152 LONDON AND CAMBRIDGE. [ch. vn. 



eration of such men as Lyell, who has been to me, since my 

 return, a most active friend. My life is a very busy one at 

 present, and I hope may ever remain so ; though Heaven 

 knows there are many serious drawbacks to such a life, and 

 chief amongst them is the little time it allows one for seeing 

 one's natural friends. For the last three years, I have been 

 longing and longing to be living at Shrewsbury, and after 

 all now in the course of several months, I see my good dear 

 people at Shrewsbury for a week. Susan and Catherine 

 have, however, been staying with my brother here for some 

 weeks, but they had returned home before my visit." 



In August he writes to Henslow to announce the success 

 of the scheme for the publication of the Zoology of the Voy- 

 age of the Beagle, through the promise of a grant of 1000 

 from the Treasury : " I had an interview with the Chancel- 

 lor of the Exchequer.* He appointed to see me this morn- 

 ing, and I had a long conversation with him, Mr. Peacock 

 being present. Nothing could be more thoroughly obliging 

 and kind than his whole manner. He made no sort of re- 

 striction, but only told me to make the most of the money, 

 which of course I am right willing to do. 



" I expected rather an awful interview, but I never 

 found anything less so in my life. It will be my fault if I 

 do not make a good work ; but I sometimes take an awful 

 fright that I have not materials enough. It will be excess- 

 ively satisfactory at the end of some two years to find all 

 materials made the most they were capable of/' 



Later in the autumn he wrote to Henslow : " I have not 

 been very well of late, with an uncomfortable palpitation of 

 the heart, and my doctors urge me strongly to knock off all 

 work, and go and live in the country for a few weeks." He 

 accordingly took a holiday of about a month at Shrews- 

 bury and Maer, and paid Fox a visit in the Isle of Wight. 

 It was, I believe, during this visit, at Mr. Wedgwood's 

 house at Maer, that he made his first observations on the 

 work done by earth-worms, and late in the autumn he read 

 a paper on the subject at the Geological Society. 



Here he was already beginning to make his mark. Lyell 

 wrote to Sedgwick (April 21, 1837) : 



" Darwin is a glorious addition to any society of geolo- 

 gists, and is working hard and making way both in his 

 book and in our discussions. I really never saw that bore 



* Spring Eice. 



