LONDON. 69 



Having been deeply impressed with what I had seen 

 of the elevation of the land in South America, I attri- 

 buted the parallel lines to the action of the sea ; but I 

 had to give up this view when Agassiz propounded 

 his glacier-lake theory. Because no other explanation 

 was possible under our then state of knowledge, I 

 argued in favour of sea-action ; and my error has been 

 a good lesson to me never to trust in science to the 

 principle of exclusion. 



As I was not able to work all day at science, I read 

 a good deal during these two years on various subjects, 

 including some metaphysical books ; but I was not 

 well fitted for such studies. About this time I took 

 much delight in Wordsworth's and Coleridge's poetry ; 

 and can boast that I read the ' Excursion ' twice 

 through. Formerly Milton's * Paradise Lost ' had 

 been my chief favourite, and in my excursions during 

 the voyage of the Beagle, when I could take only a 

 single volume, I always chose Milton. 



From my marriage, January 29, 1839, and residence 

 in Upper Gower Street, to our leaving London and 

 settling at Down, September 14, 1842. 



After speaking of his happy married life, and of his 

 children, he continues : 



During the three years and eight months whilst we 

 resided in London, I did less scientific work, though 

 I worked as hard as I possibly could, than during any 

 other equal length of time in my life. This was 

 owing to frequently recurring unwellness, and to one 

 long and serious illness. The greater part of my 



