At a very early period of the world's history, midway, it is conjectured, between the glacial and basaltic epochs--that is to say, about 100,000 years before the creation of the world--there appears to have prevailed an unusual divergence in the normal stature of the mammal bipeds in the county of Cornwall.
Fossil remains indicate the primeval existence of an undersized race whose average height has been ascertained to be 4 feet 8.30562 inches.
This precise figure has been calculated by a member of this society, from the measurement of an apparently human footprint discovered in the chalk deposit thrown up in course of the erection of a public lamp, in the vicinity of the Assembly Room.

As the heavy rains of the last few days have unfortunately obliterated this interesting impression, the society is to be congratulated on the prescience of the member who was energetic enough to measure it while still existent.
In contrast to this diminutive race we have discovered traces of a gigantic race, still in existence.

Three of these remarkable beings inhabit this locality, where they occupy high positions as proprietors of the leading hostelries of the place.

Indeed, I _may_ say that the members of the society at the present time at Giants' Bay have the good fortune to be quartered on the premises of one of these singular specimens of a mammoth prehistoric civilisation.

An opportunity is about to be given to each member singly to inspect the phenomenon thus opportunely brought under observation.
It need hardly be stated that the collaboration of the individual reports which it is proposed to make promises to result in one of the most important contributions to anthropological science which has ever been placed on record.