Notebook No.200, February 1855 - March 1855

Following the completion of the fifth Edition of Manual of Elementary Geology in February 1855 [otherwise known as 'Elements of Geology'] Charles and Mary Lyell travel to Germany, where this Notebook was written. At the beginning, Lyell is in Brunswick, Germany, but most entries thereafter identify his location as Berlin. The notebook covers a wide range of geological observations and notes from meetings with German scientists. It includes discussions on stratigraphy, fossil identification, and correlations between geological layers across Europe, with a particular focus on the Cretaceous and Paleozoic periods. While in Berlin, Lyell visits Georg Heinrich Pertz, who had married Mary Lyell's sister, Leonora, the previous year. Lyell also records insights from geologists such as Gustav Rose, Heinrich Beyrich, and Eilhard Mitscherlich, alongside discussions on volcanic activity, glacial hypotheses, and fossil discoveries. The notebook also documents scientific society meetings and references to published works. Leonard G. Wilson in his book 'Sir Charles Lyell's Scientific Journals on the Species Question' [YUP 1970] records that this trip was taken to "visit family and friends" [this cold refer to Leonora], and stopping at Paris on their return. Note the last location given in this notebook is Berlin, on page 114.

Lyell’s own index from Coll-203/A5/3 p. 20
p. 25 Nile mud Lepsius on (proves oscillations
p. 38 Erratics of N. Germany not glacial
Summary Index:
p. 1 “With Dr Strombeck Brunswick Feb[ruary] 1855”, “Terebratula biplicata of Neocomian”, “Tourtia and Farringdon Beds” [sic Faringdon]
p. 2 List of dates in January to March
p. 3 “Hills thon” [sic Hils], “Flammenmergel”, “Belemnites semi canaliculatus”
p. 5 Stratigraphic column, including the Flammenmergel, Gault, and Speeton Clay formations, as well as the time periods Aptian and Neocomian, and various fossils found in each layer
p. 7 “Mem[orandum]”, “A. D’Orbigny says”, “Von Strombeck Address”
p. 7, 8 “Hills [sic Hils] conglom[erate]”
p. 8, 10 Uplift of the “Hartz” [sic Harz] with a sketch
p. 10 “E. Forbes Lower Cretaceous”, “Aachenion of Belgium”
p. 12 “Speeton Clay”, “Gault”
p. 14 “Gustav Rose is making Geol[ogical] map of Silesia”, “Beyrich about Paleozoic”, “1st Wed[nesday] in March Geol[ogical] Society”, “Ewald”
p. 16 “March 1, Berlin 1855 Sitting of the Academy”, “with Ewald March 2nd 1855”
p. 17 “With Ewald”, “Rudists”, “The Monopleura of Matheron” with a sketch
p. 18 Correlation of various stratigraphic layers to Cretaceous epochs, “Zeuglodon”, “Ancyloceras”
p. 19 “with Ewald”, Description of Neocomian-aged limestone in the South of France
p. 20 “Berlin March 2 1855 with Beyrich”, Notes on the Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous strata in Silesia, “Belgian Tertiary”
p. 21 “Mem[oranda]” numbered 1-5
p. 22 Address for Ehrenberg and Beyrich, “Ehrenberg has receiv[ed] no answer from Royal Society], “Kladderadatsch”
p. 24 Appointment time to see Von Buch’s Grand Canary fossils, “Feb[ruary] 3d [1855] at Dr. Pertz”, “Encke”
p. 24, 25 “Lepsius”, “Magnus”
p. 26 “Trendelenburg”, “Ehrenberg”, “Ranke”
p. 26, 27 “Rose Gustov”
p. 27 “Muller”
p. 28 “Hippuritida”, “Given to Ewald” list numbered 1-3
p. 29 “At Taylor’s College Oxford”, “Max Muller”, “5th Feb[ruary] Prof. Muller’s lecture on nerves of the neck”
p. 30 “Given to Beyrich” list numbered 1-8, “Mem[oranda] numbered 1-3
p. 32 “Mem[oranda]” numbered 1-4
p. 34 “Turritella Palmula”, Sketch of a turritella shell
p. 36 “Wettin near Halle”, “Sphenophyllum”, “Feb[ruary] 8”, “Hebert”, “Mem[oranda]” numbered 1-3
p. 37 List of dates, “March 8th Geol[ogical] Soc[iety] monthly meeting”
p. 37, 38 Amber in Lignite and Goppert’s interpretation
p. 38 Beyrich interpretation of North German erratics
p. 38, 39 Discussion of “glacial hypothesis”
p. 39 “Maps of Silesia by Mr. Carnall”
p. 40 “Schacchi” [sic Scacchi] on “the last great eruption of Vesuvius”, Sketch of a stratigraphic column
p. 42 “Academy of Berlin”, “Mem[oranda]” numbered 1-8
p. 43 “Addresses Berlin” list of approximately 20 names and addresses
p. 44 “Schacchi [sic Scacchi] on Vesuvius”, “Dr Crantz [sic Krantz] in Bonn”
p. 45 “March 9th 1855 Berlin With Mitscherlich and Ewald”, “Stromboli”
p. 46, 47 References to the Scacchi’s Memoria sullo Incendio Vesuviano (1855)
p. 48 Sketches, “Copies of Manual” numbered 1-6
p. 49 “Addresses”, “Geognostische Karte von Wurttemberg Baden”
p. 50 “Geognostische Karte”, “10 March 1855 With Ewald”, “Roth, Secretary of G[eological]. S[ociety].”
p. 51 “With Gustav Rose”, “Von Buch travelling much alone”, “Von Buch ag[ainst] applic[ation] of Chemistry to Mineralogy
p 52, 53 “Scacchi Ves[uvius] 1850 continu[ed]” notes on pages 21-28
p. 54 Stratigraphy of “Tongrian” and “Brown Coal Lignite” of North Germany, “The Berlin shells”, Sketch of a stratigraphic column
p. 56 Discussion of shells in lignite or brown coal
p. 57 Stratigraphic column written in French
p. 58 Septarium clay of Berlin and Antwerp, “In Beyrich’s fauna there are 4 levels” numbered 1-4
p. 60 Oligocene deposits, Stratigraphic column sketch
p. 62 Stratigraphic column sketch, “Dechen’s map at Schnopp”, “Mr Roth Braun Belgian paper”
p. 63 “March 11 1855” Commentary on books of the Berlin Library and German reading habits
p. 64 “Mem[oranda]” numbered 1-3, Rough sketch possibly of a tooth
p. 65, 66 “Scacchi” continued from p. 53 with notes on pages 32-35
p. 66 “Zeitschrift der Deutsch Geologeselt”, Commentary on cost of printing Manual
p. 67 “Scacchi contin[ued]” with notes on pages 35-38
p. 68 “Delius Lithograph”, “Q[uer]y size of great vent on Vesuvius”
p. 69 “Scacchi contin[ued]”, “Ziegler’s M.S. on Geology”
p. 70 “Pfaffenherrschaft”, Appointment time with Professor Braun
p. 70, 71 “With Prof[essor] Ritter”, Notes about “Mr. Ziegler” and his map of Madeira
p. 71 “With Prof Braun” with notes on chara tuberculata, “With Mr. Ewald”
p. 72 “Permian fish of the Pterychthys? [sic Pterichthys] or Cephalaspis family” with a large sketch
p. 73 Labeled diagram and description of scaphites found in chalk of Westphalia
p. 74 “Mem[oranda] Books and papers presents for Berliners” numbered 1-14
p. 75 “Mem[oranda]” numbered 1-11
p. 76 “With V. Dechen” with references to Fraas, Rose, Roth, and Scacchi, and their opinions on volcano and lava formation
p. 78 “Berlin March 1855”, “With Encke 14 March” commentary on refractor and reflector telescopes
p. 79 “With Beyrich” and his opinion on Permian and Carboniferous layers in Germany, “Semenov in Zeitschrift 1854”
p. 80 Schedule of days and appointments, “Salzhausen a great collection of fossil plants”, “Vitis teutonica”
p. 81 “Munzenberg”, “Giessen brown coal”
p. 82 “Travertin of Weimar”, “Chara hispida”, “Muhlhausen in Thuringia”, Citation of a book on mineral springs by F. A. Walchner
p. 83 Shells accompanying diluvial deposits or Elephas primigenius
p. 84 Notes on a variety of Chara species with reference to Oswald Heer and a sketch
p. 85 Meeting time for Mr. Mitscherlich
p. 86 “16 March Berlin With Mitscherlich”, Discussion of crystals in lava
p. 87 Von Dechen’s commentary on Andre Dumont’s maps
p. 88 “Paul Gervais”, “With Ewald”
p. 88, 89 Notes on ejected pumice and slopes at Vesuvius
p. 89 Stratigraphy of Zechstein in Thuringia, Rhinoceros and elephant teeth in the Bunter Sandstone, “Roth-todtliegendes different fauna from coal”
p. 90 “Mem[orandum] 17. March 1855” detailing numbers of books to send
p. 90, 91 “Mem[orandum]” numbered 1-18
p. 92 “With Beyrich”, Sketch of Tubicaulis primarius and reference to Cotta, “Giebel of Halle”
p. 93 “Museums Berlin 17 March with Beyrich” commentary on ammonites and ceratites in Rudersdorf with a sketch of the sutures, “Permian”, “Rothtodtliegende fossil fish”
p. 94 “With Beyrich” discussion of Rhinoceros, Elephant, and Protorosaurus fossils, “Mica given me by Mitscherlich”
p. 95 “Drift Berlin”, “Protorosaurs”, “27th Mitscherlich showed me the augite (or pyroxene) which he manufactured”, Sketch of alternating layers of slate and limestone
p. 96 Sketches and calculations on microscopic species of Trichostomum, Echiniscus, and Acarus
p. 98 “2000 fathoms deep Maury between Newfoundland and England”
p. 98, 100 Calcareous mud brought up from 12,000 feet containing polycystines and quartz
p. 100, 101 “Land plants”
p. 101 “Mem[orandum]”, “With Gustav Rose Berlin 20 March 1855”, Feldspar compared to oligoclase
p. 102 “Trachyte”, “Albite”, “Andes”
p. 102, 103 “Lava” notes on crystal formation
p. 103 List of 4 questions for Mitscherlich
p. 104 “With Mitscherlich” notes on lava and the Volcanic Eifel with a sketch
p. 106 “Schacchi’s [sic Scacchi] guide”, Sketch of alternating limestone and shale, Sketch of volcanic activity
p. 108 “Bombs with olivine”, “De Beaumont Stromboli”
p. 110 “Somma erratics”, “The ejection wh[ich] covered Pompeii”, “Eifel”
p. 111 “Wind in Eifel”, “Woods on Soma [sic Somma]”, “Somma”
p. 112 Description of Mitscherlich’s experiments, “Hesse Cassel”, 1000 degrees of Celsius”, Sketch of volcanic activity
p. 113 Sketch of Eifel lava vent
p. 114 “Berlin March 21 1855”, Ground movement and subsidence in Nubia and Egypt
p. 115 Note in German about travel papers
p. 116, 118, 120 Buildings of Philae, “Prof[essor] Lepsius”, Discussion on indications of subsidence or upheaval
p. 120 “March 22 1855”, Reference to paper by Ehrenberg, Ammonites