This is The Voyage of
the Beagle, a diary describing Darwin’s journey around the world aboard the
HMS Beagle as Ship’s Naturalist, straight out of university. This was the 1830s and it is amusing to see
the early nineteenth century gap year (or five) tour of the world. The twenty-two year old Darwin’s description
is vivid, enthralling and makes for a fascinating read. You begin to admire his pluck and spirit of
adventure (and admire his persistence in carrying on through many bouts of
seasickness). You also see his
fascination with everything that surrounds him – both animals and people. He writes in an honest voice, full of wonder
and quite often, fun. His prose is very
accessible as well which surprised me - scientists are not often the best
adventure writers!
He empathises with every living thing around him no matter
how small and (in my opinion) frankly boring a species it may be. His passion takes
him on three month detours through the wilderness to collect samples, leads him
to meet the military leader of a revolution in Patagonia and to live through an
earthquake in Chile. Though there are moments
that grate with modern sensibilities (such as the derogatory description of
indigenous South Americans he encounters), it is hard to fault him when those
were the commonly held views in British society at the time. He does redeem himself in several places further
on by expressing his shock at the treatment of native slaves and a wish for
equality among men (man being the operative gender).
To finish - some of
my favourite anecdotes:
- Fox Murder on San Pedro Island, off the coast of Chile: In which our hero notices a curious fox watching the men of the Beagle surveying the coast. Whilst it is distracted Darwin creeps up on the animal and knocks it over the head with his geological hammer. As Darwin puts it: “more curious or more scientific, but less wise, than the generality of his brethren”. He later donated the specimen to the Zoological Society in London. The fox is today known as Lycalopex fulvipesor or Darwin’s Fox. Sadly, it is critically endangered.
- Giant Tortoise Surfing in the Galapagos: Yes, Darwin was about twenty six by the time he reached the famous Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. This does not stop him behaving like a student and riding a Giant Tortoise, albeit rather unsuccessfully. A vital part of the research process I’m sure.
- Hanging with the Gauchos of Patagonia – In Argentina, Darwin makes friends with Gauchos (cowboys) who ride with him when he is collecting specimens. They show him how to hunt with the traditional bolas, a type of lasso with ball weights attached to entangle the legs of the prey. Darwin has a little accident with playing with one of these and manages to catch his own horse with him still on it, which amuses his companions greatly. Another interesting anecdote is the locals distrust of his habit of daily face washing. Not the done thing in nineteenth century Argentina apparently!
I would urge anyone who has an interest in evolution, Darwin
or simply a good story to give The Voyage of the Beagle a go. It is a fascinating read!
