Dear Darwin

Before this you will have received a letter I addressed to you, some time since, at Shrewsbury. It contained a statement of what I was doing & had done— I have now resolved to confine myself to this county, & if I can finish it to my satisfaction I shall be well content to turn my back on these mountains for a season— I cannot but be glad at your appointment & I truly hope it will be a source of happiness & honor to you.— I really dont know what to say about books— N^o. 1 Daubeny.¹ N^o. 2. a book on Geology— D’aubuissions² work is one of the best tho’ full of Wernerian nonsense.—³ I dont think Bakewell a bad book for a beginner—⁴ For fossil shells what is to be done?— Go to the Geological Society and introduce yourself to M^r Lonsdale⁵ as my friend & fellow traveller & he will counsel you— Humboldts personal narrative you will of course get— He will at least show the right spirit with w^h. a man should set to work— There is a small paper printed by the Geol. Soc^y containing directions for travellers &c—⁶ Lonsdale will give you a copy: but it is a mere horn book⁷ hardly worth your looking at— Study the Geological Soc^ys. collection as well as you can—& pay them back in specimens— I am to propose you when the meetings begin.⁸ I am in great hurry as my gig is at the door:—on my way to Clynnog from which place D.V. I hope in ten days to work my way round the great S. Western Promontory of Cardigan bay— I shall then return pack up—& start for Capel Curig—where I must halt again for y^e 3^d time to make a traverse or two in y^e chain— But this depends on the weather— Should it fairly break up I must lodge

The Carnarvon Chain is very troublesome from the number of anticlinal lines w^h I have to follow out from hill to hill & valley to valley upways, downways, & cross ways. I will try to give you a notion of one section

a. slate quarries on w. side of Mynydd Mawr

b. Mynydd Mawr, a great anticlinal line

b’.pass of Drws y Coed.. c. Drws-y-Coed — —Do.— —

D. Moel Haebog E. Foel Ddu. an anticlinal li⁠⟨⁠ne⁠⟩⁠

f. Pass of Pont Aberglaslyn—

g. ⁠⟨⁠Cni⁠⟩⁠cht., k. h. hills toward Festiniog.

The prevailing dip in y^e Snowdonian chain is S.E with numberless great contortions; & the base of y^e series is near y^e line of the Slate quarries (a) on y^e west side of the Chain.— The strike of the beds in the chain is about N.N.E. with singular uniformity, till you reach the Eastern outskirts & then all is confusion.— The Merioneth chains are elevated in the same direction (as far as I have seen ’em) but y^e prevailing tilt seems to be to the N.W. I expect to find (next year!) a great central anticlinal axis in Merioneth.—⁹ The place marked X in the secⁿ. is the place where the two systems of elevation interfere with each other. But my picture is so detestable and out of all proportion that I fear you cannot comprehend it— I consider poor Ramsays death a grievous loss to the whole University— God bless you & preserve your health of mind & body. Most truly yours | A Sedgwick

I shall be happy to hear from you write to Carnarvon