ch. ii.] VOYAGE. 31 



over the discovery of the singular relations of the animals 

 and plants inhabiting the several islands of the Galapagos 

 archipelago, and of all of them to the inhabitants of South 

 America. 



As far as I can judge of myself, I worked to the utmost 

 during the voyage from the mere pleasure of investigation, 

 and from my strong desire to add a few facts to the great 

 mass of facts in Natural Science. But I was also ambitious 

 to take a fair place among scientific men, whether more 

 ambitious or less so than most of my fellow-workers, I can 

 form no opinion. 



The geology of St. Jago is very striking, yet simple : 

 a stream of lava formerly flowed over the bed of the sea, 

 formed of triturated recent shells and corals, which it has 

 baked into a hard white rock. Since then the whole island 

 has been upheaved. But the line of white rock revealed to 

 me a new and important fact, namely, that there had been 

 afterwards subsidence round the craters, which had since 

 been in action, and had. poured forth lava. It then first 

 dawned on me that I might perhaps write a book on the 

 geology of the various countries visited, and this made me 

 thrill with delight. That was a memorable hour to me, 

 and how distinctly I can call to mind the low cliff of lava 

 beneath which I rested, with the sun glaring hot, a few 

 strange desert plants growing near, and with living corals 

 in the tidal pools at my feet. Later in the voyage, Fitz- 

 Roy asked me to read some of my Journal, and declared it 

 would be worth publishing ; so here was a second book in 

 prospect ! 



Towards the close of our voyage I received a letter 

 whilst at Ascension, in which my sisters told me that Sedg- 

 wick had called on my father, and said that I should take a 

 place among the leading scientific men. I could not at the 

 time understand how he could have learnt anything of my 

 proceedings, but I heard (I believe afterwards) that Henslow 

 had read some of the letters which I wrote to him before 

 the Philosophical Society of Cambridge,* and had printed 

 them for private distribution. My collection of fossil bones, 

 which had been sent to Henslow, also excited considerable 

 attention amongst palaeontologists. After reading this letter, 

 I clambered over the mountains of Ascension with a bound- 



* Eead at the meeting held November 16, 1835. and printed in a pamphlet 

 of 31 pp. for distribution among the members of the Society. 



