I834-] JEMMY BUTTON. 223 



member me to all my Cambridge friends. I love and treasure 

 up every recollection of dear old Cambridge. I am much 

 obliged to you for putting my name down to poor Ramsay's 

 monument ; I never think of him without the warmest admi- 

 ration. Farewell, my dear Henslow. 



Believe me your most obliged and affectionate friend, 



CHARLES DARWIN. 



C. Darwin to Miss C. Darwin. 



East Falkland Island, April 6, 1834. 

 MY DEAR CATHERINE, 



When this letter will reach you I know not, but probably 

 some man-of-war will call here before, in the common course 



of events, I should have another opportunity of writing. 

 ***** 



After visiting some of the southern islands, we beat up 

 through the magnificent scenery of the Beagle Channel to 

 Jemmy Button's * country. We could hardly recognise poor 

 Jemmy. Instead of the clean, well-dressed stout lad we left 

 him, we found him a naked, thin, squalid savage. York 

 and Fuegia had moved to their own country some months 

 ago, the former having stolen all Jemmy's clothes. Now 

 he had nothing except a bit of blanket round his waist. 

 Poor Jemmy was very glad to see us, and, with his usual 

 good feeling, brought several presents (otter-skins, which are 

 most valuable to themselves) for his old friends. The Captain 

 offered to take him to England, but this, to our surprise, he 

 at once refused. In the evening his young wife came along- 

 side and showed us the reason. He was quite contented. 

 Last year, in the height of his indignation, he said " his 

 country people no sabe nothing damned fools " now they 

 were very good people, with too much to eat, and all the 

 luxuries of life. Jemmy and his wife paddled away in their 



* Jemmy Button, York Minster, and Fuegia Basket, were natives of 

 Tierra del Fuego, brought to England by Captain Fitz-Roy in his former 

 voyage, and restored to their country by him in 1832. 



