PUBLICATIONS. 79 



^not, however, quite so retired a place as a writer in a 

 German periodical makes it, who says that my house 

 can be approached only by a mule-track ! Our fixing 

 -ourselves here has answered admirably in one way, 

 which we did not anticipate, namely, by being very 

 convenient for frequent visits from our children. 



Few persons can have lived a more retired life than 

 we have done. Besides short visits to the houses of 

 relations, and occasionally to the seaside or elsewhere, 

 we have gone nowhere. During the first part of our 

 'residence we went a little into society, and received a 

 few friends here ; but my health almost always suffered 

 from the excitement, violent shivering and vomiting 

 .attacks being thus brought on. I have therefore been 

 compelled for many years to give up all dinner-parties ; 

 .and this has been somewhat of a deprivation to me, 

 .as such parties always put me into high spirits. From 

 the same cause I have been able to invite here very 

 few scientific acquaintances. 



My chief enjoyment and sole employment through- 

 out life has been scientific work ; and the excitement 

 from such work makes me for the time forget, or drives 

 quite away, my daily discomfort. I have therefore 

 nothing to record during the rest of my life, except 

 the publication of my several books. Perhaps a few 

 details how they arose may be worth giving. 



My several Publications. In the early part of 1844, 

 my observations on the volcanic islands visited during 

 the voyage of the Beagle were published. In 1845, I 

 took much pains in correcting a new edition of my 

 * Journal of Researches/ which was originally published 



