34 



probable, and lie claimed for Moses the character of a historian 

 in recoi'ding that fact. This reference to the Book of Genesis 

 was made, the lecturer said, not in a theological, but in a purely 

 historical sense ; but, while so saying, Mr. Macllwaine alleged 

 that it was most unphilosophical, on the part of the advocates 

 of the development theory, utterly to ignore the Mosaic record. 

 It was the Oldest in existence, and the only one deserving atten- 

 tion and respect. Why were not its claims and statements 

 even noticed by Darwin and his followers ? The lecturer next 

 proceeded to apply the test of sound analogy to the arguments 

 of Mr. Murphy, and showed that, in every instance adduced by 

 that gentleman, no real resemblance existed. Thus Mr. Murphy 

 argued that because individuals were marvellously developed, 

 each from a cell, therefore species might be expected to develope 

 in a similar manner. Mr. Macllwaine showed that this develop- 

 ment was of a totally different nature from that which Mr. 

 Murphy could argue from,and that experience the most universal 

 showed no such development of species to exist. He met the 

 case of animals having aborted members, such as serpents with 

 concealed legs and the apteryx, and Mr. Murphy's assertion 

 that these appendages were useless, by stating his belief that 

 such abnormal appendages could not be shown to be useless ; 

 and, moreover, that according to the attempted analogy, we had 

 as much right to expect to see the animals in question develop- 

 ing into others more perfectly organised as to assert that they 

 were the descendants of such. The paper closed with a reference 

 to the admission of all the advocates of the development theory 

 that there was as much difficulty in believing creative power to 

 have been exerted in producing their primordial germ as races 

 of fully organised beings, and in further commending to the 

 society the adoption of the Mosaic account of the origin of the 

 world in preference to the Darwinian hypothesis. 



The Sixth Meeting of the Society was held on Thursday 

 Evening, 7th February. It is usual at the ordinary meeting to 

 have a paper similar to the above read and discussed. On this 



