Life, Letters and Journals of Sir Charles Lyell, Bart, Volume 1J. Murray, 1881 - 489 pages |
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admiration affectionate brother afterwards Airlie Castle Alps amused arrived Auvergne Babbage Bartley beautiful beds believe boys Buckland called carriage Catalonia chalk CHARLES LYELL church cliffs collection conchology Constant Prévost Conybeare Cuvier dear Father delighted Deshayes dined dinner Edinburgh England English feet Fitton Forfarshire fossils France French gave Gefle Geological Society geologist geology GIDEON MANTELL give glad grand half hear hills hope insects Ischia Isle Isle of Wight Kinnordy ladies lake lectures letter limestone London look Lord Malmö marl miles Mont morning mountains Murchison never night o'clock paper Paris Prévost Professor Pyrenees river road rocks sand Scrope Sedgwick seen shells Sicily Somerville species specimens Stony Cross talk things thought tion to-day told tour town travertin truly valley volcanic walk week yesterday
Popular passages
Page 467 - In regard to the origination of new species, I am very glad to find that you think it probable that it may be carried on through the intervention of intermediate causes. I left this rather to be inferred, not thinking it worth while to offend a certain class of persons by embodying in words what would only be a speculation.
Page 247 - Cuvier's sanctum sanctorum yesterday, and it is truly characteristic of the man. In every part it displays that extraordinary power of methodising which is the grand secret of the prodigious feats which he performs annually without appearing to give himself the least trouble. But before I introduce you to this study, I should tell you that there is first the museum of natural history opposite his house, and admirably arranged by himself, then the anatomy museum connected with his dwelling. In the...
Page 73 - Mont Blanc is the monarch of mountains: They crowned him long ago, On a throne of rocks, in a robe of clouds, With a diadem of snow.
Page 468 - When I first came to the notion, which I never saw expressed elsewhere, though I have no doubt it had all been thought out before, of a succession of extinction of species, and creation of .new ones, going on perpetually now, and through an indefinite period of the past, and to continue for ages to come, all in accommodation to the changes which must continue in the inanimate and habitable earth, the idea struck me as the grandest which I had ever conceived, so far as regards the attributes of the...
Page 269 - If we don't irritate, which I fear that we may (though mere history), we shall carry all with us. If you don't triumph over them, but compliment the liberality and candour of the present age, the bishops and enlightened saints will join us in despising both the ancient and modern physico-theologians.
Page 468 - ... times. Now if it be an insect it may be made in one of its transformations to resemble a dead stick, or a leaf, or a lichen, or a stone, so as to be somewhat less easily found by its enemies ; or if this would make it too strong, an occasional variety of the species may have this advantage conferred on it ; or if this would be still too much, one sex of a certain variety. Probably there is scarcely a dash of colour on the wing or body of which the choice would be quite arbitrary, or which might...
Page 33 - ... though by no means general exaltation through Oxford. This is a complete Whig college, which you need not go twice into the common room to discover. They pretend that it was by far the greatest support of Lord Grenville, which is sufficiently improbable ; because, though we are strong in the number of resident members, the number of names on our books is very few, consequently there are some colleges much smaller who have double and treble the quantity of votes. Most of the men here come from...
Page 232 - It will not pretend to give even an abstract of all that is known in geology, but it will endeavour to establish the principle of reasoning in the science ; and all my geology will come in as illustration of my views of those principles, and as evidence strengthening the system necessarily arising out of the admission of such principles...
Page 315 - that they considered some of my doctrines startling enough, but could not find that they were come by otherwise than in a straightforward manner, and (as I appeared to think) logically deducible from the facts, so that whether the facts were true or not, or my conclusions logical or otherwise, there was no reason to infer that I had made my theory from any hostile feeling towards revelation".
Page 248 - ... which everything on that subject is systematically arranged, so that in the same work he often takes the round of many apartments. But the ordinary studio contains no book-shelves. It is a longish room, comfortably furnished, lighted from above, and furnished with eleven desks to stand to, and two low tables, like a public office for so many clerks. But all is for the one man, who multiplies himself as author, and admitting no one into this room, moves as he finds necessary, or as fancy inclines...