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and smoke, even seasickness—any of these and more were potentially evi-
dence. And so the question arose: on what criteria did Milne continue to
prune Macfarlane's and Drummond's observations in order to illuminate
the quakes' “causes”?
therein lay the seeds of controversy. Drummond seems to have been a
pugnacious type, suspicious of the London experts and jealous of his lo-
cal status as a scientific authority. He recognized that the BAAS committee
had left itself open to a charge of bias in their selection of earthquake
accounts for publication. He accused the experts of being wedded to a
Plutonist conception of earthquakes as the expression of mountain up-
lift, “observing that those who were taking scientific notes of the pheno-
menon ignored all facts which did not agree with their preconceived
opinions on the subject, I resolved to discard all fancies and theories, and
to try to ascertain from facts alone where the disturbance originated.” thus
did Drummond make a virtue of his amateur status, casting himself as a
plain-talking, unbiased observer. For his own theory of the earthquakes'
origin, however, he offered little empirical evidence: “Suffice it to say, that
no preconceptions of my own led me to that conclusion.” Apparently,
Drummond had initially decided to give his earthquake reports to a proper
“man of science” and await the expert's conclusion. However, to his shock
and dismay, the expert to whom he was referred “coolly offered me a bribe
to let him have the credit of my labours. this I indignantly rejected.” At
that point, Drummond decided to publicize his own conclusions in a local
newspaper, identifying the seat of the earthquakes and theorizing that they
were galvanic in origin (he later specified that they were due to atmospheric
electricity). “the offer of a bribe forced me to publish prematurely, and also
to attempt to solve the problem of earthquakes myself.” Drummond then
tried to make a formal accusation of bribery against the unnamed BAAS
expert, in the presence of David Milne. Before he could do so, both men
walked out on him. the BAAS had likewise turned a blind eye to his obser-
vations and conclusions. “Considering the position in society Mr. Milne oc-
cupies, and his reputation as a scientific man, it was not likely that he would
readily acknowledge himself outrun in a scientific race by one in the hum-
ble station of life in which I am placed. . . . Can it be wondered at, then, that
the Committee paid no regard to my opinion,—indeed, completely ignored
me.”
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Drummond did not stop at the charge of attempted bribery. He also
claimed that the BAAS was neglecting to observe atmospheric phenomena
in conjunction with the tremors. As “Plutonians,” they “ignored all phases
[of earthquakes] that are irreconcilable with their ideas.”
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