6 
Proceedings of the Royal Society 
French politicians and thoughtful men of letters of the nineteenth 
century, and the philosophy of mind has lost one of its ablest 
expositors, though he may not have ranked among its discoverers 
and leaders. 
Charles Lyell was born at Kinnordy, in Forfarshire, on 14th 
November 1797, and died in London 22d February 1875. He was 
on our list of British Honorary Fellows. His early education was 
obtained at Midhurst, in Sussex. He went thereafter to Oxford, and 
there obtained his A.M. degree in 1821. Whilst at Oxford he had 
the advantage of attending Dr Buckland’s lectures, then Professor 
of Geology. On leaving the university, he studied for the English 
bar; but finding this line of life not likely to be congenial, and 
having the means of living without the aid of a profession, he 
betook himself to geology. The seed sown by Dr Buckland had 
been dropped into soil fitted to its germination and rapid develop- 
ment. 
Probably Lyell’s first paper was an account of a “ Recent 
Formation of Freshwater Linn stone in Forfarshire,” his native 
county. This was very soon Allowed by many other papers, 
written at places visited by him in Hampshire and Dorsetshire. 
These were read before the Geological Society of London, of which 
he had become member. In the year 1824 he had shown such 
knowledge of geology, that he was elected one of the Honorary 
Secretaries of the Society. 
In 1827 he contributed to the “Quarterly” a review of Mr 
Poulett Scrope’s “ Geology of Central France.” 
Shortly afterwards, he published his “ Principles of Geology,” 
the work in which he first showed his distrust of old geological 
maxims, and started his own original conceptions. Most geologists 
before his day had attempted to explain many things by assuming 
that the natural agencies of bygone times had been much more 
powerful than now. On the other hand, Lyell maintained that the 
natural agencies now on our planet were capable of producing 
all the effects observed, if only sufficient time was allowed for 
their operation. 
These new views attracted great attention. The demand for the 
book in which they were explained was so great, that it went 
