122 APPOINTMENT TO THE BEAGLE. [ch. v. 



" L 2Jfth. Beached Plymouth. 



" October and November. These months very miserable. 



" December 10th. Sailed, but were obliged to put back. 



" 21st. Put to sea again, and were driven back. 



" 21 tli. Sailed from England on our Circumnavigation." 



George Peacock* to J. S. Hensloiv [1831]. 



My dear Henslow Captain Fitz-Roy is going out to 

 survey the southern coast of Tierra del Fuego, and after- 

 wards to visit many of the South Sea Islands, and to return 

 by the Indian Archipelago. The vessel is fitted out express- 

 ly for scientific purposes, combined with the survey ; it will 

 furnish, therefore, a rare opportunity for a naturalist, and it 

 would be a great misfortune that it should be lost. 



An offer has been made to me to recommend a proper 

 person to go out as a naturalist with this expedition ; he will 

 be treated with every consideration. The Captain is a young 

 man of very pleasing manners (a nephew of the Duke of 

 Grafton), of great zeal in his profession, and who is very 

 highly spoken of ; if Leonard Jenyns could go, what treas- 

 ures he might bring home with him, as the ship would be 

 placed at his disposal whenever his inquiries made it neces- 

 sary or desirable. In the absence of so accomplished a natu- 

 ralist, is there any person whom you could strongly recom- 

 mend ? he must be such a person as would do credit to oui 

 recommendation. Do think of this subject ; it would be a 

 serious loss to the cause of natural science if this fine oppor- 

 tunity was lost. 



The contents of the foregoing letter were communicated 

 to Darwin by Henslow (August 24th, 1831) : 



" I have been asked by Peacock, who will read and for- 

 ward this to you from London, to recommend him a Natu- 

 ralist as companion to Captain Fitz-Roy, employed by Gov- 

 ernment to survey the southern extremity of America. I 

 have stated that I consider you to be the best qualified per- 

 son I know of who is likely to undertake such a situation. 

 I state this not in the supposition of your being a -finished 

 naturalist, but as amply qualified for collecting, observing, 



* Formerly Dean of Ely, and Lowndean Professor of Astronomy at Cam- 

 bridge. 



