BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCH OF ISAAC LEA, LL. D. XXXV 



The fact was, the young- man was ignorant of the subject of geology 

 altogether, and pretended to instruct about two hundred intelligent 

 persons present. Professor Sedgwick could not contain himself long, 

 and turning his eagle eye upon him, he asked if he really meant to say 

 so and so; to Mhicli he answered that he did. "Then I tell you," said 

 the professor, " that you know nothing of the subject of geology." " Oh, 

 if you say so, I will stop," was the reply, and doubling up his paper he 

 disappeared entirely. 



At a lecture (in the great hall) on photography, delivered by Mr. Hunt, 

 Mr. EIoi)kius, the president, was in the chair. The whole was excellent, 

 with admirable illustrations, diagrams, &c. Dr. Lea was i)laced on the 

 idatform near the president and Colouel Sabine.* 



Subsequently Dr. Lea went with an excursion party to Beverly, where 

 he visited the fine minster with Sir William Hamilton, and afterwards 

 riamborough Head with a large party of geologists and ladies, alto- 

 gether some eighty, who went to hear Sedgwick and Murchison explain 

 the geology of this high cliff". Among the i)artj' were Sir William Ham- 

 ilton, Colonel Sabine, Professors Johnston, Eedfern, Charlesworth, and 

 others. Eeturniug to Beverly, the party dined by invitation with the 

 cor[)oration. The mayor placed the lady mayoress and Dr. Lea on his 

 right, Professor Phillips on his left. 



Before leaving Hull Dr. Lea made an appointment with Professor 

 Strickhuid to see him in Oxford, or at Tewkesbury, where he resided; 

 but the following day he met with that terrible accident which deprived 

 England of one of its ablest geologists. t 



Arriving in London Dr. Lea called on some of his scientific friends. 

 Dr. Lankester he found engaged in his microscopic investigation of in- 

 fusoria of fresh and salt water. He had plants and animals in an 

 aquarium where the water was never changed, the equilibrium being 

 thus perfectly preserved. Dr. Lea called upon Lovel Peeve, with 

 whom he had previously corresponded. He reminded Dr. Lea of their 

 first meeting, in 1831}, when he waited on Dr. Lea in a grocery shop 

 on Ludgate Hill. The latter saw, when passing the shop, some shells 

 in the window, and, being attracted by them, went in. He found some 

 new Uniones and other desirable specimens, of which he purchased a 

 considerable number. Now Mr. Peeve was the owner and editor of the 

 London Literary Gazette, and Iconography, both of which were entirely 

 .successful as a profitable investment, and he had reputation as a man of 

 science, being connected with some of the scientific societies of London. 



On a visit to Sir Charles Lyell, he informed Dr. Lea of some discov- 

 eries which had been made in the coal formation of Kova Scotia, a bone 

 of a new animal, which Professor Wj^man had called Dendrerpetoii aca- 



* Sir Edward Sabine, since j^jeneral, and president of tlie Eoyal Society. 



tHe Avas struck by a locomotive coniinji: out of a tunnel, where ho was making a 

 sketch. His wife was the daughter of Sir William Jardine, Bart., the ornithologist, 

 who had previously given Dr. Lea an invitation to Jardine Hall. 



