Geological facts; or, the crust of the earth, what it is, and what are its usesBarrett, W. G. (William Garland)
Religion
Geological facts; or, the crust of the earth, what it is, and what are its uses
Barrett, W. G. (William Garland)
Geology
We give below a drawing of the “_Mastodon Ohioticus_;” for the following
account of which we are indebted to the same source. It will be found in
Room 6, figure 1.—“This fine skeleton was purchased by the trustees of
the British Museum of Albert Koch, a well-known collector of fossil
remains; who had exhibited, in the Egyptian Hall, Piccadilly, under the
name of the Missourium, or Leviathan of the Missouri, an enormous
osteological monster, constructed of the bones of this skeleton,
together with many belonging to other individuals—the tusks being fixed
in their sockets so as to curve outwards on each side of the head. From
this heterogeneous assemblage of bones, those belonging to the same
animal were selected, and are articulated in their natural
juxtaposition.”[120]
[Illustration:
FOSSIL HUMAN SKELETON, FROM GUADALOUPE. (The original 4 feet 2 inches
long, by 2 feet wide.)
]
[Illustration:
PLAN OF THE CLIFF AT GAUDALOUPE.
]
In Wall-case D of the British Museum, may be seen a fossil skeleton of a
human being, brought from the island of Guadaloupe, the consideration of
which must for ever remove any idea that may exist about man being
contemporaneous with the theroidal mammals of which we have been
speaking.[121] Professor Whewell has remarked that the “gradation in
form between man and other animals is but a slight and unimportant
feature in contemplating the great subject of the origin of the human
race. Even if we had not revelation to guide us, it would be most
unphilosophical to attempt to trace back the history of man, without
taking into account the most remarkable facts in his nature: the facts
of civilization, arts, government, speech—his traditions—his internal
wants—his intellectual, moral, and religious constitution. If we will
attempt a retrospect, we must look at all these things as evidence of
the origin and end of man’s being; and we do thus comprehend, in one
view, the whole of the argument—it is impossible for us to arrive at an
origin homogeneous with the present order of things. On this subject,
the geologist may, therefore, be well content to close the volume of the
earth’s physical history, and open that divine record which has for its
subject the moral and religious nature of man.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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