LETTERS FEOM LADY LYELL. 165 



gratulations on the marriage which you announced.* Dr. 

 Mantell bears up with great fortitude against his chronic 

 complaint, and his spirits are surprisingly good. His new 

 work on organic remains, will, I hope, be successful, as it 

 is excellently fitted to popularize that branch of our science, 

 and to furnish the elements of different departments of fos- 

 sil zoology and botany. He has been obliged to give up 

 part of his practice. I wish he had done so sooner. He 

 and Mr. Lonsdale went on too long. We are rejoicing at 

 the East India Company having consented to give Dr. Fal- 

 coner five years' absence from professional duty (medical), 

 in order that he may stay in London and describe the Him- 

 alayan mammalian and reptilian remains found by him and 

 Captain C., and presented to the British Museum. You 

 will see in the proceedings of the Royal Asiatic Society, 

 what Falconer said in a lecture on the subject, and some 

 remarks of mine on the same. I am much obliged to your 

 son for so promptly publishing the abstracts I sent of my 

 papers on American Geology. They come out so tardily 

 now in our proceedings, that I am glad to have a voice in 

 your Journal. Mr. Darwin has lately published an excel- 

 lent little volume on volcanic islands, and he and I are 

 impatient to see your son-in law's work on the coral islands 

 of the Pacific. Pray, remember us to all your family, not 

 omitting Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard, and believe me, my dear 

 sir, 



Most truly yours, 



CHARLES LYELL. 



FROM LADY LYELL. 



December 10, 1849. 



WE saw Dr. Mantell the other day. Though he 



is often ill, his energy is quite wonderful, and he is better 

 than some months ago. You will be sure to have heard 

 from him his wonderful discoveries about the Belemnite and 



* The marriage of Professor Dana to Miss Henrietta, daughter of Profes- 

 sor Silliman. F. 



