Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1Darwin, Charles
History
Life and Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 1
Darwin, Charles
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Biography; Naturalists -- Great Britain -- Correspondence
Besides arranging the geological and mineralogical specimens, he had
his 'Journal of Researches' to work at, which occupied his evenings at
Cambridge. He also read a short paper at the Zoological Society ("Notes
upon Rhea Americana," 'Zool. Soc. Proc.' v. 1837, pages 35, 36.), and
another at the Geological Society ('Geol. Soc. Proc.' ii. 1838, pages
446- 449.), on the recent elevation of the coast of Chile.
Early in the spring of 1837 (March 6th) he left Cambridge for London,
and a week later he was settled in lodgings at 36 Great Marlborough
Street; and except for a "short visit to Shrewsbury" in June, he worked
on till September, being almost entirely employed on his 'Journal.'
He found time, however, for two papers at the Geological Society. ("A
sketch of the deposits containing extinct mammalia in the neighbourhood
of the Plata," 'Geol. Soc. Proc.' ii. 1838, pages 542-544; and "On
certain areas of elevation and subsidence in the Pacific and Indian
oceans, as deduced from the study of coral formations." 'Geol. Soc.
Proc' ii. 1838, pages 552- 554.)
He writes of his work to Fox (March, 1837):--
"In your last letter you urge me to get ready THE book. I am now hard at
work and give up everything else for it. Our plan is as follows: Captain
Fitz-Roy writes two volumes out of the materials collected during
the last voyage under Capt. King to Tierra del Fuego, and during our
circumnavigation. I am to have the third volume, in which I intend
giving a kind of journal of a naturalist, not following, however, always
the order of time, but rather the order of position. The habits of
animals will occupy a large portion, sketches of the geology,
the appearance of the country, and personal details will make the
hodge-podge complete. Afterwards I shall write an account of the geology
in detail, and draw up some zoological papers. So that I have plenty of
work for the next year or two, and till that is finished I will have no
holidays."
Another letter to Fox (July) gives an account of the progress of his
work:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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