EVOLUTION BY NATURAL SELECTION: DARWIN S CONCEPTION 



and at school." He says that the only things he enjoyed in his studies at 

 Cambridge were geometry, and the works of Paley, a distinguished eight- 

 eenth century theologian whose beautiful logic and clear expression he 

 admired. He felt that these were the only things in his formal education 

 which contributed to the development of his mind. 



Again, Darwin's own estimate of his achievements at Cambridge must 

 have been unduly harsh. He says that he wasted his time with a crowd 

 of sporting men, including some dissipated, low-minded men. But he also 

 developed a taste for the fine arts, and made friends among the more 

 cultured students at Cambridge. And as at Edinburgh, he attracted the 

 friendship and respect of distinguished men of science, who must have 

 seen in this youth something far better than the dilettante which he pic- 

 tures himself to have been. Most important among these was the botanist, 

 Dr. Henslow, through whom young Darwin met many of the most distin- 

 guished men of that time. But the major interest of Darwin's Cambridge 

 years was in collecting beetles, a study which he pursued with great en- 

 ergy and with some distinction. 



The Voyage of the BeagEe. It was through Henslow that Darwin got 

 the major opportunity of his life. The British Admiralty planned a voyage 

 of exploration on H.M.S. Beagle, with the surveying of Tierra del Fuego 

 as the primary objective. Henslow was asked to nominate a young natural- 

 ist for the voyage, and he urged Darwin to accept this appointment, 

 Darwin's father objected, because he felt that this would simply delay the 

 establishment of his son in the clergy. But he added, "If you can find any 

 man of common sense who advises you to go, I will give my consent." 

 Darwin's uncle, Josiah Wedgwood (of the "China" family), whom Dr. 

 Darwin had always regarded as one of the most sensible men in the 

 world, kindly fulfilled this condition. The Beagle was originally scheduled 

 to sail in September, 1831, but did not actually get underway until De- 

 cember 27, 1831. The ship visited some of the islands of the Atlantic 

 Ocean, many points on the coast of South America, and some of the 

 islands of the South Pacific, of which the Galapagos Islands were much 

 the most important for the development of Darwin's ideas on the muta- 

 bility of species. During this voyage he took voluminous notes on the 

 geology, botany, and zoology of the regions visited. These notes, together 

 with the many specimens collected, formed the basis of several books 

 which he later published, and made valuable contributions to his major 

 work. The Beagle finally returned to England on October 2, 1836, after a 

 voyage of nearly five years. 



Darwin's Publications. Back in England again, Darwin at once set to 

 work upon his "Journal of Researches," which was based upon the journal 

 which he had kept during the voyage of the Beagle. This was published 

 in 1839, and was an immediate success. Darwin said that the success of 

 this, his first literary child, always pleased him more than that of any of 

 his other books. Also, in 1839, he was married to his cousin, Anna Wedg- 

 wood. Two daughters and five sons were born to them. They lived in 

 London until September of 1842. During this time, Darwin was active in 

 scientific society, being secretary of the Geological Society from 1838 to 



