This notebook contains Lyell’s notes during his second trip to the United States, dated 5 May 1846, to 11 May 1846. The volume starts with Lyell in Baltimore, travelling through Philadelphia, New York City, Albany, and Troy, New York State. On pg. 12 Lyell notes seeing a humming bird in Miss Watson's Greenhouse. Lyell spends much of his time in upstate New York with a few colleagues: Joseph Cogswell (American librarian), Ebenezer Emmons (American Geologist), James Hall (American Paleontologist), and John James Audobon (American ornithologist). This notebook primarily focuses on the geological features of the Adirondack and White Mountain ranges and surrounding areas. Lyell also comments on the politics of the United States, namely the Mexican American War, slavery, and the 1846 midterm elections.

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.

This notebook is written in ink and pencil. The contents of the notebook have been summarized, focusing on key places, people, topics, and projects.

May 5th 1846
Pg.1 G Geology Baltimore, red clay etc age of
Pg. 1 ? Cambria aground
Pg. 1 X Railway delayed & going thro’ towns
Pg. 3 X Fur trade not allowed by Engl[and] to colonies.
Pg. 3 ? Addresses Philad[elphi]a Morton Taylor, Lea,
Pg. 3 X Predjudice ag[ain]st English Taylor, on, Nativism.
Pg. 4-5 X Educated men not of political weight.
?[Educated] Senators, speaks to Buncam [sic Bunkum]
Pg. 4-7 Whaling & Current Art on in America Scientif[ic] or Explor[tor]y
Pg. 4-7 ? Baltimore Convention, irregular,
Pg. 4-7 X President[ial] Elect[tion] when first assumed directly by the people
Pg. 4 X Texas, Hamilton why bribed,
Pg. 4 X [Texas] England & France how influenced
Pg. 8 X Mexico absorption of difficult
Pg. 8 X Texas Channing on
Pg. 10 X Whigs to blame in Repu[diation] P[ennsylvani]a.
Pg 10. X Optimism
Pg 10 X New Jersey farmers not reading except newspapers
Pg 12 X Subdivision of land why useful
Pg 12 X Humming bird Burlington.
Pg 14 X War, still anxiety about
Pg. 14 X Romanish Irish secretly Xtening [sic Christening] a child
Pg 16 X Free trade
Pg 16 X Democracy or whigs the repudiatiors?
Pg 16 ? Convention Whig & democratic
Pg. 18 X Texas, land jabbers
Pg. 18 X Sunday 7th of lifetimes, result of
Pg. 19 X Clerical & lay teaching
Pg. 20 Diary, dates of tour for April & May
Pg. 22 [Diary] March & April
Pg 24 War, taxes for would fall on cities.
Pg. 24 X Public works, P[ennsylvani]a, bad[ly] managed
Pg 26 X Texas & Free trade
Pg 28 & 26 X Levelling up subdivis[ions] of property
Pg 28 Names of Geologists to be mentioned
Pg. 28 X Cogswell on Mexico annexation
Pg 28 X Gallatin on War taxes.
Pg 29 ? Portraits bad ones tolerated
Pg 31 ? Western manners licking spoons
Pg 31 X New Engl[and] defended ag[ain]st Mrs. Peters
Pg 31 fossil fish of Rich[mond] Coal Redfield
Pg 32 X War, good effects of long discussion
Pg 32 ?[War] British steamers in, Redfield
Pg 33 Address Redfield N Y
Pg 34 X Slavery, petition on Q. Adams
Pg 34 X Cassius M. Clay on slavery
Pg 34 X Slavery will cease because it is interests of whites -negro also?
Pg 35 X Debts fault if English lenders
Pg 37 ? [Weylairs?] book on Episcop[alian] ch[urch]
Pg 37 X Trinity Church N[ew] Y[ork] Views of
Pg 37 X News of War with Mexico
Pg 37 X Convention, State, Talk on, Colden
Pg 37 X [Convention] influence of fringe votes
Pg 38 X Trinity Church
Pg 39 X Gallatin on California
Pg 39 X [Gallatin] on Indian corn & influence of on civilizing
Pg 40 X [Gallatin] War Western States when
Pg 40 X Taxed w[oul]d be loudest for peace
Pg 40 ? Alabama will be insolvent
Pg 40 ? Books to be bought
Pg 41 X Convention democratic; Judge elective
Pg 42 X Churches N[ew] Y[ork] seen with Cogswell
Pg 42 X Aqueduct with C[ogswell] - Audubon
Pg 42 X Nocturnal mammalia, A[udobon] on
Pg 44 Fish fossil catopterus Redfield,
Pg 46 X Education Redf[ield] Nat[ura]l Hist[or]y to be taught
Pg 46 ? Steamboat explos[ion] how caused
Pg 46 G Taconic Hall [&] Emmons on
Pg 46 Gneiss of Little Falls age of
Pg 48 G H.D. Rogers on White Mountains, age
Pg 48 X Spring Season in U.S. not sudden
Pg 50 X Slavery, V[irgini]a state of compared to
Pg 50 X N[ew]Y[ork] by Dr. Cullen
Pg. 50 X War, U.S. more pacific to Engl[and]
Pg 50 X Audubon on nocturnal habits of Mammalia—
Pg 52 X High bridge, fountain with Audubon
Pg 52 X Reservoir of water
Pg 52 X V[irgini]a passed by because of slavery
Pg 52 X N[ew]Y[ork] city size of
Pg 54 X Levelling the uneven gneiss for new streets of N[ew] Y[ork]
Pg 54 X Malaria N[ew] Y[ork] diminishing
Pg 54 G H.D. Rogers, age of white Mount[ain]s
Pg 56 X Democracy compared to monarchy
Pg 56 G Miocene U.S. propor[tion] of recent Pg 56 G species of shells in, Conrad
Pg 56 G Dana’s corals $ 40–
Pg 56 G H.D. Rogers in age of White Mount[ain]s
Pg 56 G Agnostucs in
Pg 58 G Castiroides with Mastadon, N.Y.
Pg 58 G Unconformable Silurian at Hudson City, how explained away
Pg 58 G Potomac marble of N[ew] Red N [ew] Y[ork]
Pg 60 G Adirondac [sic Adirondack] Chain age of
Pg 60 G Silurian groups of N[ew] Y[ork] State
Pg 62 G Serpentine of Adirondac [sic Adirondack] chain
Pg 62 G [Serpentine] Dana on age of
Pg 62 G Limest[one] plutonic Emmons
Pg 62 G [Limestone] Silurian at Troy, Chazy,
Pg 66 G Champlain glacial beds fir tree in
Pg 64 G Taconic fossil [&]; Nereites vis.
Pg 64 X Albany popul[ation] of
Pg 64 G Buncum [sic Buncombe] slates, Vanuxem on
Pg 64 G Zeuglodon like a [?illegible] seal
Pg 66 G Mammalia fossil of modern deposits N[ew] Y[ork] bear casteroides etc.
Pg 66 X Albany scenery & aspect of
Pg 68 X Catskills Moun[tains] view & geol[ogy] of
Pg 70 G Furrow & scratch in interior of
Pg 70 G Trenton limest[one]
Pg 70 G Trap serpentine of Syracuse [amp] dike of Cayuga
Pg 72 G Taconic, J. Hall on questions
Pg 72 G Trap age of at Montreal, newer than all the Silurian Emmons
Pg 72 G Oyster fossil 60 ft high on Hudson R[iver]
Pg 74 G Taconic near Troy exam[ine]d w. [with] Emmons
Pg 74 G J. Hall will exchange his Paleont[olog]y for Europ[ean] books
Pg 76 G Taconic syst[em] quest[ion] J. Hall & Emmons
Pg 77 G Chazy & Birds eye etc. fossils of
Pg 78 G Whale from Turtle Isl[an]d delta of Miss[issipp]i in Museum Albany
Pg 78 G Furrows in interior of Trenton
Pg 79 G Fossils Silurian Mus[eu]m Albany
Pg 80 G Zeuglodon ibid. vis.
Pg 80 G Cardita Planicosta Natchitoches
Pg 80 G Bear etc fossil in N[ew] Y[ork] bed
Pg 80 G Graptolite & Silurian fossil
Pg 81 G Taconic fossils Atops of Emmons
Pg 82 X Third house number of
Pg 83 X Lobbeyers [sic lobbyists] on 3rd House Albany
Pg 83 ? Col[onel] opposing distrib[ution] to member of Geol[ogica]l Survey
Pg 84 ? [Colonel Young] riddled thru’
Pg 83 & 84 X Corruption vote of thanks to 3rd house
Pg 84 ? Convention, State less attended then Charter electi[on]