This notebook contains Charles Lyell’s notes from March 27th to April 4th 1846. The notebook starts in New Madrid, Missouri as Lyell travels north along the Ohio River, visiting Illinois, New Harmony, Indiana, and Kentucky. The index is located in the back of the notebook on 9 unnumbered pages. Notes are in pencil and ink and include field sketches. In the index, an X or ? is written in the left margin to mark certain entries.

Contentwarning: 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.

Transcription note: Dates have been inserted at the beginning of the appropriate section.

Index 1846
Note Book 139 from March 27 to
p. 1 X Section of sand in bank of Miss[issippi].
p. 1 1/2 X New Madrid shocks - plants filling up new lakes.
p. 1 1/2 ? Deposit of mud on vegetable [‘s’ deleted] matter in sunk ground.
p. 1 1/2 X New Madrid 45 f[eet] above low water
p. 3 X Lignite dug out of wells near N[ew]. Madrid
p. 3 ? Savors Big Sink formed by matter cast out of it.
p. 3 Debt of Missouri - money spent on roads.
p. 3 X Coal may be forming in sunk land
p. 3 X Section of [‘land’ deleted] bank. N[ew]. Madrid. No shells nor upright stumps
p. 5 X In great earthquake flat boat swept up river trees fell
p. 5 X Wharf boat, spoilt children, bank undermined, garden caving in
p. 5 X Bank caving in. Hogs in garden
March 27th [1846]
p. 7 ? Copper of L[ake]. Superior, man drowned.
p. 7 X Wharf Boat, New Madrid, night watcher
p. 7 X Steamers hailed in vain.
p. 7 ? Floating privy or outhouse
p. 9 ? Is France or U.S. most democratic? Michelets
p. 9 X Eugene Sue's Florida Planter & negro
p. 9 X Aristocratic feeling about colour in U.S.
p. 9 X No green grass in L[ouisana]
p. 82 & 10 X Mocking bird in woods N[ew]. Madrid
p. 10 Spoilt children from Scotl[and]? Irel[and] not owning to democracy or Indian Blood
p. 12 & 10 X Democracy & Monarchy
p. 12 ? We are taken for northern people
p. 12 X War, danger of from "many"
March 29 [1846]
p. 14 X Ohio bank of limest[one]. Illinois
p. 14 X - [Ohio] Cumberland & Wabash R[iver].
p. 14 X Snow fell March 27 in K[entucky].
p. 14 ? Wax candles general in South
p. 16 ? Ohio R[iver]. Mt. Vernon shells "loess"
p. 16 X Mr Chartres on vote by ballot
p. 18 X - [Mr Chartres] Liberia, voluntary emigrat[ion] to
p. 18 X Negro of G[eorgia] who learned Greek etc
p. 18 ? - [Negro] inferior race came last from Africa
p. 18 X Taxes in Ohio - vote by ballot
p. 18 X England will come to Univ[ersal]. Suff[rage].
p. 20 Anti-British feeling of English settlers who aim at power
p. 20 X In Ohio the rich taxed
p. 20 X Amalgamation quadroons sitting at table - being rich 'Chartres'
p. 22 New Harmony founded by Rapp, Owen
p. 22 G X Mount Vernon Loess - shells in
p. 22 G Coal Indiana, Big C[reek]. Mill
[March] 30th [1846]
p. 26 Dependence of Southerners on "help"
p. 24 ? Owen N[ew]. Harmony, his religion
p. 24 X Ornithology of Ind[iana] Mocking bird vis [‘vis’ interlined]
p. 24 ? Musquitos in Ind[iana] nets for
p. 26 X Forest trees of Ind[iana] & Spring flowers
p. 26 ? Servants in N[orth]. S[outh]. Log house.
p. 26 X "Mocking bird" of Ohio a thrush
p. 28 G Trilobite 16 inches long
p. 28 ? Winter severe, but not on L[ake]. Sup[erior]
p. 28 G. Erect fossil trees, Big C[reek] Ind[iana]
p. 28 G. Geology Actinoceras 4 f[eet] long Dubuque [‘uque’ interlined]
p. 32 & 28 - [Geology] Evansville Megatheroid & shell mass
p. 30 - [Geology] Erratics n[ea]r N[ew]. Harmony loess
p. 30 Height on Wabash R[iver]. N[ew]. H[armony]
p. 30 X Woodpecker noise not by boring
p. 32 & 33 G. Loess & recent shells on Wabash
p. 34 X N[ew]. Harmony libraries, Prince of Neuwied
p. 34 G. Sunk land N[ew]. Madrid how deep
p. 36 X Richm[ond] ool[lite[. coal references to Silliman’s
p. 36 G. Coal of Ind[iana] not good n[ear] N[ew]. H[armony].
p. 36 G. Foot-prints human N[ew]. H[armony]
p. 36 G. Say conchologist at N[ew]. H[armony] & Maclure
p. 36 ? Neuwied [sic Wied] Prince of his book.
p. 38 G. Geology notes on Brumby's spec[imens]
p. 40 G. - [Geology notes] on Natchez flint spec[imens] corals etc.
p. 42 X Ice packed turning over on Wabash
p. 42 X - [Ice] floating down to New Madrid - cold
p. 42 X Naturalized plants abounds then decreases
p. 44 & 42 G. Silicified tree of Ellis's, bluff
p. 44 G. Chickasaw bluff
p. 44 G. Trilobites large size of
p. 44 G. Evansville freshwater
p. 44 G. Elephant foss[il]. in Wabash valley
p. 44 G. Loess of Wabash & Miss[issippi] subsidence
p. 46 G. - [Loess] section of hill N[ew]. Harmony
p. 46 Indian grave on hill N[ew]. H[armony]
p. 46 G. Erect foss[il] trees Mus[eum] N[ew]. H[armony].
p. 48 & 46 G. Geology sect[ion] of coal, Wabash cut off
p. 48 G. - [Geology] Trilobite in coal
p. 48 G. - [Geology] Root of stigmaria or tree N[ew]. H[armony]
p. 49 X Slavery 1/2 Sat[urday] holiday for negros
p. 49 X - [Slavery] a week at Xmas, [sic Christmas] d[itto]
p. 50 ? Women why more refined than men
p. 50 ? Public Dancing rooms, all mixed N[ew]. H[armony].
p. 50 ? Universal Suff[rage] best chosen
p. 50 Rob[ert]. Owen foreigner & no sect
p. 51 X New Settlers who revisit Engl[and] return happier & democratic
p. 51 ? Slavery, Texas, how stolen
p. 51 ? R. Owen in flat boat, Miss[issippi]
p. 52 ? Sects influence of in elections
p. 52 ? A Dyer rising to be a chief man
p. 52 X He finds the system a good one
p. 52 X Goldsmith s[aid] the rich alone free
p. 53 X New Engl[and] woman returning to Eng[land].
p. 53 X Democracy, coarse minds & finer
p. 54 G. Geology - Silurian of West St. Anthony
p. 58 G. - [Geology Silurian] Magnesian character of Silurian
p. 58 G. - [Geology Silurian] many Silur[ian] grooves, indivisible
p. 58 G. Loess wells, sections Wabash valley
p. 60 X American liberty greater than Brit[ish]
p. 60 X D.D. Owen opin[ion] in favour, laws for rich
p. 60 X Servants giving hours notice to quit
p. 60 Society like Germany in N[ew]. H[armony]
p. 62 X Servants, independence & equality of
p. 62 ? Dewey's preaching in N[ew]. Y[ork]. R. Owen
p. 62 X Romanism, schools of, spread of
p. 64 - [Romanism] Wandering Jew causing feeling ag[ainst]
p. 64 Rising from nothing, illiterate, log cabin
p. 64 X Spoilt children, live with parents
p. 65 X Medical country practitioner used up
p. 65 X - [Medical country] bills not paid of
p. 65 X State rights favor liberty & conservatives?
p. 66 G. Geology (with Bolton) of Miss[issippi] & Ohio
p. 68 G. Byrem Lawrence map
p. 68 G. Geology of Ohio valley, with [‘with’ interlined] D.D. Owen etc
p. 68 to 74 - [Geology of Ohio valley] & Stigmaria & erect trees
[April 2, 1846]
p. 74 G. - [Geology] Loess in Illinois D.D.O.
p. 75 X Rich in Engl[and] now look to poor
p. 76 X Tobacco chewing diminishing
p. 76 X - [Tobacco] infants sucking & then quid.
p. 76 G. Spirifier Ophiurida, fossils
p. 76 X White & colour[ed] servants eating togeth[er]
p. 76 ? Party feeling, children taught to moderate
Apr[il] 3rd [1846]
p. 78 G Evansville, Megalonyx
p. 78 X Drinking in Ind[iana] widows left penniless [‘less’ interlined]
p. 78 G Loess in wells N[ew]. Harm[ony] & higher up [‘& higher up’ interlined]
p. 80 Heights in Ind[iana]
p. 80 Pop corn, DDO's explanat[ion]
p. 82 G Loess, wide submergence implied by
p. 82 Strawberry cultiv[ation] of, male flowers
p. 10 & 82 X Judas tree, Mocking bird Ind[iana] thrush
p. 82 ? Elev[ation] of Sweden, see Silliman
p. 84 X Stage one man upset 13 times
p. 84 ? Thermometer in Ind[iana]
p. 84 ? Tour in U.S. season for St. Louis
p. 84 ? "Shaking steady with ague
p. 84 X Movers procession - rifleman first etc
p. 86 ? Gar-fish swimming bladder like lung
p. 86 Alligators not so high as N[ew]. Madrid
p. 86 G X Upright tree, coal Ind[iana]
p. 88 G X - [Upright tree] Kimball's Mill, dug out
p. 90 & 92 G X - [Upright tree Kimball’s Mill]
p. 94 X German settlers n[ea]r Evansville.
p. 94 ? Koch false locality given by
p. 94 X Plants of Ind[iana]
p. 94 ? Mastodon tooth price given for
p. 96 X Vineyards Evansville & Cincinnati.
p. 96 X Scenery Ind[iana]
p. 96 D.D. Owen to get paper on loess
p. 96 G. Geology dip of paleozoic beds Ind[iana]
p. 98 X Evansville loess - caving bank of
p. 98 G - [Evansville] Megalonyx in ochreous land
[April 4th 1846]
p. 98 G. Steamboat on Ohio Leavenworth geology & cliffs & loess
p. 100 Geology Shausville [sic ‘Shawville’] K[entucky] coal
p. 100 X Mt. Vernon 6 churches 1 grog shop
p. 100 X N[ew] Harmony none & none
p. 100 X Oregon quest[ion] & Polk.
p. 100 ? Ind[iana] party for free trade in
p. 102 X - [Indiana] Repudiation R. Owen [...]
p. 102 X Debt of U.S. why [illegible word deleted] useful
p. 104 X Bowie knife & arms anecdote of Lt. Prenticce [sic ‘Prentiss’]
p. 104 X Sultana steamer enable rich to select better company
p. 104 ? White lady waited in by black sister
p. 105 ? Free trade, Ind[iana] paper
p. 105 X Eye-glass taken for telescope
p. 105 X Jackson Gen[eral]. inferior men or coarser have more influence
p. 105 X War, say they w[ould] establish our rank as "a great power"
p. 106 ? “Black race in S[outh]. improve at the expense of whites"
p. 106 ? Equality, Prentiss on 6 hours labours
p. 106 ? Sleep working man's idea of rest
p. 106 X Distance, & Geology of Ohio banks
p. 108 X Ohio R[iver]. picturesque
p. 108 ? - [Ohio River] New Albany Mastodon found [? near]
p. 108 X - [Ohio River] highest water of flood on Ohio
p. 108 - [Ohio River] Gravel of upper terrace fossils in
p. 108 - [Ohio] Horse fossil at
p. 110 ? Wood fossil in paleozoic rock
p. 110 G. X Geology section of coral - form[ation] at Falls of Louisville.
p. 112 X Steamer snagged
p. 114 Geology New Albany, loess
p. 114 X Liverpool artizan naturalized & like Yankee in look
p. 114 Green Grass in K[entucky]
p. 114 X New States & lower orders are "our rulers
p. 114 X Ambition of U.S.
p. 115 G. Silurian of New Albany, Dr Clapp & J. Hall on
p. 116 X Democracy why for war, money
p. 116 X I'm an Episcopal"
p. 116 X Hors[e]. shoeing blacksmithing
p. 116 U.S. marble like Carrara
p. 116 X Sign Louisville "cash paid for coon etc"
p. 116 Salt required for health in U.S. says Mr. Fauntleroy