Williams : Darwin and Daewinism. 



19 



descended, we are compelled to think of him as a conspicuous illus- 

 tration of one of the more important parts of his own theoretical and 

 scientific work. Both his father and his grandfather were noted men 

 of science ; their fame, indeed, eclipsed by the greater brightness of 

 his, and yet men noteworthy enough to be reckoned as helping to 

 make up the scientific developement of the life of England. All 

 these — his grandfather, his father, and himself — were members one 

 after another of the Royal Society of England : perhaps the only 

 case in English history where men in the line of direct descent 

 have been held worthy of that honour. His mother was a descendant 

 of the family of the Wedgwood's, so noted in connection with the 

 manufacture of pottery. Young Darwin received his preparatory 

 education at Shrewsbury School, under Dr. Butler, afterwards Bishop 

 of Lichfield. Thence he went to Edinburgh University, where he 

 studied two years ; where, so far as memoranda can guide us, he 

 evinced a decided inclination for the study of Natural History, 

 directing his attention more particularly to marine zoology, and 

 where he read at least two papers on subjects connected with his 

 favourite study, before the Plinean Society, which just then came into 

 being. From Edinburgh he went to Christ College, Cambridge, where 

 he graduated at the age af twenty-two. So far young Darwin had 

 acquitted himself creditably, but with no special mark, at his various 

 seats of learning : but now, another and different sphere of education 

 presented itself, and Darwin embraced the offered opportunity. 



In the autumn of 1831, a ship was starting on a voyage round 

 the world ; and that voyage has been made famous, and will be 

 famous in all coming time, simply by the fact that the young man of 

 twenty-two volunteered to accompany the trip in the capacity of 

 naturalist. It was characteristic of the young man's zeal for the 

 study of natural science that he served without salary, and paid a 

 portion of his own expenses, on condition that he should have the 

 right of making what use he pleased of the zoological, botanical, and 

 geological collections. Under these arrangements, then, at the age 

 of twenty-two, he sailed in the " Beagle," made a voyage round the 

 world, and was absent from England for five years. Was that a time 

 lost ? It was a seed-time preliminary to a fruitful and precious 

 harvest. In the progress of this voyage he was much struck by 

 some peculiar relations that he discovered between the plant and 

 animal life of the Gallapagos Islands, and similar life on the continent 

 of South America ; and then and there was planted the seed from 

 which has sprung the great and mighty development of his thought, 



