ORGANIC REMAINS. 289 



been moulded by running waters, since the advent of the 

 human race."* 



But, on the other hand, it has been maintained that the 

 pliant facts may be read as "expressions of violent and 

 sudden mutations, only compatible with altogether briefer 

 periods." The argument of the Paroxysmist, I still quote 

 from Blackwood, would probably be something like the 

 following : 



" Assuming the pre-existing relief, or excavation rather, of 

 the surface to have approximated to that now prevailing, he 

 will account for the gravel by supposing a sudden rocking 

 movement of the lands and the bottom of the sea of the 

 nature of an earthquake, or a succession of them, to have 

 launched a portion of the temporarily uplifted waters upon 

 the surface of the land." 



Let us, however, examine the strata, and see whether the 

 evidence they give is in reality so confused and contradictory. 



Taking the section at St. Acheul and commencing at the 

 bottom, we have first of all the partially rounded high-level 

 gravel, throughout which, and especially at the lower part, 

 the flint implements occur. 



These beds but rarely contain vegetable remains. Large 

 pieces of the oak, yew, and fir have, however, been determined 

 at Hoxne. The mammalia, also, are but few ; the mammoth, 

 the Elephas antiquus, with species of Bos, Cervus, and Equus 

 are the only ones which have yet occurred at St. Acheul, 

 though beds of the same age in other parts of England and 

 France have added the Rhinoceros tichorhinus, and the Cervus 

 tarandus. The mollusca, however, are more numerous ; they 

 have been identified by Mr. J. Gr. Jeifreys, who finds in the 

 upper level gravel thirty- six species, all of them land or 

 freshwater forms, and all belonging to existing species. It 

 is hardly necessary to add, that these shells are not found in 

 * Blackwood's Magazine, October, 1860. 



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