344 Darwin and Geology 
during the geological tour’. We find Darwin looking forward to this 
privilege with the keenest interest”. 
When at the beginning of August (1831), Sedgwick arrived at his 
father’s house in Shrewsbury, where he spent a night, Darwin began 
to receive his first and only instruction as a field-geologist. The 
journey they took together led them through Llangollen, Conway, 
Bangor, and Capel Curig, at which latter place they parted after 
spending many hours in examining the rocks at Cwm Idwal with 
extreme care, seeking for fossils but without success. Sedgwick’s 
mode of instruction was admirable—he from time to time sent the 
pupil off on a line parallel to his own, “telling me to bring back 
specimens of the rocks and to mark the stratification on a map*.” 
On his return to Shrewsbury, Darwin wrote to Henslow, “My trip 
with Sedgwick answered most perfectly*,” and in the following 
year he wrote again from South America to the same friend, “Tell 
Professor Sedgwick he does not know how much I am indebted to 
him for the Welsh expedition ; it has given me an interest in Geology 
which I would not give up for any consideration. I do not think I 
ever spent a more delightful three weeks than pounding the north- 
west mountains®.” 
It would be a mistake, however, to suppose that at this time 
Darwin had acquired anything like the affection for geological study, 
which he afterwards developed. After parting with Sedgwick, he 
walked in a straight line by compass and map across the mountains 
to Barmouth to visit a reading party there, but taking care to return 
to Shropshire before September Ist, in order to be ready for the 
shooting. For as he candidly tells us, “I should have thought myself 
mad to give up the first days of partridge-shooting for geology or any 
other science®!” 
Any regret we may be disposed to feel that Darwin did not use 
his opportunities at Edinburgh and Cambridge to obtain systematic 
and practical instruction in mineralogy and geology, will be mitigated, 
however, when we reflect on the danger which he would run of 
being indoctrinated with the crude “catastrophic” views of geology, 
which were at that time prevalent in all the centres of learning. 
Writing to Henslow in the summer of 1831, Darwin says “As yet 
I have only indulged in hypotheses, but they are such powerful ones 
that I suppose, if they were put into action but for one day, the world 
would come to an end’.” 
May we not read in this passage an indication that the self-taught 
geologist had, even at this early stage, begun to feel a distrust for the 
17D. L.1. p. 56. 21. L. 1. p. 189. 3 L. L.1 p. 57. 
42.1.1. p. 195. 5 1. L. 1. pp. 237—8. ® ZL. L. 1. p. 58. 
72. L,t. p. 189 
