When researching, it is always particularly satisfying when surprising coincidences occur. I have just obtained a copy of the 1835 Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (vol. XIII, part I). I was taken with the above wonderful image of the geology below Edinburgh Castle, which is similar in style to the earlier geological images by John Clerk of Eldin. The above handcoloured engraving is titled Section of the Castle Hill Exposed to View on the New South-West Approach to Edinburgh. The artwork is by Dr. Greville. Regarding geology, the volume also has a long article on The Analysis of Coprolites and other Organic Remains Imbedded in the Limestone of Burdiehouse near Edinburgh by Arthur Connell. The book has 8 plates relating to the article, the first an image of the Quarry at Burdie House by T. Hibbert:
Now for the coincidence: I am reading Archibald Geikie's autobiography A Long Life's Work at the moment (We - The North-West Highlands Geopark, and perhaps the Haslemere Museum- are hoping to celebrate in 2024, the centenary of the death of Geikie). He describes finding his first fossils at Burdiehouse as a schoolboy, and consulting this very Transaction of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in an effort to identify one of them. a fossil plant. The plate he would have studied hopefully (but unsuccessfully) is shown below:
