New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-09-20
at some length. The description of one found on
Long Island well worth quoting, as 1t illustrates

Long Island well worth quoting, as 1t illustrates
these shell heaps in representative way
At Paynes Creek there is found of the largest
and most compact shell mounds on this part OF Long
island At the time the shells were deposited, the
creek evidently flowed in front OF the deposit but
now it is filled up and dy country road extends
along it's front. This deposit covers about three
acres, and is fully four feet in depth In some
spots on tins shell~heap are remains only OF the
oyster; in another of the clam aud third OF the
scaliops, and then the various shells will be found
10 be about equally abundant, and mingled to-
gether. In tins deposit lave been found bones Of
the raccoon. bear, otter, fox deer, and rabbit.
natives have been found in tins shell-heap. Also
avis pointed instruments of bone. and one large
bone sh-hook. Fragments of their pottery. made
OF pounded Shells clay and sand. are seen strewn
IN every direction.
The part of the work devoted to the Indian and
his industry occupies 40 pages, and is illustrated
with more than four hundred well drawn aud well
engraved figures. Tins part will be of great interest
and use to all who have collections of arrow heads
etc, or who take an interest In the people who
lived in country at the time Of its discovery by
Europeans but the second part though short will
be still more interesting to very many 1t treats of
the remains of of paoolIthic consisting
of series of rude Clipped implements Of argillte
imbedded in the river drift OF the Delaware, near
I Trenton, n j. The author endeavors to prove
the identical with the River Drift Man of Europe
aud represented this continent by the
Eskimo of the north. He says that " if could
+ all the ancient traces of prehistoric man,
down 70 so late date A. ID. 1900 to the Eskimo.
the archaeology of the Atlantic coast would be
sborn of all obscurity, and every relic would pos
sess readily decphered history" The attempts
in some cases 10 prove the certain finding Of stone
objects of peculiar forms in the Trenton gravel
and the arguments 20 slow they of human
manufacture, sometimes carried so far as TO
4 weaken the authors position. Thus the statement
3p,a lie nnpn hat" nj cia 81 nd
several feet of the gravel removed lin grading
street, and all specimens now found in the
talus necessarily from the gravel itself, and
could not have been derived from the original sur
face" must be taken with several grains of allow
ance. when remember what boys may do in the
way of throwing stones; and the scarcity of these
pa acothic Instruments is used page 4so
argument in favor of their human manufacture. If
80. what must conclude about the ten thousand
arrowhcads. stone axes. etc, found DR.. Ahbotts
farm Or the hundred and twenty stone axes
found in digging single cellar in Trentonf All
arch9oogists will hope that many more symmetric-
ally Clipped bits OF stone Will be found IN undis
turbed gravel to set at rest all doubts which
may remain in the minds of any.
The final charter, containing full geological
! description of the Trenton Gravel, with n map
showing its extent, contributed by Professor
Henry Lewis of Pennsylvania, is very impor
tant, 1t seems well proven from the position in
which these implements are found, that they are
) at least as old as the formation so the determine
ton OF the time during which this gravel was laid
down is .u appToximat date for the existence 0f
this primitive race Professor Lewis goes into thus
subject of time very fully and his conclusions admit
of much shorter period than those of other geOo
gsts The graves first proven TO be post glacial
deposit, following closely upon the melting of the
great glaciers subsequent local glacier at the
headwaters of the Delaware. The problem then
resolves itself into merely the question of how long
time has elapsed since the melting of the glacier
The calculations based either upon the rate of
erosion Of river channels the rate of accumua.
non OF sediment in what are called ketto-holeS and
other places. These kettle-hoes curious bowl
snapped depressons found ahunaantly in all regions
near the southern line of the great iceield. The
Rev g. +. Wright hndb that the accumulation OF
peaty matter in typical kettle-holc in Massachu-
SETS whether caused by growt of vegetation by
winds and rams, equal to level deposit OF eight
feet IN thickness At the rate OF one uch a cen
Jury which s probably less than the true rate thus
would place the close of the glacial epoch at less
than ten thousand wears aga" Calculations by
4 Professor n. H. Winche,l based upon the recession
/. of the falls of ST. Anthony in the Mississippi Rivrr
are gwen as nearly conclusive, since the roc Ks
through which the narrow gorge is cut are horlz-
4 ontal and of unvarymg composition aud these falls
n were discovered IN 1850, and continuous record
n CT lhelr rec eSslon may De found since then. Pro-
81 lessor Wlnchel gives three separate measurements
q which result III the following terms OF wears re-
qured for the total recession VIZ. -12 1903 years
II 6.276 years: and POP years He holds that an
average of these rates.. $50 yearsIepresents the
n time which has elapsed since the max num cold of
& the last glacial epoch
N Thus we lind, that if any reliance is to he placed
Eupon such calculations, even If assume that the
IL Trenton gravel is of glacial age it is not nece-
RI sary to make it than thousand years old
4 and seemingly it may be considered much less
u The general execution OF the work is excellent
II the cuts numerous ana good especially those o
s. mint implements which remark ably well shown
n Under each cut the locality whore the specimen
= was found, and the comparative size of drawinl
and the original given. The general reader ano
the arch;eologst will find the volume Of interest
II and use.
"a A SKETCH OF ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY FROM
a IHALES TO CICERO. By JosEpH j. MAYOR, NJ A
81 l6mo. PIP. xvi, 254. Macmillan & Co.
This handy volume isone of the Pitt Press Series
n published by the Cambridge England Univcrst,
Press especially for the m students preparing fo
q the University local examinations. The author
formerly follow of Camb idge is now professor q
r Moral Philosophy at Kings College. London Set
ting out to supply to undergraduates what he re.
q members vainty seeking when he was in their po
siton, something which may help them to find thei
Il bearngsiu the new world into whchthey are plunged
& on first making acquaintance with such books a.
n Cicero's De Finibus or the Republic of Plato,
Professor Mayor has also succeeded IN preparing an
E interesting, useful and emnently readable manual
for educated persons in general. Besides presenting
the synopsis of the various systems essential az al
introduction to the formal history of philosophy hc
s. at pains to point out the substantial and
Il tant progress toward truth made by the ancient