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case, but within the memory of man, where the river was there are now 
islands and cities, with thousands of inhabitants upon them. (Hear, hear.) 
You see, therefore, in how short a time the whole of the physical features 
of a large tract of country may be altered, and how the chronology to be 
derived from any particular river may be entirely upset. (Applause.) 
Mr. S. R. Pattison, F.G.S.— I should like to say a few words before 
Professor Hughes replies. Every one must have been pleased with the 
attractive tone and moderation of the paper, but I am not sure that the 
conclusion was quite so satisfactory to me as the title and general contents 
seemed to indicate. The title and general contents of the paper are “ On the 
Evidences already obtained as to the Antiquity of Man”; and as to his 
statement of these evidences, — especially with regard to certain distinct opera- 
tions which he has brought before us,— this is quite satisfactory ; but when 
at the end of his paper he infers from the state of things he describes that 
the river Somme has cut its way, since the formation of the flint implements, 
to an extent that implies an enormous lapse of time, I fail to see that he 
gives us sufficient evidence in support of his conclusion ; and when he says 
that the geological evidence is such that there has been a total extinction of 
the mammalia, and that therefore it must have taken the enormous amount 
of time implied by such a state of things, I fail still more to see any evidence 
to support that proposition. Now, it seems to me in reference to that 
which has been offered to this Society, that there are factors in the business 
that have not been taken into sufficient account by Professor Hughes. He 
has not considered those violent actions of nature referred to by the Chairman, 
in the case of the sudden changes that have taken place in rivers by reason 
of earthquakes, nor has he alluded to those changes which take place with 
equal suddenness, and also with very great force, by reason of severe and 
exceptional floods. (Hear, hear.) But beyond all this we have in the ancient 
Somme valley proofs of a continuous course of rapid erosion,— far more rapid 
than the erosion now going on, which is proved to be nil, or next to nil. We 
have the fact that the valley has been eroded in a rapid and turbulent or 
tumultuous manner, with intervals of rest, during which the materials were 
deposited, — so that we have evidence of a state of things in existence at one 
time of which we have now no example there. It is clear that the Somme 
valley must have been cut where it is, and not by the present stream, and 
therefore that it must have been subjected to forces which are not now in 
operation, and the moment we have to introduce into the discussion forces 
that are not now in existence, we necessarily introduce a different and an 
unknown measure of time ; so that I am at liberty to say that the excavation 
of the valley took place under circumstances which necessarily imply great 
rapidity, because the employment of great force means rapidity of action. 
(Hear, hear.) Consequently, 1 am free to say, from the same evidence as 
Professor Hughes refers to when he says, “ I see the proofs of immense 
periods,” I can only see proofs of short periods. (Hear, hear.) However, I 
will not dwell upon this. I will only add that, with all duo respect for the 
more competent knowledge of Professor Hughes, I think the evidence he 
