Mabch 2, 1883. 



SCIENCE. 



Ill 



In 1832 he married Miss Horner, daughter 

 of Leonard Horner, one of the best of the 

 geologists of that daj-. It was a singularly 

 fortunate union, that lasted for more than 

 fortj' 3'ears. In all his subsequent work his 

 devoted wife had a large share of sympa- 

 thy, and often no small jjart of actual labor ; 

 while, bj' her rare graces of person and intel- 

 lect, she made his home more of an intel- 

 lectual centre than any other of its daj' in 

 England. 



In 1834 he made a careful journey- thi'ough 

 Denmark and Sweden, to stud^' the phenomena 

 of elevation and subsidence exhibited along 

 their shores. His journals in this expedition 

 show in an admirable way the power of com- 

 bining rapid travel with clear seeing, that so 

 marked his journeys. 



We cannot follow the interesting story of 

 his other journeys on the continent. Thej* 

 were all undertaken with the view of fixing 

 the data for his ' Principles.' There are few 

 books covering so wide a field that has been 

 so patiently, so devotedly labored. 



In the summer of 1841 Lj'ell made his first 

 journej' in the United States. He was specially 

 induced to the journej' by the offer of a course 

 of lectures in the Lowell institute, a prize that 

 has tempted so manj' distinguished men to 

 this country. When the history of science in 

 America comes to be written, this institution 

 will have to be credited with much of the best 

 help that has been given to its advancement. 

 Thirteen months of assiduous travel carried 

 him over a large part of the United States 

 and Canada.^ It is to be regretted that onlj- 

 half a dozen letters touch upon this interesting 

 journey, for thej- show a singularly clear and 

 just impression of the social conditions of that 

 time. It is curious to notice, that, in the first 

 letter, he indicates his half belief that the 

 negroes should be distinguished as a distinct 

 species from the Caucasian. In these letters 

 as well as in the record of his travels, in the 

 First visit to the United States, he shows 

 alwaj's a sense of hopefulness for our future, 

 and delight in our essential, though rather 

 material, success, that is in wide contrast with 

 the other travellers of that day. In the letter 

 to George Ticknor, Esq., written just after his 

 return to Great Britain, he shows a capital 

 power of discrimination between the good and 

 the evU of our land at that time. These letters 

 to Mr. Ticknor are among the most charming 

 in the second volume, showing him at his best ; 

 for his correspondent had the admirable power 



'itb geological observations. 



of putting all men to their best in their inter- 

 course with him. 



In 1845 we find him, with Faradaj-, a mem- 

 ber of a commission on collieiy-explosions. 

 His pictiire of Faradaj' is veiy interesting, 

 and shows a new side of that remarkable 

 character. 



In 1845 he again visited the United States, 

 remaining nine months. In this journej' he 

 saw the south once again, and found himself 

 much more content with the institution of 

 slaveiy ; for he now saw how much it had done 

 for the people not born in its toils. Unhap- 

 IDilj', his letters are not sufficientlj' numerous 

 to follow him on his geological work : the 

 reader maj', however, do this in his Second 

 visit to the United States. ■* He made two 

 other visits to this countiy, both much briefer 

 than his earlier journeys. One of them was 

 for a general and veiy successful series of lec- 

 tures before the Lowell institute ; and the last 

 as commissioner to the "world's fair" of New 

 York, of 1853. In 1854 he visited Madeira, 

 the last, and on some accounts one of the 

 most important, of his manj' journej's ; for it 

 completed his admirable studies of volcanoes. 

 From this time on, his work was mainly given 

 to the successive editions of his Manual and 

 Principles, and the Antiquitj' of man, no me- 

 moirs of importance appearing from his pen. 

 To this task of re-editing he added that of 

 adviser to all the rising geologists of England, 

 we maj' say of the world. His house, at 15 

 Harlej' Street, famous in an earlier day as the 

 home of Sir Arthur Welleslej', became the 

 centre of a brilliant societj' ; and in its kindly 

 offices his beautiful life went , slowlj' to its 

 end. In the spring of 1873 his wife died. 

 Pie struggled bravelj' against the burden of 

 time and care for neaiij' two j-ears, until, on 

 Feb. 22, 1875, he passed awaj' ; leaving one 

 of the purest memories that was ever gathered 

 in a life of nearlj' fourscore j'ears, and a place 

 among the students of the earth's structure 

 that can never be filled. 



It remains to speak of the work of the editor. 

 This seems remarkablj' well done. A small 

 and well-considered thread of narrative binds 

 the scattered letters and fragmentary journals 

 into a whole. We see the man, unconsciously 

 jDictured by himself, from his youth to his end. 

 An excellent list of his contributions to science 

 accompanies the work. 



It is to be regretted that the letters are not 

 twice as numerous. There are none to C 

 Provost or to Deshaj-es, and scarcely any to 



