Notebook No.141, 15 April 1846 - 25 April 1846

This notebook contains Charles Lyell's notes from 15 April to 25 April 1846 [the stated end date is inferred from the date recorded in the following notebook], having embarked from Cincinnati, Ohio on April 13th and traveling into Pennsylvania. The Lyells traveled on the steamer Clipper, continuing northward on the Ohio River from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh (arrived on April 16th), and then by carriage across the Alleghenies onto Philadelphia, a return visit destination. The Indian Mound south of Wheeling [The Grave Creek Mound in the Ohio River Valley in West Virginia] was sighted while enroute along the Ohio River. During a stay in Westmoreland County, Lyell examined fossil footprints and other areas of geologic interest with Dr. Alfred King in Greensburg and vicinity. The final part of the journey from Chambersburg to Philadelphia was by railway. The notes are commentary and include politics, morality, children, servants and religion, as well as field notes and observations with numerous sketches. Notes are in ink and pencil. The index is located in the back of the notebook on pages 101-103, plus three unnumbered pages, with four pages of blue paper (one sheet, folded vertically) added into the notebook, evidenced by the red thread tying them in place, 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 and in applicable instances an alternate, albeit uncommon, spelling is transcribed directly as is, e.g. Alleghany | Alleghanies. 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, also ? and G (designation for 'geology') marked in pencil, made at certain entries. It is not clear if this notation is written contemporaneously or later. At times Lyell has included dates (inner left margin) and these have been inserted at the beginning of the appropriate section.

1846.
Index
Ap[ril]. 15.
p. 1 ? Unitarianism in Boston
p. 3 X Capitol in centre of State of Mississ[ippi].[‘3’ written over ‘2’]
p. 3 X - [Capitol] in middle of Cypress swamp
p. 3 X Natchez flourishing [Note: This commentary is on p. 5 in the notebook.]
p. 5 ? Universal Suffrage Repudiation
p. 7 X Wheeling. Indian Mound
p. 7 X Would you like this country
p. 7 X Ohio R[iver]. gravel terraces
p. 9 X Repudiative, reaction from England
p. 9 X War contempt for the enemy, abuses
p. 11 X - [War] Whig motives in U.S. for wishing it
p. 11 X - [War] Democratic - [motives in U.S. for wishing it]
p. 13 X - [War] motives common to the two parties
p. 13 X Whigs cannot be always the wheel house
p. 15 ? Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit
p. 15 ? Featherstonaugh [sic Featherstonhaugh] chaining of slaves, q[uer]y
p. 15 X Steamers, U.S. Society in
p. 17 G. Geol[ogy] of gravel etc. on Ohio R[iver].
p. 17 X Machinery of steamer, improvement in.
p. 19 X - [Machinery] High pressure required in muddy water
p. 19 X Pittsburg [sic Pittsburgh]- new suspension bridge
p. 20 X - [Pittsburg [sic Pittsburgh]] Jeffries [sic Jeffrey’s] works. L[ord]. selling
p. 20 X - [Pittsburg [sic Pittsburgh]] Great fire of 1845. Bridge burnt
p. 20 X War – English papers, alarmed -
p. 22 X Pittsburg [sic Pittsburgh] smoke –
p. 22 Unitarianism - Episcopals also heretics.
p. 22 X Privacy of private carriage after crowd
p. 24 X Whigs, the few trampled under by "money"
p. 24 X Swallows Martins, not arrived
p. 24 G. X Coal between Pittsburg [sic Pittsburgh] & Greensburg
p. 26 ? Whig exertions for Clay & defeat
p. 26 X The Press in U.S. respectable, whig,
p. 26 G. Coal near Pittsburg [sic Pittsburgh]
p. 28 X Scenery betw[een] P[ittsburg]. [sic Pittsburgh] & Greensburg
p. 28 X - [Scenery] good turnpike
p. 28 X Short sight glass, taken for
p. 28 ? Post office failure of
p. 28 X Scenery, dist[ant]. view of Alleghanies
p. 30 & 31 X Equality restraint of like a Court [‘31 &’ interlined at end of line]
p. 30 X Scenery like & unlike England
[p. 30] X Emigration from W[est]. to E[ast]. exceptional
p. 32 X Adamsburg
p. 32 X Day labourers
p. 32 G Geol[ogy] of coal
p. 32 X Universal Suffrage, for & against in U.S. [‘in U.S.’ interlined]
p. 34 ? "Disremember"
p. 34 ? Domestic fowl roosting in trees
p. 34 X Germans Romanist & Prot[estant]. democratic
p. 34 X War – motions of, seen thro’
p. 34, 36 G Foot-prints in sandst[one], Greensb[ur]g [‘34’ added at end of line]
p. 38 G Geol[ogy]. Section, Greensburg
p. 40 G Plants – fossils G –
p. 40 & 44 G Antiquity of the Earth, opposed,[‘44 &’ added at end of line]
p. 42 G Potholes Unity Township
p. 42 G Footprints Greensburg & Derry
p. 44 G Germans for Polk & Dallas
[p. 44] ? Oaks age of
p. 44 G Fossils of Coal Greensburg
p. 46 G Geol[ogy] section & footprints at G[reensburg].
p. 48 G Footprints & potholes at Derry
p. 50 X Lizards vocal
p. 50 G Bird tracks objections to genuineness
p. 52 G Geol[ogy] Sect[ion]. Pittsburg [sic Pittsburgh] to Chesnut [sic Chestnut] Ridge
p. 54 X German Popul[ation]. whence, Bavaria etc.
p. 54 X "Lifting victuals" term
p. 54 G Foot-prints. Indian Fort.
p. 58 & 56 G - [Foot-prints] Connelsville [sic Connellsville] Fayette Co[unty]. [‘58 &’ added at end of line]
p. 58 to 66 G - [Foot-prints] Derry [‘58 to’ added at end of line]
p. 67 X Greensburg grave yard
p. 67 X - [Greensburg] morality – spoilt [‘t’ added in pencil] children
p. 68 G - [Greensburg] Potholes- Indian sculpture
p. 68 X War "Forty five or fight".
p. 68 X English poor, surprise Americans
[p. 68] X Oregon long wish for
p. 68 X English liberals w[ould]. be least fair to U.S.
p. 70 X Emigrants from Europe not fair judges of -
p. 70 G Greensburg foot-prints.
p. 71 G Hitchcock's letters on - [Greensburg foot-prints]
p. 72 G Horse fossil tooth of Greensburg
p. 73 ? Post office masterly inactivity
p. 73 ? Presbyterian German Church at G[reensburg].
[p. 73] X Martins or swallows, robin.
p. 75 G Foot-prints.
p. 75 ? Negros, free blacks P[ennsylvania].
p. 75 X - [Negros] in Al[abama]. in sick room Amalgamat[ion].
[Note: The 3 items noted to be on p. 75 (blank page) are on p. 74 in the notebook.]
p. 76 X Surprise in P[ennsylvania]. at K[entucky]. negro churches
p. 76 X Pines in Alleghany mount[ains]. fogs
p. 76 X Coal near summit, Pines azalia
p. 76 X Night journey by Stage over mount[ains].
p. 77 X Quadroon & white N[ew]. Orleans romance
p. 77 X Ledger Philad[elphia]. 1. cent. locofoco [sic Equal Rights Party]
p. 77 X Steamers; Miss[issippi] R[iver].
p. 77 X Educat[ion] & population of Mississ[ippi]. p. 79 X Alleghanies passage of contin[ued].
p. 79 X - [Alleghanies passage] Psalms sung in the stage
p. 79 X Methodists spreading Xtianity [sic Christianity]
p. 79 X War - big words-
p. 80 X Alleghanies Bedford Blue ridge
p. 80 X Chambersburg
p. 80 X Slave trade. U.S. naval officer in stage [‘stage’ interlined]
p. 80 X - [Slave trade] Liberie unhealthy. Brazil.
p. 80 G Geol[ogy]. limest[one]. & chert low country with most disturb[ed]. strata
[p. 82] X Coach breaks down
p. 82 G. Apallachian [sic Appalachian] ridge, upheaval of
p. 82 X Rail road in midst of towns
p. 84 X Journey to Harrisburg
p. 84 & 86 X Bridges at H. burnt, & destroyed by ice [‘ice’ interlined] [‘86 &’ added at end of line]
p. 86 X English news - War
p. 86 X Negro voice of different
p. 86 X War, Protectionist anti-English feeling
p. 87 ? conventional hypocrycy [sic hypocrisy], Sects.
p. 87 X Episcopal ch[urch] [‘ch’ interlined above smudged ‘ch.’] Puseyism.
p. 88 ?X Geol[ogy], church opposit[ion] H.D.R. & Dr King Greensburg [indeterminate margin notation for this index entry]
p. 89 ? Americans more polite to strangers
p. 90 X Vegetation in Philadelphia forwarder
p. 90 ? Calendar De Morgan
[p. 90] X Free-trade. Marble-head
p. 91 X - [Free-trade] Envy of monopolist's fortunes N. Engl[and].
p. 91 X Riches Envy of
p. 92 X Caucus in U.S all on one side
p. 92 X - [Caucus] No meetings as in Engl[and]. to hear both sides
p. 92 X - [Caucus] Speeches on other side in party papers
p. 92 ? Slaves liberated by Gov[ernor]. Cole [sic Coles].
p. 93 X Iron works, Mr Petre
p. 93 ? Tax on anthracite
p. 94 ? Episcopal minister wishing Geol[ogy] lecture
p. 94 ? Enlightened churchmen a head & [written over ‘of’] less happy
p. 94 ? Liberty in science whether more in U.S.
p. 95 X War - motives for contracts
p. 95 ? Oregon w[ould]. be defended with great cost
p. 95 G Dunbar’s paper on Miss[issippi] -
p. 96 X The nobody of Engl[and] [‘E’ written over ‘A’] the everybody of U.S.
p. 97 ? Democracy growth of Federalism
p. 97 X Federalist & slave disfranchised
p. 98 X Harrisburg legislators -
p. 98 X Rule of lower classes
p. 98 X Romanist fête Dieu in Philadelphia
p. 99 X Bethune Baptist slaves in G[eorgia].
p. 99 X Liberia, col[oured]. Governor of
p. 99 X Nigger work. Barber & easy places
p. 100 X Negros -new convention of N.Y. to disfranchise them
p. 100 ? Daguerotype [sic Daguerreotype] in ecclipse [sic eclipse].