The Antiquity of Man.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1797, 12 January 1884, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Antiquity of Man.

An interesting discovery, of mnoh importance for geological and archasological science, has recently been made in a coal mine at BullyGrenay, in the French department of Pas deOalaiß. A new gallery was being pierced, when a cavern was broken into, which discovered the fossil remains of five human beings in a fair state of preservation— a man, two women, and two children composed the group. The man measured about seven feet, the women six feet, and the ohildren four feet and rather less than this. In addition, some fragments of arms and utensils of petrified wood and of stone, with numerous remains of mammals and fish, were brought to light. A second subterranean chamber inclosed the remains of eleven human bodies of large size, several animals, and a large num ber of various objects, with some precious stones. The walla of the cave exhibited drawings representing men fighting with gigantic animals. Owing to the presence of carbonic anhydride a third and largsr chamber, which appeared t« be empty, was not searched. Five of the petrified human remains will be exhibited at the mayoralty^ of Lens. The remainder of the bodies which have been brought to the surface are to be conveyed to Lille, there to await a thorough examination by the experts of the Faculte dcs Sciences. Information has been telegraphed to the representatives of the Aoademie dcs Sciences of Paris and to those of the British Museum. If the discovery be a real one, no doabt can be entertained of the value of the find, which would, on the face of it, seem to show that prehistoric man is anything but a myth. — Lancet.