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Notebook No.187, January 1854

 Item — Box: Lyell-temp-box 7
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/187

Scope and Contents

This black notebook contains a record of Charles Lyell’s geological travels around Madeira with Georg Hartung, in the company of Mary Lyell, and Charles and Frances Bunbury. This notebook is from January 1854 in Madeira and the island of Porto Santo. Specific areas of note include São Martinho, Pico do Facho, Porto Santo, Pico de Ana Ferreira, Pico do Castelo, Baxio, Porto dos Frades, Piedade, and Caniçal. This notebook primarily focuses on the geological features and formations Lyell saw across Madeira and Porto Santo and includes drawings and sketches, primarily concerning basalt columnar, volcanic theory, dikes, crystals, amygdule's and tuff. One drawing on page 106 is a good example of one of Lyell’s geological sketches which includes stratigraphy and imagery. An interesting part of this notebook is Lyell’s description of the topography and cliff faces of Madeira, whilst he is sailing to Porto Santo. Lyell also notes shells, and plants, for example, Euphorbia Paralias. This notebook shows Lyell’s understanding of old marine beds, eruptions, and new sediment based on how he believed Madeira was formed. Lyell observes the Chapel of Nossa Senhora de Piedade, and adds it to his geological drawing of the large peak it sits upon. Lyell also mentions items in boxes 'notes when ticketing spec[imen]s' pg. 108, 109

Transcription note:

There is a part index, found in the Index Notebook reference Coll-203/A5/16 pages 13-16. This notebook is written in ink and pencil and does not include an index but includes a short list on the first page, and an itinerary on page 111. What follows is a detailed summary, featuring key people, topics and projects. Local knowledge and expertise has been called on to assist in deciphering Lyell’s handwriting and phonetical spelling – please contact us if corrections can be made.

Summary Index:

p.1 1854 - Madeira, list to take
p.2 Voyage to Porto Santo. Drawings- dikes, Pico do Facho
p.3 Drawings- continued, dikes
p.4 Drawings- continued, Valley of Martinho
January 2nd
p.5 Landed at Porto Santo
p.6 Drawing-Northern cliffs of Madeira
p.7 Radiating Dikes, madeira
p.8 light sketch
p.9 Porto Santo
p.10 Drawing – dikes, greenstone, embedding angular pieces in tuff
p.12 Drawing- Pico do Castelo, geology
p.13 Drawing- Pico Facho 1660 ft, columnar dikes
p.14 Drawing- dikes, Pico do Castelo continued
p.15 [Thomas Edward] Bowdich 418 ft cliff at Fonte Araya [sic Fonte da Areia; a locality in Porto Santo Island]
p.16 geology, dikes, columnar
p.17 geology, uplift
p.18 drawing– geology, stratigraphy. 150ft of sand on the lava
p.19 sand formation
p.20 Drawing– Pico Juliana in the sea – geology, dies, grey column
p.22 Drawings- Sandstone formation, limestone
p.23 Fonte da Areia measured by Hartung just as [Thomas Edward] Bowdich. Shells, Euphorbia Paralias, dragon trees
p.24 Pico De Ana Ferreira
p.26 Drawing - Ferreira continued – geology formation, dikes, blue basalt, tuff
p.27 Baxio [sic Baixio?]
p.28 Drawing– inclusions in lava, tuff and limestone, crystals
p.30 Baxio [sic Baixio?], geology, dikes, basalt
p.31 crystals
p.32 Corals of Porto Santo limestone, drawing – geology, stratigraphy, tuff. Oysters, Pecten
p.34 Drawing– geology, limestone, fossil, Praya [sic Praia]
p.35 Amygdaloidal, Porto Santo, basalt
p.36 Baxio [sic Baixio?], Drawing – flaggy limestone, land shells
p.37 drawing– villa
p.38 drawing- Madeira seen from Baxio, [sic Baixio?], stratigraphy, geology
p.40 drawing- stratigraphy, geology – shells marine beds
p.42 drawings– on Baxio [sic Baixio?], dikes of eruptions
p.43 drawing
p.44 Baxio [sic Baixio], top of Anna Farene [Pico de Ana Ferreira] supported by Hartung
p.46 Baxio [sic Baixio], continued – drawing Santo Antonio, land shells, marine bed pebbles and shells – species
p.47 ancient bed, sand-dune formation
p.48 geology
p.50 geology, dikes, volcanic rocks
January 5th
p.52 volcanic, distinguished Madeira, beds of elevated gravel, Porto Santo
p.54 Pico do Castelo, distances, directions, dikes, tuff, Baxio [sic Baixio]
p. 56 Drawing – Portella [sic Portela], geology, porphyry, tourmaline
p.58 drawings – green tuff, red tuff, seen by Hartung
p.60 drawing – Portella [sic Portela] and Castello [Pico Castelo] peak, trachyte
p.62 dikes, ground plan, Peaks of Portella [sic Portela] south east. Waterworn pebbles. Giants Causeway
p.64 Portella [sic Portela], columnar 10ft, trachyte
p.66 Casas Viellas [sic Casas velhas?] , dikes, porphyry, directions
p.67 Porto dos [De] Frades, dikes, basalt, boulders, clay
p.70-72 Land shell formation 40ft thick. Porto dos [De] Frades, geology, stratigraphy, formation
p.74-78 drawing – Pico Da Piedade, angles, limestone, lava, turf, Chapel of Nossa Senhorra [sic Senhora] de Piedade. Height, geology
p.80 Pico Da Piedade – detailed drawing, great dike, stratigraphy, geology, species
p.82 Section of earth side of Piedade from N to S – geology, stratigraphy
p.86 Piedade – central dike hollow drawing, geology, compact mass, columnar, eruption theory
p.88-90 drawings – central dike, Scoria, dikes
p.92 Castanhos [sic Pico Castanho] drawing – limestone and shells, shells
p.94-96 drawings – Piedade, resemblance to roots in the Conical formation, columnar, [Georg] Hartung sketch, shells, filled crevices, Pontinha lava, loo rock
p.98 loose surface, lava, geology
p.100 Caniçal in 2m west of Piedada, Denudation, queries
p.101 went to Rosto Point to see northern cliff
p.106-107 Drawing – tuff, queries Hartung
p.108 Boxes – Porte Santo and Caniçal
p.109 mems, boxes, São João, Funchal
p.110 Botany, Piedade, species
p.111 Itinerary: Funchal
p.112 G. Hartung address

Dates

  • Creation: January 1854

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Full Extent

119 folios

Full Extent

59 Leaves

Full Extent

1 volume

Processing Information

Transcribed by Harriet Mack, with assistance by Carlos A. Góis-Marques. Catalogued by Pamela McIntyre, Strategic Projects Archivist May 2024.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

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