ThecompletenessoftheequipmentwasalsoinotherrespectslargelyduetothepublicspiritofCaptainFitz—Roy。Heprovidedathisowncostanartist，andaskilledinstrument—makertolookafterthechronometers。
（Eitheroneorbothwereonthebooksforvictuals。）CaptainFitz—Roy’swishwastotake"somewell—educatedandscientificperson"ashisprivateguest，butthisgenerousofferwasonlyacceptedbymyfatheronconditionofbeingallowedtopayafairshareoftheexpenseoftheCaptain’stable;
hewas，moreover，ontheship’sbooksforvictuals。
Inalettertohissister（July1832）hewritescontentedlyofhismanneroflifeatsea:——"IdonotthinkIhaveevergivenyouanaccountofhowthedaypasses。Webreakfastateighto’clock。Theinvariablemaximistothrowawayallpoliteness——thatis，nevertowaitforeachother，andboltofftheminuteonehasdoneeating，etc。Atsea，whentheweatheriscalm，Iworkatmarineanimals，withwhichthewholeoceanabounds。IfthereisanyseaupIameithersickorcontrivetoreadsomevoyageortravels。Atonewedine。Youshore—goingpeoplearelamentablymistakenaboutthemanneroflivingonboard。Wehaveneveryet（norshallwe）dinedoffsaltmeat。Riceandpeasandcalavansesareexcellentvegetables，and，withgoodbread，whocouldwantmore？JudgeAldersoncouldnotbemoretemperate，asnothingbutwatercomesonthetable。Atfivewehavetea。
Themidshipmen’sberthhavealltheirmealsanhourbeforeus，andthegun—
roomanhourafterwards。"
Thecrewofthe"Beagle"consistedofCaptainFitz—Roy，"CommanderandSurveyor，"twolieutenants，oneofwhom（thefirstlieutenant）wasthelateCaptainWickham，GovernorofQueensland;thepresentAdmiralSirJamesSulivan，K。C。B。，wasthesecondlieutenant。Besidesthemasterandtwomates，therewasanassistant—surveyor，thepresentAdmiralLortStokes。
Therewerealsoasurgeon，assistant—surgeon，twomidshipmen，master’smate，avolunteer（1stclass），purser，carpenter，clerk，boatswain，eightmarines，thirty—fourseamen，andsixboys。
Therearenotnow（1882）manysurvivorsofmyfather’soldship—mates。
AdmiralMellersh，Mr。Hammond，andMr。PhilipKing，oftheLegislativeCouncilofSydney，andMr。Usborne，areamongthenumber。AdmiralJohnsondiedalmostatthesametimeasmyfather。
Heretainedtothelastamostpleasantrecollectionofthevoyageofthe"Beagle"，andofthefriendshemadeonboardher。Tohischildrentheirnameswerefamiliar，fromhismanystoriesofthevoyage，andwecaughthisfeelingoffriendshipformanywhoweretousnothingmorethannames。
Itispleasanttoknowhowaffectionatelyhisoldcompanionsrememberedhim。
SirJamesSulivanremained，throughoutmyfather’slifetime，oneofhisbestandtruestfriends。Hewrites:——"Icanconfidentlyexpressmybeliefthatduringthefiveyearsinthe"Beagle"，hewasneverknowntobeoutoftemper，ortosayoneunkindorhastywordOForTOanyone。Youwillthereforereadilyunderstandhowthis，combinedwiththeadmirationofhisenergyandability，ledtoourgivinghimthenameof’thedearoldPhilosopher。’"（Hisothernicknamewas"TheFlycatcher。"Ihaveheardmyfathertellhowheoverheardtheboatswainofthe"Beagle"showinganotherboatswainovertheship，andpointingouttheofficers:"That’sourfirstlieutenant;that’sourdoctor;that’sourflycatcher。"）AdmiralMellershwritestome:——"Yourfatherisasvividlyinmymind’seyeasifitwasonlyaweekagothatIwasinthe"Beagle"withhim;hisgenialsmileandconversationcanneverbeforgottenbyanywhosawthemandheardthem。I
wassentontwoorthreeoccasionsawayinaboatwithhimonsomeofhisscientificexcursions，andalwayslookedforwardtothesetripswithgreatpleasure，ananticipationthat，unlikemanyothers，wasalwaysrealised。I
thinkhewastheonlymanIeverknewagainstwhomIneverheardawordsaid;andaspeoplewhenshutupinashipforfiveyearsareapttogetcrosswitheachother，thatissayingagooddeal。Certainlywewerealwayssohardatwork，wehadnotimetoquarrel，butifwehaddoneso，I
feelsureyourfatherwouldhavetried（andhavebeensuccessful）tothrowoilonthetroubledwaters。"
AdmiralStokes，Mr。King，Mr。Usborne，andMr。Hamond，allspeakoftheirfriendshipwithhiminthesamewarm—heartedway。
Ofthelifeonboardandonshorehislettersgivesomeidea。CaptainFitz—Roywasastrictofficer，andmadehimselfthoroughlyrespectedbothbyofficersandmen。Theoccasionalseverityofhismannerwasbornewithbecauseeveryoneonboardknewthathisfirstthoughtwashisduty，andthathewouldsacrificeanythingtotherealwelfareoftheship。Myfatherwrites，July1834，"Wealljogonverywelltogether，thereisnoquarrellingonboard，whichissomethingtosay。TheCaptainkeepsallsmoothbyrowingeveryoneinturn。"ThebestproofthatFitz—Roywasvaluedasacommanderisgivenbythefactthatmany（’Voyageofthe"Adventure"and"Beagle"，’vol。ii。page21。）ofthecrewhadsailedwithhiminthe"Beagle’s"formervoyage，andtherewereafewofficersaswellasseamenandmarines，whohadservedinthe"Adventure"or"Beagle"duringthewholeofthatexpedition。
Myfatherspeaksoftheofficersasafinedeterminedsetofmen，andespeciallyofWickham，thefirstlieutenant，asa"gloriousfellow。"Thelatterbeingresponsibleforthesmartnessandappearanceoftheshipstronglyobjectedtohislitteringthedecks，andspokeofspecimensas"d——dbeastlydevilment，"andusedtoadd，"IfIwereskipper，Iwouldsoonhaveyouandallyourd——dmessoutoftheplace。"
AsortofhaloofsanctitywasgiventomyfatherbythefactofhisdiningintheCaptain’scabin，sothatthemidshipmenusedatfirsttocallhim"Sir，"aformality，however，whichdidnotpreventhisbecomingfastfriendswiththeyoungerofficers。Hewroteabouttheyear1861or1862toMr。P。G。King，M。L。C。，Sydney，who，asbeforestated，wasamidshipmanonboardthe"Beagle":——"Theremembranceofolddays，whenweusedtositandtalkontheboomsofthe"Beagle"，willalways，tothedayofmydeath，makemegladtohearofyourhappinessandprosperity。"Mr。Kingdescribesthepleasuremyfatherseemedtotake"inpointingouttomeasayoungsterthedelightsofthetropicalnights，withtheirbalmybreezeseddyingoutofthesailsaboveus，andthesealightedupbythepassageoftheshipthroughthenever—endingstreamsofphosphorescentanimalculae。"
Ithasbeenassumedthathisill—healthinlateryearswasduetohishavingsufferedsomuchfromsea—sickness。Thishedidnothimselfbelieve，butratherascribedhisbadhealthtothehereditaryfaultwhichcameoutasgoutinsomeofthepastgenerations。Iamnotquiteclearastohowmuchheactuallysufferedfromsea—sickness;myimpressionisdistinctthat，accordingtohisownmemory，hewasnotactuallyillafterthefirstthreeweeks，butconstantlyuncomfortablewhenthevesselpitchedatallheavily。But，judgingfromhisletters，andfromtheevidenceofsomeoftheofficers，itwouldseemthatinlateryearsheforgottheextentofthediscomfortfromwhichhesuffered。WritingJune3，1836，fromtheCapeofGoodHope，hesays:"Itisaluckythingformethatthevoyageisdrawingtoitsclose，forIpositivelysuffermorefromsea—
sicknessnowthanthreeyearsago。"AdmiralLortStokeswrotetothe"Times"，April25，1883:——
"MayIbegacornerformyfeebletestimonytothemarvellousperseveringenduranceinthecauseofscienceofthatgreatnaturalist，myoldandlostfriend，Mr。CharlesDarwin，whoseremainsaresoveryjustlytobehonouredwitharesting—placeinWestminsterAbbey？
"Perhapsnoonecanbettertestifytohisearlyandmosttryinglaboursthanmyself。Weworkedtogetherforseveralyearsatthesametableinthepoopcabinofthe’Beagle’duringhercelebratedvoyage，hewithhismicroscopeandmyselfatthecharts。Itwasoftenaverylivelyendofthelittlecraft，anddistressinglysotomyoldfriend，whosufferedgreatlyfromsea—sickness。Afterperhapsanhour’sworkhewouldsaytome，’Oldfellow，Imusttakethehorizontalforit，’thatbeingthebestreliefpositionfromshipmotion;astretchoutononesideofthetableforsometimewouldenablehimtoresumehislaboursforawhile，whenhehadagaintoliedown。
"ItwasdistressingtowitnessthisearlysacrificeofMr。Darwin’shealth，whoeverafterwardsseriouslyfelttheill—effectsofthe’Beagle’s’
voyage。"
Mr。A。B。Usbornewrites，"Hewasadreadfulsuffererfromsea—sickness，andattimes，whenIhavebeenofficerofthewatch，andreducedthesails，makingtheshipmoreeasy，andthusrelievinghim，Ihavebeenpronouncedbyhimtobe’agoodofficer，’andhewouldresumehismicroscopicobservationsinthepoopcabin。"Theamountofworkthathegotthroughonthe"Beagle"showsthathewashabituallyinfullvigour;hehad，however，onesevereillness，inSouthAmerica，whenhewasreceivedintothehouseofanEnglishman，Mr。Corfield，whotendedhimwithcarefulkindness。I
haveheardhimsaythatinthisillnesseverysecretionofthebodywasaffected，andthatwhenhedescribedthesymptomstohisfatherDr。Darwincouldmakenoguessastothenatureofthedisease。Myfatherwassometimesinclinedtothinkthatthebreakingupofhishealthwastosomeextentduetothisattack。
The"Beagle"lettersgiveampleproofofhisstrongloveofhome，andallconnectedwithit，fromhisfatherdowntoNancy，hisoldnurse，towhomhesometimessendshislove。
Hisdelightinhome—lettersisshowninsuchpassagesas:——"Butifyouknewtheglowing，unspeakabledelight，whichIfeltatbeingcertainthatmyfatherandallofyouwerewell，onlyfourmonthsago，youwouldnotgrudgethelabourlostinkeepinguptheregularseriesofletters。"
Oragain——hislongingtoreturninwordslikethese:——"ItistoodelightfultothinkthatIshallseetheleavesfallandheartherobinsingnextautumnatShrewsbury。Myfeelingsarethoseofaschoolboytothesmallestpoint;IdoubtwhethereverboylongedforhisholidaysasmuchasIdotoseeyouallagain。Iamatpresent，althoughnearlyhalftheworldisbetweenmeandhome，beginningtoarrangewhatIshalldo，whereIshallgoduringthefirstweek。"
Anotherfeatureinhislettersisthesurpriseanddelightwithwhichhehearsofhiscollectionsandobservationsbeingofsomeuse。Itseemsonlytohavegraduallyoccurredtohimthathewouldeverbemorethancollectorofspecimensandfacts，ofwhichthegreatmenweretomakeuse。Andevenastothevalueofhiscollectionsheseemstohavehadmuchdoubt，forhewrotetoHenslowin1834:——"Ireallybegantothinkthatmycollectionsweresopoorthatyouwerepuzzledwhattosay;thecaseisnowquiteontheoppositetack，foryouareguiltyofexcitingallmyvainfeelingstoamostcomfortablepitch;ifhardworkwillatoneforthesethoughts，Ivowitshallnotbespared。"
AfterhisreturnandsettlementinLondon，hebegantorealisethevalueofwhathehaddone，andwrotetoCaptainFitz—Roy——"Howeverothersmaylookbacktothe’Beagle’s’voyage，nowthatthesmalldisagreeablepartsarewell—nighforgotten，IthinkitfartheMOSTFORTUNATECIRCUMSTANCEINMY
LIFEthatthechanceaffordedbyyourofferoftakingaNaturalistfellonme。IoftenhavethemostvividanddelightfulpicturesofwhatIsawonboardthe’Beagle’passbeforemyeyes。Theserecollections，andwhatI
learntonNaturalHistory，Iwouldnotexchangefortwicetenthousandayear。"
Inselectingthefollowingseriesofletters，Ihavebeenguidedbythewishtogiveasmuchpersonaldetailaspossible。Ihavegivenonlyafewscientificletters，toillustratethewayinwhichheworked，andhowheregardedhisownresults。Inhis’JournalofResearches’hegivesincidentallysomeideaofhispersonalcharacter;thelettersgiveninthepresentchapterservetoamplifyinfresherandmorespontaneouswordsthatimpressionofhispersonalitywhichthe’Journal’hasgiventosomanyreaders。]
CHARLESDARWINTOR。W。DARWIN。
Bahia，orSanSalvador，Brazils[February8，1832]。
IfindafterthefirstpageIhavebeenwritingtomysisters。
MydearFather，Iamwritingthisonthe8thofFebruary，oneday’ssailpastSt。Jago（CapedeVerd），andintendtakingthechanceofmeetingwithahomeward—
boundvesselsomewhereabouttheequator。Thedate，however，willtellthiswhenevertheopportunityoccurs。IwillnowbeginfromthedayofleavingEngland，andgiveashortaccountofourprogress。Wesailed，asyouknow，onthe27thofDecember，andhavebeenfortunateenoughtohavehadfromthattimetothepresentafairandmoderatebreeze。ItafterwardsprovedthatwehadescapedaheavygaleintheChannel，anotheratMadeira，andanotheron[the]CoastofAfrica。Butinescapingthegale，wefeltitsconsequences——aheavysea。IntheBayofBiscaytherewasalongandcontinuousswell，andthemiseryIenduredfromsea—sicknessisfarbeyondwhatIeverguessedat。Ibelieveyouarecuriousaboutit。
Iwillgiveyouallmydear—boughtexperience。Nobodywhohasonlybeentoseafortwenty—fourhourshasarighttosaythatsea—sicknessisevenuncomfortable。Therealmiseryonlybeginswhenyouaresoexhaustedthatalittleexertionmakesafeelingoffaintnesscomeon。Ifoundnothingbutlyinginmyhammockdidmeanygood。Imustespeciallyexceptyourreceiptofraisins，whichistheonlyfoodthatthestomachwillbear。
Onthe4thofJanuarywewerenotmanymilesfromMadeira，butastherewasaheavysearunning，andtheislandlaytowindward，itwasnotthoughtworthwhiletobeatuptoit。Itafterwardshasturnedoutitwasluckywesavedourselvesthetrouble。Iwasmuchtoosickeventogetuptoseethedistantoutline。Onthe6th，intheevening，wesailedintotheharbourofSantaCruz。Inowfirstfeltevenmoderatelywell，andIwaspicturingtomyselfallthedelightsoffreshfruitsgrowinginbeautifulvalleys，andreadingHumboldt’sdescriptionsoftheisland’sgloriousviews，whenperhapsyoumaynearlyguessatourdisappointment，whenasmallpalemaninformeduswemustperformastrictquarantineoftwelvedays。Therewasadeath—likestillnessintheshiptilltheCaptaincried"upjib，"andweleftthislong—wishedforplace。
WewerebecalmedforadaybetweenTeneriffeandtheGrandCanary，andhereIfirstexperiencedanyenjoyment。Theviewwasglorious。ThePeakofTeneriffewasseenamongstthecloudslikeanotherworld。Ouronlydrawbackwastheextremewishofvisitingthisgloriousisland。TELLEYTON
NEVERTOFORGETEITHERTHECANARYISLANDSORSOUTHAMERICA;thatIamsureitwillwellrepaythenecessarytrouble，butthathemustmakeuphismindtofindagooddealofthelatter。Ifeelcertainhewillregretitifhedoesnotmaketheattempt。FromTeneriffetoSt。Jagothevoyagewasextremelypleasant。Ihadanetasternthevesselwhichcaughtgreatnumbersofcuriousanimals，andfullyoccupiedmytimeinmycabin，andondecktheweatherwassodelightfulandclear，thattheskyandwatertogethermadeapicture。Onthe16thwearrivedatPortPraya，thecapitaloftheCapedeVerds，andthereweremainedtwenty—threedays，viz。，tillyesterday，the7thofFebruary。Thetimehasflownawaymostdelightfully，indeednothingcanbepleasanter;exceedinglybusy，andthatbusinessbothadutyandagreatdelight。IdonotbelieveIhavespentonehalf—houridlysinceleavingTeneriffe。St。JagohasaffordedmeanexceedinglyrichharvestinseveralbranchesofNaturalHistory。IfindthedescriptionsscarcelyworthanythingofmanyofthecommoneranimalsthatinhabittheTropics。Iallude，ofcourse，tothoseofthelowerclasses。
Geologisinginavolcaniccountryismostdelightful;besidestheinterestattachedtoitself，itleadsyouintomostbeautifulandretiredspots。
NobodybutapersonfondofNaturalHistorycanimaginethepleasureofstrollingundercocoa—nutsinathicketofbananasandcoffee—plants，andanendlessnumberofwildflowers。Andthisisland，thathasgivenmesomuchinstructionanddelight，isreckonedthemostuninterestingplacethatweperhapsshalltouchatduringourvoyage。Itcertainlyisgenerallyverybarren，butthevalleysaremoreexquisitelybeautiful，fromtheverycontrast。Itisutterlyuselesstosayanythingaboutthescenery;itwouldbeasprofitabletoexplaintoablindmancolours，astoapersonwhohasnotbeenoutofEurope，thetotaldissimilarityofatropicalview。
WheneverIenjoyanything，Ialwayseitherlookforwardtowritingitdown，eitherinmylog—book（whichincreasesinbulk），orinaletter;soyoumustexcuseraptures，andthoserapturesbadlyexpressed。Ifindmycollectionsareincreasingwonderfully，andfromRioIthinkIshallbeobligedtosendacargohome。
AlltheendlessdelayswhichweexperiencedatPlymouthhavebeenmostfortunate，asIverilybelievenopersoneverwentoutbetterprovidedforcollectingandobservinginthedifferentbranchesofNaturalHistory。InamultitudeofcounsellorsIcertainlyfoundgood。Ifindtomygreatsurprisethatashipissingularlycomfortableforallsortsofwork。
Everythingissocloseathand，andbeingcrampedmakesonesomethodical，thatintheendIhavebeenagainer。Ialreadyhavegottolookatgoingtoseaasaregularquietplace，likegoingbacktohomeafterstayingawayfromit。Inshort，Ifindashipaverycomfortablehouse，witheverythingyouwant，andifitwasnotforsea—sicknessthewholeworldwouldbesailors。IdonotthinkthereismuchdangerofErasmussettingtheexample，butincasethereshouldbe，hemayrelyuponithedoesnotknowone—tenthofthesufferingsofsea—sickness。
IliketheofficersmuchmorethanIdidatfirst，especiallyWickham，andyoungKingandStokes，andindeedallofthem。TheCaptaincontinuessteadilyverykind，anddoeseverythinginhispowertoassistme。Weseeverylittleofeachotherwheninharbour，ourpursuitsleadusinsuchdifferenttracks。Ineverinmylifemetwithamanwhocouldendurenearlysogreatashareoffatigue。Heworksincessantly，andwhenapparentlynotemployed，heisthinking。Ifhedoesnotkillhimself，hewillduringthisvoyagedoawonderfulquantityofwork。IfindIamverywell，andstandthelittleheatwehavehadasyetaswellasanybody。Weshallsoonhaveitinrealearnest。WearenowsailingforFernandoNoronha，offthecoastofBrazil，whereweshallnotstayverylong，andthenexaminetheshoalsbetweenthereandRio，touchingperhapsatBahia。
Iwillfinishthisletterwhenanopportunityofsendingitoccurs。
FEBRUARY26TH。
About280milesfromBahia。Onthe10thwespokethepacket"Lyra"，onhervoyagetoRio。Isentashortletterbyher，tobesenttoEnglandon[the]firstopportunity。Wehavebeensingularlyunluckyinnotmeetingwithanyhomeward—boundvessels，butIsuppose[at]BahiawecertainlyshallbeabletowritetoEngland。Sincewritingthefirstpartof[this]
letternothinghasoccurredexceptcrossingtheEquator，andbeingshaved。
Thismostdisagreeableoperationconsistsinhavingyourfacerubbedwithpaintandtar，whichformsalatherforasawwhichrepresentstherazor，andthenbeinghalfdrownedinasailfilledwithsaltwater。About50
milesnorthofthelinewetouchedattherocksofSt。Paul;thislittlespeck（about1/4ofamileacross）intheAtlantichasseldombeenvisited。
Itistotallybarren，butiscoveredbyhostsofbirds;theyweresounusedtomenthatwefoundwecouldkillplentywithstonesandsticks。Afterremainingsomehoursontheisland，wereturnedonboardwiththeboatloadedwithourprey。FromthiswewenttoFernandoNoronha，asmallislandwherethe[Brazilians]sendtheirexiles。Thelandingtherewasattendedwithsomuchdifficultyowing[to]aheavysurfthattheCaptaindeterminedtosailthenextdayafterarriving。Myonedayonshorewasexceedinglyinteresting，thewholeislandisonesinglewoodsomattedtogetherbycreepersthatitisverydifficulttomoveoutofthebeatenpath。IfindtheNaturalHistoryofalltheseunfrequentedspotsmostexceedinglyinteresting，especiallythegeology。IhavewrittenthismuchinordertosavetimeatBahia。
DecidedlythemoststrikingthingintheTropicsisthenoveltyofthevegetableforms。Cocoa—nutscouldwellbeimaginedfromdrawings，ifyouaddtothemagracefullightnesswhichnoEuropeantreepartakesof。
Bananasandplantainsareexactlythesameasthoseinhothouses，theacaciasortamarindsarestrikingfromthebluenessoftheirfoliage;butofthegloriousorangetrees，nodescription，nodrawings，willgiveanyjustidea;insteadofthesicklygreenofouroranges，thenativeonesexceedthePortugallaurelinthedarknessoftheirtint，andinfinitelyexceeditinbeautyofform。Cocoa—nuts，papaws，thelightgreenbananas，andoranges，loadedwithfruit，generallysurroundthemoreluxuriantvillages。Whilstviewingsuchscenes，onefeelstheimpossibilitythatanydescriptionwouldcomenearthemark，muchlessbeoverdrawn。
MARCH1ST。
Bahia，orSanSalvador。Iarrivedatthisplaceonthe28thofFebruary，andamnowwritingthisletterafterhavinginrealearneststrolledintheforestsofthenewworld。NopersoncouldimagineanythingsobeautifulastheancienttownofBahia，itisfairlyembosomedinaluxuriantwoodofbeautifultrees，andsituatedonasteepbank，andoverlooksthecalmwatersofthegreatbayofAllSaints。Thehousesarewhiteandlofty，and，fromthewindowsbeingnarrowandlong，haveaverylightandelegantappearance。Convents，porticos，andpublicbuildings，varytheuniformityofthehouses;thebayisscatteredoverwithlargeships;inshort，andwhatcanbesaidmore，itisoneofthefinestviewsintheBrazils。Buttheexquisitegloriouspleasureofwalkingamongstsuchflowers，andsuchtrees，cannotbecomprehendedbutbythosewhohaveexperiencedit。
Althoughinsolowalatitudethelocalityisnotdisagreeablyhot，butatpresentitisverydamp，foritistherainyseason。Ifindtheclimateasyetagreesadmirablywithme;itmakesmelongtolivequietlyforsometimeinsuchacountry。Ifyoureallywanttohave[anidea]oftropicalcountries，studyHumboldt。Skipthescientificparts，andcommenceafterleavingTeneriffe。MyfeelingsamounttoadmirationthemoreIreadhim。
TellEyton（IfindIamwritingtomysisters！）howexceedinglyIenjoyAmerica，andthatIamsureitwillbeagreatpityifhedoesnotmakeastart。
Thisletterwillgoonthe5th，andIamafraidwillbesometimebeforeitreachesyou;itmustbeawarninghowinotherpartsoftheworldyoumaybealongtimewithouthearing。Ayearmightbyaccidentthuspass。Aboutthe12thwestartforRio，butweremainsometimeonthewayinsoundingtheAlbrolhosshoals。TellEytonasfarasmyexperiencegoeslethimstudySpanish，French，drawing，andHumboldt。Idosincerelyhopetohearof（ifnottoseehim）inSouthAmerica。IlookforwardtothelettersinRio——tilleachoneisacknowledged，mentionitsdateinthenext。
Wehavebeatalltheshipsinmanoeuvring，somuchsothatthecommandingofficersays，weneednotfollowhisexample;becausewedoeverythingbetterthanhisgreatship。Ibegintotakegreatinterestinnavalpoints，moreespeciallynow，asIfindtheyallsaywearetheNo。1inSouthAmerica。IsupposetheCaptainisamostexcellentofficer。Itwasquitegloriousto—dayhowwebeatthe"Samarang"infurlingsails。Itisquiteanewthingfora"soundingship"tobeataregularman—of—war;andyetthe"Beagle"isnotatallaparticularship。ErasmuswillclearlyperceiveitwhenhehearsthatinthenightIhaveactuallysatdowninthesacredprecinctsofthequarterdeck。Youmustexcusethesequeerletters，andrecollecttheyaregenerallywrittenintheeveningaftermyday’swork。Itakemorepainsovermylog—book，sothateventuallyyouwillhaveagoodaccountofalltheplacesIvisit。HithertothevoyagehasansweredADMIRABLYtome，andyetIamnowmorefullyawareofyourwisdominthrowingcoldwateronthewholescheme;thechancesaresonumerousofturningoutquitethereverse;tosuchanextentdoIfeelthis，thatifmyadvicewasaskedbyanypersononasimilaroccasion，Ishouldbeverycautiousinencouraginghim。Ihavenottimetowritetoanybodyelse，sosendtoMaertoletthemknow，thatinthemidstoftheglorioustropicalscenery，Idonotforgethowinstrumentaltheywereinplacingmethere。I
willnotrapturiseagain，butIgivemyselfgreatcreditinnotbeingcrazyoutofpuredelight。
Givemylovetoeverysoulathome，andtotheOwens。
Ithinkone’saffections，likeothergoodthings，flourishandincreaseinthesetropicalregions。
TheconvictionthatIamwalkingintheNewWorldisevenyetmarvellousinmyowneyes，andIdaresayitislittlelesssotoyou，thereceivingaletterfromasonofyoursinsuchaquarter。
Believeme，mydearFather，Yourmostaffectionateson，CHARLESDARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
BotofogoBay，nearRiodeJaneiro，May，1832。
MydearFox，IhavedelayedwritingtoyouandallmyotherfriendstillIarrivedhereandhadsomelittlesparetime。Mymindhasbeen，sinceleavingEngland，inaperfectHURRICANEofdelightandastonishment，andtothishourscarcelyaminutehaspassedinidleness……
AtSt。Jagomynaturalhistoryandmostdelightfullabourscommenced。
DuringthethreeweeksIcollectedahostofmarineanimals，andenjoyedmanyagoodgeologicalwalk。Touchingatsomeislands，wesailedtoBahia，andfromthencetoRio，whereIhavealreadybeensomeweeks。Mycollectionsgoonadmirablyinalmosteverybranch。Asforinsects，I
trustIshallsendahostofundescribedspeciestoEngland。Ibelievetheyhavenosmallonesinthecollections，andherethismorningIhavetakenminuteHydropori，Noterus，Colymbetes，Hydrophilus，Hydrobius，Gromius，etc。，etc。，asspecimensoffresh—waterbeetles。Iamentirelyoccupiedwithlandanimals，asthebeachisonlysand。Spidersandtheadjoiningtribeshaveperhapsgivenme，fromtheirnovelty，themostpleasure。IthinkIhavealreadytakenseveralnewgenera。
ButGeologycarriestheday:itislikethepleasureofgambling。
Speculating，onfirstarriving，whattherocksmaybe，Ioftenmentallycryout3to1tertiaryagainstprimitive;butthelatterhavehithertowonallthebets。Somuchforthegrandendofmyvoyage;inotherrespectsthingsareequallyflourishing。Mylife，whenatsea，issoquiet，thattoapersonwhocanemployhimself，nothingcanbepleasanter;thebeautyoftheskyandbrilliancyoftheoceantogethermakeapicture。Butwhenonshore，andwanderinginthesublimeforests，surroundedbyviewsmoregorgeousthanevenClaudeeverimagined，Ienjoyadelightwhichnonebutthosewhohaveexperienceditcanunderstand。Ifitistobedone，itmustbebystudyingHumboldt。Atourancientsnugbreakfasts，atCambridge，I
littlethoughtthatthewideAtlanticwouldeverseparateus;butitisarareprivilegethatwiththebody，thefeelingsandmemoryarenotdivided。
Onthecontrary，thepleasantestscenesinmylife，manyofwhichhavebeeninCambridge，risefromthecontrastofthepresent，themorevividlyinmyimagination。Doyouthinkanydiamondbeetlewillevergivemesomuchpleasureasouroldfriendcruxmajor？……Itisoneofmymostconstantamusementstodrawpicturesofthepast;andinthemIoftenseeyouandpoorlittleFran。Oh，Lord，andthenoldDash，poorthing！Doyourecollecthowyoualltormentedmeabouthisbeautifultail？……Thinkwhenyouarepickinginsectsoffahawthorn—hedgeonafineMayday（wretchedlycold，Ihavenodoubt），thinkofmecollectingamongstpine—applesandorange—trees;whilststainingyourfingerswithdirtyblackberries，thinkandbeenviousofripeoranges。Thisisaproperpieceofbravado，forIwouldwalkthroughmanyamileofsleet，snow，orraintoshakeyoubythehand。MydearoldFox，Godblessyou。Believeme，Yoursaffectionately，CHAS。DARWIN。
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。S。HENSLOW。
RiodeJaneiro，May18，1832。
MydearHenslow，……
TillarrivingatTeneriffe（wedidnottouchatMadeira）Iwasscarcelyoutofmyhammock，andreallysufferedmorethanyoucanwellimaginefromsuchacause。AtSantaCruz，whilstlookingamongstthecloudsforthePeak，andrepeatingtomyselfHumboldt’ssublimedescriptions，itwasannouncedwemustperformtwelvedays’strictquarantine。Wehadmadeashortpassage，so"Upjib，"andawayforSt。Jago。Youwillsayallthissoundsverybad，andsoitwas;butfromthattothepresenttimeithasbeennearlyonesceneofcontinualenjoyment。AnetoverthesternkeptmeatfullworktillwearrivedatSt。Jago。Herewespentthreemostdelightfulweeks。Thegeologywaspre—eminentlyinteresting，andIbelievequitenew;
therearesomefactsonalargescaleofupraisedcoast（whichisanexcellentepochforallthevolcanicrockstodatefrom），thatwouldinterestMr。Lyell。
OnegreatsourceofperplexitytomeisanutterignorancewhetherInotetherightfacts，andwhethertheyareofsufficientimportancetointerestothers。IntheonethingcollectingIcannotgowrong。St。Jagoissingularlybarren，andproducesfewplantsorinsects，sothatmyhammerwasmyusualcompanion，andinitscompanymostdelightfulhoursIspent。
OnthecoastIcollectedmanymarineanimals，chieflygasteropodous（I
thinksomenew）。IexaminedprettyaccuratelyaCaryopyllia，and，ifmyeyesarenotbewitched，formerdescriptionshavenottheslightestresemblancetotheanimal。ItookseveralspecimensofanOctopuswhichpossessedamostmarvellouspowerofchangingitscolours，equallinganychameleon，andevidentlyaccommodatingthechangestothecolourofthegroundwhichitpassedover。Yellowishgreen，darkbrown，andred，weretheprevailingcolours;thisfactappearstobenew，asfarasIcanfindout。Geologyandtheinvertebrateanimalswillbemychiefobjectofpursuitthroughthewholevoyage。
WethensailedforBahia，andtouchedattherockofSt。Paul。Thisisaserpentineformation。IsitnottheonlyislandintheAtlanticwhichisnotvolcanic？WelikewisestayedafewhoursatFernandoNoronha;atremendoussurfwasrunningsothataboatwasswamped，andtheCaptainwouldnotwait。Ifindmylifeonboardwhenweareonbluewatermostdelightful，soverycomfortableandquiet——itisalmostimpossibletobeidle，andthatformeissayingagooddeal。NobodycouldpossiblybebetterfittedineveryrespectforcollectingthanIam;manycookshavenotspoiledthebroththistime。Mr。Brown’slittlehintsaboutmicroscopes，etc。，havebeeninvaluable。Iamwelloffinbooks，the’DictionnaireClassique’ISMOSTUSEFUL。Ifyoushouldthinkofanythingorbookthatwouldbeusefultome，ifyouwouldwriteoneline，E。Darwin，WyndhamClub，St。James’sStreet，hewillprocurethem，andsendthemwithsomeotherthingstoMonteVideo，whichforthenextyearwillbemyheadquarters。
TouchingattheAbrolhos，wearrivedhereonApril4th，whenamongstothersIreceivedyourmostkindletter。YoumayrelyonitduringtheeveningI
thoughtofthemanymosthappyhoursIhavespentwithyouinCambridge。I
amnowlivingatBotofogo，avillageaboutaleaguefromthecity，andshallbeabletoremainamonthlonger。The"Beagle"hasgonebacktoBahia，andwillpickmeuponitsreturn。ThereisamostimportanterrorinthelongitudeofSouthAmerica，tosettlewhichthissecondtriphasbeenundertaken。Ourchronometers，atleastsixteenofthem，aregoingsuperbly;noneonrecordhaveevergoneatalllikethem。
AfewdaysafterarrivingIstartedonanexpeditionof150milestoRioMacao，whichlastedeighteendays。HereIfirstsawatropicalforestinallitssublimegrander——nothingbuttherealitycangiveanyideahowwonderful，howmagnificentthesceneis。IfIwastospecifyanyonethingIshouldgivethepre—eminencetothehostofparasiticalplants。Yourengravingisexactlytrue，butunderratesratherthanexaggeratestheluxuriance。Ineverexperiencedsuchintensedelight。IformerlyadmiredHumboldt，Inowalmostadorehim;healonegivesanynotionofthefeelingswhichareraisedinthemindonfirstenteringtheTropics。Iamnowcollectingfresh—waterandlandanimals;ifwhatwastoldmeinLondonistrue，viz。，thattherearenosmallinsectsinthecollectionsfromtheTropics，ItellEntomologiststolookoutandhavetheirpensreadyfordescribing。Ihavetakenasminute（ifnotmoreso）asinEngland，Hydropori，Hygroti，Hydrobii，Pselaphi，Staphylini，Curculio，etc。etc。ItisexceedinglyinterestingobservingthedifferenceofgeneraandspeciesfromthosewhichIknow，itishowevermuchlessthanIhadexpected。Iamatpresentred—hotwithspiders;theyareveryinteresting，andifIamnotmistakenIhavealreadytakensomenewgenera。IshallhavealargeboxtosendverysoontoCambridge，andwiththatIwillmentionsomemorenaturalhistoryparticulars。
TheCaptaindoeseverythinginhispowertoassistme，andwegetonverywell，butIthankmybetterfortunehehasnotmademearenegadetoWhigprinciples。IwouldnotbeaTory，ifitwasmerelyonaccountoftheircoldheartsaboutthatscandaltoChristiannations——Slavery。Iamverygoodfriendswithalltheofficers。
Ihavejustreturnedfromawalk，andasaspecimen，howlittletheinsectsareknown。Noterus，accordingtothe’DictionaryClassique，’containssolelythreeEuropeanspecies。Iinonehaulofmynettookfivedistinctspecies;isthisnotquiteextraordinary？