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buted to the presentation — (applause) — as they fully appreciated 

 Mr. Gray's services. (Applause.) 



The Chairman, on behalf of the Club, reciprocated the feelings 

 of friendship expressed towards them by the two members of the 

 Philosophical Society. 



On 22nd January, Mr. William Gray gave a description of the 

 celebrated " Flint Jack " and his works. 



" Flint Jack " was a Yorkshire dealer in fossils, and he became 

 so expert in cleaning and " doctoring " fossils, he turned his hands 

 to the manufacturing of antiquities. The interest that has been re- 

 cently excited in pre-historic archaeology created a demand for rude 

 flint and other implements, tools, &c, supposed to illustrate the 

 habits and customs of our long-forgotten forefathers ; and dealers, 

 particularly " Flint Jack," commenced to manufacture them for the 

 market. Jack was a skilful manipulator of all kinds of articles — 

 beads, arrow-heads, hammers, celts, spears; British, Roman, and 

 Saxon fibulas ; ancient pottery, coins, Roman armour, inscribed 

 stones, and anything else the modern collector required to complete 

 his cabinet. Jack's manufacturing depot was in the remote valleys 

 of the out-of-the-way cliffs of Yorkshire ; here he chipped his flints, 

 " doctored his fossils, and fired his pottery." From this he set out, 

 walking all over the country, north and south, to " do " his pa- 

 trons, and was as successful in duping the learned professors of 

 Cambridge and Oxford as the simplest village curiosity-fancier. 

 Tradesmen and professionals, gentlemen, proprietors of newspapers 

 and their editors, clergymen and doctors, country squires, and col- 

 legiate professors, were his dupes. "Artistic doctors" and "archaeo- 

 logical parsons ""were his chief patrons in enabling him to scatter 

 his forgeries broadcast; indeed, he states tha't "no good collection 

 in Britain is without his workmanship." Flint implements and 

 pottery were his chief wares, but he occasionally manufactured a 

 " Roman breastplate" out of a superannuated tea tray ; " a silver 

 coin" from an old German-silver spoon; "ancient hammers" 

 from modern paving-stones; "arrow-heads" from rejected beer 



