60 THE COMING [CH. 



he set himself down steadily to the task of seeing the 

 book through the press. It was at this time that 

 Lyell experienced a singular piece of good fortune, 

 comparable with that which befel Darwin thirty years 

 afterwards, by his book falling into the hands of a 

 very sympathetic reviewer. John Murray, who had 

 undertaken the publication of the Principles, was 

 also the publisher of the Quarterly Review, and 

 Lockhart, the editor of that publication, undertook 

 that an early notice of the book should appear, if the 

 proof-sheets were sent to the reviewer. Buckland 

 and Sedgwick were successively approached on the 

 subject of reviewing Ly ell's book, but both declined 

 on the ground of ' want of time ' ; though I strongly 

 suspect that their real motive in refusing the task 

 was a disinclination to attack as they would doubt- 

 less have felt themselves compelled to do a valued 

 personal friend. Conybeare was, fortunately, thought 

 to be out of the question, as Lockhart said he 

 ' promises and does not perform in the reviewing line.' 

 Very fortunately at this juncture, Lockhart, who 

 was in the habit of attending the Geological Society 

 and listening to the debates (for as he used to say 

 to his friends whom he took with him from the 

 Athenaeum, ' though I don't care for geology, yet I 

 do like to see the fellows fight ') thought of Scrope. 

 Although he had practically retired from the active 

 work of the Geological Society at this time, Scrope 



