A Short History of Nearly Everything-第11章

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　a　man　who　read　everything；　admitted　he　couldn’t　getthrough　it。

luckily　hutton　had　a　boswell　in　the　form　of　john　playfair；　a　professor　of　mathematics　atthe　university　of　edinburgh　and　a　close　friend；　who　could　not　only　write　silken　prose　but—thanks　to　many　years　at　hutton’s　elbow—actually　understood　what　hutton　was　trying　to　say；most　of　the　time。　in　1802；　five　years　after　hutton’s　death；　playfair　produced　a　simplifiedexposition　of　the　huttonian　principles；　entitled　illustrations　of　the　huttonian　theory　of　theearth。　the　book　was　gratefully　received　by　those　who　took　an　active　interest　in　geology；which　in　1802　was　not　a　large　number。　that；　however；　was　about　to　change。　and　how。

in　the　winter　of　1807；　thirteen　like…minded　souls　in　london　got　together　at　the　freemasonstavern　at　long　acre；　in　covent　garden；　to　form　a　dining　club　to　be　called　the　geologicalsociety。　the　idea　was　to　meet　once　a　month　to　swap　geological　notions　over　a　glass　or　two　ofmadeira　and　a　convivial　dinner。　the　price　of　the　meal　was　set　at　a　deliberately　hefty　fifteenshillings　to　discourage　those　whose　qualifications　were　merely　cerebral。　it　soon　becameapparent；　however；　that　there　was　a　demand　for　something　more　properly　institutional；　with　apermanent　headquarters；　where　people　could　gather　to　share　and　discuss　new　findings。　inbarely　a　decade　membership　grew　to　four　hundred—still　all　gentlemen；　of　course—and　thegeological　was　threatening　to　eclipse　the　royal　as　the　premier　scientific　society　in　thecountry。

the　members　met　twice　a　month　from　november　until　june；　when　virtually　all　of　themwent　off　to　spend　the　summer　doing　fieldwork。　these　weren’t　people　with　a　pecuniary　interestin　minerals；　you　understand；　or　even　academics　for　the　most　part；　but　simply　gentlemen　withthe　wealth　and　time　to　indulge　a　hobby　at　a　more　or　less　professional　level。　by　1830；　therewere　745　of　them；　and　the　world　would　never　see　the　like　again。

it　is　hard　to　imagine　now；　but　geology　excited　the　nineteenth　century—positively　grippedit—in　a　way　that　no　science　ever　had　before　or　would　again。　in　1839；　when　roderickmurchison　published　the　silurian　system；　a　plump　and　ponderous　study　of　a　type　of　rockcalled　greywacke；　it　was　an　instant　bestseller；　racing　through　four　editions；　even　though　it　costeight　guineas　a　copy　and　was；　in　true　huttonian　style；　unreadable。　（as　even　a　murchisonsupporter　conceded；　it　had　“a　total　want　of　literary　attractiveness。”）　and　when；　in　1841；　thegreat　charles　lyell　traveled　to　america　to　give　a　series　of　lectures　in　boston；　selloutaudiences　of　three　thousand　at　a　time　packed　into　the　lowell　institute　to　hear　his　tranquilizingdescriptions　of　marine　zeolites　and　seismic　perturbations　in　campania。

throughout　the　modern；　thinking　world；　but　especially　in　britain；　men　of　learning　venturedinto　the　countryside　to　do　a　little　“stone…breaking；”　as　they　called　it。　it　was　a　pursuit　takenseriously；　and　they　tended　to　dress　with　appropriate　gravity；　in　top　hats　and　dark　suits；　exceptfor　the　reverend　william　buckland　of　oxford；　whose　habit　it　was　to　do　his　fieldwork　in　anacademic　gown。

the　field　attracted　many　extraordinary　figures；　not　least　the　aforementioned　murchison；who　spent　the　first　thirty　or　so　years　of　his　life　galloping　after　foxes；　converting　aeronauticallychallenged　birds　into　puffs　of　drifting　feathers　with　buckshot；　and　showing　no　mental　agilitywhatever　beyond　that　needed　to　read　the　times　or　play　a　hand　of　cards。　then　he　discoveredan　interest　in　rocks　and　became　with　rather　astounding　swiftness　a　titan　of　geologicalthinking。

then　there　was　dr。　james　parkinson；　who　was　also　an　early　socialist　and　author　of　manyprovocative　pamphlets　with　titles　like　“revolution　without　bloodshed。”　in　1794；　he　wasimplicated　in　a　faintly　lunatic…sounding　conspiracy　called　“the　pop…gun　plot；”　in　which　it　wasplanned　to　shoot　king　george　iii　in　the　neck　with　a　poisoned　dart　as　he　sat　in　his　box　at　thetheater。　parkinson　was　hauled　before　the　privy　council　for　questioning　and　came　within　anace　of　being　dispatched　in　irons　to　australia　before　the　charges　against　him　were　quietlydropped。　adopting　a　more　conservative　approach　to　life；　he　developed　an　interest　in　geologyand　became　one　of　the　founding　members　of　the　geological　society　and　the　author　of　animportant　geological　text；　organic　remains　of　a　former　world；　which　remained　in　print　forhalf　a　century。　he　never　caused　trouble　again。　today；　however；　we　remember　him　for　hislandmark　study　of　the　affliction　then　called　the　“shaking　palsy；”　but　known　ever　since　asparkinson’s　disease。　（parkinson　had　one　other　slight　claim　to　fame。　in　1785；　he　becamepossibly　the　only　person　in　history　to　win　a　natural　history　museum　in　a　raffle。　the　museum；in　london’s　leicester　square；　had　been　founded　by　sir　ashton　lever；　who　had　driven　himselfbankrupt　with　his　unrestrained　collecting　of　natural　wonders。　parkinson　kept　the　museum　until1805；　when　he　could　no　longer　support　it　and　the　collection　was　broken　up　and　sold。）not　quite　as　remarkable　in　character　but　more　influential　than　all　the　others　bined　wascharles　lyell。　lyell　was　born　in　the　year　that　hutton　died　and　only　seventy　miles　away；　in　thevillage　of　kinnordy。　though　scottish　by　birth；　he　grew　up　in　the　far　south　of　england；　in　thenew　forest　of　hampshire；　because　his　mother　was　convinced　that　scots　were　feckless　drunks。

as　was　generally　the　pattern　with　nineteenth…century　gentlemen　scientists；　lyell　came　from　abackground　of　fortable　wealth　and　intellectual　vigor。　his　father；　also　named　charles；　hadthe　unusual　distinction　of　being　a　leading　authority　on　the　poet　dante　and　on　mosses。

（orthotricium　lyelli；　which　most　visitors　to　the　english　countryside　will　at　some　time　have　saton；　is　named　for　him。）　from　his　father　lyell　gained　an　interest　in　natural　history；　but　it　was　atoxford；　where　he　fell　under　the　spell　of　the　reverend　william　buckland—he　of　the　flowinggowns—that　the　young　lyell　began　his　lifelong　devotion　to　geology。

buckland　was　a　bit　of　a　charming　oddity。　he　had　some　real　achievements；　but　he　isremembered　at　least　as　much　for　his　eccentricities。　he　was　particularly　noted　for　a　menagerieof　wild　animals；　some　large　and　dangerous；　that　were　allowed　to　roam　through　his　house　andgarden；　and　for　his　desire　to　eat　his　way　through　every　animal　in　creation。　depending　onwhim　and　availability；　guests　to　buckland’s　house　might　be　served　baked　guinea　pig；　mice　inbatter；　roasted　hedgehog；　or　boiled　southeast　asian　sea　slug。　buckland　was　able　to　find　meritin　them　all；　except　the　mon　garden　mole；　which　he　declared　disgusting。　almostinevitably；　he　became　the　leading　authority　on　coprolites—fossilized　feces—and　had　a　tablemade　entirely　out　of　his　collection　of　specimens。

even　when　conducting　serious　science　his　manner　was　generally　singular。　once　mrs。

buckland　found　herself　being　shaken　awake　in　the　middle　of　the　night；　her　husband　crying　inexcitement：　“my　dear；　i　believe　that　cheirotherium　’s　footsteps　are　undoubtedly　testudinal。”

together　they　hurried　to　the　kitchen　in　their　nightclothes。　mrs。　buckland　made　a　flour　paste；which　she　spread　across　the　table；　while　the　reverend　buckland　fetched　the　family　tortoise。

plunking　it　onto　the　paste；　they　goaded　it　forward　and　discovered　to　their　delight　that　itsfootprints　did　indeed　match　those　of　the　fossil　buckland　had　been　studying。　charles　darwinthought　buckland　a　buffoon—that　was　the　word　he　used—but　lyell　appeared　to　find　himinspiring　and　liked　him　well　enough　to　go　touring　with　him　in　scotland　in　1824。　it　was　soonafter　this　trip　that　lyell　decided　to　abandon　a　career　in　law　and　devote　himself　to　geology　full…time。

lyell　was　extremely　shortsighted　and　went　through　most　of　his　life　with　a　pained　squint；which　gave　him　a　troubled　air。　（eventually　he　would　lose　his　sight　altogether。）　his　other　slightpeculiarity　was　the　habit；　when　distracted　by　thought；　of　taking　up　improbable　positions　onfurniture—lying　across　two　chairs　at　once　or　“resting　his　head　on　the　seat　of　a　chair；　whilestanding　up”　（to　quote　his　friend　darwin）。　often　when　lost　in　thought　he　would　slink　so　lowin　a　chair　that　his　buttocks　would　all　but　touch　the　floor。　lyell’s　only　real　job　in　life　was　asprofessor　of　geology　at　king’s　college　in　london　from　1831　to　1833。　it　was　around　this　timethat　he　produced　the　principles　of　geology；　published　in　three　volumes　between　1830　and1833；　which　in　many　ways　consolidated　and　elaborated　upon　the　thoughts　first　voiced　byhutton　a　generation　earlier。　（although　lyell　never　read　hutton　in　the　original；　he　was　a　keenstudent　of　playfair’s　reworked　version。）between　hutton’s　day　and　lyell’s　there　arose　a　new　geological　controversy；　which　largelysuperseded；　but　is　often　confused　with；　the　old　neptunian–plutonian　dispute。　the　new　battlebecame　an　argument　between　catastrophism　and　uniformitarianism—unattractive　terms　for　animportant　and　very　long…running　dispute。　catastrophists；　as　you　might　expect　from　the　name；believed　that　the　earth　was　shaped　by　abrupt　cataclysmic　events—floods　principally；　which　iswhy　catastrophism　and　neptunism　are　often　wrongly　bundled　together。　catastrophism　wasparticularly　forting　to　clerics　like　buckland　because　it　allowed　them　to　incorporate　thebiblical　flood　of　noah　into　serious　sc