45 



shake our confidence in the Scriptures, or to shut our eyes to 

 the marvellous unfoldings of scientific facts. In the broad 

 daylight of truth no doubts will arise to clog our understand- 

 ing ; but it is in the darkness of ignorance we become startled 

 and affrighted by our own groundless imaginings. Mr. Gray 

 noticed the progress of science, and the contentions 

 with the theological school, and noted some of the disputed 

 questions, particularly that of man's antiquity. All the 

 processes of nature by which the geologist is enabled to account 

 for the formation of the several strata of the earth's crust are 

 still in operation, producing, in a limited degree, similar results. 

 Where those operations effect man or his works the geologist 

 must investigate them hand in hand with the archaeologist, but 

 in the absence of written records, neither can determine with 

 certainty the element of time. The order of the deposition of 

 strata can be ascertained, and their thickness measured ; but 

 as the energy of deposition is unknown, the time required for 

 their production cannot be calculated. Nor is the archaeologist 

 furnished with any better data to enable him to correctly 

 estimate the age of the works he examines, when they con- 

 fessedly are ignorant of the origin of such important works as 

 our own Round Towers, or the celebrated ruins of Stonehenge, 

 and many other similar remains, we can understand how 

 difficult it must be to form correct theories upon such rude im- 

 plements as the flint flakes under consideration. Written 

 history itself is often ambiguous and doubtful. Tradition is 

 necessarily more mysterious, and when we go behind history 

 and tradition to gather from the rude works of a primitive 

 people a knowledge of their condition, our efforts must at 

 best be theoretical and unsatisfactory. For these reasons, and 

 with our present limited knowledge of the nature and origin of 

 those flint flakes, Mr. Gray contended that it was premature to 

 attempt forming a correct opinion regarding them. He then 

 described the classification of stone implements generally, in- 

 cluding celts, hammers, arrow heads, knives, &c, of which a 

 large variety was exhibited, and explained the distinction 

 between those of the early or Paleolithic age, and those of the 

 later or Neolithic age, shewing that the chipped and rubbed 



