Ch. II.] LYELL. 33 



formerly filled all tlio larger valleys. I published a short 

 account of what I saw in the Philosophical Magazine.* This 

 excursion interested me greatly, and it was the last time I was 

 ever strong enough to climb mountains or to take long walks 

 such as are necessary for geological work. 



During the early part of our life in London, I was strong 

 enough to go into general society, and saw a good deal of 

 several scientific men and other more or less distinguished 

 mon. I will give my impressions with respect to some of them, 

 though I have little to say worth saying. 



I saw more of Lyell than of any other man, both before and 

 after my marriage. His mind was characterised, as it appeared 

 to me, by clearness, caution, sound judgment, and a good deal 

 of originality. When I made any remark to him on Geology, 

 he never rested until he saw the whole case clearly, and often 

 made me see it more clearly than I had done before. He would 

 advance all possible objections to my suggestion, and even after 

 these were exhausted would long remain dubious. A second 

 characteristic was his hearty sympathy with the work of other 

 scientific men.f 



On my rot urn from the voyage of the Beagle, I explained to 

 him my views on coral-reefs, which differed from his, and 

 I was groatly surprised and encouraged by the vivid interest 

 which he showed. His delight in science was ardent, and he 

 felt the keenest interest in the future progress of mankind. 

 He was very kind-hearted, and thoroughly liberal in his 

 religious beliefs, or rather disbeliefs ; but he was a strong 

 theist. His candour was highly remarkable. He exhibited 

 this by becoming a convert to the Descent theory, though he 

 had gained much fame by opposing Lamarck's views, and this 

 after he had grown old. He reminded me that I had many 

 years before said to him, when discussing the opposition of the 

 old school of geologists to his new views, " What a good thing 

 it would be if every scientific man was to die when sixty years 

 old, as afterwards he would be sure to oppose all new doctrines." 

 But he hoped that now he might be allowed to live. 



The science of Geology is enormously indebted to Lyell — 

 more so, as I believe, than to any other man who ever lived. 

 When [I was] starting on the voyage of the Beagle, the 

 sagacious Henslow, who, like all other geologists, believed at 

 that time in successive cataclysms, advised me to get and study 



* Philosophical Magazine, 1842. 



t The slight repetition here observable is accounted for by the notes on 

 Lyell, &c, having been added in April, 1881, a few years after the rest of 

 the Recollectioni were written. — F. D. 



