Fight to keep notebooks of Darwin’s mentor in the UK
SCIENTISTS are desperately trying to raise £1million to keep notebooks belonging to a scientist who mentored Charles Darwin in the UK.
The 294 notebooks written by Sir Charles Lyell, the Scottish geologist, are currently in private hands, but a campaign led by the University of Edinburgh needs to raise £966,000 to buy the archive.
Lyell, who died in 1875 aged 77, mentored Darwin after the latter returned from his five-year voyage on the Beagle in 1836 and is credited with providing the scientific framework that helped Darwin develop his evolutionary theories.
Some £630,000 has been raised so far by more than 800 supporters, ranging from the Geological Society of London to science broadcasters and writers Nicholas Crane, Hermione Cockburn and Richard Fortey.
Contained within the notebooks are copies of correspondence with Darwin and the Victorian scientist’s perspective on issues of current concern, including climate change and threats to species diversity.
Robert Gatliff, president of the Edinburgh Geological Society, described the “colossal impact” of Charles Lyell on geology.
“His notebooks are so important to the development of geological thinking in Britain, it would be a travesty to see them lost, so this fundraising campaign is crucial,” he said.
A government export ban has been placed upon the notebooks for the next three months in a bid to keep them in the UK, giving campaigners time to raise the funds needed.
If the campaign is successful, the University of Edinburgh has pledged to make the collection freely available to the public.