The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1884-05-27
Prehistoric Man in Egypt
and Syria

A Gala Meeting vas held by the
Victoria Philosophical Institute of Lon,
don in the second week in May, at
which its members gave a worthy vel
come to Vice Chancellor Dawson, c. NJ.
G., of McGill University, Montreal. at
whose instance the British Association
visits Canada this year.
The Society Of Arts kindly lent its
premises for the occasion, and its great
theatre was crowded in every part long
before the hour Of meeting. The chair
was taken by Sir H Barkly, G. c. NJ.
G., K. C. B f. r. S. who-after the
new members had been announced by
Captain +. Petrie, neutrality-suspicious.
ed DR.. Dawson amid loud applause,
and asked him to deliver his Address:
It was on prehistoric Man in Egypt
aud Syria, and was illustrated by large
diagrams, also aint implements aud
bones collected by DR.. Dawson himself
on the spot during his winter tour in
the East; Professor Boyd-Dawkins, +.
r. S., kindly assisted in the classidca-
ton of the bones.
In dealing with his subject, DR..
Dawson remarked that, great interest
attaches to any remains which, in coun-
tries historically so old, may indicate
the residence Of man before the dawn
of history. In Egypt, nodules of flint
are very abundant in Eccene lime
stones, and, where these have been
wasted away, remain on the surface.
In many places there is good evidence
that the flint thus to be found every
where has been, and still is, used for
the manufacture of fakes, knives and
other implements. These. as is we'll
known, were used for many purposes
by the ancieuts Egyptians, and in mod
ern times gunaints and strike-lights
still continue to be made. The
debris Of worked fiuts found on the
surface is thus of little value as an in
dication of any flint-folk preceding the
old Egyptians. 1t would be otherwise
if flint implements could be found in
the older gravels Of the country. Some
of these are of Pleistocene age, and be-
long to period of partial submergence
of the Nile Valley. Flint implements
had been alleged to be found in these
gravels, but there seemed to be no
good evidence to prove that they are
other than the chips broken by mechan-
ical violence in the removal of the
gravel by torrcn!ial action.
In the Lebanon, numerous caverns
exist. These we're divided iuto two
classes, with reference to their origin /;
some being watcr-cavcs or tunnels Of
subterranean rivers. others sea-cavcs,
cxcavated by the waves when the ccun-
try was at lower level than at present
Both kinds have been occupied BY man,
and some Of them undoubtedly at
time anterior to the Phoniciau occupa-
ton of the country, aud even at time
when the animal inhabitants and geo.
graphical features Of the region were
different from those Of the present day.
They were thus Of various ages, rang
ing from the post-G lacial or .Antedilu-
Wan period to the time Of the Phenl-
clan occupation.
DR.. Dawson then remarked that
many geologists in these days had an
aversion to using the word 'Antldllu-
Wan, on account of the nature of the
work which, in years now gone by. uh-
learned people had attributed to the
Flood described in Scripture, but as the
aversion to the use of that word was,
he thought, not called for in these
days, he hoped it wonld pass away.
Speaking as geologist, from purely
geologi :al poiut Of view, and from
thorough examination Of the country
around, there was no doubt but what
there was conclusive evidence that be-
tween the time Of the first occupation
of these caves by men-and they we're
men of splendid physique-aud the
appearance of the early Pbenician in
habitants of the land, there had been
vast submergcucc Of land, aud great
catastrophe, aye stupcndous one, IN
which even the Mediterranean had been
altered from small sea to its present
size. In illustration of this, the cav
ems at the Pass of Nahr-el-Kcl5 and
at Ant Elias were described in some
detail, aud also, in connection with these,
the occurrence of flint implements on
the surface of modern sandstones at the
Cape Or Ras near Beyrout; these last
were probably Of much less antiquity
than those Of the more ancient caverns.
y discussion ensucd, which was
taken part in by number of distiu-
guishcd Fellows Of the Royal Society,
including Sir II. Barkly, L. r. S.,
Professors Wiltshire, +. r. S., War
ripgton Smith, F. r. S., Rupert
Jones, F. r. s.; Colonel Herschel,
+. r. S., the talented son of the late
Sir John Hcrschcl; DR.. Rae, +. r
S., the Arctic explorer DR.. Dawson,
+. r s.; Mr.. D. Howard, the vice
president of the Chemical Institute,
and other geologists.
The meeting afterwards adjourned to
the Museum, where refreshments were
served.
The Baptists.