/ 



126 APPOINTMENT TO THE BEAGLE. [ch. v. 



ago, in which he says : ' I have a right good set of officers, 

 and most of my men have been there before.' It seems he 

 has been there for the last few years ; he was then second in 

 command with the same vessel that he has now chosen. He 

 is only twenty-three years old, but [has] seen a deal of serv- 

 ice, and won the gold medal at Portsmouth. The Admi- 

 ralty say his maps are most perfect. He had choice of 

 two vessels, and he chose the smallest. Henslow will give 

 me letters to all travellers in town whom he thinks may 

 assist me. 



I write as if it was settled, but Henslow tells me 



by no means to make up my mind till I have had long con- 

 versations with Captains Beaufort and Fitz-Roy. Good-bye. 

 You will hear from me constantly. Direct 17 Spring Gar- 

 dens. Tell nobody in Shropshire yet. Be sure not. 



I was so tired that evening I was in Shrewsbury that I 

 thanked none of you for your kindness half so much as I 

 felt. Love to my father. 



The reason I don't want people told in Shropshire : in 

 case I should not go, it will make it more flat. 



At this stage of the transaction, a hitch occurred. Cap- 

 tain Fitz-Roy, it seems, wished to take a friend (Mr. Ches- 

 ter) as companion on the voyage, and accordingly wrote to 

 Cambridge in such a discouraging strain, that Darwin gave 

 up hope and hardly thought it worth his while to go to Lon- 

 don (September 5). Fortunately, however, he did go, and 

 found that Mr. Chester could not leave England. When 

 the physiognomical, or nose-difficulty (Autobiography, p. 26) 

 occurred, I have no means of knowing : for at this interview 

 Fitz-Roy was evidently well-disposed towards him. 



My father wrote : 



" He offers me to go shares in everything in his cabin 

 if I like to come, and every sort of accommodation I can 

 have, but they will not be numerous. He says nothing would 

 be so miserable for him as having me with him if I was un- 

 comfortable, as in a small vessel we must be thrown together, 

 and thought it his duty to state everything in the worst 

 point of view. I think I shall go on Sunday to Plymouth 

 to see the vessel. 



" There is something most extremely attractive in his 

 manners and way of coming straight to the point. If I live 

 with him, he says I must live poorly no wine, and the plain- 

 est dinners. The scheme is not certainly so good as Pea- 



