202 THE VOYAGE. /ETAT. 23. [1S32. 



endless number of wild flowers. And this island, that has 

 given me so much instruction and delight, is reckoned the 

 most uninteresting place that we perhaps shall touch at dur- 

 ng our voyage. It certainly is generally very barren, but the 

 valleys are more exquisitely beautiful, from the very contrast. 

 It is utterly useless to say anything about the scenery ; it 

 would be as profitable to explain to a blind man colours, as to 

 a person who has not been out of Europe, the total dissimi- 

 larity of a tropical view. Whenever I enjoy anything, I always 

 either look forward to writing it down, either in my log-book 

 (which increases in bulk), or in a letter ; so you must excuse 

 raptures, and those raptures badly expressed. I find my col- 

 lections are increasing wonderfully, and from Rio I think I 

 shall be obliged to send a cargo home. 



All the endless delays which we experienced at Plymouth 

 have been most fortunate, as I verily believe no person ever 

 went out better provided for collecting and observing in the 

 different branches of Natural History. In a multitude of 

 counsellors I certainly found good. I find to my great sur- 

 prise that a ship is singularly comfortable for all sorts of work. 

 Everything is so close at hand, and being cramped makes one 

 so methodical, that in the end I have been a gainer. I already 

 have got to look at going to sea as a regular quiet place, like 

 going back to home after staying away from it. In short, I 

 find a ship a very comfortable house, with everything you 

 want, and if it was not for sea-sickness the whole world would 

 be sailors. I do not think there is much danger of Erasmus 

 setting the example, but in case there should be, he may rely 

 upon it he does not know one-tenth of the sufferings of sea- 

 sickness. 



I like the officers much more than I did at first, especially 

 Wickham, and young King and Stokes, and indeed all of 

 them. The Captain continues steadily very kind, and does 

 everything in his power to assist me. We see very little of 

 each other when in harbour, our pursuits lead us in such dif- 

 ferent tracks. I never in my life met with a man who could 

 endure nearly so great a share of fatigue. He works inces- 



