34 Charles Darwin. 



evidences, which were ever apparent during this trip, 

 of its existence. On a large estate to which he was 

 invited, some trouble occurred which nearly resulted 

 in the sale of all the women and children in the 

 public auction at Rio. He refers to the fact that 

 self-interest, not compassion, was the sole preventive 

 to what he considered the grossest of crimes. In- 

 deed, he says : " I do not believe the inhumanity 

 of separating thirty families who had lived together 

 for many years ever occurred to the owner, yet I 

 pledge myself that in good-feeling and humanity he 

 was the superior to the common run of men. It 

 may be said there exists no limit to the blindness of 

 interest and selfish habit." 



So outspoken was our hero upon this subject that 

 it was the cause, later, of an open rupture between 

 himself and his friend Fitz-Roy. Fitz-Roy not only 

 defended slavery, but praised it, which led to so 

 indignant a response from the young man that what 

 may be said to be the entire future of Darwin as a 

 scientist hung in the balance. Fitz-Roy apologised, 

 and requested Darwin to overlook his offensive re- 

 marks, and the breach was healed, but our hero 

 never overcame his repugnance for the institut- 

 ion, and would, in America, have been a rigid 

 Abolitionist. 



During the trip in the country back of Rio, he 

 made many observations, which may be found in his 

 later works on botanical subjects. He noted the 

 prodigious growth, the binding together of the forest 

 trees by a maze of lianes, and here he made his 

 first important studies with the sensitive plants, 



