en. ii.] SETTLING AT DOWN. 33 



characteristics was his sympathy with the work of others, 

 and I was as much astonished as delighted at the interest 

 which he showed when, on my return to England, I ex- 

 plained to him my views on coral reefs. This encouraged 

 me greatly, and his advice and example had much influence 

 on me. During this time I saw also a good deal of Robert 

 Brown ; I used often to call and sit with him during his 

 breakfast on Sunday mornings, and he poured forth a rich 

 treasure of curious observations and acute remarks, but they 

 almost always related to minute points, and he never with 

 me discussed large or general questions in science. 



Durinff these two years I took several short excursions 

 as a relaxation, and one longer one to the parallel roads of 

 Glen Roy, an account of which was published in the Philo- 

 sophical Transactions.* This paper was a great failure, 

 and I am ashamed of it. Having been deeply impressed 

 with what I had seen of the elevation of the land in South 

 America, I attributed the parallel lines to the action of the 

 sea; but I had to give up this view when Agassiz pro- 

 pounded his glacier-lake theory. Because no other explana- 

 tion was possible under our then state of knowledge, I 

 argued in favour of sea-action ; and my error has been a 

 good lesson to me never to trust in science to the principle 

 of exclusion. 



As I was not able to work all day at science, I read a 

 good deal during these two years on various subjects, includ- 

 ing some metaphysical books ; but I was not well fitted for 

 snch studies. About this time I took much delight in 

 Wordsworth's and Coleridge's poetry ; and can boast that I 

 read the Excursion twice through. Formerly Milton's 

 Paradise Lost had been my chief favourite, and in my ex- 

 cursions during the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take 

 only a single volume, I always chose Milton. 



From, my marriage, January 29, 1839, and residence in 

 Upper Gower Street, to our leaving London and settling 

 at Down, September lJf, 181$. 



[After speaking of his happy married life, and of his 

 children, he continues :] 



During the three years and eight months whilst we 

 resided in London, I did less scientific work, though I 



* 1839, pp. 39-82. 



