420 
MAORI MIDDENS. 
largest in England, and was presented by Dr. Blackmore, 
after whom it is called ; it contains many stone, bronze, and 
iron implements, of Danish, French, and German, as well as 
British origin, also some from Asia, with others from Poly- 
nesia and Australasia, and many from North and South 
America, thus affording an excellent opportunity of compar- 
ing those from different parts. The close resemblance which 
they all bear to each other is very striking, and leads to the 
conviction that, however widely separated those races were 
in locality, age, and form of skull, as well as in other respects, 
still in mind there was no difference : hence each section of 
the human family, when placed in similar circumstances and 
subjected to similar wants, was led to supply them by the 
same means, and in the same form and fashion as well ; in 
fact, there appears positive proof in that noble collection of 
the identity and unity of our race, and of the truth of Holy 
Scripture which asserts it. The Christian has cause for 
thankfulness, that he can there see in one spot such sure and 
convincing proofs brought together, that the foundation of 
his hopes rests on a firm and enduring rock, which, like the 
pyramids, can resist all the assaults made upon it through 
all ages. 
In that museum there are two cases of imitations which 
must be also mentioned. An ingenious fellow, well known 
by the soubriquet of Jack Flint, finding the demand for 
pre-historic articles was so great, thought it would answer 
his purpose to supply it, and he admirably succeeded in so 
completely imitating them that many were deceived, in fact, 
it was extremely difficult to discover which were real and 
which false, except by the greater freshness of the imita- 
tion, thus Jack Flint for a time carried on a lucrative 
manufacture. This seems to prove how easily they could 
have been extemporised by the far more skilful natives, and 
that they most likely set little value upon them ; on that 
account it is highly probable they would long be used, even 
after they had obtained bronze and iron, which would for 
some time be both difficult to procure and only in small quan- 
tities, as all the three, viz., stone, bronze, and iron, have 
