85 
occupied the bottom of the oceans were the first to be embedded, when the 
first deposits of sediments were thrown down into the waters. 
Were the world even now overwhelmed with a flood, and great masses of 
earths of various kinds carried violently into the sea, it must be evident that 
sponges and sea-anemones, and other lower orders of living organisms in the 
sea, which inhabit or are fixed at its bottom, would immediately be embedded 
in the sediment, while only an occasional fish might be poisoned or otherwise 
accidentally covered over. In time, however, the waters might become unfit 
even for the fish to live in, and many of those dying would be embedded in 
other sediments [superimposed]. As the waters rose, the reptiles and 
amphibios would next be drowned and embedded ; while land animals would 
mostly for a time escape to the higher grounds. But wore the waters still to 
rise, even they, and also man at last, would be swept away, though, probably, in 
most cases their carcases would not be embedded in sediments, but floated and 
dashed about, to be left [in caves, or] on the surface of the earth, and to waste 
a way ^ on the subsequent subsidence of the waters. Moreover, at the time of 
Noah’s flood, it must be remembered, that many parts of the world may have 
then had no human inhabitants, and that strata formed in such regions would 
therefore necessarily be wanting in the remains even of human workmanship, 
though man might have lived contemporaneously in other regions of the globe, 
and his remains might be embedded there. 
But no traces of man having been found by geologists in what was then 
supposed to be the oldest strata, it was concluded that man did not exist on the 
earth at all when these strata were formed ; and long periods and intervals 
were therefore assigned between the time of the various formations.” 
This was published before Mr. Hamilton’s Address was delivered. And 
now (the author goes on to ask), when the evidence of man’s co-existence with 
certain extinct species of animals is admitted by the authorities, what is the 
consequence ? 
Not a modest consideration of the whole series of geologic theories, which 
had rashly proclaimed Holy Scripture untrue, but which have been found to be 
really untrue themselves ; but only further rash and extravagant generaliza- 
tions, with a fresh atheistic theory tacked on to the others, to render the whole 
again somewhat more plausible ! The long times and intervals between the 
various formations and the “ geologic periods ” are not given up ; but only the 
abrupt divisions between each are abandoned, and man is now pushed further 
back into ‘antiquity,’ and is supposed to have been originally a savage, 
developed by some unexplained process, in the course of millions of ages, out 
of a gorilla or chimpanzee !” * 
7. These observations by an anonymous author are, of course, not quoted 
as of any “ authority,” but only as a view of the whole state of the case that 
may fairly be entertained. Having alluded to Professor Ansted (on p. 14) 
as sending the official answer to Dean Cockburn, refusing to re-open the 
discussion of the nebular theory in the Geological Section of the British 
Association in 1844, I have the satisfaction of being now able to quote from 
Fi csli Sp'i mgs of Tvutli (chapter ou “ The Scriptures 
pp. 104, 105, 113-115. (London : Griffin & Co., 18G5.) 
and Science ”), 
