還算運(yùn)氣,赫頓在約翰•普萊費(fèi)爾身上找到了一個(gè)鮑斯韋爾式的人物。普萊費(fèi)爾是愛丁堡大學(xué)的數(shù)學(xué)教授,赫頓的一位密友。他不但寫得出漂亮的散文,而且--幸虧多年在赫頓身邊--在大多數(shù)情況下知道赫頓其實(shí)想要說些什么。1802年,在赫頓去世5年以后,普萊費(fèi)爾推出了赫頓原理的簡(jiǎn)寫本,題目叫做《關(guān)于赫頓地球論的說明》。這本書受到了對(duì)地質(zhì)學(xué)感興趣的人的歡迎。這種人在1802年還為數(shù)不多。然而,情況快要發(fā)生變化。那么,情況是怎么發(fā)生變化的?
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.
1807年,倫敦13個(gè)志同道合的人在科文特加登廣場(chǎng)朗??私值墓矟?jì)會(huì)酒店聚會(huì),成立了一個(gè)餐飲俱樂部,后來取名為地質(zhì)學(xué)會(huì)。學(xué)會(huì)每月碰一次頭,一邊喝一兩杯馬德拉白葡萄酒,吃一頓交際飯,一邊交換對(duì)地質(zhì)學(xué)的看法。
The price of the meal was set at a deliberately hefty fifteen shillings to discourage thosewhose qualifications were merely cerebral. It soon became apparent, however, that there wasa demand for something more properly institutional, with a permanent headquarters, wherepeople could gather to share and discuss new findings. In barely a decade membership grewto four hundred—still all gentlemen, of course—and the Geological was threatening to eclipsethe Royal as the premier scientific society in the country.
這頓飯的價(jià)錢故意定在昂貴的15先令,以便使那些沒有頭腦的人望而卻步。然而,事情很快就變得一清二楚,需要有個(gè)設(shè)有永久性總部的合適機(jī)構(gòu),人們可以在那里分享和討論新的發(fā)現(xiàn)。不到10年,成員就發(fā)展到400名——當(dāng)然仍都是紳士--地質(zhì)學(xué)會(huì)看來要使皇家學(xué)會(huì)相形見絀,成為該國(guó)的首要科學(xué)社團(tuán)。