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Notebook No.191, February 1854

 Item — Box: Lyell-temp-box 7
Identifier: Coll-203/A1/191

Transcription note:

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 starts January 31st, 1854, and covers Charles Lyell’s travels around the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo. Specific areas of note include Cape Girão, Pico da Cruz, Pico Ruivo, Torrinhas, Camara de Lobos, Pico do Gato, Ilheu do Campanario, Boqueirão, Santo Antonio, and São Vicente. This notebook primarily focuses on the geological features and formations and includes a vast number of drawings and sketches of stratigraphical and geological features, primarily concerning scoria, lava, basalt, tuff, lapilli, erosion, caldera, and dikes. A drawing of note can be found on page 38 and is a section drawing of Pico da Cruz which is hand painted, an unusual technique for Lyell, with colour separating the different geological formations. Lyell also includes shell lists, especially those he collected from Porto Santo (p.116). This notebook covers the development of geological theories focusing on upheaval theory and volcanic theory, helping Lyell to suggest things like Cape Girão being an ‘epitome of an island?’ (p.35). Lyell often mentions Johan Fredrik Eckersberg and his drawings, with Eckersberg directly contributing to the notebook on page 54 with a drawing of basalt at Campanario. This notebook includes Barometer readings, both attached and detached.

Transcription note:

This notebook is written in ink and pencil and does not include an index but includes a short, itemised list on the first page much like the other Maderia notebooks. There is an index as part of the Index to Notebooks on Geology of Madeira reference Coll-203/A5/16, and that is included here. Many of the words/place names have been difficult to decipher and have been left with Lyell’s own spellings. 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.

Lyell's own index

[From “Index to Note Books on Geology of Maderia” reference Coll-203/A5/16
p.2 Cape Girau [sic Girão] section.
“ Epitome of structure of island-
p.3 - Beds inclined at 30°.
p.5 Cape Girau [sic Girão] sect[io]n W. end
p.6 ]Cape Girau [sic Girão]] Bombs & ropy lava in centre
overlying alterations
C. Girau [sic Girão] amp; P. Ruvio very like.
p.8 [Cape Girau [sic Girão]] - dip least when most dikes
“ Lower beds of [Piedia molle?] an arch at bottom
p.10 C. Girau [sic Girão] beds least dip in centre
p.12 Dikes hade of – as if by another on the western side dipping or heading E p.14 Dike 60 seen at once
“ - 18 to 20 ft wide
“ Dike freer in centre
p.16 no pebbles or marine remains in C. Girau [sic Girão]
p.18 Cape Girau [sic Girão] 3 plants of
p.20 Camara de Lobos river bed, round pebbles 75ft high.
“ C. de. L. [sic Camara de Lobes] old alluvium
p.23 Alluvial conglom & tuff under the Cam[era] de Lobos basalt
“ Spheroidal lava fragments of allu[viu]m cov[ere]d by basalt -
p.24 Dike hade of -
“ Junction of inclined beds & Funchal system
p.26 C. Girau [sic Girão] incli ned beds E. end -
p.28, 30} Do.
p.33 Dikes in the inclined bed no. 4.
p.34 Funchal system succeeding to Cape Girau [sic Girão]. Junction of it & no.4.
p.36 View (coloured) | from Gorgulho
p.40 Gorgulho section – below, arches
p.44 Plan of tour to Rabecal [sic Rabaçal]
p.46 S. Jorge Lignite notes & section
p.48 Barometrical as cruses Ribo Brava
p.50 Dike 12 ft R[ibiero]. B[rava]. of Campanario Ribo
p.51 River bed 75 ft high at Camara de Lobos, but no river land under the basalt
p.50 Spheroidal thickness of qy 900 ft - (Hartung think not Oct. 22. 1855)
p.52 Cone of eruption near Campanario ([sent?] everywhere superficial H.) Cone 1000 ft thick
p.54 Sea cliff sketch & cone not Campanario & C. Girau [sic Girão]
p.55 Spheroidal & red soil.
p.56 Ribo Brava mouth of
p. 58 Buried cones of valley of S. Lucia or S. Rocco notes on
p.60 Ribo Brava cone of eruption in sea cliff E. of it.
p.63 Do. & sketches
p.65 Do Coast section
p.67 Do
p.69 Do
p.71, 73, 75} Coast section W end of C. Girau [sic Girão] beds dipping W-
p.75 Horizontal injected dikes C. Girau [sic Girão]
p.77 C. Girau [sic Girão] waterfall
p.79 - 40 dikes in 2000 ft
p.81 Cape Girau [sic Girão] highest point section,
p.83 - - E. end.
p.84 No. 4. cannot be 3. fallen for see laterite.
p.84 Cape Girau [sic Girão] great fault, plan of N.W. & S.E
p.87 Boqueirão section of 3 & 4.
p.89 Do – 5 & 5.
p.91 Do E. of Boqueirão
p.93 Section of Cam[ara] de Lobos
p.95 Yellow tuff Cam[ara] de Lobos
p.97 Coast section Arrieniro [sic Areeiro]
p.99 Praya [sic Praia] Formosa
p.101 Barometrical height Pico Antionio & Cardo
p.102 Do
p.106 Barom[etrica]l height Pico S. Antonio
“ P[ico]. S. Antonio origin of red marl
p. 108 Barometer Funchal Feb[uar]y 3rd
p.112 Rabacal [sic Rabaçal] river at fall cut back – pedra molle below alterat[io]n
p.116 Porto Santo shells collected by Cap[tain ] Grey

Dates

  • Creation: February 1854

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Full Extent

123 folios

Full Extent

61 Leaves

Full Extent

1 volume

Repository Details

Part of the University of Edinburgh Library Heritage Collections Repository

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