•JOURNAL OF RESEARCHES/ 29I 



have preserved of all my English insects), and was admiring 

 Fanagceus Crux-major : it is curious the vivid manner in 

 which this insect calls up in my mind your appearance, with 

 little Fan trotting after, when I was first introduced to you. 

 Those entomological days were very pleasant ones. I am very 

 much stronger corporeally, but am little better in being able 

 to stand mental fatigue, or rather excitement, so that I cannot 

 dine out or receive visitors, except relations with whom I can 

 pass some time after dinner in silence." 



I could have wished to give here some idea of the position 

 which, at this period of his life, my father occupied among 

 scientific men and the reading public generally. But con- 

 temporary notices are few and of no particular value for my 

 purpose, — which therefore must, in spite of a good deal of 

 pains, remain unfulfilled. 



His ' Journal of Researches ' was then the only one of his 

 books which had any chance of being commonly known. But 

 the fact that it was published with the ' Voyages ' of Captains 

 King and Fitz-Roy probably interfered with its general popu- 

 larity. Thus Lyell wrote to him in 1838 (' Ly ell's Life,' ii. p. 

 43), "I assure you my father is quite enthusiastic about 

 your journal .... and he agrees with me that it would have 

 a large sale if published separately. He was disappointed 

 at hearing that it was to be fettered by the other volumes, for, 

 although he should equally buy it, he feared so many of the 

 public would be checked from doing so." In a notice of the 

 three voyages in the ' Edinburgh Review ' (July, 1839), there 

 is nothing leading a reader to believe that he would find it 

 more attractive than its fellow-volumes. And, as a fact, it 

 did not become widely known until it was separately pub- 

 lished in 1845. It may be noted, however, that the 'Quar- 

 terly Review' (December, 1839) called the attention of its 

 readers to the merits of the ' Journal ' as a book of travels. 

 The reviewer speaks of the " charm arising from the fresh- 

 ness of heart which is thrown over these virgin pages of a 

 strong intellectual man and an acute and deep observer." 



The German translation (1844) of the 'Journal' received 



