CHARLES ROBERT DARWIN. 357 



University attended successive courses. Once 

 every week he kept open house in the evening, and 

 all who cared for natural history attended these 

 parties, which, by thus favoring intercommunica- 

 tion, did the same good in Cambridge, in a very 

 pleasant manner, as the scientific societies do in 

 London. . . . This was no small advantage to some 

 of the young men, as it stimulated their mental 

 activity and ambition. . . . 



" During the years when I associated so much 

 with Professor Henslow, I never once saw his tem- 

 per even ruffled. He never took an ill-natured 

 view of any one's character, though very far from 

 blind to the foibles of others. It always struck me 

 that his mind could not be even touched by any 

 paltry feeling of vanity, envy, .or jealousy. With 

 all this equability of temper and remarkable benev- 

 olence, there was no insipidity of character. A man 

 must have been blind not to have perceived that 

 beneath this placid exterior there was a vigorous 

 and determined will. When principles came into 

 play, no power on earth could have turned him 

 one hair's breadth. . . . 



"Keflecting over his character with gratitude 

 and reverence, his moral attributes rise, as they 

 should do in the highest character, in preeminence 

 over his intellect." 



Through this noble friend, Darwin had the op- 

 portunity of taking a five years' voyage in the ship 

 Beagle, as a naturalist. The bark, of two hun- 

 dred and thirty-five tons, under command of Cap- 



