DARWIN S25 



Lijell (1797-1875) 



Charles Lyell, the great geologist, who influ- 

 enced the mind of Darwin far more than any of 

 his other predecessors, believed in natural cau- 

 sation as part of his doctrine of uniformity. He 

 had been teaching that "as often as certain forms 

 of animals and plants disappeared, for reasons 

 quite unintelligible to us, others took their place 

 by virtue of a causation, which was quite beyond 

 our comprehension." He had carefully studied, 

 and rejected, the Lamarckian explanation. The 

 first edition of his Principles of Geology is of 

 historic interest and importance, because a copy 

 of it was taken by young Darwin on the Beagle, 



Citations such as the following^ most clearly 

 express LyelFs attitude toward the evolution 

 idea of Lamarck, or as much of Lyell's real opin- 

 ion as he was wilhng to put into print, because 

 there can be little doubt that he was at heart an 

 evolutionist : 



The name of species, observes Lamarck, has been 

 usually applied to "every collection of similar indi- 

 viduals, produced by other individuals like them- 

 selves." . . . 



In order to shake this opinion, Lamarck enters 

 upon the following line of argument. The more we 



iCharles Lyell: Principles of Geology, 1832, vol. II, pp. 3, 7, 

 18, 27. 



