This red notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s visit to the United States of America (started in Notebook 121) recording his time spent around Georgia (Hopeton-on-the-Altamaha, Macon, Milledgeville, Savannah, Parramore Hill, Scottsboro, Gordon, and Upatoi creek) with detailed visits to Macon and the surrounding areas. It covers many diverse discussions covering topics of the everyday lives of slaves, slavery, abolition, religion, war, floral and faunal specimens, and geological features and terms. Some key individuals he discussed these topics with include James Hamilton Couper (Planter and Slaver), Joseph LeConte (Physician and Geologist), and John Ruggles Cotting (Geologist). It contains drawings and lists of geological stratigraphy and fossils (e.g., Zeuglodon). The notes are in ink and pencil. The index is located at the end of the notebook from pages 113 with 5 pages. Several of the sections recorded in the notebook appear to be Lyell recording conversations and passages word-for-word, followed by his own interpretation and opinion on what was seen or heard.

Content warning: Lyell uses his Scientific Notebooks to gather evidence, based on both his own observation, by reviewing other people's works, by correspondence, asking questions and analyses. The language used in this index is historical, can be discriminatory and may cause offence.

When known, Lyell’s abbreviations, contractions, and known people have been expanded using square brackets ([]). 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.
An 'X.' (Lyell’s own) indicates use in Lyell’s printed works, with this notebook relating to A Second Visit to the United States of North America Volume 2 printed in 1849. A 'G.' (Lyell’s own) appears in an index entry related to a geological feature

Jan[uar]y 10
p.1 X Gangs & Drivers [James] H[amilton] Couper
p.1 X Shells unio spinose.
p.1 Alder with catkins.
p.1 X Bird making a nest like cuckoo –
p.3 Magnolia shining leaves of
p.3 [pg 2 also marked in here] Mississippi fluct[uatio]n of crops & repudiation.
p.3 X Butler’s Isl[an]d rocks raised for hurricane
p.3 X Health of negros worst in winter
p.3 malaria.
p.4 Unitarianism progress, Thompson
p.4 X Abolition – hastened annexation
p.4 X [Abolition] banded the South together.
p.5 ? Boxes sent & contents
p.6 X Negros hate continuous labour
p.6 X [Negros] Progress of in G[eorgi]a Educat[io]n
p.7 X Spiritual boulanger Methodists
p.7 X Violins & dancing prohibited
p.8 Political Constit[utio]n of U.S bad but expe[cte]d
p.8 X Negros make canoes vis at leizure [sic leisure] time
p.8 X [Negros] separation of families
p.8 X [Negros] values of slaves- negros all marry
p.9 ? Baptists suit negros “oh Lord”.
p.9 X Act of G[eorgi]a ag[ains]t negros proves progress of
p.10 Xtining [sic Christianising] Negros a step in civilisat[io]n
p.10 Slaves advances now when estate small –
p.11 X War – why the West goes for it.
p.11 X Slaves – ciivilisa[tio]n of whites not the crop e.g., sugar – rice – determining state of
p.11 & 12 X [Slaves] Evil of “extending the area”
p.12 Louse. Pedicular Humamus
p.13 X Negro of [Jospeh] Le Conte, hexagon property of –
p.13 [Negro] features of improve[ment] by educat[io]n
p.13 Fire, woman firing her own home.
p.14 X Savannah. Baptist Ch[urch] Marshall & 15
p.14 X Methodist revival & trance of negress
p.16 G. X Plan of route railway. Macon.
p.18 X Sesbania [Sesbania vesicaria], annual. Irish Votes –
p.18 X – Board of health –
p.20 X [Joseph] Le Conte – Dirt eaters- 22 etc.
p.20 X Pipe laying – Crackers pale.
p.22 X Racoon & Opossum eater by negros
p.22 X Dirt eating by negros & white.
p.22 X Turkey buzzard & vulture
p.22 Hoyts letters & disclosures
p.24 X Negro change of colour by educat[io]n
p.24 ? Railway shared “jumped as hot cakes”
p.24 X Democrat ag[ains]t freedom of blacks
p.24 Moss Tillandsia, dry for birds nest.
p.24 ? Loblally pines – (Magnolia 26)
p.26 X Dirt eaters look green
p.26 G. Geol[og]y Section (burr stone?) Parramore Hill
p.28 X Negro intelligence – colour changed
p.30 X Slave stealing, J. Russel
p.30 G. Geol[og]y – section of Parramore Hill on railway
p.30 Hard Shell Baptists
p.32 X Negress looking up
p.32 X Lime sink
p.32 X Geol[og]y millstones worked on rail
p.34 X Slave stealer – J. Russel (Texas)
p.34 negro sleeping standing
Jan[uar]y 15th 1846
p.34 Corn (Maize) steam saw- salamander
p.36 X Land timbered small value of
p.36 X Fever. Peaches & Nectarines.
p.36 ? Term Buckey [sic, written as Bucky in notebook] – frost
p.36 X Man murdered or frozen.
p.36 G. Burr stone forest.
p.38 G. X Geol[og]y of railway to Macon – fossils (42)
p.40 X Negro children taught by white to read.
p.40 X Land of less value then the timbers.
p.40 frost – ice – open doors & windows
p.40 Negros in confidence of proprietors.
p.42 G. Section at 100m station. Burnst.
p.44 G. Geol[og]y – burr stone forest
p.46 X [Geology] on railway to Macon.
p.48 X [Geology] soap stone. 52 etc 50 etc
p.54 X Scenery of railway featureless –
p.56 X Emancipat[io]n without sufferage w[oul]d do harm
p.56 X Pines in clay as on sand. Gordon.
p.56 X Democracy, dirty work. Mackenzie letters
p.56 X Pine woods endless twixt Sav[anna]h and Macon.
p.58 & 60 G. Geol[og]y railway cuttings
p.62 G. [Geology] Ockmulgee [Ocmulgee] River Macon
p.62 G [Geology] junction of mica schist & red clay
p.62 G. tree fossil 1m. Macon Railway.
p.64 & 66 G. [Tree Fossil] section showing do
p.66 G. Nautilus & leaves in Eocene in Macon
p.68 G. Zeuglodon Vertebrae – Macon.
p.68 Archimedia Tenessee [sic Tennessee] limest [limestone]
16th
p.70 G. Geol[og]y queries for [Dr John Ruggles] Cotting of Milledgeville
p.72 Macon on boundary of granite region
p.72 X Negro colour moderated by indoor work.
Jan[uar]y 17th 1846
p.72 Scottsboro’ in Milledgeville, Geol[og]y of
p.74 X Stage from Gordon “as fast as care”
p.74 X Negro & white children equality p.74 X More room in Texas’ Pine barrier
p.74 X Black house Indian 25 y[ea]rs ago –
p.76 Geology Milledgeville collection fossils
[p.78 drawing of tooth from Sandersville]
p.80 [Geology Milledgeville collection fossils]
p.82 Do & Fort Games Eocene
p.84 Red Loam 70m. above falls Milledg[ville]
p.84 [Red Loam] Dr [John Ruggles] Cotting’s collection contin[ued]
p.86 Popular literature, Wandering Jew
p.86 X Milledgeville Hotel – 2 members in bed
p.86 X Negros undertrained children
p.88 G. Geol[og]y G[eorgi]a notes on E[ocene] & cretac[eous] Dr [John Ruggles] Cotting
p.90 G. [Geology] Dr, Petrified wood – Zeuglodon
p.92 G. [Geology] do do
p.94 G. [Geology] Sandersville rarest fossils to Milledgeville
p.96 G. Coal in Tenessee [sic Tennessee]
p.96 G. Lyell’s map in Travels
p.96 G. Dr [John Ruggles] Cotting in G[eolog]y of G[eorgi]a
p.96 G. [Dr John Ruggles Cotting] white porcelain clay
p.97 G. Dr [John Ruggles] Cotting’s address
p.98 G. Geol[og]y specimens from, wood
p.98 G. Red Loam Milledgeville composition & analyses of
p.100 Muff created surprise at Milledgeville tho[ugh] frost –
p.100 X Coloured lively stable –man
p.100 X War. Treatment of Americans in Empire
p.101 X Boasting will be unnecessary to US
p.101 G. Geol[og]y Parramore’s Hill
p.102 G. [Geology] Milledg[eville] 60 ft clay over granite
p.103 G. [Geology] veins of quartz – felspar
p.103 G. Gneiss decomposing, green sand from
p.106 Red soil over gneiss for 100m
p.106 G. Ravine deep modern Milledgeville
p.106 G. [Ravine] rapidly made when wood cleared
p.106 G. [Ravine] prove that clay always cov[ere]d by wood
p.108 G. Ravines bridge built over
p.108 G. Milledgeville 40 year ago Indian
p.108 G. Road changed thrice from new gullies
p.110 ? Destiny of Texas etc Calhoun
p.110 X Ld [Lord] Aberdeen on Texas independent are desired by ag[ains]t slavery
p.110 ? West India Emancipation failure?
p.112 Upotoy creek section. Geol[ogy]
p.112 [Uptoty] lignite below fossil shell