128 THE VOYAGE. [Ch. VI. 



actually suffered from sea-sickness ; my impression is distinct 

 that, according to his own memory, he was not actually ill 

 after the first three weeks, but constantly uncomfortable when 

 the vessel pitched at all heavily. But, judging from his 

 letters, and from the evidence of some of the officers, it would 

 seem that in later years he forgot the extent of the discomfort. 

 Writing June 3, 1836, from the Cape of Good Hope, he says : 

 " It is a lucky thing for me that the voyage is drawing to its 

 close, for I positively suffer more from sea-sickness now than 

 three years ago." 



C. D. to B. W. Darwin. Bahia, or San Salvador, Brazil. 

 [February 8, 1832.] 



I find after the first page I have been writing 

 to my sisters. 



My dear Father — I am writing this on the 8th of February, 

 one day's sail past St. Jago (Cape de Vord), and intend taking 

 the chance of meeting with a homeward-bound vessel some- 

 where about the equator. The date, however, will tell this 

 whenever the opportunity occurs. I will now begin from tho 

 day of leaving England, and give a short account of our 

 progress. We sailed, as you know, on the 27th of December, 

 and have been fortunate enough to have had from that time to 

 the present a fair and moderate breeze. It afterwards proved 

 that we had escaped a heavy gale in the Channel, another 

 at Madeira, and another on [the] Coast of Africa. But in 

 escaping the gale, we felt its consequence — a heavy sea. In 

 the Bay of Biscay there was a long and continuous swell, and 

 the misery I endured from sea-sickness is far beyond what I 

 ever guessed at. I believe you are curious about it. I will 

 give you all my dear-bought experience. Nobody who has 

 only been to sea for twenty-four hours has a right to say that 

 sea-sickness is even uncomfortable. The real misery only 

 begins when you are so exhausted that a little exertion makes 

 a feeling of faintness come on. I found nothing but lying in 

 my hammock did me any good. I must especially except 

 your receipt of raisins, which is the only food that the stomach 

 will bear. 



On the 4th of January we were not many miles from Madeira, 

 but as there was a heavy sea running, and the island lay to 

 windward, it was not thought worth while to beat up to it. It 

 afterwards has turned out it was lucky we saved ourselves the 

 trouble. I was much too sick even to get up to see the distant 

 outline. On the 6th, in the evening, we sailed into the 



