8 



The Eleventh General Meeting. 



was the first to direct attention to these flint implements, but he 

 was totally mistaken in regarding certain forms of flints as artificial, 

 and as representing gods, goddesses, birds, fishes, and all sorts of 

 animate and inanimate objects. The majority of French and 

 English geologists regarded those forms as purely accidental ; but 

 the fossil implements found in this district were undoubtedly the 

 result of human art. Mr. Cunnington exhibited a specimen which 

 had been sent him by Mr. Prestwich, labelled by the late Dr. 

 "Woodward, of the British Museum, "Salisbury, 1846/' It was an 

 admirable example, but differed from all others found at Salisbury, 

 and he did not think that local geologists would recognise it as a 

 local specimen. Instead of being encrusted with a thin white, or 

 slightly yellow material, its original surface was preserved : there 

 had been no oxidation, or drying of the surface. It presented, in 

 fact, the appearance of having been made yesterday, by Mr. 

 Stevens friend, "Flint Jack." (Laughter.) It was, however, un- 

 doubtedly ancient, and its original appearance might have been pre- 

 served through being deposited in a river. He could not pretend 

 to say to what age these implements belonged, but he hoped that 

 by working steadily on, and by listening with great care to every 

 word coming from Nature — by which he reverently meant God 

 working in nature, — something might yet be learnt to elucidate some 

 of the mystery of the past. (Hear, hear.) This was a locality where 

 such research could be carried on better than in any other part of 

 the country, and he sincerely hoped that his friends who had taken 

 up the matter with such zeal and ability would yet be successful in 

 their endeavours. (Applause.) 



The Rev. E. Duke said, that living in the neighbourhood, and 

 having constant opportunities of observing the course of the river in 

 the valley in which his own house was situated, he could not help 

 being struck with the peculiar formation of the various tributary val- 

 leys running into the main one. He thought this had an important 

 bearing on the question before them. If they examined an 

 Ordnance map, they would observe that in South Wilts all the 

 sma)l valleys gently declined into the larger ones. The principal 

 valleys were of considerable depth, the chalk cliffs rising 60, 80, 



