ch.ii.] CAMBRIDGE. 25 



ties, to some reading, and short tours. In the autumn my 

 whole time was devoted to shooting, chiefly at Woodhouse 

 and Maer, and sometimes with young Eyton of Eyton. 

 Upon the whole the three years which I spent at Cam- 

 bridge were the most joyful in my happy life; for I w r as 

 then in excellent health, and almost always in high spirits. 



As I had at first come up to Cambridge at Christmas, 

 I was forced to keep two terms after passing my final ex- 

 amination, at the commencement of 1831 ; and Henslow 

 then persuaded me to begin the study of geology. There- 

 fore on my return to Shropshire I examined sections, and 

 coloured a map of parts round Shrew r sbury. Professor Sedg- 

 wick intended to visit North Wales in the beginning of Au- 

 gust to pursue his famous geological investigations amongst 

 the older rocks, and Henslow asked him to allow me to 

 accompany him.* Accordingly he came and slept at my 

 father's house. 



A short conversation with him during this evening pro- 

 duced a strong impression on my mind. Whilst examining 

 an old gravel-pit near Shrewsbury, a labourer told me that 

 he had found in it a large worn tropical Volute shell, such 

 as may be seen on chimney-pieces of cottages ; and as he 

 would not sell the shell, I was convinced that he had really 

 found it in the pit. I told Sedgwick of the fact, and he at 

 once said (no doubt truly) that it must have been thrown 

 away by some one into the pit; but then added, if really 

 embedded there it would be the greatest misfortune to 

 geology, as it would overthrow all that we know about the 

 superficial deposits of the Midland Counties. These gravel- 

 beds belong in fact to the glacial period, and in after years 

 I found in them broken arctic shells. But I was then utter- 

 ly astonished at Sedgwick not being delighted at so won- 

 derful a fact as a kopical shell being found near the surface 

 in the middle of England. Nothing before had ever made 

 me thoroughly realise, though I had read various scientific 

 books, that science consists in grouping facts so that gen- 

 eral laws or conclusions may be drawn from them. 



Next morning we started for Llangollen, Conway, Ban- 



_ * In connection with this tour my father used to tell a story about Sedg- 

 wick : they had started from their inn one morning, and had walked a mile or 

 two, when Sedgwick suddenly stopped, and vowed that he would return, 

 being certain " that damned scoundrel" (the waiter) had not given the cham- 

 bermaid the sixpence intrusted to him for the purpose. He was ultimately 

 persuaded to give up the project, seeing that there was no reason for suspect- 

 ing the waiter of perfidy. F. D. 



