200 THE VOYAGE. ^TAT. 23. [1832. 



C. Darwin to R. IV. Darwin. 



Bahia, or San Salvador, Brazils 



[February 8, 1832]. 

 I find after the first page I have been writing 

 to my sisters. 



My dear Father, 



I am writing this on the 8th of February, one day's sail 

 past St. Jago (Cape de Verd), and intend taking the chance 

 of meeting with a homeward-bound vessel somewhere about 

 the equator. The date, however, will tell this whenever 

 the opportunity occurs. I will now begin from the day of 

 leaving England, and give a short account of our progress. 

 We sailed, as you know, on the 27th of December, and have 

 been fortunate enough to have had from that time to the 

 present a fair and moderate breeze. It afterwards proved 

 that we had escaped a heavy gale in the Channel, another 

 at Madeira, and another on [the] Coast of Africa. But in 

 escaping the gale, we felt its consequences — a heavy sea. In 

 the Bay of Biscay there was a long and continuous swell, and 

 the misery I endured from sea-sickness is far beyond what I 

 ever guessed at. I believe you are curious about it. I will give 

 you all my dear-bought experience. Nobody who has only 

 been to sea for twenty-four hours has a right to say that sea- 

 sickness is even uncomfortable. The real misery only be- 

 gins when you are so exhausted that a little exertion makes 

 a feeling of faintness come on. I found nothing but lying in 

 my hammock did me any good. I must especially except 

 your receipt of raisins, which is the only food that the stomach 

 will bear. 



On the 4th of January we were not many miles from 

 Madeira, but as there was a heavy sea running, and the 

 island lay to windward, it was not thought worth while to 

 beat up to it. It afterwards has turned out it was lucky we 

 saved ourselves the trouble. I was much too sick even to get 

 up to see the distant outline. On the 6th, in the evening, we 

 sailed into the harbour of Santa Cruz. I now first felt even 

 moderately well, and I was picturing to myself all the delights 



