Science: A History by John Gribbin

Author:John Gribbin [Gribbin, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science, History, General
ISBN: 9780713995039
Amazon: B002RI9KJU
Publisher: Allen Lane
Published: 2002-10-15T07:00:00+00:00

29. Drawing of HMS Beagle, from Darwin’s Journal of Researches, 1845.

Darwin’s time as an undergraduate in Cambridge followed the pattern he had established in his later months in Edinburgh; he neglected his official studies but threw himself into the study of what really interested him – the natural world. This time, he came under the wing of John Henslow (1795–1861), professor of botany in Cambridge, who became a friend as well as a teacher. He also studied geology under Adam Sedgwick (1785–1873), the Woodwardian professor of geology, who was outstanding at field work, although he rejected the uniformitarian ideas of Hutton and Lyell. Both men regarded Darwin as an outstanding pupil, and his intellectual capacity and ability for hard work were demonstrated when, after a desperate burst of last-minute cramming to catch up on all the things he had been neglecting while out botanizing and geologizing, Darwin surprised even himself by obtaining a very respectable degree (tenth out of 178) in the examinations held at the beginning of 1831. But in spite of the scientific ability he had shown, the route to a country parsonage now seemed more clear-cut than ever, not least since while Charles had been up at Cambridge, Erasmus had managed to persuade their father that he was not suited to the medical life and had been allowed to abandon his career at the age of 25 and settle in London with an allowance from Dr Robert. Indulgent the doctor might be, but he naturally wanted at least one of his sons to settle down at a respectable profession.

Charles spent the summer of 1831 on what he must have thought would be his last great geological expedition, studying the rocks of Wales, before returning to The Mount on 29 August. There, he found a totally unexpected letter from one of his Cambridge tutors, George Peacock. Peacock was passing on an invitation from his friend Captain Francis Beaufort (1774–1857), of the Admiralty (and now famous for the wind scale that bears his name), inviting Darwin to join a surveying expedition to be carried out by HMS Beagle, under the command of Captain Robert FitzRoy, who was looking for a suitable gentleman to accompany him on the long voyage and take advantage of the opportunity to study the natural history and geology of, in particular, South America. Darwin’s name had been suggested by Henslow, who also sent a letter urging him to seize the opportunity. Darwin was not actually the first choice for the position – Henslow thought briefly of taking the opportunity himself, and another of his protégés turned it down in favour of becoming vicar of Bottisham, a village just outside Cambridge. But he absolutely had the right credentials – FitzRoy wanted a gentleman, a member of his own class, who he could treat on equal terms during the long voyage, when he would otherwise be isolated from social contact by his God-like position in command. The gentleman had (of course) to pay his own way; and

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