darwin and modern science-第106节

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　am　greatly　indebted　to　the　Managers　of　the　Bank　at　Shrewsbury　for　kind　assistance　in　the　examination　of　this　interesting　memorial：　　and　Mr　H。T。　Beddoes；　the　Curator　of　the　Shrewsbury　Museum；　has　given　me　some　archaeological　information　concerning　the　stone。　　Mr　Richard　Cotton　was　a　good　local　naturalist；　a　Fellow　both　of　the　Geological　and　Linnean　Societies；　and　to　the　officers　of　these　societies　I　am　indebted　for　information　concerning　him。　　He　died　in　1839；　and　although　he　does　not　appear　to　have　published　any　scientific　papers；　he　did　far　more　for　science　by　influencing　the　career　of　the　school　boy！〃　　It　was　of　course　brought　to　where　Shrewsbury　now　stands　by　the　agency　of　a　glacieras　Darwin　afterwards　learnt。

We　can　well　believe　from　the　perusal　of　these　reminiscences　that；　at　this　time；　Darwin's　mind　was；　as　he　himself　says；　〃prepared　for　a　philosophical　treatment　of　the　subject〃　of　Geology。　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　41。）　　When　at　the　age　of　16；　however；　he　was　entered　as　a　medical　student　at　Edinburgh　University；　he　not　only　did　not　get　any　encouragement　of　his　scientific　tastes；　but　was　positively　repelled　by　the　ordinary　instruction　given　there。　　Dr　Hope's　lectures　on　Chemistry；　it　is　true；　interested　the　boy；　who　with　his　brother　Erasmus　had　made　a　laboratory　in　the　toolhouse；　and　was　nicknamed　〃Gas〃　by　his　schoolfellows；　while　undergoing　solemn　and　public　reprimand　from　Dr　Butler　at　Shrewsbury　School　for　thus　wasting　his　time。　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　35。）　　But　most　of　the　other　Edinburgh　lectures　were　〃intolerably　dull；〃　〃as　dull　as　the　professors〃　themselves；　〃something　fearful　to　remember。〃　　In　after　life　the　memory　of　these　lectures　was　like　a　nightmare　to　him。　　He　speaks　in　1840　of　Jameson's　lectures　as　something　〃I。。。for　my　sins　experienced！〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　340。）　　Darwin　especially　signalises　these　lectures　on　Geology　and　Zoology；　which　he　attended　in　his　second　year；　as　being　worst　of　all　〃incredibly　dull。　　The　sole　effect　they　produced　on　me　was　the　determination　never　so　long　as　I　lived　to　read　a　book　on　Geology；　or　in　any　way　to　study　the　science！〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　41。）

The　misfortune　was　that　Edinburgh　at　that　time　had　become　the　cockpit　in　which　the　barren　conflict　between　〃Neptunism〃　and　Plutonism〃　was　being　waged　with　blind　fury　and　theological　bitterness。　　Jameson　and　his　pupils；　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　friends　and　disciples　of　Hutton；　on　the　other；　went　to　the　wildest　extremes　in　opposing　each　other's　peculiar　tenets。　　Darwin　tells　us　that　he　actually　heard　Jameson　〃in　a　field　lecture　at　Salisbury　Craigs；　discoursing　on　a　trap…dyke；　with　amygdaloidal　margins　and　the　strata　indurated　on　each　side；　with　volcanic　rocks　all　around　us；　say　that　it　was　a　fissure　filled　with　sediment　from　above；　adding　with　a　sneer　that　there　were　men　who　maintained　that　it　had　been　injected　from　beneath　in　a　molten　condition。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　pages　41…42。）　　〃When　I　think　of　this　lecture；〃　added　Darwin；　〃I　do　not　wonder　that　I　determined　never　to　attend　to　Geology。〃　　（This　was　written　in　1876　and　Darwin　had　in　the　summer　of　1839　revisited　and　carefully　studied　the　locality　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　290。）　　It　is　probable　that　most　of　Jameson's　teaching　was　of　the　same　controversial　and　unilluminating　character　as　this　field…lecture　at　Salisbury　Craigs。

There　can　be　no　doubt　that；　while　at　Edinburgh；　Darwin　must　have　become　acquainted　with　the　doctrines　of　the　Huttonian　School。　　Though　so　young；　he　mixed　freely　with　the　scientific　society　of　the　city；　Macgillivray；　Grant；　Leonard　Horner；　Coldstream；　Ainsworth　and　others　being　among　his　acquaintances；　while　he　attended　and　even　read　papers　at　the　local　scientific　societies。　　It　is　to　be　feared；　however；　that　what　Darwin　would　hear　most　of；　as　characteristic　of　the　Huttonian　teaching；　would　be　assertions　that　chalk…flints　were　intrusions　of　molten　silica；　that　fossil　wood　and　other　petrifactions　had　been　impregnated　with　fused　materials；　that　heatbut　never　waterwas　always　the　agent　by　which　the　induration　and　crystallisation　of　rock…materials　（even　siliceous　conglomerate；　limestone　and　rock…salt）　had　been　effected！　　These　extravagant　〃anti…　Wernerian〃　views　the　young　student　might　well　regard　as　not　one　whit　less　absurd　and　repellant　than　the　doctrine　of　the　〃aqueous　precipitation〃　of　basalt。　　There　is　no　evidence　that　Darwin；　even　if　he　ever　heard　of　them；　was　in　any　way　impressed；　in　his　early　career；　by　the　suggestive　passages　in　Hutton　and　Playfair；　to　which　Lyell　afterwards　called　attention；　and　which　foreshadowed　the　main　principles　of　Uniformitarianism。

As　a　matter　of　fact；　I　believe　that　the　influence　of　Hutton　and　Playfair　in　the　development　of　a　philosophical　theory　of　geology　has　been　very　greatly　exaggerated　by　later　writers　on　the　subject。　　Just　as　Wells　and　Matthew　anticipated　the　views　of　Darwin　on　Natural　Selection；　but　without　producing　any　real　influence　on　the　course　of　biological　thought；　so　Hutton　and　Playfair　adumbrated　doctrines　which　only　became　the　basis　of　vivifying　theory　in　the　hands　of　Lyell。　　Alfred　Russel　Wallace　has　very　justly　remarked　that　when　Lyell　wrote　the　〃Principles　of　Geology〃；　〃the　doctrines　of　Hutton　and　Playfair；　so　much　in　advance　of　their　age；　seemed　to　be　utterly　forgotten。〃　　（〃Quarterly　Review〃；　Vol。　CXXVI。　（1869）；　page　363。）　　In　proof　of　this　it　is　only　necessary　to　point　to　the　works　of　the　great　masters　of　English　geology；　who　preceded　Lyell；　in　which　the　works　of　Hutton　and　his　followers　are　scarcely　ever　mentioned。　　This　is　true　even　of　the　〃Researches　in　Theoretical　Geology〃　and　the　other　works　of　the　sagacious　De　la　Beche。　　（Of　the　strength　and　persistence　of　the　prejudice　felt　against　Lyell's　views　by　his　contemporaries；　I　had　a　striking　illustration　some　little　time　after　Lyell's　death。　　One　of　the　old　geologists　who　in　the　early　years　of　the　century　had　done　really　good　work　in　connection　with　the　Geological　Society　expressed　a　hope　that　I　was　not　〃one　of　those　who　had　been　carried　away　by　poor　Lyell's　fads。〃　　My　surprise　was　indeed　great　when　further　conversation　showed　me　that　the　whole　of　the　〃Principles〃　were　included　in　the　〃fads〃！）　　Darwin　himself　possessed　a　copy　of　Playfair's　〃Illustrations　of　the　Huttonian　Theory〃；　and　occasionally　quotes　it；　but　I　have　met　with　only　one　reference　to　Hutton；　and　that　a　somewhat　enigmatical　one；　in　all　Darwin's　writings。　　In　a　letter　to　Lyell　in　1841；　when　his　mind　was　much　exercised　concerning　glacial　questions；　he　says　〃What　a　grand　new　feature　all　this　ice　work　is　in　Geology！　　How　old　Hutton　would　have　stared！〃　　（〃M。L。〃　II。　page　149。）

As　a　consequence　of　the　influences　brought　to　bear　on　his　mind　during　his　two　years'　residence　in　Edinburgh；　Darwin；　who　had　entered　that　University　with　strong　geological　aspirations；　left　it　and　proceeded　to　Cambridge　with　a　pronounced　distaste　for　the　whole　subject。　　The　result　of　this　was　that；　during　his　career　as　an　under…graduate；　he　neglected　all　the　opportunities　for　geological　study。　　During　that　important　period　of　life；　when　he　was　between　eighteen　and　twenty　years　of　age；　Darwin　spent　his　time　in　riding；　shooting　and　beetle…hunting；　pursuits　which　were　undoubtedly　an　admirable　preparation　for　his　future　work　as　an　explorer；　but　in　none　of　his　letters　of　this　period　does　he　even　mention　geology。　　He　says；　however；　〃I　was　so　sickened　with　lectures　at　Edinburgh　that　I　did　not　even　attend　Sedgwick's　eloquent　and　interesting　lectures。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　48。）

It　was　only　after　passing　his　examination；　and　when　he　went　up　to　spend　two　extra　terms　at　Cambridge；　that　geology　again　began　to　attract　his　attention。　　The　reading　of　Sir　John　Herschel's　〃Introduction　to　the　Study　of　Natural　Philosophy〃；　and　of　Humboldt's　〃Personal　Narrative〃；　a　copy　of　which　last　had　been　given　to　him　by　his　good　friend　and　mentor　Henslow；　roused　his　dormant　enthusiasm　for　science；　and　awakened　in　his　mind　a　passionate　desire　for　travel。　　And　it　was　from　Henslow；　whom　he　had　accompanied　in　his　excursions；　but　without　imbibing　any　marked　taste；　at　that　time；　for　botany；　that　the　advice　came　to　think　of　and　to　〃begin　the　study　of　geology。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　56。）　　This　was　in　1831；　and　in　the　summer　vacation　of　that　year　we　find　him　back　again　at　Shrewsbury　〃working　like　a　tiger〃　at　geology　and　endeavouring　to　make　a　map　and　section　of　Shropshirework　which　he　says　was　not　〃as　easy　as　I　expected。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　189。）　　No　better　field　for　geological　studies　could　possibly　be　found　than　Darwin's　native　county。

Writing　to　Henslow　at　this　time；　and　referring　to　a　form　of　the　instrument　devised　by　his　friend；　Darwin　says：　　〃I　am　very　glad　to　say　I　think　the　clinometer　will　answer　admirably。　　I　put　all　the　tables　in　my　bedroom　at　every　conceivable　angle　and　direction。　　I　will　venture　to　say　that　I　have　measured　them　as　accurately　as　any　geologist　going　could　do。〃　　But　he　adds：　　〃I　have　been　working　at　so　many　things　that　I　have　not　got　on　much　with　geology。　　I　suspect　the　first　expedition　I　take；　clinometer　and　hammer　in　hand；　will　send　me　back　very　little　wiser　and　a　good　deal　more　puzzled　than　when　I　started。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　189。）　　Valuable　aid　was；　however；　at　hand；　for　at　this　time　Sedgwick；　to　whom　Darwin　had　been　introduced　by　the　ever…helpful　Henslow；　was　making　one　of　his　expedition