20 APPENDIX. 



suggest. I know not where he is, prohably at the Salopian coffee-house, 

 but I believe Mr. Young knows. 



Yours truly, 



CHARLES LYELL. 



[No date affixed, but received February 17th, 1839]. 



It has been often said that there is but one step from the 

 sublime to the ridiculous. Here we have Mr. Thomas Haw- 

 kins, F.G.S., willing to forego the chance of his thousand 

 pounds, — flinging to the winds all his solemn protestations, — 

 and resorting to the pitiful expedient of getting Dr. Buckland 

 to suggest that I should make "some sort of verbal apology." !!! 

 Now I was very very far from courting the honour of break- 

 ing a lance with this said Mr. Hawkins, in the Court of Com- 

 mon Pleas, however grateful the neighbouring hotel-keepers 

 might feel under the prospect of being intrusted with the care 

 of half a hundred subpoenaed spectators ; but I was still less 

 ambitious of calling in the aid of a go-between, to mediate 

 betwixt me and the Glastonbury champion. For this and 

 other equally cogent reasons, I declined, in as courteous a 

 manner as I could, a proposal originating with Dr. Buckland, 

 that I should have an interview with him to talk over the 

 matter. 



The next communication I received, was from a gentleman 

 towards whom I have reason for entertaining the highest feel- 

 ings of respectful regard, — the Rev. J. Forshall, the Secretary 

 of the British Museum. 



No. 11. 

 Dear Charlesworth, 



Dr. Buckland has called upon me in reference to some 

 dispute between you and M. T. Hawkins. Dr. Buckland seems to think 

 that you are ignorant of the facts of the case, and that I may possibly be 

 able to explain them to you. 



Have you any objection to come and see me ? 



Yours very truly, 

 British Museum, J. FORSHALL. 



18th Feb. 1839. 



I most readily complied with Mr. Forshall's proposal, but 

 the only result was his writing to Dr. Buckland, to inform him 

 of the unsuccessful nature of the interview which followed. 



I presumed that the idea of frightening me into the admis- 

 sion that I did not mean what I said, was now abandoned as 

 hopeless. Five or six weeks had passed, and neither iheheavens 

 nor the earth exhibiting any extraordinary acceleration of their 

 movements, I was beginning to suspect that Mr. Hawkins 

 had had a change come " o'er the spirit of his dreani,^' when 



