Notebook No.122, 25 September 1845 - 3 October 1845

This notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s visit to the United States of America (started in previous notebook, Number 121), continuing his travels throughout parts of New England, including Massachusetts, Maine, and New Hampshire. The notes are comprised of discussions about politics and religion, supplemented by commentary about social life, in New England and the United States more broadly, and field notes and observations, including some sketches, of the natural history of the visited regions. Notes are in ink and pencil. The index is located in the back of the notebook on pages 105, 107, 109, 111, 113-115, plus one unnumbered page at the end.

The following table of contents is Lyell's own words, copied from Lyell's own "Index", found at the end of the notebook, transcribed from digital surrogates using the platform Transkribus. When known, Lyell's abbreviations and contractions have been expanded using brackets [ ]. Abbreviations in standard use, such as two letter abbreviations for United States place names, have not been expanded. When writing is unclear, and transcription is not possible, this is denoted using [...]. Quotation marks are Lyell's own notation for ditto, as is the abbreviation "do". The inclusion of [sic] indicates the misspelling of a word is deliberate and taken from the notebook. There are numerous margin notations in this index. X is used to mark a pencil cross made at certain entries. It is not clear if this notation is written contemporaneously or later. A few crosses are accompanied with a ‘?’. At times Lyell has included dates (inner left margin) and these have been inserted at the beginning of the appropriate section.

Index 122.
p. 1 X Landed property of great does not lead to political power
p. 1 X Catholic Govenor [sic Governor] of Maine
p. 1 X Primogeniture in Engl[and]. not understood
p. 3 X List of shells, arctic drift, Gardiner
p. 5 X - [List of shells] & Walrus
p. 6 X Clay Gardiner 170 ft. on Kennebeck [sic Kennebec]
p. 6 X Freezing of river above Bath
p. 6 Indian representation
p. 8 Boulder 6 ft. diam[eter]. mica schist
p. 8 Factories fine muslins
p. 8 Boulders Hollowell [sic Hallowell] (close to clay at G[ardiner])
p. 8 Granite of State Ho[use] 2 m. from River
p. 8 8 granite columns spacious building.
p. 8 Geolog[ical] survey
p. 8 X Govenor [sic Governor] a unitarian.
p. 8 Senate annually elected ! [exclamation mark] by 3
p. 10 Franchise 3 yr resid[ed]. adult male
p. 10 X Hemlock like yew yellow birch elm
p. 10 X Deep gulley
p. 12 X Unitarian or congregationalist
p. 12 X Clam shells mya.
p. 12 Sections of drift Gardiner
p. 12 X Plants list of
p. 14 Clergy in legislature why inefficient
p. 14 Circular saws
p. 14 X Drift as at Beauport Canada
p. 14 Tooth Gardiner drawing
[Note: There is a second drawing on notebook p. 16]
p. 16 X Maine like Sweden
p. 16 X Mica schist under clay at Angusta
p. 18 X Factories, Boston capital. Steam mills,
[p. 18] Squire Allen
p. 18 Why commercial men whig Clay & Polk
p. 20 X All Augusta 100 ft. drift as mica schist
[p. 20] Augusta at head of steam navigat[ion].
[p. 20] X Ice at Bath
p. 22 X Too rich to be a senator
p. 22 X Yet the senate a check
p. 22 Judges how appointed - paid
p. 22 X The rich how protected
p. 24 X The drift like L[ake]. Champlain newer Plio[cene]
p. 26 Ledge at Augusta except[ion].
p. 26 X Steamer Huntress crew
p. 28 X Small landed proprietors rule
p. 28 X Great ones or the few ostracized.
p. 28 X Mills chiefly water power, some steam
p. 30 X Lakes more numerous than in maps
p. 30 X Conical Hills of drift
p. 30 X Hay of Maine going S[outh].
p. 32 X Richmond on Kennebeck [sic Kennebec]. ships build[ing].
p. 32 X Indian corn summer often too cold
p. 32 Newspapers in every village
p. 32 Negros in Maine
p. 32 - [Negros] live at public cost – paupers
p. 32 X Attornies [sic Attorneys] address juries
p. 32 X Councillors help supreme Court
p. 34 X Sugar maple colour of leaves
p. 34 X Pine & birch. Eagle seen
p. 34 X No two grades in law
p. 34 & 36 X Mighles [sic Mighels] Dr. shells, drift [‘drift’ added later?]
p. 38 Andros coggin [sic Androscoggin] fossils
p. 38 Adams finds Nucula portlandica in Champlain clay
p. 38 X First lawyer consulted personally
p. 38 Romanism spreading in West, modified
p. 40 Nucula portlandica range of –
p. 40 X Arctic drift - [range of]
p. 40 X Standish 16 m.
p. 40 Pro [‘lige’ deleted] rege lige grege
[Latin: Pro rege lige grege = bind the flock for the king]
p. 41 X Dr. Nichol [sic Nichols] Portland Unitarian church
p. 41 Hoch ruling vice Presbytery
28 Sept.
p. 41 Portland clay every where
p. 41 X Hen hawk. Pines
p. 41 X Crickets & sweet - fern
p. 42 X New England village green shutters
p. 42 X Turnpikes - roads how made
p. 42 X Geology roches moutonnées
p. 42 X Gorham ripening of Maize.
p. 44 X Hard hack [sic Hardhack]. Alders
p. 44 “Not peticlar [sic particular]”
p. 44 X Dr. Nichol [sic Nichols] – liturgy & prayers.
p. 44 X Cold nights & hot days
p. 45 X Cheap travelling.
p. 46 X Plants list of
Sept 29.
p. 46 X Standish Maine grass hoppers [sic grasshoppers]
[p. 46] Geology mica schist.
[p. 46] X Low country
p. 48 X Boarding House
p. 48 X Unitarians become Episcopalians
p. 48 Gorham church sold, various sects
p. 48 X Inn “Feels at home”
p. 48 X Work on Phrenology.
p. 51 X Everetts Fanueil Hall speech
p. 51 X New England Inn landlord & lady
p. 51 X State-patriotism useful
p. 52 X Standish, geology of & Plants
p. 52 X Electric telegraph. [‘at’ deleted] Inn talk,
p. 52 X “Fellow democrats” etc.
p. 54 X “Henry Clay Pres[ident]. for 1848”
p. 54 X List of plants betw[een]. Portl[and]. & W[hite]. Mountains [-‘tains’ interlined]
p. 56 X Snow at Standish, Inn talk.
p. 56 Introducing strangers in U.S.
p. 56 Singing not much in Unitarian chapels [-‘pels’ interlined]
p. 56 X No negros in Maine, climate
p. 56 Abolition lecture
p. 57 X? Gilt cross gilded. Portl[and].
p. 58 Boarding Ho[use] - manners
p. 58 X State constitut[ion] written
p. 58 & 62 X Tariff (inn talk.)
p. 60 X - [Tariff] will not be reduc[ed]- because the democrats are extravagant
p. 60 Unitarians without articles.
[p. 60] ?X Land shells scarcity of
p. 62 Whigs are [‘are’ underlined] what democrats were [‘were’ underlined]
p. 62 Unitarians – [? fiscal] creeds
p. 64 X Uniformity of law decisions
p. 64 X House martin – storm of 1836
p. 64 Henhawk [sic Hen hawk]
30 – Sept.
p. 64 Standish to Baldwin 8 m.
[p. 64] X Red oak with red leaf
p. 64 X White & rock sugar maples
[p. 64] Wages in Maine 10$ a month
p. 66 Farming
[p. 66] X Geology granite quartz [‘r’ interlined]
[p. 66] Lumber trade 12 hours for 50 cents
[p. 66] Eagle 9 ft. from tip to tip
p. 66 X Baldwin & Hiram sweet fern. boulders.
p. 68 X White maple yellow with frost
p. 68 X Mullen [sic Mullein] Verbascum thapsus
p. 68 X Martin Ho[use] with 4. tiers
p. 70 X West Balwin [sic West Baldwin] maize precarious.
p. 70 X Gnaphalium. new clearings
[p. 70] X Education in Prussia by landlord
p. 70 X Saco river. Pteris aquilina
p. 70 X Temperance Inns here
p. 70 Hiram left b[ank]. of Saco
p. 72 Rattle snakes [sic Rattlesnakes] – aspens.
p. 72 Stump, fence - like elk horns
p. 72 X Brownfield 40 m from Portland
p. 72 X Blue Jay. Birds gone South.
p. 72 X Frost came 10th Sept[ember]. at Brownf[ield].
p. 72 X First hills 18 m from Portland
p. 72 Humming birds [sic Hummingbirds]
p. 70 X Woodpecker. Striped squirrel
p. 74 Consumption prevalent – Cuba
p. 74 X Pumpkins rich appearance
p. 74 X Smoking
p. 74 X Oaks now red. Pines
p. 76 X Sand & erratics Fryberg [sic Fryeburg]
p. 76 X Martin only 4 months here
[p. 76] Racoons here
p. 78 Fryberg [sic Fryeburg] enter[ed] N[ew]. Hampshire
p. 78 X Terrace of sand on Saco R[iver]
p. 78 X Health of Maine consumption.
p. 78 Men care worn women bony.
p. 78 Elms 60 yr old 10 ft. round
p. 79 X Pequaket [sic Pequawket] Ho[use]. Periodical literature
p. 79 X Mechanics associating with gently [gentleman?]
p. 80 X New Englanders gain educat[ion]. by teaching
p. 80 X Ologies at small schools
p. 80 X Shooting & fishing in Maine
p. 80 X Fossil fish Mallotus Caplan
p. 92 & 94 Upper terrace N[orth]. Conway
p. 81 X Reading of Coningsby
p. 81 X Conway, heavy rain.
p. 81 X The Press in the U.S. literary
p. 83 X Conway, plants, chequer berry [sic checkerberry] etc
p. 83 X Great granite boulder
p. 83 X Walk Conway geology & botany
[Note: p. 83 is a blank page, these notes are on p. 82]
p. 84 X Boulder view from Haver Hill [sic Haverhill]
p. 86 Difference of scenery & birds from Scotland & insects – bears.
p. 86 X Equality of sects, sects numerous.
p. 87 X West Conway - tortoise
p. 87 X [West Conway] "Every man his own tenants"
p. 88 Maine people brown but child are fair
p. 88 Coons but no possums
p. 88 X Granite angular – Bright foliage
p. 90 X Sugar made from the maple
p. 90 X Grass hoppers [sic grasshoppers] called shakers
p. 90 Firs' deciduous q[uer]y hemlock?
p. 90 X Robins migrate
p. 92 X Sweet fern not evergreen here
[p. 92] Conway orthodox
p. 92 & 94 Upper terrace N[orth]. Conway
p. 94 Bartlett. Geology. view of M[ount] Washington
[p. 94] X Sumac tree
p. 94 Post office in mountain village
p. 96 Geology Bartlett brickearth
[p. 96] Polk & Texas
[p. 96] X Bear recently killed
p. 96 Squirrel chirping like a bird
p. 96 Upper terrace at Bartlett -
p. 98 Hillocks like Indian mound
p. 98 Spruce fir & silver
p. 98 Large rough block of granite.
p. 98 Foliage & scenery of mountains.
p. 100 – torrents & sugar maple
p. 102 Hillocks of sand & boulder
p. 102 X Club-moss – dead brake Crawfords
p. 103 Consumption
p. 103 Crossing a brook.
p. 103 Sects & usefulness of them
p. 104Plants & animals – Conway
p. 104 X Sweet fern ceases
p. 104 Trout frozen & thawed (14 days)
p. 104 Sugar maple siamesed
p. 104 Wood chuck dormant
p. 106 X Jay bird
p. 106 X Willey Slide
p. 106 X Dike of greenstone at
p. 108 & 110 X Bare granite not smoothed & furrowed by the slide
p. 108 & 110, 112 X Trees 100 yrs old where slide
Oct 3rd 1845
p. 112 X Smoothed granite –
p. 112 X Notch House White Mount[ains].