# - Murchison, Sir Roderick Impey.

discussing, for example: research on the Silurian sequence in Norway and its relevance to Phillips' lecture on "the origin of life upon the globe" ("...you may not be aware of all the foreign works which clearly define the real vestiges of life in what I have termed the base of the Silurian Rocks..."); the publication in 1845 of Murchison's work, The Geology of Russia in Europe and the Ural Mountains (for which Phillips had sent him "exquisite little drawings") and related questions ("...I think the description you give must refer to Lower Silurian Devonian Carboniferous &c.; for the main land of the Baltic provinces of Russia (from where the specimens sent to you were taken) contains no Upper Silurian, that deposit being confined to the Baltic Isles...the Devonian resting at once on Lower Silurian upon the main land..."); the work of Murchison's collaborator, the palaeontologist Edouard de Verneuil, in America ("...he has come away with the clearest notions that every thing he has seen confirms the view taken in our introductory chapter...A: the Lower Silurian consists of 6 subformations of which the lowest is the Potsdam Sandst. & the highest the Hudson river rocks...B: The Upper Silurian is made of 11 subformations...C: the Devonian consists of 11 subformations surmounted by and old Red Sandstone..."); Phillips' work in the Malverns; specific questions regarding the dating of fossil specimens; a financial grant by Lord Russell for the advancement of science (and competing claims for it); Murchison's appointment in 1855 to the post of Director General of the British Geological Survey and a "complimentary letter from Lyell -- albeit I hit some of his theories very hard"; the 'wackes' of Germany ("Humboldt is having it translated for the benefit of the 'grauwacke gentry'"); and the diffusion of geological knowledge; c.110 pages, 19 November 1836 to 13 November 1870

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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