XXXV111 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE 



before and since man's appearance, had, perhaps, a more absorbing 

 interest for Professor Henslow than any other subject. Few per- 

 sons more deeply studied and more boldly preached the Bible, or 

 more stanchly upheld the doctrines of the Church of England ; 

 but he ever maintained the necessity of appealing to the spirit 

 rather than to the letter of the written Word, in all cases where 

 the established facts of science appeared to contradict the text of 

 Scripture. In spiritual matters he avowed the total insufficiency 

 of human reason unaided by revelation ; but having witnessed 

 many changes of theological opinion brought about by progressive 

 discoveries in history and science, he was very averse to specula- 

 tive reasoning where these were not in apparent harmony with 

 revelation. 



" His charity was nowhere more conspicuous than in his inter- 

 course with those who differed widely, and often publicly, from 

 himself in religious opinion. He never sought to gloss over these 

 differences, nor did he allow of any misconceptions with regard to 

 their true nature : but he never permitted them to influence in the 

 smallest degree his conduct, or to diminish his admiration for 

 what was honest and good, wherever he found it. Hence he dis- 

 cussed such polemical questions as the a*ge of the globe, the origin 

 of species, &c, with such ingenuous forbearance, that inquirers of 

 all denominations and professions turned to him. for a calm and 

 unprejudiced judgment. 



" As may be supposed, the flint implements in the drift deeply 

 occupied his attention : on first hearing of them (their human 

 origin he never doubted), he was disposed to be wholly incredulous 

 as to their antiquity, and published his opinion on the subject : 

 this was no wonder, considering how many mares' nests of the 

 kind he had seen exposed, and himself aided in exposing. Nothing 

 hampered by his avowed scepticism, he, witli characteristic devotion 

 to truth, earnestly took up the subject, twice visited Hoxne, where 

 he had excavations made which resulted in a modification of his 

 tirst view ; he then visited the pits at Amiens and Abbeville in the 

 autumn of last year, studied the localities and country around, 

 the museums and collections in the neighbourhood, and returned 

 with his views still further modified though not wholly altered. 

 Up to the time of his last illness Ik; was busy on this subject, 

 comparing his observations with those of others, and studying the 

 results, which lie w.as preparing to lay before the Cambridge Phi- 

 losophical Society. Of what bii final conclusion was, no record 

 has been published ; hut we believe that he had convinced himself 



