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before we make concessions as to man’s extreme antiquity, because that 
is a step in the direction of the Darwinian doctrine. Speaking of flint im- 
plements, Mr. Bardsley says, “ As, however, there are those who contend 
that some at least among these flints have been formed by man, we will 
concede the first premiss, and admit, for argument’s sake, that they are 
artificial.” Now, I am not prepared to go with the author to the extent of 
conceding that these things are artificial. I contend, as I have done all 
along, that those so-called implements which were first presented to our 
notice were natural formations ; but that afterwards there come to be pre- 
sented a class of implements which, when you look at them, seem to alter 
your hypothesis. I have had some presented to me of such a character 
that I should not dare to say that they were not artificial, but in that case 
there is another way of accounting for them, and that is that those better 
class of implements are forgeries. Often when you go to a museum and see 
a number of these things, you say, “ I am doubtful about this, and about 
that ; but, in the case of this particular implement, there can be no doubt 
whatever.” You say, when you put the three together, “ Although, when I 
take them separately, I am not satisfied, yet when I take them collectively I 
cannot escape the conviction that man has been here.” Last autumn I was 
in the Yalley of the Somme with Doctor Southall, who had come ovfer 
for the 'purpose of sifting this question ; and in our presence some of 
these flint implements were manufactured from the gravels in the Somme 
valley. We met with an English gentleman who had been there for 
twenty years, and went with him to the gravel beds. There were men 
digging among the gravel, and putting aside those pieces which they 
supposed to be implements made by man. They showed them to us, and 
we said we were not satisfied about some of them, as we could not see 
the evidence of human workmanship. The gentleman who was with us 
said to one of the workmen, “You can make these gentlemen an imple- 
ment if they wish for it, can you not ? ” “ Oh ! yes,” replied the man, “ if 
none of the other workmen are looking on, I will ; ” and, no one being near, 
he took up a flint, and without any hammer, but simply by using another 
stone, in less than five minutes manufactured the implement, which I now 
produce. Doctor Southall said, “ I should like one too ” ; and in a few 
minutes the same man made another implement of the same character. 
(Laughter.) “Well,” I said, “I am quite certain that that is not the first 
by some hundreds that you have made, or you would not be able to produce 
them with so much dexterity.” The man laughed ; and then we tried to 
make some implements, but found we could not do it, the fact being that 
we were not experts, and the workman was. “ But,” said the man, “ I 
don’t see that that affects the question which you are considering. Any- 
body who knows anything about these implements, looking at this stone, 
would know that it was recently made. You can always tell when a flint 
has been freshly broken, and it would take thousands of years to make 
this look like the one I have just shown you.” I could not understand 
how the older-looking stone got the appearance it bore unless it was by 
