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that ; but there are some that have his own handwriting on them, and I 
suppose he took those out himself.” I looked at them and said, “ They are 
not so good as the others ; those that have something like authority about 
them are the more doubtful-looking ones ” ; but when I came to those which 
the men had brought to him, and which he had purchased, all doubt 
vanished ; there was no question but that men had made them. Now, I would 
have you bear this in mind ; when you come to those implements which are 
so convincing that any reasonable person would say, “ Man made this,” you 
should ask the question, “ What evidence is there that they are ancient ? ” 
While Doctor Southall was with me we wished thoroughly to investigate 
this question. We had to consider certain implements that are found in the 
Valley of the Axe ; we went to the Axe gravels, and spent some time there. 
We found certain forms approximating to those we had seen before ; — some 
of them have been on this table sent here by Mr. Whitley, but we were 
doubtful about them. I said at the time, “ They are like the Acheul flints ; but 
there is nothing about them that nature could not have done.” — Mr. Whitley 
joined us when we went to Exeter, and there we saw the finest specimens 
they had. The Curator of the Museum had been invited to meet us for 
the purpose of showing us the specimens. Doctor Southall was with me, 
and when he saw some of the flints he said, “ I am convinced that those 
are not forgeries, and that the hand of man has been at work upon them.” 
He handed one to me, and another to Mr. Whitley; we both examined 
them, and felt we must be prepared to withdraw what we had hitherto 
said, if those were really Paleolithic implements from the Exeter gravels. 
I said, however, “ There are a few questions I wish to ask.” We first of all 
put certain of the implements aside as doubtful ; there remained about 
twenty-five which we all agreed were artificial. I said, “ Can you tell me 
whether any geologist found any one of these twenty-five, because we know 
that geologists have been down to these pits ? ” The Curator’s answer was, 
“No geologist found any of them.” “But,” I asked, “when geologists 
come down here, do they never find any good implements'?” “No, they 
never have found one like these.” I said, “ There is Mr. , who is a 
good judge of implements; did he ever find one?” “No,” he replied, 
“nothing like these.” I said, “It is a curious thing that the men who 
are competent to judge of these implements have never found any. 
How did you get these specimens ? ” His answer was, “ They were brought 
in by the workmen.” “ What,” I asked, “ induced the workmen to bring 
them ? ” He replied, “ Well, we pay them from 5s. up to a guinea each for 
them.” I thought the man who made the flint I have shown you would 
have been very glad of such a customer. “ But,” said the Curator, “ you 
don’t mean to say you doubt them ? ” I said, “ I should not like to be so 
hard as to say that. Can I purchase any implements about here ? ” He 
answered, “ I don’t think you can, as they don’t find them now.” “ How 
long,” I asked, “ have they ceased to find them ? Do you still buy them ? ” 
He said, “ No ; because we have got enough.” “ Then, since you ceased to 
buy them, the men have ceased to find them ? ” “Well, was the answer, 
