SIR CHARLES LYELL. 255 



Once in Paris, the stimulus of great minds did 

 its accustomed work developed and beautified 

 another mind. He attended a levee at Alexander 

 Brongniart's, "who among the English geologists 

 has the highest reputation both for knowledge and 

 agreeable manners of all the French savans" he 

 wrote home to his father. Again he wrote : " My 

 reception at Cuvier's last Saturday will make me 

 feel myself at liberty to attend his soirees next 

 week, and they are a great treat. He was very 

 polite, and invited me to attend the Institute 

 on Monday. There he introduced me to several 

 geologists, and put me in an excellent place for 

 hearing 



"Humboldt addressed me, as Duvau had done, 

 with, 'I have the honor of being familiar with 

 your name, as your father has labored with no 

 small success in botany, particularly the cryptoga- 

 mise. . . .' He was not a little interested in hear- 

 ing me detail the critiques which our geologists 

 have made on his last geological work. a work 

 which would give him a rank in science if he had 

 never published aught besides. He made me a 

 present of his work, and I was surprised to find 

 how. much he has investigated the details of our 

 English strata. ... He appears to work hard at 

 astronomy, and lives in a garret for the sake of 

 that study. The King of Prussia invited him to 

 adorn his court at the last Congress ; thence he 

 went to Vesuvius just after the grand eruption, and 

 brought away much geological information on that 



