692 General Notes. [ November, 
lying in ruins for centuries. `The fact that these objects were discovered 
among arrow-heads, pottery, and implements of undoubted antiquity, as- 
sociated with no objects of modern date, would point to an ancient origin. 
The flint-lock, however, did not come into use until the middle of the 
seventeenth century, having originated in France about the year 1635. 
They could not, therefore, have been dropped by the Spaniards, who 
traveled through Arizona and New Mexico in the early part of the 
sixteenth century. The match-lock was employed by’them in their con- 
quests through Mexico and the north, even after the wheel-lock had been 
invented in Italy. 
The two specimens possess all the appearance of having been fashioned 
by the aborigines in their peculiar manner. It is not impossible that 
they may have been made by Indians under the direction of European 
hunters or explorers, and, on the other hand, they may have been manu- 
factured by whites. The nomadic tribes of the Southwest must have 
procured arms from the adventurous pioneers as early as the middle of 
the eighteenth century, and flints must necessarily have been made by 
the savages as the first ones were lost or broken. Since the flint-lock 
has been out of use for many years, it is highly probable that the two 
objects herein described were dropped where they were found, as early 
as the latter part of the last century or during the first few years of this. 
They are particularly interesting, however, as showing that the valley of 
the San Juan River has in all probability been traversed by whites, pos- 
sibly a century or more ago. It is also possible that the flints may have 
been brought to that section by Indians from a distant locality ; but the 
first supposition seems to me the most reasonable. — EDWIN A. BARBER. 
ANTHROPOLOGICAL News. -— Twenty-eight pages of Nos. 1 and 2 
of the Mittheilungen der anthropologischen Gesellschaft in Wien are 
taken up with a discussion by Ferd. Freiherrn von ‘Adrian upon the 
influence of vertical position on the earth’s surface upon human settle- 
ments. The article is rendered exceedingly valuable by abundant bibli- 
ographical references. In Kevue Scientifique for July 15th, M. Paul 
Bert handles a kindred topic in a contribution entitled “ La Pression de 
l’Air et les Étres vivants. In the same number of the review, h 
manners in 1650 are discussed by a “ traveler from Algeria.” 
Some light is thrown upon prehistoric batons, 80 called, by a pat 
phlet published in Lyons by M. F. Chabas, and entitled Sur V' Usage des 
Batons de Main chez les Hébreux et dans l’ancienne Egypte. One of 
the best features in the treatise is the collation of authorities. 7 
M. Émile Guimet has edited in the same form from the Lyons pron 
a tract by M. Chabas upon the time of the Exodus. From numerous — 
parallelisms between the-Jewish Scriptures and the papyri. the: learn®? 
author concludes to place the Exodus in the reign of Menephta I, ie : 
successor of Rameses II., of the XIXth dynasty. The paper WS" 
read before the Academy of Science, Belles-Lettres, and Art of sien” 
April 27, 1875. a 
