New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-07-15

| taken into account. We must consider, first the
time required for many species of carniyorons and
herbivorous animals to become so entirely extinct
as they we're before the Of the DANISH peat and
Swiss lake-dwellings Second, the ages necessary
for the conversion Of the physical geography OF
the Lege district from it's ancient TO its present
form,--so many old underground channels through
which brooks and rivers flowed in the cave PERIOD
being now dry and lchoked up. Although we may
be unable to estimate the minimum OF time required
for these changes in physical geography we CANNOT
fail TO perceive that the period must nave oeeh ono
of very proracted Duration and that other ages OF
comparative inaction may have followed before the
historic age constituting an interval no less M
! definite extent. , l.,
Several remarkable caves have been discovered In
| the South of France. confirming the results pre-
sented nv those in Belgium. In 1873, NJ louina'
announced the discovery of human bones anu 'oo'n
| in the cavern of Bize, together with fragments VI
rnde pottery, and the remains OF mammaa, 'oNn0
Of extinct, others of recent species. Inc human
80. were in the same chemical condition as those
of the accompanying quadrupeds In the OPINION VI
NJ Tonrnal they could not be referred to any dllu-
vial catastrophe they had evidently not been SUD
denly washed in by any transient flood; but must
have been gradually introduced, with the envelop-
ing mud and pebbles at successive periods. Similar
discoveries were made about the same time by M.
Christal in another part of Languedoc He found
human bones in the same mud with the bones OF an
extinct by@na and rhinoceros The conclusions OF
these explorers did not pass without challenge IL
was maintained that the human bones might be re-
ferTed TO later period than the prehistoric ages
Sir Charles Lyell was at first inclined to the Same
opinion. But he has been convinced by subsequent
researches that tho mammoth and many other ex-
tinct mammalian species very common in caves, oc-
cur in undisturbed alluvium, imbedded in such
manner az to leave no doubt that man and the man.
moth have cOexisted.
One of the most celebrated cayerns containing
both human remains and the bones of extinct
quadrupeds is that of Aurignac, which has been
fully described by NJ Lartet. In 1862, Sir Charles
Lyell examined the fossil bones and works OF art
discovered in this grotto by M. Lartet and in the
Spring of 1872 he visited the cave itself. The first
discovery was made by laborer in 1852 While
digging stone for repairing the roads, he observed
rabbithole among the rubbish, and reaching into
it the length of his arm, he drew ont to his SURPRISE
one of the long bones of human skeleton. His
curiosity was excited and suspecting that the hole
communicated with subterranean cavity, he COM
menced digging a trench, and in a few hours came
to large slab of rock placed vertically against the
entrance. Removing this, he discovered ON the
other side of it an arched cavity almost filled with
bones Among them were two entire skulls, which
he at once recognized az human. The people OF
Aurignac' astonished to hear of 80 many human
relics in so lonely a spot, hocked to the cave Inc
mayor, who was medical man, ordered them
to be inferred in the parish cemetery. Mean
time his knowledge of anatomy led him to
conclude that the bones must have formed parts Of
seventeen skeletons, of both sexes, and all ages,
After the lapse of eight years. in 1860 NJ Lartet VS.
tied Aurignac but the village sexton could not tell
the exact spot where the bones had been buried and
of course they could no longer be identified lie de.
termined, however, to explore the cave for himself
Near the entrance was great variety OF bones and
implements, but no human remains. On a subSe-
quent visit in 1862 he found inside the grotto mass
of bones among which were several of the human
foot. with fragments of other animals. An exam.
nation of the rubbish thrown up during the first
diggings, brought to light more than sixty human
bones principally of the hands and feet, together
with bones of tho reindeer, OK, and rhinoceros.
Many circumstances led to the conclusion that the
rotto was an ancient place of sculpture, but after
visit to the spot during the last year S7 Sir Charles
I,yell found that the earth had been so much dis
turbed by frequent searches that it would be hope
less to endeavoP to ascertain at present the age OF the
interments.
The instances to which we have referred form but
small proportion of the discoveries of human relics
at period far remote from the ordinary dates of
chronology. Sufficient, however, have been pre-
sented to furnish an idea of the nature of the argu
ment With regard to the exact geological age 1T is
not easy to form positive estimate 1t has been
inferred that the remains of the age of stone IN
certain localities evince antiquity of at least 1900
years though that is believed to be long pOstenor to
the time when the mammoth and other extinctmam-
malta flourshed together with man in Europe. Such
computations can be regarded only as tentative IN
the present state of our knowledge, and demand
much collateral evidence for their confirmation. At
all events the first appearance of man according to
the results thus far afforded by geological inquiry
must have been extremely MODERN in relation to the
age of the existing fauna and fora, or even TO the
time when most of the living species of animals aud
plants attained their actual geographical dstribu-
ton Still the occurrence is believed to have been
remote as to cause the historical period to appear
quite insignificant in duration, when compared to
tho antinuitv of the human race.