X GEOLOGICAL REFORM 313 



every page of the &quot; Principles of Geology &quot; ? I 

 think that he who writes fairly the history of his 

 own progress in geological thought, will not be 

 able to separate his debt to Hutton from his 

 obligations to Lyell ; and the history of the pro 

 gress of individual geologists is the history of 

 geology. 



No one can doubt that the influence of uniform- 

 itarian views has been enormous, and, in the 

 main, most beneficial and favourable to the 

 progress of sound geology. 



Nor can it be questioned that Uniformitarianism 

 has even a stronger title than Catastrophism to 

 call itself the geological speculation of Britain, or, 

 if you will, British popular geology. For it is 

 eminently a British doctrine, and has even now 

 made comparatively little progress on the con 

 tinent of Europe. Nevertheless, it seems to me 

 to be open to serious criticism upon one of its 

 aspects. 



I have shown how unjust was the insinuation 

 that Hutton denied a beginning to the world. 

 But it would not be unjust to say that he persist 

 ently in practice, shut his eyes to the existence 

 of that prior and different state of things which, 

 in theory, he admitted ; and, in this aversion to 

 look beyond the veil of stratified rocks, Lyell 

 follows him. 



Hutton and Lyell alike agree in their indis 

 position to carry their speculations a step beyond 



