1 80 SURVEY OF THE SNO WDON REGION CHAP, v 



laughed prodigiously. Before dinner, when some of us 

 looked a little displeased, and Ibbetson and Henfrey 

 remonstrated, Soyer looked round for the meekest 

 man, and seizing Van Voorst, " Come," said he, " let us 

 talk it over," and marched him away arm in arm. 



' It was glorious to hear Jules Jamin reply for the 

 press, so rich was he in French grimace. Forbes I 

 spirited up to reply for the Lions, which he did in a 

 great row, but with great humour.' 



In spite of the multifarious London duties of this 

 winter and spring, Ramsay contrived to secure a few 

 days in the field, inspecting some of the joint work of 

 Forbes and Bristow in the Isle of Wight and along 

 the Dorsetshire coast. Of this pleasant but brief 

 Easter excursion he records as follows : 



1 Easier Monday. At the railway-station met 

 Lyell and Bristow. Forbes met us at Southampton, 

 and so, by way of Lymington and Yarmouth, we got 

 to Freshwater Gate by half-past six, and dined at 

 half-past seven. I liked Lyell better ; he was often 

 anecdotical, but principally geological all day. He 

 laughed tremendously when Bristow said his portman- 

 teau was so heavy because it contained De la Beche's 

 new "Geological Observer." 1 



* 2$th April. Spent the whole day at Warbarrow. 

 Forbes has certainly made a capital story of his divi- 

 sions of the Purbecks, which we must follow if 

 possible. We saw a splendid section all along the 

 coast from thence to Kimeridge Bay, where we got at 

 five, and came back in the fly. 



'We all like Lyell much. He is anxious for 



1 The first edition of this portly volume, not being divided into chapters, 

 was a formidable piece of reading, more especially as Sir Henry's style was not 

 always of the clearest. The book was sometimes irreverently called by outsiders 

 *The Jermyn Street Bible.' 



