Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-03-29
.ycrrNr RACES OF MEN.

,;a.a bv the researches OF men OF
.:.,.s IN both the old and new worlds,
VIC are rapidly acquiring a knowledge of
r,e-his,oric races. Ever since Sir Charles
Lyell has broken ground upon this SUBJ
lee, in his admirable work on the Anti
guilty of Man, researches have been multi
piled in every direction, and what was
even then but dim conjecture, has become
established scientific truth. The explora-
ton Of some bone caves, in Belgium, has
been carried on, under the direction of the
Government Of that country, with great
success. All the bone caves Of that VI
cinity establish this fact, that there was a
large race OF jewellers in caves, destroyed
by a sudden inundation that swept over
the whole Of Belgium and the North Of
France. Precisely at what period this
took place we cannot say. but the yellow
clay Of that region seems to have been de-
posted by that inundation, and the debris
Of the caves attest its effects upon the races
Of men belonging to what we call the stone
period-that is, when the best implements
of men were Of stone. not iron. nor even
brass.
But there has evidently been a race Of
human beings who inhabited some OF
these caves-onc in particular, and who
have left here some shells bored through
some pieces of jet. some sharks teeth and
flint brought from a considerable distance,
and the forearm Of a Siberian mammoth,
such as did not reside at all in that vicin-
i,y, but was clearly brought there from a
distance. These folks lived chiefly upon
the flesh of the horse. whose teeth are
~abundan,ly found in the cave. and the
bones were carefully broken to get out the
marrow. No wonder. then, if the French
have even now a lingering taste for horse
flesh. Water rats, the boar, badger and
hare formed also part Of their food.
This is an age Of reconstruction, and
we are able to trace from their debris their
former habits. They had flint arrow
heads, and implements like spear-heads,
and needles. and various tools made
out Of the bones and horns Of the REIN
deer. With these they pursued wild ami
mails successfully. They must have
traded. too. with the inhabitants
of France for shells and jet, and
other ornaments. They must have had
their little superstitions about tho bone Of
tina. mammoth's forearm, and used the
skins of wild beasts, with the hair removed
and sewed together with long bone needles,
such as those found among the "stone
races of the lacustrine dorellings of the
Swiss lakes" It would appear that some
cracks in the roof Of the cave gave them
warning, and that they fed. after which
the roof fell in. and buried up and pre-
served their relics and housekeeping uten-
sis for our inspection. Even these men
DO not seem to have been the original in
habitants. but the successors Of a previous
population.
All through Europe these explorations
are now going or with great zeal and sue
cess. In Malta the relics of a race of pig
my elephants have been discovered in a
bone cave. These were not larger, many
of them. than a small pony. Those who
have made these things their study are
surprised at the progress that is making in
our knowledge Of lost races, nor is there
much danger but that similar efforts on
our own shores would be followed by as
much success. In Missouri, where DR..
Koch discovered the remains Of the Mis-
sourium. It is well known that he felt sure
he found proofs of the existence of a race
of Indians contemporary with it. and N
fact the destroyers Of its life.