BOYHOOD. 33 



Looking back as well as I can at my character 

 during my school life, the only qualities which at this 

 period promised well for the future, were, that I had 

 strong and diversified tastes, much zeal for whatever 

 interested me, and a keen pleasure in understanding 

 any complex subject or thing. I was taught Euclid 

 by a private tutor, and I distinctly remember the 

 intense satisfaction which the clear geometrical proofs 

 gave me. I remember with equal distinctness the 

 delight which my uncle gave me (the father of 

 Francis Galton) by explaining the principle of the 

 vernier of a barometer. With respect to diversified 

 tastes, independently of science, I was fond of reading 

 various books, and I used to sit for hours reading the 

 historical plays of Shakespeare, generally in an old 

 window in the thick walls of the school. I read also 

 other poetry, such as Thomson's ' Seasons,' and the 

 recently published poems of Byron and Scott. I 

 mention this because later in life I wholly lost, to my 

 great regret, all pleasure from poetry of any kind, 

 including Shakespeare. In connection with pleasure 

 from poetry, I may add that in 1822 a vivid delight 

 in scenery was first awakened in my mind, during a 

 riding tour on the borders of Wales, and this has 

 lasted longer than any other aesthetic pleasure. 



Early in my school days a boy had a copy of the 

 ' Wonders of the World,' which I often read, and dis- 

 puted with other boys about the veracity of some of 

 the statements ; and I believe that this book first gave 

 me a wish to travel in remote countries, which was 

 ultimately fulfilled by the voyage of the Beagle. In 

 VOL. i. D 



