Lyell, Sir Charles

Sir Charles (1797-1875), a distinguished Scottish geologist. He was a native of Forfarshire. He was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, where he came under the influence of Dr. Buckland, the geologist. He studied for the bar, but was first heard of through a paper on the marls of his native county. In 1823, being a man of independent means, he went to Paris and made the acquaintance of Cuvier and Humboldt. He traveled extensively throughout western Europe, examining the geological formations. He visited North America four times, lecturing in Boston before the Lowell Institute and elsewhere. He wrote the Antiquity of Man to prove that the human race has existed on the earth for a long period of time. His reputation rests chiefly on The Principles of Geology, the nature of which is indicated by its subsidiary title, "An Attempt to Explain the Former Changes of the Earth's Surface by Reference to Causes Now in Operation." Lyell was one of the first and foremost men to teach that the present physical features of the earth are the results of causes now in existence, working through long periods of time. His theory is now generally accepted. It is opposed to the doctrine of sudden and violent changes. He resided chiefly in London, where he held various educational and honorary positions.