[At sea; Monte Video]
My dear Susan
As in all probability we shall stay but a short time at M Video.—I take the
opportunity of an idle evening at sea to begin a letter.— We are now
(July 14th) about 300 miles from Rio: to day for the
first time we have a fair wind:—before this calms & light contrary
winds were only disturbed by squalls & gales.— For a week I suffered
much from sickness, but am now nearly well again.— Every body is full of
eagerness to commence our real work.— After laying in fresh water at M Video,
we sail for Rio Negro.— Comparatively near as this is to the civilized world,
yet the whole coast & interior country is totally unknown.—
Falcners account, inaccurate as it must be, is the only
one.— I expect grand things in Natural History, but if that fails, the whole
world, I suppose, does not produce so much game in any one spot.— I believe
the Captain will proceed many miles up the river & I trust I shall be of the
party.— I cannot imagine anything more interesting: the only thing
unpropitious is the ferocity of the Indians.— But I would sooner go with the
Captain with 10 men than with anybody else with 20.— He is so very
prudent & watchful, as long as possible & so resolutely brave when
pushed to it.—
As far as we are able to guess—the following is the rough outline for the
future.— After coast of Patagonia return to M Video, & then proceed to
Terra del & settle the Fuegians. Back to M Video— Afterwards to
Valparayso.— From which point one more cruize will be to the South(?)
& after that the wide world is open to us.— Even the prospect of
walking, where European never before has, hardly recompenses for leaving the glorious
regions of the Tropics; already is the change of weather perceptible.— Every
one has put on cloth cloathes & preparing for still greater extremes our beards
are all sprouting.— my face at presents looks of about the same tint as a half
washed chimney sweeper.— With my pistols in my belt & geological
hammer in hand, shall I not look like a grand barbarian?— Before leaving Rio
we heard the news of Ld Greys minority, & are all most anxious to
see how it will end.— It is not very likely that we shall receive letters
before our return from the South: this will be a sad disappointment to me, as I there
expect answer to my Bahia letter: for this gives to a correspondence an appearance of
closer connection.—
I do not think I have ever given you an account of how the day passes.— We
breakfast at eight oclock.— The invariable maxim is; to throw away all
politeness.—that is never to wait for each other & bolt off the minute
one has done eating, &c. At sea, when the weather is calm, I work at marine
animals, with which the whole ocean abounds.— if there is any sea
up.—I am either sick or contrive to read some voyage or Travels.— At
one we dine. You shore-going people are lamentably mistaken, about the manner of living
on board.— We have never yet (nor shall we) dined off salt meat.—
Rice & Peas & Calavanses are excellent vegetables & with good
bread, who could want more? Judge Alderson could not be more temperate, as nothing but
water comes on the table.— At 5 we have tea.—
The Midshipmens birth have all their meals an hour before us, & the Gunroom an
hour afterwards.
July 30th.— Monte Video.— The packet will
arrive here in a few days, so that I will make another attempt to fill my
letter.— We arrived here on the 26th. after a long
& disagreeable passage.— The weather has been too heavy or too
light.— I expect the further we proceed South, the more uncomfortable I shall
find sea-life.— It was quite curious how much I felt the change of
climate.— The thermometer has scarcely ever been below 50o, but
yet with thick clothes I could not make myself warm.— Wherever we go, there is
sure to be some disturbance.— as we passed the Frigate, she made signals to
us.— ``Clear for action'' ``& prepare to cover our boats''. When
shortly afterwards a heavy force in boats with Carronades ready mounted, passed by us to
go to the Mole.— This merely turned out to be a substantial argument to
convince the inhabitants they must not plunder British property.— I have only
had one good walk on the turf plains, which one has so often read about.—
There is something very delightful in the free expanse, where nothing guides or bounds
your walk.— Yet I am disappointed in them, & as far as regards
scenery, imagination could not paint anything m<ore> dull &
uninteresting.— How different from the Brazilan forest, where I could sit for
hours together & find every minute fresh objects of admiration.— We
certainly sail before another packet arrives from England. I am sorry for it. I quite
long to hear from you after you have received a letter from me.— I cannot
thank you all too much for writing so regularly to me.— The very regularity of
time is a satisfaction, as it prevents unreasonable expectation.— My main
object, Natural History goes on very well, & I certainly have taken many animals
&c which would be interesting to Naturalists.— Independent of this
satisfaction, I have begun so many branches, previously new to me; that even already I
long to be in England to commence an attack upon several obscure little
individuals.— I am going to draw 25£, which will make altogether
since leaving England, 80£.— out of this at least Twenty has not
been wasted, in as much as it has been spent about my collection.— For the
next two months even with my ingenuity, I do not think I shall be able to spend a
penny.—
I have just received intelligence we sail tomorrow for Buenos Ayres.— The
Captain has heard some news about an old chart of the coast & he thinks it of
sufficient importance to go there.— I am glad of it, the more places the
merrier: when one is about one cannot see too many.— At last I shall deliver
the letter to Mr Hughes from Mrs. Haycock.— The packet calls here on Wednesday so I leave this letter to be
forwarded.—
Give my love to all at dear old Shrewsbury.— & dear old Granny I am
& always shall be yours | very affectionately | Chas Darwin *S 2
July 31st.—— | Monte Video
Monte Video | August 7th.— I have procured my letter
again in order to write some more.— We run up to Buenos Ayres, where a Guard
Ship fired a shot close to us. This we took up as a great insult, & if our guns
had been ready we should have returned it with interest.— We immediately made
sail & returned here.— The Captain reported the circumstance to the
frigate Druid lying at the Mount, & she has gone up to Buenos Ayres &
obtained ample satisfaction for the insult offered to us.—: Quarantine for the
cholera was the excuse!.— We all thought we should at last be able to spend a
quiet week, but alas the very morning after anchoring, a serious mutiny in some black
troops endangered the safety of the town.— We immediately armed &
manned all our boats, & at the request of the inhabitants, occupied the
principal fort.— It was something new to me to walk
with Pistols & Cutlass through the streets of a Town.— It has all
ended in smoke But the consequence is very disagreeable to us, since from the troubled
state of country we cannot walk in the country.— The Packet will not sail yet
for a week.— And now for a bit of business, in my letter to Erasmus, I tell
him Lieut: Blanchard will transact the shipping of my Box.— We have just heard
the news he has broke & gone to America.— I hope Erasmus enquired at
the London agent.—Mrs Palsgrave No 3, Lyons Inn,
Strand. If so he will have heard of this. If not a letter had better be sent to Falmouth
I trust they are not lost.— What a loss it will be to me.— If they
are regained there must be some means of forwarding them to M Video.— I am
very sorry for all this trouble.— | Yours affectionately.— | Chas
Darwin
On the 17th we start for the Rio Negro.— Adieu.—
