So far but few traces of man’s presence in the caves had been detected, and, when found, had generally been explained away as later intrusions, though human occupations had been proved in Franconia, in the French caves explored by MM. Tournai de Christol and Marcel de Serres in the south of France in 1828, and later by the discoveries of Dr. Schmerling in the caves of Liège about 1832. [Sidenote: =Liège.=] From the forty caves examined Dr. Schmerling found not only bones of extinct animals, but also a few human bones, and a large number of bone and flint implements and flakes, which he attributed to human workmanship. Unfortunately, these discoveries were discredited both by Dr. Buckland and Sir Charles Lyell, but have since been fully substantiated by Dr. E. Dupont.[91] Footnote 91: _Les Temps Antéhist. en Belgique_, 1871. [Sidenote: =Kent’s Cavern.=] The most important of all the cave explorations in England is that of Kent’s Cavern, Torquay. This cavern was known from time immemorial; but the first investigation recorded was that of Mr. Northmore, of Cleeve, Exeter, who visited it in 1824, in expectation of finding evidence of the worship of Mithras. The next year he returned there again, accompanied by the Rev. J. MacEnery, the Roman Catholic chaplain at Tor Abbey, whose name will always be honourably connected with the explorations of the cave. He was not a geologist or a palæontologist, but to him fell the distinction of discovering the first flint implement ever found in unmistakable association with remains of extinct animals. On another occasion he visited the cave together with Mr. Northmore and Dr. Buckland. “Nothing remarkable was discovered that day, excepting the tooth of a rhinoceros and a flint blade. This was the first instance of the occurrence of British relics being noticed in this or, I believe, any other cave. Both these relics it was my good fortune to find.” He subsequently found many other flint implements, but Dr. Buckland was not convinced that they occurred in an undisturbed area. He believed that the ancient Britons had scooped out ovens in the stalagmite, and that through them the flint implements had reached their position in the cave earth. In 1846 the Torquay Natural History Society appointed a committee of investigation, consisting of Pengelly and two others, who confirmed MacEnery’s discovery of flint implements in conjunction with extinct animals. Nevertheless, their evidence was not accepted. In Pengelly’s words: “The scientific world ... told us that our statements were impossible, and we simply responded with the remark that we had not said they were possible, only that they were true.”[92] Footnote 92: _Kent’s Cavern_, 1876. Lecture delivered at Glasgow (1875). [Sidenote: =Lake Dwellings.=]