Originally published in 1839, as Darwin’s Journal and Remarks, when this work was republished in 1905, it became The Voyage of the Beagle. This may have caused a little concern at the time. After all, this journal was actually the third volume of The Narrative of the H.M. Ships Adventure and Beagle. The other volumes were written or otherwise edited by the commander of the ships.
On December 27, 1831, the good captain Robert Fitzroy set sail on the Beagle out of Plymouth, England. In the course of the voyage, what was intended to be a two years adventure turned into five years. When the ship returned to its home port, Darwin had spent three years and three months exploring lands and 18 months actually out on the sea.
The result was not only a vivid travel memoir but a detailed scientific field journal covering biology, geology and even anthropology. The observations made by Darwin are peppered with commentary that eventually led to his first development of theories of evolution, common descent and natural selection.
Today’s reading selection is Chapter 3 pertaining to the Maldonado, Uruguay and surrounding areas and can be found here:
http://www.bartleby.com/29/3.html#9
It is available in an audiobook format here:
