Volume I Part 17 (1/2)

My dear Fox,

I have delayed writing to you and all my other friends till I arrived here and had soland, in a perfect HURRICANE of delight and astonishment, and to this hour scarcely a o htful labours co the three weeks I collected a host of ical walk Touching at some islands, we sailed to Bahia, and from thence to Rio, where I have already been soo on admirably in almost every branch As for insects, I trust I shall send a host of undescribed species to England I believe they have no s I have taken minute Hydropori, Noterus, Colymbetes, Hydrophilus, Hydrobius, Gromius, etc, etc, as specimens of fresh-water beetles I am entirely occupied with land ani tribes have perhaps given me, from their novelty, the enera

But Geology carries the day: it is like the pleasure of ga, what the rocks ainst primitive; but the latter have hitherto won all the bets So s are equally flourishi+ng My life, when at sea, is so quiet, that to a person who can e can be pleasanter; the beauty of the sky and brilliancy of the ocean togetherin the sublieous than even Claude ever iht which none but those who have experienced it can understand If it is to be done, itbreakfasts, at Caht that the wide Atlantic would ever separate us; but it is a rare privilege that with the body, the feelings and memory are not divided On the contrary, the pleasantest scenes in e, rise froination Do you think any diaive me so much pleasure as our old friend crux major? It is one of my most constant amusements to draw pictures of the past; and in them I often see you and poor little Fran Oh, Lord, and then old Dash, poor thing! Do you recollect how you all tormented me about his beautiful tail?

Think when you are picking insects off a hawthorn-hedge on a fine May day (wretchedly cold, I have no doubt), think of e-trees; whilst staining your fingers with dirty blackberries, think and be envious of ripe oranges This is a proper piece of bravado, for I would walk through many a mile of sleet, snow, or rain to shake you by the hand My dear old Fox, God bless you

Believe me,

Yours affectionately, CHAS DARWIN

CHARLES DARWIN TO JS HENSLOW Rio de Janeiro, May 18, 1832

My dear Henslow,

Till arriving at Teneriffe (we did not touch at Madeira) I was scarcely out of ine frost the clouds for the Peak, and repeating to myself Humboldt's sublime descriptions, it was announced we must perfore, so ”Up jib,” and away for St Jago You will say all this sounds very bad, and so it was; but from that to the present time it has been nearly one scene of continual enjoyment A net over the stern kept o Here we spent three y was pre-e, and I believe quite new; there are soe scale of upraised coast (which is an excellent epoch for all the volcanic rocks to date froreat source of perplexity to ht facts, and whether they are of sufficient i I cannot go wrong St Jago is singularly barren, and produces few plants or insects, so that my hahtful hours I spent On the coast I collected asteropodous (I think some new) I examined pretty accurately a Caryopyllia, and, if my eyes are not bewitched, forhtest resemblance to the animal I took several specimens of an Octopus which possessed aany chaes to the colour of the ground which it passed over Yellowish green, dark brown, and red, were the prevailing colours; this fact appears to be new, as far as I can find out Geology and the invertebrate anih the whole voyage

We then sailed for Bahia, and touched at the rock of St Paul This is a serpentine formation Is it not the only island in the Atlantic which is not volcanic? We likewise stayed a few hours at Fernando Noronha; a tre so that a boat amped, and the Captain would not wait I find htful, so very comfortable and quiet--it is alood deal nobody could possibly be better fitted in every respect for collecting than I am; many cooks have not spoiled the broth this time Mr Brown's little hints about microscopes, etc, have been invaluable I am well off in books, the 'Dictionnaire Classique' IS MOST USEFUL If you should think of any thing or book that would be useful to me, if you would write one line, E Darwin, Wyndham Club, St James's Street, he will procure thes to Monte Video, which for the next year will beat the Abrolhos, we arrived here on April 4th, when ast others I received yourI thought of the e I aue froer The ”Beagle” has gone back to Bahia, and will pick me up on its return There is a itude of South America, to settle which this second trip has been undertaken Our chrono superbly; none on record have ever gone at all like the I started on an expedition of 150 hteen days Here I first saw a tropical forest in all its subliive any idea hoonderful, howI should give the pre-eraving is exactly true, but underrates rather than exaggerates the luxuriance I never experienced such intense delight I forives any notion of the feelings which are raised in thefresh-water and land animals; if as told me in London is true, viz, that there are no small insects in the collections froists to look out and have their pens ready for describing I have taken as roti, Hydrobii, Pselaphi, Staphylini, Curculio, etc etc It is exceedingly interesting observing the difference of genera and species from those which I know, it is however much less than I had expected I a, and if I aenera I shall have a large box to send very soon to Cae, and with that I will mention some more natural history particulars

The Captain does everything in his power to assist et on very well, but I thankprinciples I would not be a Tory, if it was merely on account of their cold hearts about that scandal to Christian nations--Slavery I aood friends with all the officers

I have just returned from a walk, and as a speci to the 'Dictionary Classique,'

contains solely three European species I in one haul of my net took five distinct species; is this not quite extraordinary?

Tell Professor Sedgwick he does not kno iven ive up for any consideration I do not think I ever spent athe North-west Mountains I look forward to the geology about Monte Video as I hear there are slates there, so I presume in that district I shall find the junctions of the Paranite forneiss in beds had the sa over Columbia, distant 1300tiain toadvice so ible letter, and believe s of respect and friendshi+p,

Yours affectionately, CHAS DARWIN

CHARLES DARWIN TO JM HERBERT Botofogo Bay, Rio de Janeiro, June 1832

My dear old Herbert,

Your letter arrived here when I had given up all hopes of receiving another, it gave ree of pleasure At such an interval of tied to those who do not forget one Thescenes past by, affords to us EXILES one of the greatest pleasures Often and often whilst wandering ast these hills do I think of Barmouth, and, I may add, as often wish for such a companion What a contrast does a walk in these two places afford; here abrupt and stony peaks are to the very summit enclosed by luxuriant woods; the whole surface of the country, excepting where cleared by man, is one i hills covered with turf, and its open valleys I was not previously aware how intimately what may be called the moral part is connected with the enjoyment of scenery I mean such ideas, as the history of the country, the utility of the produce, andwith the for another, and you will hardly recognise the salad to hear how very well every part (Heaven forefend, except sea-sickness) of the expedition has answered We have already seen Teneriffe and the Great Canary; St Jago where I spent three hts of first naturalising a tropical volcanic island, and besides other islands, the two celebrated ports in the Brazils, viz

Bahia and Rio

I was in my haet the sublime impression the first view of Teneriffeinto eather was most luxuriously pleasant; the clear blue sky of the Tropics was no coales at Ply hot We spent one day at St Paul's, a little group of rocks about a quarter of aup in the midst of the Atlantic There was such a scene here Wickhauns and geological hammers, etc

The birds by myriads were too close to shoot; we then tried stones, but at last, proh pudor! ical hammer was the instrugs Whilst ere so engaged, thewith the sharks for such nificent fish as you could not see in the London market Our boat would have ame it contained We have been here ten weeks, and shall now start for Monte Video, when I look forward tosuch a scra letter, but if you were to see the heap of letters on lad to hear e; but it [is] as barbarous to talk to me of ”celestial concerts” as to a person in Arabia of cold water In a voyage of this sort, if one gains reat pleasures, on the other side the loss is not inconsiderable How should you like to be suddenly debarred fro every person and place, which you have ever known and loved, for five years? I do assure you I am occasionally ”taken aback” by this reflection; and then for ain Remember me most sincerely to the reood luck to know in Cae--I mean Whitley and Watkins Tell Lowe I am even beneath his contempt I can eat salt beef and musty biscuits for dinner See what a fall man may come to!

My direction for the next year and a half will be Monte Video