LYELL. 311 



history science, than all that is done by the spe- 

 culations and compilations of voluminous authors." 

 Dr. Arnold made collections of Norfolk fossils, 

 and catalogued them, whilst his young friend 

 endeavoured to make a geological map of the 

 county. In the vacation Lyell and two friends 

 went to Staffa, and his description of the grand 

 columns of the old volcanic stone shows how he 

 enjoyed and comprehended the scene. 



In 18 18 the family of the Lyells made a tour in 

 France, Switzerland, and Italy, and the notes, 

 letters, and diaries of the eldest son have been 

 preserved, and they show how gradually, yet surely, 

 he was educating himself for that path which he, 

 subsequently, never deserted. France was not very 

 lively, but he noticed the country more than the 

 people, and observed the country changed with 

 the soil. He spent his first Sunday at Paris, and 

 went to the Jardin des Plantes the first thing on 

 Monday morning, but was disappointed by not 

 hearing Cuvier lecture. In the evening he went to 

 see the great fountains at Versailles, where Wel- 

 lington was dining with some French marshals. 

 Day after day the wonderful sights of Paris were 

 visited ; but Lyell, whenever he had the opportunity, 

 slipped off to the Jardin des Plantes. He was much 

 struck with the collection of comparative anatomy, 

 which he said might tempt anyone who had the 

 opportunity of staying in Paris, to take up ardently 

 the study of anatomy. He studied Cuvier's work 

 on fossil remains, and on the geology of the 



