giving details only harmonizing within limited districts, they 

 might be explained as Myths of Observation which had not ne- 

 cessarily any common origin. There are some which, taken 

 by themselves, could not stand against this argument, but the 

 general state of things found over the world is widely diff"erent 

 from this. The notion of men having existed before the flood, 

 and having been all destroyed except a few who escaped and 



1 Bibl. Topog. Brit. ; London, 1790, toI. iii. part i. p. 241. Wilson, ' ArcliEeo- 

 logy, etc. of Scotland,' p. 32. = Geol. Journal, Feb. 18C3. 



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