48 AUTOBIOGRAPHY. 



pany 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 the 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 em- 

 bedded 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 utterly astonished at 

 Sedgwick not being delighted at so wonderful a fact as a 

 tropical 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 

 I science consists in grouping facts so that general laws or con- 

 clusions may be drawn from them. 



Next morning we started for Llangollen, Conway, Bangor, 

 and Capel Curig. This tour was of decided use in teaching 

 me a little how to make out the geology of a country. Sedg- 

 wick often sent me on a line parallel to his, telling me to 

 bring back specimens of the rocks and to mark the stratifica- 

 tion on a map. I have little doubt that he did this for my 

 good, as I was too ignorant to have aided him. On this tour 



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

 Sedgwick : 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 chambermaid the sixpence intrusted to him for the purpose. He was 

 ultimately persuaded to give up the project, seeing that there was no 

 reason for suspecting the waiter of especial perfidy. — F. D. 



