Bell（T。Bell，F。R。S。，formerlyProf。ofZoologyinKing’sCollege，London，andsometimesecretarytotheRoyalSociety。Heafterwardsdescribedthereptilesforthezoologyofthevoyageofthe"Beagle"。）whotomysurpriseexpressedagooddealofinterestaboutmycrustaceaandreptiles，andseemswillingtoworkatthem。IalsoheardthatMr。BroderipwouldbegladtolookovertheSouthAmericanshells，sothatthingsflourishwellwithme。"
Abouthisplantshewriteswithcharacteristicopennessastohisownignorance:"Youhavemademeknownamongstthebotanists，butIfeltveryfoolishwhenMr。Donremarkedonthebeautifulappearanceofsomeplantwithanastoundinglongname，andaskedmeaboutitshabitation。SomeoneelseseemedquitesurprisedthatIknewnothingaboutaCarexfromIdonotknowwhere。Iwasatlastforcedtopleadmostentireinnocence，andthatIknewnomoreabouttheplantswhichIhadcollectedthanthemaninthemoon。"
AstopartofhisGeologicalCollectionhewassoonabletowrite:"I
[have]disposedofthemostimportantpart[of]mycollections，bygivingallthefossilbonestotheCollegeofSurgeons，castsofthemwillbedistributed，anddescriptionspublished。Theyareverycuriousandvaluable;oneheadbelongedtosomegnawinganimal，butofthesizeofaHippopotamus！Anothertoanant—eaterofthesizeofahorse！"
ItisworthnotingthatatthistimetheonlyextinctmammaliafromSouthAmerica，whichhadbeendescribed，wereMastodon（threespecies）andMegatherium。TheremainsoftheotherextinctEdentatafromSirWoodbineParish’scollectionhadnotbeendescribed。Myfather’sspecimensincluded（besidestheabove—mentionedToxodonandScelidotherium）theremainsofMylodon，Glossotherium，anothergiganticanimalalliedtotheant—eater，andMacrauchenia。Hisdiscoveryoftheseremainsisamatterofinterestinitself，butithasaspecialimportanceasapointinhisownlife，sinceitwasthevividimpressionproducedbyexcavatingthemwithhisownhands（Ihaveoftenheardhimspeakofthedespairwithwhichhehadtobreakofftheprojectingextremityofahuge，partlyexcavatedbone，whentheboatwaitingforhimwouldwaitnolonger。）thatformedoneofthechiefstarting—pointsofhisspeculationontheoriginofspecies。ThisisshowninthefollowingextractfromhisPocketBookforthisyear（1837）:
"InJulyopenedfirstnote—bookonTransmutationofSpecies。HadbeengreatlystruckfromaboutthemonthofpreviousMarchoncharacterofSouthAmericanfossils，andspeciesonGalapagosArchipelago。Thesefacts（especiallylatter），originofallmyviews。"]
1836—1837。
CHARLESDARWINTOW。D。FOX。
43GreatMarlboroughStreet，November6th[1836]。
MydearFox，Ihavetakenashamefullylongtimeinansweringyourletter。Butthebusiesttimeofthewholevoyagehasbeentranquillityitselftothislastmonth。AfterpayingHenslowashortbutverypleasantvisit，Icameuptotowntowaitforthe"Beagle’s"arrival。AtlastIhaveremovedallmypropertyfromonboard，andsentthespecimensofNaturalHistorytoCambridge，sothatIamnowafreeman。MyLondonvisithasbeenquiteidleasfarasNaturalHistorygoes，buthasbeenpassedinmostexcitingdissipationamongsttheDonsinscience。Allmyaffairs，indeed，aremostprosperous;Ifindthereareplentywhowillundertakethedescriptionofwholetribesofanimals，ofwhichIknownothing。SothataboutthisdaymonthIhopetosettoworktoothandnailattheGeology，whichIshallpublishbyitself。
ItisquiteridiculouswhatanimmenselylongperioditappearstomesincelandingatFalmouth。ThefactisIhavetalkedandlaughedenoughforyearsinsteadofweeks，so[that]mymemoryisquiteconfoundedwiththenoise。Iamdelightedtohearyouareturnedgeologist:whenIpaytheIsleofWightavisit，whichIamdeterminedshallsomehowcometopass，youwillbeacapitalciceronetothefamouslineofdislocation。Ireallysupposetherearefewpartsoftheworldmoreinterestingtoageologistthanyourisland。Amongstthegreatscientificmen，noonehasbeennearlysofriendlyandkindasLyell。Ihaveseenhimseveraltimes，andfeelinclinedtolikehimmuch。Youcannotimaginehowgood—naturedlyheenteredintoallmyplans。IspeaknowonlyoftheLondonmen，forHenslowwasjustlikehisformerself，andthereforeamostcordialandaffectionatefriend。WhenyoupayLondonavisitIshallbeveryproudtotakeyoutotheGeologicalSociety，forbeitknown，IwasproposedtobeaF。G。S。lastTuesday。Itis，however，agreatpitythattheseandtheotherletters，especiallyF。R。S。，aresoveryexpensive。
Idonotscrupletoaskyoutowritetomeinaweek’stimeinShrewsbury，foryouareagoodletterwriter，andifpeoplewillhavesuchgoodcharacterstheymustpaythepenalty。Good—bye，dearFox。
Yours，C。D。
[HisaffairsbeingthussofarprosperouslymanagedhewasabletoputintoexecutionhisplanoflivingatCambridge，wherehesettledonDecember10th，1836。HewasatfirstaguestinthecomfortablehomeoftheHenslows，butafterwards，forthesakeofundisturbedwork，hemovedintolodgings。HethuswritestoFox，March13th，1837，fromLondon:——
"MyresidenceatCambridgewasratherlongerthanIexpected，owingtoajobwhichIdeterminedtofinishthere，namely，lookingoverallmygeologicalspecimens。Cambridgeyetcontinuesaverypleasant，butnothalfsomerryaplaceasbefore。TowalkthroughthecourtsofChrist’sCollege，andnotknowaninhabitantofasingleroom，gaveoneafeelinghalfmelancholy。TheonlyevilIfoundinCambridgewasitsbeingtoopleasant:therewassomeagreeablepartyoranothereveryevening，andonecannotsayoneisengagedwithsomuchimpunitythereasinthisgreatcity。"
Atriflingrecordofmyfather’spresenceinCambridgeoccursinthebookkeptinChrist’sCollegecombination—room，wherefinesandbetswererecorded，theearlierentriesgivingacuriousimpressionoftheafter—
dinnerframeofmindofthefellows。Thebetswerenotallowedtobemadeinmoney，butwere，likethefines，paidinwine。Thebetwhichmyfathermadeandlostisthusrecorded:——
"FEBRUARY23，1837。
Mr。Darwinv。Mr。Baines，thatthecombination—roommeasuresfromtheceilingtothefloormorethan（x）feet。1Bottlepaidsameday。
"N。B。Mr。Darwinmaymeasureatanypartoftheroomhepleases。"
Besidesarrangingthegeologicalandmineralogicalspecimens，hehadhis’JournalofResearches’toworkat，whichoccupiedhiseveningsatCambridge。HealsoreadashortpaperattheZoologicalSociety（"NotesuponRheaAmericana，"’Zool。Soc。Proc。’v。1837，pages35，36。），andanotherattheGeologicalSociety（’Geol。Soc。Proc。’ii。1838，pages446—
449。），ontherecentelevationofthecoastofChile。
Earlyinthespringof1837（March6th）heleftCambridgeforLondon，andaweeklaterhewassettledinlodgingsat36GreatMarlboroughStreet;andexceptfora"shortvisittoShrewsbury"inJune，heworkedontillSeptember，beingalmostentirelyemployedonhis’Journal。’Hefoundtime，however，fortwopapersattheGeologicalSociety。（"AsketchofthedepositscontainingextinctmammaliaintheneighbourhoodofthePlata，"
’Geol。Soc。Proc。’ii。1838，pages542—544;and’OncertainareasofelevationandsubsidenceinthePacificandIndianoceans，asdeducedfromthestudyofcoralformations。"’Geol。Soc。Proc’ii。1838，pages552—
554。）
HewritesofhisworktoFox（March，1837）:——
"InyourlastletteryouurgemetogetreadyTHEbook。Iamnowhardatworkandgiveupeverythingelseforit。Ourplanisasfollows:CaptainFitz—RoywritestwovolumesoutofthematerialscollectedduringthelastvoyageunderCapt。KingtoTierradelFuego，andduringourcircumnavigation。Iamtohavethethirdvolume，inwhichIintendgivingakindofjournalofanaturalist，notfollowing，however，alwaystheorderoftime，butrathertheorderofposition。Thehabitsofanimalswilloccupyalargeportion，sketchesofthegeology，theappearanceofthecountry，andpersonaldetailswillmakethehodge—podgecomplete。
AfterwardsIshallwriteanaccountofthegeologyindetail，anddrawupsomezoologicalpapers。SothatIhaveplentyofworkforthenextyearortwo，andtillthatisfinishedIwillhavenoholidays。"
AnotherlettertoFox（July）givesanaccountoftheprogressofhiswork:——
"IgavemyselfaholidayandavisittoShrewsbury[inJune]，asIhadfinishedmyJournal。IshallnowbeverybusyinfillingupgapsandgettingitquitereadyforthepressbythefirstofAugust。Ishallalwaysfeelrespectforeveryonewhohaswrittenabook，letitbewhatitmay，forIhadnoideaofthetroublewhichtryingtowritecommonEnglishcouldcostone。And，alas，thereyetremainstheworstpartofall，correctingthepress。AssoonaseverthatisdoneImustputmyshouldertothewheelandcommenceattheGeology。IhavereadsomeshortpaperstotheGeologicalSociety，andtheywerefavourablyreceivedbythegreatguns，andthisgivesmemuchconfidence，andIhopenotaverygreatdealofvanity，thoughIconfessIfeeltoooftenlikeapeacockadmiringhistail。IneverexpectedthatmyGeologywouldeverhavebeenworththeconsiderationofsuchmenasLyell，whohasbeentome，sincemyreturn，amostactivefriend。Mylifeisaverybusyoneatpresent，andIhopemayeverremainso;thoughHeavenknowstherearemanyseriousdrawbackstosuchalife，andchiefamongstthemisthelittletimeitallowsoneforseeingone’snaturalfriends。Forthelastthreeyears，IhavebeenlongingandlongingtobelivingatShrewsbury，andafterallnowinthecourseofseveralmonths，IseemydeargoodpeopleatShrewsburyforaweek。SusanandCatherinehave，however，beenstayingwithmybrotherhereforsomeweeks，buttheyhadreturnedhomebeforemyvisit。"
Besidestheworkalreadymentionedhehadmuchtobusyhiminmakingarrangementsforthepublicationofthe’ZoologyoftheVoyageofthe"Beagle"。’Thefollowinglettersillustratethissubject。]
CHARLESDARWINTOL。JENYNS。（NowRevL。Blomefield。）
36GreatMarlboroughStreet，April10th，1837。
DearJenyns，Duringthelastweekseveralofthezoologistsofthisplacehavebeenurgingmetoconsiderthepossibilityofpublishingthe’Zoologyofthe"Beagle’s"Voyage’onsomeuniformplan。Mr。Macleay（WilliamSharpMacleaywasthesonofAlexanderMacleay，formerlyColonialSecretaryofNewSouthWales，andformanyyearsSecretaryoftheLinneanSociety。Theson，whowasamostzealousNaturalist，andhadinheritedfromhisfatheraverylargegeneralcollectionofinsects，madeEntomologyhischiefstudy，andgainedgreatnotorietybyhisnowforgotten"QuinarySystem"，setforthintheSecondPartofhis’HoraeEntomologicae，’publishedin1821。——[IamindebtedtoRev。L。Blomefieldfortheforegoingnote。]hastakenagreatdealofinterestinthesubject，andmaintainsthatsuchapublicationisverydesirable，becauseitkeepstogetheraseriesofobservationsmaderespectinganimalsinhabitingthesamepartoftheworld，andallowsanyfuturetravellertakingthemwithhim。HowfarthisfacilityofreferenceisofanyconsequenceIamverydoubtful;butifsuchisthecase，itwouldbemoresatisfactorytomyselftoseethegleaningsofmyhands，afterhavingpassedthroughthebrainsofothernaturalists，collectedtogetherinonework。Butsuchconsiderationsoughtnottohavemuchweight。Thewholeschemeisatpresentmerelyfloatingintheair;butIwasdeterminedtoletyouknow，asIshouldmuchliketoknowwhatyouthinkaboutit，andwhetheryouwouldobjecttosupplydescriptionsofthefishtosuchaworkinsteadofto’Transactions。’Iapprehendthewholewillbeimpracticable，withoutGovernmentwillaidinengravingtheplates，andthisIfearisamerechance，onlyIthinkIcanputinastrongclaim，andgetmyselfwellbackedbythenaturalistsofthisplace，whonearlyalltakeagooddealofinterestinmycollections。Imeanto—morrowtoseeMr。Yarrell;ifheapproves，Ishallbeginandtakemoreactivesteps;forIhearheismostprudentandmostwise。Itisscarcelyanyusespeculatingaboutanyplan，butIthoughtofgettingsubscribersandpublishingtheworkinparts（aslongasfundswouldlast，forImyselfwillnotlosemoneybyit）。Insuchcase，whoeverhadhisownpartreadyonanyordermightpublishitseparately（andultimatelythepartsmightbesoldseparately），sothatnooneshouldbedelayedbytheother。Theplanwouldresemble，onahumblescale，Ruppel’s’Atlas，’orHumboldt’s’Zoologie，’whereLatreille，Cuvier，etc。，wrotedifferentparts。Imyselfshouldhavelittletodowithit;
exceptinginsomeordersaddinghabitsandranges，etc。，andgeographicalsketches，andperhapsafterwardssomedescriptionsofinvertebrateanimals……
IamworkingatmyJournal;itgetsonslowly，thoughIamnotidle。I
thoughtCambridgeabadplacefromgooddinnersandothertemptations，butIfindLondonnobetter，andIfearitmaygrowworse。IhaveacapitalfriendinLyell，andseeagreatdealofhim，whichisveryadvantageoustomeindiscussingmuchSouthAmericangeology。Imissawalkinthecountryverymuch;thisLondonisavilesmokyplace，whereamanlosesagreatpartofthebestenjoymentsinlife。ButIseenochanceofescaping，evenforaweek，fromthisprisonforalongtimetocome。Ifearitwillbesometimebeforeweshallmeet;forIsupposeyouwillnotcomeuphereduringthespring，andIdonotthinkIshallbeabletogodowntoCambridge。HowIshouldliketohaveagoodwalkalongtheNewmarketroadto—morrow，butOxfordStreetmustdoinstead。IdohatethestreetsofLondon。WillyoutellHenslowtobecarefulwiththeEDIBLEfungifromTierradelFuego，forIshallwantsomespecimensforMr。Brown，whoseemsPARTICULARLYinterestedaboutthem。TellHenslow，IthinkmysilicifiedwoodhasunflintifiedMr。Brown’sheart，forhewasverygracioustome，andtalkedabouttheGalapagosplants;butbeforeheneverwouldsayaword。Itisjuststrikingtwelveo’clock;soIwillwishyouaverygoodnight。
MydearJenyns，Yoursmosttruly，CHARLESDARWIN。
[Afewweekslatertheplanseemstohavebeenmatured，andtheideaofseekingGovernmentaidtohavebeenadopted。]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。S。HENSLOW。
36GreatMarlboroughStreet，[18thMay，1837]。
MydearHenslow，Iwasverygladtoreceiveyourletter。Iwantedmuchtohearhowyouweregettingonwithyourmanifoldlabours。IndeedIdonotwonderyourheadbegantoache;itisalmostawonderyouhaveanyheadleft。YouraccountoftheGamlingayexpeditionwascruellytempting，butIcannotanyhowleaveLondon。Iwantedtopaymygood，dearpeopleatShrewsburyavisitofafewdays，butIfoundIcouldnotmanageit;atpresentIamwaitingforthesignaturesoftheDukeofSomerset，asPresidentoftheLinnean，andofLordDerbyandWhewell，toastatementofthevalueofmycollection;theinstantIgetthisIshallapplytoGovernmentforassistanceinengraving，andsopublishthe’Zoology’onsomeuniformplan。Itisquiteridiculousthetimeanyoperationrequireswhichdependsonmanypeople。
Ihavebeenworkingverysteadily，buthaveonlygottwo—thirdsthroughtheJournalpartalone。Ifind，thoughIremaindailymanyhoursatwork，theprogressisveryslow:itisanawfulthingtosaytooneself，everyfoolandeveryclevermaninEngland，ifhechooses，maymakeasmanyill—
naturedremarksashelikesonthisunfortunatesentence……
[InAugusthewritestoHenslowtoannouncethesuccessoftheschemeforthepublicationofthe’ZoologyoftheVoyageofthe"Beagle"，’throughthepromiseofagrantof1000poundsfromtheTreasury:"Ihavedelayedwritingtoyou，tothankyoumostsincerelyforhavingsoeffectuallymanagedmyaffair。IwaitedtillIhadaninterviewwiththeChancelloroftheExchequer（T。SpringRice。）。Heappointedtoseemethismorning，andIhadalongconversationwithhim，Mr。Peacockbeingpresent。Nothingcouldbemorethoroughlyobligingandkindthanhiswholemanner。Hemadenosortofrestriction，butonlytoldmetomakethemostof[the]money，whichofcourseIamrightwillingtodo。
"Iexpectedratheranawfulinterview，butIneverfoundanythinglesssoinmylife。ItwillbemyfaultifIdonotmakeagoodwork;butI
sometimestakeanawfulfrightthatIhavenotmaterialsenough。Itwillbeexcessivelysatisfactoryattheendofsometwoyearstofindallmaterialsmadethemosttheywerecapableof。"
LaterintheautumnhewrotetoHenslow:"Ihavenotbeenverywelloflate，withanuncomfortablepalpitationoftheheart，andmydoctorsurgemeSTRONGLYtoknockoffallwork，andgoandliveinthecountryforafewweeks。"HeaccordinglytookaholidayofaboutamonthatShrewsburyandMaer，andpaidavisitintheIsleofWight。Itwas，Ibelieve，duringthisvisit，atMr。Wedgwood’shouseatMaer，thathemadehisfirstobservationsontheworkdonebyearthworms，andlateintheautumnhereadapaperonthesubjectattheGeologicalSociety。（"Ontheformationofmould，"’Geol。Soc。Proc。’ii。1838，pages574—576。）Duringthesetwomonthshewasalsobusypreparingtheschemeofthe’ZoologyoftheVoyageofthe"Beagle"，’andinbeginningtoputtogethertheGeologicalresultsofhistravels。
ThefollowingletterreferstotheproposalthatheshouldtaketheSecretaryshipoftheGeologicalSociety。]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。S。HENSLOW。
October14th，[1837]。
MydearHenslow，……IammuchobligedtoyouforyourmessageabouttheSecretaryship。Iamexceedinglyanxiousforyoutohearmysideofthequestion，andwillyoubesokindasafterwardstogivemeyourfairjudgment。Thesubjecthashauntedmeallsummer。Iamunwillingtoundertaketheofficeforthefollowingreasons:First，myentireignoranceofEnglishGeology，aknowledgeofwhichwouldbealmostnecessaryinordertoshortenmanyofthepapersbeforereadingthembeforetheSociety，orrathertoknowwhatpartstoskip。Again，myignoranceofalllanguages，andnotknowinghowtopronounceaSINGLEwordofFrench——alanguagesoperpetuallyquoted。ItwouldbedisgracefultotheSocietytohaveaSecretarywhocouldnotreadFrench。Secondly，thelossoftime;prayconsiderthatIshouldhavetolookaftertheartists，superintendandfurnishmaterialsfortheGovernmentwork，whichwillcomeoutinparts，andwhichmustappearregularly。AllmyGeologicalnotesareinaveryroughstate;noneofmyfossilshellsworkedup;andIhavemuchtoread。Ihavehadhopes，bygivingupsocietyandnotwastinganhour，thatIshouldfinishmyGeologyinayearandahalf，bywhichtimethedescriptionofthehigheranimalsbyotherswouldbecompleted，andmywholetimewouldthennecessarilyberequiredtocompletemyselfthedescriptionoftheinvertebrateones。Ifthisplanfails，astheGovernmentworkmustgoon，theGeologywouldnecessarilybedeferredtillprobablyatleastthreeyearsfromthistime。
Inthepresentstateofthescience，agreatpartoftheutilityofthelittleIhavedonewouldbelost，andallfreshnessandpleasurequitetakenfromme。
IknowfromexperiencethetimerequiredtomakeabstractsEVENofmyownpapersforthe’Proceedings。’IfIwasSecretary，andhadtomakedoubleabstractsofeachpaper，studyingthembeforereading，andattendancewouldATLEASTcostmethreedays（andoftenmore）inthefortnight。Therearelikewiseotheraccidentalandcontingentlossesoftime;IknowDr。Roylefoundtheofficeconsumedmuchofhistime。Ifbymerelygivingupanyamusement，orbyworkingharderthanIhavedone，Icouldsavetime，I
wouldundertaketheSecretaryship;butIappealtoyouwhether，withmyslowmannerofwriting，withtwoworksinhand，andwiththecertainty，ifIcannotcompletetheGeologicalpartwithinafixedperiod，thatitspublicationmustberetardedforaverylongtime，——whetheranySocietywhateverhasanyclaimonmeforthreedays’disagreeableworkeveryfortnight。Icannotagreethatitisadutyonmypart，asafollowerofscience，aslongasIdevotemyselftothecompletionoftheworkIhaveinhand，todelaythat，byundertakingwhatmaybedonebyanypersonwhohappenstohavemoresparetimethanIhaveatpresent。Moreover，soearlyinmyscientificlife，withsoverymuchasIhavetolearn，theoffice，thoughnodoubtagreathonour，etc。，forme，wouldbethemoreburdensome。
Mr。Whewell（Iknowverywell），judgingfromhimself，willthinkI
exaggeratethetimetheSecretaryshipwouldrequire;butIabsolutelyknowthetimewhichwithmethesimplestwritingconsumes。IdonotatalllikeappearingsoselfishastorefuseMr。Whewell，moreespeciallyashehasalwaysshown，inthekindestmanner，aninterestinmyaffairs。ButI
cannotlookforwardwitheventolerablecomforttoundertakinganofficewithoutenteringonitheartandsoul，andthatwouldbeimpossiblewiththeGovernmentworkandtheGeologyinhand。
Mylastobjectionis，thatIdoubthowfarmyhealthwillstandtheconfinementofwhatIhavetodo，withoutanyadditionalwork。Imerelyrepeat，thatyoumayknowIamnotspeakingidly，thatwhenIconsultedDr。
Clarkintown，heatfirsturgedmetogiveupentirelyallwritingandevencorrectingpressforsomeweeks。Oflateanythingwhichflurriesmecompletelyknocksmeupafterwards，andbringsonaviolentpalpitationoftheheart。NowtheSecretaryshipwouldbeaperiodicalsourceofmoreannoyingtroubletomethanalltherestofthefortnightputtogether。Infact，tillIreturntotown，andseehowIgeton，ifIwishedtheofficeeversomuch，ICOULDnotsayIwouldpositivelyundertakeit。Ibegofyoutoexcusethisverylongproseallaboutmyself，butthepointisoneofgreatinterest。Icanneitherbeartothinkmyselfveryselfishandsulky，norcanIseethepossibilityofmytakingtheSecretaryshipwithoutmakingasacrificeofallmyplansandagooddealofcomfort。
IfyouseeWhewell，wouldyoutellhimthesubstanceofthisletter;or，ifhewilltakethetrouble，hemayreadit。MydearHenslow，Iappealtoyouinlocoparentis。Praytellmewhatyouthink？Butdonotjudgemebytheactivityofmindwhichyouandafewotherspossess，forinthatcasethemoredifficultthingsinhandthepleasanterthework;but，thoughIhopeI
nevershallbeidle，suchisnotthecasewithme。
Ever，dearHenslow，Yoursmosttruly，C。DARWIN。
[Heultimatelyacceptedthepost，andhelditforthreeyears——fromFebruary16，1838，toFebruary19，1841。
AfterbeingassuredoftheGrantforthepublicationofthe’ZoologyoftheVoyageofthe"Beagle"，’therewasmuchtobedoneinarrangingtheschemeofpublication，andthisoccupiedhimduringpartofOctoberandNovember。]
CHARLESDARWINTOJ。S。HENSLOW。
[4thNovember，1837。]
MydearHenslow，……PraytellLeonard（Rev。L。Jenyns。）thatmyGovernmentworkisgoingonsmoothly，andIhopewillbeprosperous。HewillseeintheProspectushisnameattachedtothefish;Isetmyshoulderstotheworkwithagoodheart。IamverymuchbetterthanIwasduringthelastmonthbeforemyShrewsburyvisit。IfeartheGeologywilltakemeagreatdealoftime;I
waslookingoveronesetofnotes，andthequantityIfoundIhadtoread，forthatoneplacewasfrightful。IfIlivetillIameightyyearsoldI
shallnotceasetomarvelatfindingmyselfanauthor;inthesummerbeforeIstarted，ifanyonehadtoldmethatIshouldhavebeenanangelbythistime，Ishouldhavethoughtitanequalimpossibility。Thismarvelloustransformationisallowingtoyou。
Iamsorrytofindthatagoodmanyerrataareleftinthepartofmyvolume，whichisprinted。DuringmyabsenceMr。Colburnemployedsomegoosetorevise，andhehasmultiplied，insteadofdiminishingmyoversights;butforallthat，thesmoothpaperandcleartypehasacharmingappearance，andIsattheothereveninggazinginsilentadmirationatthefirstpageofmyownvolume，whenIreceiveditfromtheprinters！
Good—bye，mydearHenslow，C。DARWIN。
1838。
[FromthebeginningofthisyeartonearlytheendofJune，hewasbusilyemployedonthezoologicalandgeologicalresultsofhisvoyage。ThisspellofworkwasinterruptedonlybyavisitofthreedaystoCambridge，inMay;andeventhisshortholidaywastakeninconsequenceoffailinghealth，aswemayassumefromtheentryinhisdiary:"May1st，unwell，"
andfromalettertohissister（May16，1838），whenhewrote:——
"MytripofthreedaystoCambridgehasdonemesuchwonderfulgood，andfilledmylimbswithsuchelasticity，thatImustgetalittleworkoutofmybodybeforeanotherholiday。"Thisholidayseemstohavebeenthoroughlyenjoyed;hewrotetohissister:——
"NowforCambridge:IstayedatHenslow’shouseandenjoyedmyvisitextremely。Myfriendsgavemeamostcordialwelcome。Indeed，Iwasquitealionthere。Mrs。HenslowunfortunatelywasobligedtogoonFridayforavisitinthecountry。ThateveningwehadatHenslow’sabrilliantpartyofallthegeniusesinCambridge，andamostremarkablesetofmentheymostassuredlyare。OnSaturdayIrodeovertoL。Jenyns’，andspentthemorningwithhim。Ifoundhimverycheerful，butbitterlycomplainingofhissolitude。OnSaturdayeveningdinedatoneoftheColleges，playedatbowlsontheCollegeGreenafterdinner，andwasdeafenedwithnightingalessinging。Sunday，dinedinTrinity;capitaldinner，andwasverygladtositbyProfessorLee（SamuelLee，ofQueens’，wasProfessorofArabicfrom1819to1831，andRegiusProfessorofHebrewfrom1831to1848。）……;Ifindhimaverypleasantchattingman，andinhighspiritslikeaboy，athavinglatelyreturnedfromalivingoracuracy，forsevenyearsinSomersetshire，tocivilisedsocietyandorientalmanuscripts。HehadexchangedhislivingtoonewithinfourteenmilesofCambridge，andseemedperfectlyhappy。IntheeveningattendedTrinityChapel，andheard’TheHeavensaretellingtheGloryofGod，’inmagnificentstyle;thelastchorusseemedtoshaketheverywallsoftheCollege。AfterchapelalargepartyinSedgwick’srooms。SomuchformyAnnals。"
Hestarted，towardstheendofJune，onhisexpeditiontoGlenRoy，ofwhichhewritestoFox:"Ihavenotbeenverywelloflate，whichhassuddenlydeterminedmetoleaveLondonearlierthanIhadanticipated。I
gobythesteam—packettoEdinburgh，——takeasolitarywalkonSalisburyCraigs，andcallupoldthoughtsofformertimes，thengoontoGlasgowandthegreatvalleyofInverness，nearwhichIintendstoppingaweektogeologisetheparallelroadsofGlenRoy，thencetoShrewsbury，Maerforoneday，andLondonforsmoke，ill—healthandhardwork。"
Hespent"eightgooddays"overtheParallelRoads。HisEssayonthissubjectwaswrittenoutduringthesamesummer，andpublishedbytheRoyalSociety。（’Phil。Trans。’1839，pages39—82。）HewroteinhisPocketBook:
"September6[1838]。Finishedthepaperon’GlenRoy，’oneofthemostdifficultandinstructivetasksIwaseverengagedon。"Itwillberememberedthatinhis’Recollections’hespeaksofthispaperasafailure，ofwhichhewasashamed。
Atthetimeatwhichhewrote，thelatesttheoryoftheformationoftheParallelRoadswasthatofSirLauderDickandDr。Macculloch，whobelievedthatlakeshadancientlyexistedinGlenRoy，causedbydamsofrockoralluvium。Inarguingagainstthistheoryheconceivedthathehaddisprovedtheadmissibilityofanylaketheory，butinthispointhewasmistaken。Hewrote（GlenRoypaper，page49）"theconclusionisinevitable，thatnohypothesisfoundedonthesupposedexistenceofasheetofwaterconfinedbyBARRIERS，thatisalake，canbeadmittedassolvingtheproblematicaloriginoftheparallelroadsofLochaber。"
Mr。ArchibaldGeikiehasbeensogoodastoallowmetoquoteapassagefromaletteraddressedtome（November19，1884）incompliancewithmyrequestforhisopiniononthecharacterofmyfather’sGlenRoywork:——
"Mr。Darwin’s’GlenRoy’paper，Ineednotsay，ismarkedbyallhischaracteristicacutenessofobservationanddeterminationtoconsiderallpossibleobjections。Itisacuriousexample，however，ofthedangerofreasoningbyamethodofexclusioninNaturalScience。FindingthatthewaterswhichformedtheterracesintheGlenRoyregioncouldnotpossiblyhavebeendammedbackbybarriersofrockorofdetritus，hesawnoalternativebuttoregardthemastheworkofthesea。Hadtheideaoftransientbarriersofglacier—iceoccurredtohim，hewouldhavefoundthedifficultiesvanishfromthelake—theorywhichheopposed，andhewouldnothavebeenunconsciouslyledtominimisethealtogetheroverwhelmingobjectionstothesuppositionthattheterracesareofmarineorigin。"
Itmaybeaddedthattheideaofthebarriersbeingformedbyglacierscouldhardlyhaveoccurredtohim，consideringwhatwasthestateofknowledgeatthetime，andbearinginmindhiswantofopportunitiesofobservingglacialactiononalargescale。
ThelatterhalfofJulywaspassedatShrewsburyandMaer。Theonlyentryofanyinterestisoneofbeing"veryidle"atShrewsbury，andofopening"anote—bookconnectedwithmetaphysicalinquiries。"InAugustherecordsthatheread"agooddealofvariousamusingbooks，andpaidsomeattentiontometaphysicalsubjects。"
Theworkdoneduringtheremainderoftheyearcomprisesthebookoncoralreefs（beguninOctober），andsomeworkonthephenomenaofelevationinS。
America。]
CHARLESDARWINTOC。LYELL。
36GreatMarlboroughStreet，August9th[1838]。
MydearLyell，IdonotwritetoyouatNorwich，forIthoughtIshouldhavemoretosay，ifIwaitedafewmoredays。Verymanythanksforthepresentofyour’Elements，’whichIreceived（andIbelievetheVERYFIRSTcopydistributed）togetherwithyournote。Ihavereaditthrougheveryword，andamfullofadmirationofit，and，asInowseenogeologist，Imusttalktoyouaboutit。Thereisnopleasureinreadingabookifonecannothaveagoodtalkoverit;Irepeat，Iamfullofadmirationofit，itisasclearasdaylight，infactIfeltinmanypartssomemortificationatthinkinghowgeologistshavelabouredandstruggledatprovingwhatseems，asyouhaveputit，soevidentlyprobable。Ireadwithmuchinterestyoursketchofthesecondarydeposits;youhavecontrivedtomakeitquite"juicy，"asweusedtosayaschildrenofagoodstory。Therewasalsomuchnewtome，andIhavetocopyoutsomefiftynotesandreferences。Itmustdogood，thehereticsagainstcommonsensemustyield……Bytheway，doyourecollectmytellingyouhowmuchIdislikedthemanner——referredtohisotherworks，asmuchastosay，"Youmust，ought，andshallbuyeverythingIhavewritten。"Tomymind，youhavesomehowquiteavoidedthis;yourreferencesonlyseemtosay，"Ican’ttellyouallinthiswork，elseIwould，soyoumustgotothe’Principles’";andmanyaone，Itrust，youwillsendthere，andmakethem，likeme，adorersofthegoodscienceofrock—breaking。YouwillseeIaminafitofenthusiasm，andgoodcauseI
havetobe，whenIfindyouhavemadesuchinfinitelymoreuseofmyJournalthanIcouldhaveanticipated。Iwillsaynomoreaboutthebook，foritisallpraise。Imust，however，admiretheelaboratehonestywithwhichyouquotethewordsofalllivinganddeadgeologists。
MyScotchexpeditionansweredbrilliantly;mytripinthesteam—packetwasabsolutelypleasant，andIenjoyedthespectacle，wretchthatIam，oftwoladies，andsomesmallchildrenquitesea—sick，Ibeingwell。Moreover，onmyreturnfromGlasgowtoLiverpool，Itriumphedinasimilarmanneroversomefull—grownmen。IstayedonewholedayinEdinburgh，ormoretrulyonSalisburyCraigs;Iwanttohearsomedaywhatyouthinkaboutthatclassicalground，——thestructurewastomenewandrathercurious，——thatis，ifIunderstanditright。IcrossedfromEdinburghingigsandcarts（andcartswithoutsprings，asInevershallforget）toLochLeven。Iwasdisappointedinthescenery，andreachedGlenRoyonSaturdayevening，oneweekafterleavingMarlboroughStreet。HereIenjoyedfive[？]daysofthemostbeautifulweatherwithgorgeoussunsets，andallnaturelookingashappyasIfelt。Iwanderedoverthemountainsinalldirections，andexaminedthatmostextraordinarydistrict。Ithink，withoutanyexceptions，noteventhefirstvolcanicisland，thefirstelevatedbeach，orthepassageoftheCordillera，wassointerestingtomeasthisweek。
ItisfarthemostremarkableareaIeverexamined。Ihavefullyconvincedmyself（aftersomedoubtingatfirst）thattheshelvesaresea—beaches，althoughIcouldnotfindatraceofashell;andIthinkIcanexplainawaymost，ifnotall，thedifficulties。Ifoundapieceofaroadinanothervalley，nothithertoobserved，whichisimportant;andIhavesomecuriousfactsabouterraticblocks，oneofwhichwaspercheduponapeak2200feetabovethesea。Iamnowemployedinwritingapaperonthesubject，whichIfindveryamusingwork，exceptingthatIcannotanyhowcondenseitintoreasonablelimits。AtsomefuturedayIhopetotalkoversomeoftheconclusionswithyou，whichtheexaminationofGlenRoyhasledmeto。NowIhavehadmytalkout，Iammucheasier，forIcanassureyouGlenRoyhasastonishedme。