THE ' BEAGLE LAID ASHORE, RIVER SANTA CRUZ. 



CHAPTER VI. 



THE VOYAGE. 



"THERE is a natural good-humoured energy in his letters just like 

 himself." From a letter of Dr. R. W. Darwin's to Prof. Henslow. 



[THE object of the Beagle voyage is briefly described in my 

 father's 'Journal of Researches,' p. I, as being "to complete 

 the Survey of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, commenced 

 under Captain King in 1826 to 1830; to survey the shores 

 of Chile, Peru, and some islands in the Pacific ; and to 

 carry a chain of chronometrical measurements round the 

 world." 



The Beagle is described * as a well-built little vessel, of 

 235 tons, rigged as a barque, and carrying six guns. She 

 belonged to the old class of ten-gun brigs, which were nick- 

 named "coffins," from their liability to go down in severe 

 weather. They were very " deep-waisted," that is, their bul- 



* ' Voyages of the Ad-venture and illustration at the head of the chap- 

 Beagle] vol. i. introduction xii. The ter is from vol. ii. of the same work. 



