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the idea of long voyages was not absolutely unknown to them. Those 
voyages would be more or less for business, but why not for pleasure ? 
I can well conceive that upon a pleasure excursion in a canoe men and 
women might travel together. And if one of those canoes got caught in 
the Antarctic drift, then, as I have pointed out, it might easily happen 
that the people in her would find themselves on the coast of Chili or Peru. 
With respect to what Professor Macdonald has said, I was not, of course, 
unprepared to receive such remarks, but I think they have been completely 
answered. Of course I could not be supposed to be ignorant of the 
pre-Adamite theory which Professor Macdonald has referred to. All I can 
say is, that I have thoroughly investigated it, and that I disbelieve it as 
strongly as he can believe it. I disbelieve.it, not merely as a clergyman, but 
as a man of impartial judgment and extensive reading in this particular 
branch of study. However, the learned professor must be aware that in 
the remarks with which he favoured us upon this point he scarcely urged 
it upon us by force of argument, but merely stated his convictions upon 
it 
Professor Macdonald. — I was unable to do so in consequence of Mr. 
Reddie’s interruption. 
Rev. J. H. Titcomb. — I quite agree that you had no opportunity of entering 
into so wide an argument ; but I think that as the tendency of my paper 
is to show that the world was peopled from Adam, or rather from Noah, 
-and therefore a fortiori from Adam, it does more or less meet the argu- 
ments which the learned professor would raise against it. Ladies and 
gentlemen, I need detain you no longer. I was fully aware of the sneezing 
argument, and others which have not been brought forward. In reference 
to what Mr. Pattison has said, I feel much obliged to him for calling my 
attention to one point which is rather new to me ; but on the whole I can 
only say that the great crucial difficulty is the physiological one with regard 
to colour — how it comes that red men crop up in America, yellow men in 
China, black men in Africa, and white men in Europe. I quite admit that 
that is the great point of the argument in favour of Professor Macdonald’s 
theory of pre-Adamite men. But I purposely avoided going into it, and for 
this reason, that it would be utterly impossible to deal within the limits of a 
paper which has necessarily already extended to great length, with a question 
which involves many materials and such important details j but I do hope at 
some future time to write a paper which may perhaps go into the subject in 
such a manner as will enable us to discuss it. (Cheers.) 
The meeting was then adjourned. 
