i83i.] DEVENPORT. 189 



My time passes away very pleasantly. I know one or two 

 pleasant people, foremost of whom is Mr. Thunder-and-light- 

 ning Harris,* whom 1 dare say you have heard of. My chief 

 employment is to go on board the Beagle^ and try to look as 

 much like a sailor as I can. I have no evidence of having 

 taken in man, woman or child. 



I am going to ask you to do one more commission, and I 

 trust it will be the last. When I was in Cambridge, I wrote 

 to Mr. Ash, asking him to send my College account to my 

 father, after having subtracted about ^30 for my furniture. 

 This he has forgotten to do, and my father has paid the bill, 

 and I want to have the furniture-money transmitted to my 

 father. Perhaps you would be kind enough to speak to Mr. 

 Ash. I have cost my father so much money, I am quite 

 ashamed of myself, 



I will write once again before sailing, and perhaps you 

 will write to me before then. 



Remember me to Professor Sedgwick and Mr. Peacock. 

 Believe me, yours affectionately, 



Chas. Darwin. 



C. Darwin to f. S. Henslow. 



Devonport, December 3, 1831. 



My dear Henslow, 



It is now late in the evening, and to-night I am going 

 to sleep on board. On Monday we most certainly sail, so 

 you may guess in w^hat a desperate state of confusion we are 

 all in. If you were to hear the various exclamations of the 

 officers, you would suppose we had scarcely had a week's 

 notice. I am just in the same way taken all aback, and in 

 such a bustle I hardly know what to do. The number of 

 things to be done is infinite. I look forward even to sea-sick- 

 ness with something like satisfaction, anything must be better 

 than this state of anxiety. I am very much obliged for your 



* William Snow Harris, the Electrician. 



