The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-10-05
THE ANTIQUITY OF MAN AND THE
NOACIiIAN FLOOD.

RaReu the attention Of tho British Association al
| tee,r recent meeting In Scotland, was that OF the
| prehistoric existence OF man. Sir JoHS LuppocB
IL considered tho head Of British inqihers In this
rccondite branch of ethnology. He read paper
before the Association, in which he Expressed his
belief that the primitive condition OF mln was one
OF utter bnrbarism;' that from this condition sew.
raj races havo independently raised themselves.
These views" he said, "folow from strictly sci
| entitic conHiderations.n ff,s
Sir RoprnIcK MuHcHIsoa observed that all hi,
Investigations in geology convinced him of great
progression in, tile works Of nature. Tho discoy
ery. in the course Of geological explorations, of
implements, which had evidently been nlanufac-
tured and nsod by man, and OF other relics of
inan, had raised up new school Of pr c-Ilistori,.
| inquirors.
But it was not 10 chronicle tho transactions OF n
foreign scientific body that wo' entered upon the
consideration Of this subject II was rather be-
cause wo wished to communicate to our readers
the fact that we have in our ,vcry midst one, who
having laborod long and assiduously in this same
Held, can of right claim a portion Of tho honor
which attnches to frst discovery. During period
covering nearly thirty years Professor FRANCIS S.
HoLMEs, OF this city, has pursued this inquiry
with energy and unwaycring attention.
by nicre accident, while engaged in cuitiyatine
miles from Charleston, Prof. HoIMEs frat found
in a bed generally recognized as sbclongiug to the
postpleiocene deposit, nunbar Of fossils of, the
mylodon megathorium, mastodon, the tapir, the
beaver, muskrat and grey rabbit; moreover, re-
mains OF the OK, the HORSE the hog, the sheep aud
tho dog traces OF the FOSSILS of extinct species of
animals, along with remains OF wild animals aimi ar
to those now inhabitng this Continent; and of do
mestic animals analogous to, nay, Identical with,
thoso now in our vico, which latter would seem
at one time to have formed pat Of the fauna of
America; but to have been altogether absent nj
the opening of the historic period Of this hems-
phere. i'"'
These discoveries Prof. HOLMES published in
different forms, between 1887 and 1860. They at
tractel considerable attention, but as the phe-
nomena we're contrary to the received theories OF
geology, They met with little favor and wore
rather Vowed with distrust. This is the usuni
fate of pioneer thoories aud Dir. HOLMES, with the
zeal aud enthusiasm which he alone eau feel Who
s conscious OF fulfilling his destiny In tile un-
selfish pursuit of noble calling, did not permit
this and innumerable othor discouragements to
cause any intermission of his labors while they
had the OBJECT OF making him moro caulious. Tho
Book Of Nature was open before him, and with
single purpose he proceeded in his self-aotted
taak, unmindful alike Of the gibc6 OF the ignorant
utilitarian, or the sneers of self-opnonated men
| Of aclcnce. |rE
Further researches, 80 far from clearing up this
geological paradox, served only to increase the
perplexities attending il. To the varied remains
! already enumerated wore added, still fvom. the
same bed, in 1857, piece OF pottery, few years
later, nrrowheads, spenrheads and hatches both Of
stone, and Of animals tusks, and, within the last
fow weeks, another hatchet aud anter.
e.
cd evidences Of the presence of man in those early
geological records OF the worlds history. Profess
"r HOLMES, surprised aud gratiAed at such un-
looked for rewuIaa of l,s researches NEVERTHELESS
cnrbed his enthusiasnl, aud did not publish these
facta, being determined tu await corroLoIation.-
satisfied that nature ia her own best interpreter
and that, i'll due conrse Of limo. light from some
source would come and. iilumine this dark page Of
geogony. We commend hs prudence and his
| modesty, but cannoL help regretting that by this
delay, he has probably lost tho honors due To
priority OF discovery; for the lauras arc usually
awarded to first publication rather than to first
discovery.
Professor Hol.MEa dill not have to wait long for
corroboration. Al the session Of June 23 1852
the Imperial Society OF Emulation, Abbevic
(France), letter to the President was read from
N1r. JOSEPH PREsrwICx, a member OF The Royal
'those axes were found In an undisturbcd dcposi!
(terraim rie'ye), and associated with the bones Of
tho great mammifers;" that this ''opinion ia both
correct and well founded" MIR. JouN EVANS, nom.
Der OF the Geological and Antiquarian Socetea OF
London, remarked: 81 was present at tho sitting
of the Royal Society when Mr.. PREsTwIoK read his
report on the stone axes found in the diluyun,
and add my Testimony to hs.' Alter speaking
of tho axo that his colleague had just discovered
in the diluyiur, in Suffolk, Mr. EvAss, who had
accompanied Mr.. PREsTwICk in his first visit to
Abbeville, and assisted him in his explorations,
says: 81 am satisfied these instruments of flint
will be found in many other localities if tho search
for thom bo properly conducted"
AIR. EVANS Burmiso was correct There had
already boon, for several years, in the Museum OF
the College of Charleston, fine collection of these
several evidences OF the presence Of man during
the post-pleiocene epoch Flint hatchets and other
| utensils havo since been discovered also in Eng
| land, and in other parts of France; Likewise in
| Florida and in California.
The natural inquiry arises ut this point viz: II
| the remains OF domestic animals and the inple-
| mcnts Of human industry lnye been found in these
beds, how s it that no signs OF human bones have
hitherto heen detected here? 1t is true none such
have been observed in the Ashley River bed; hut
Count PoURTALaIs, French sopdnf, who few
| years ago made geological tour through tho
United States, discovered fragments Of two makil-
| larry bones, undoubtedly belonging to the human
species. His discovery, We learn is we'll authenti.
cated In the caves in England also human bones
have been found, associated in the same geological
| strata with the fossils Of extinct species Of ami
mails. Professor HOLMES thinks that tho absence
OF human reIrains proves nothing against tho the
ory, otherwise go strongly supported, Of the cIiSt
ence of man i'll the postpleiocene period He il
confident that ero many years the "valoy of tht
dry bones" tho graveyard of that prehistoric era
will be found, and it's discovery will shed furthe
ray OF light upon this interesting subject. ~
But the data already at our command furnish
ample basis for q superstructure Of theory. ",
have in the first place shells and divers forms o
marine deposits, clearly belonging to the eoceno
among remnins of the pleiocene and ost-pleocen,
periods. 2. The fossils Of extinct mammifers ant
sauroids are here found side by side with the bone
Of animals, in all particulars the same as thos
now roaming our Forests as the deer, rabbit
mnsirat, beaver, &c. 8. The bed contains ale
tho remains Of the horse the OK, tho sheep, tn
hog and the dog, and these in no essential diGer
ing from the bones Of these apecies, as We nov
know them. 4. In addition to 1nding these re
mains OF different epocbs all in ju1taposition, VI
further have traces OF human art in the shape o
pottery: found in this bed, and also spear an,
arrow heads and hatchets Of 1int and iyory-al
Al