206 THE DARWINIAN THEORY 



find any man of common sense who advises you to 

 go, I will give my consent." His uncle, Josiah 

 Wedgwood, strongly urged him to accept, where- 

 upon his father gave his consent. He, however, 

 narrowly escaped rejection, Fitzroy doubting 

 whether a man with such a shaped nose could 

 possess sufficient energy and determination for the 

 voyage ! 



This voyage, originally intended to last two years, 

 and ultimately extended to five years, started from 

 Devonport on the 27th of December 1831, returning 

 to Falmouth on October 2nd, 1836. Darwin writes : 

 " This was by far the most important event in my 

 life, and has determined my whole career." It was 

 during this time that he ,a.r.qnir pd hahif-c nf pnprgpt^ 

 ind ustry, and concentrated atte ntion. He collected 

 largely, and from his collections laid the foundation 

 of his great work. 



It is necessary to bear in mind that this was 

 essentially a surveying voyage, and the bulk of the 

 time was occupied in a detailed survey of the east, 

 south, and to a less extent the west coast of South 

 America ; involving slow work and repetition of 

 much of it, the ground having to be covered more 

 than once in difficult places. 



The Beagle left Devonport on December 27th, 

 183 1, calling at the Cape Verde Islands and 

 St. Paul's Rocks, and reached Bahia on February 

 29th, 1832. After a short stay she proceeded south- 

 wards to Rio and Monte Video. The next three 

 years were spent in the special work of surveying : 

 nearly two years on the east coast off Tierra del 



