Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle
Between the Years 1826 and 1836
Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty's Ships Adventure and Beagle 3 Volume Set Series

In the years leading up to Charles Darwin's famous voyage on the Beagle, the ship and its captain Robert Fitzroy (1805?65) had participated in an expedition to the desolate southern coast of South America. This three-volume work, published in 1839, describes both voyages. Volume 2 is Fitzroy's account of his voyage with Darwin. He describes how the Hydrographer of the Admiralty, Captain Beaufort (founder of The Nautical Magazine, also reissued), approved the proposal that 'some well educated and scientific person' should join the expedition: Darwin was chosen. Fitzroy's descriptions of the locations visited and their natural history provide a fascinating counterpoint to Darwin's own account of the voyage, the first published version of which makes up Volume 3. Fitzroy refers regularly to the geographical and scientific books that he and Darwin kept in the ship's library. The majority of these are also reissued in the Cambridge Library Collection.

1. Fuegians in London, Beagle recommissioned; 2. Mr. Darwin, persons on board; 3. Sail from England, cross equator; 4. Rio de Janeiro, Monte Video; 5. Fossils, animals, fish, climate; 6. Beagle visits Buenos Ayres, sail for Tierra del Fuego; 7. Southern Aborigines of South America; 8. Horse Indians of Patagonia; 9. Fuegians; 10. Set out to land Matthews and the Fuegians, sail for the Falkland Islands; 11. Historical sketch of the Falkland Islands; 12. First appearance of Falklands; 13. Sail from Falklands; 14. River Negro; 15. Beagle and Adventure sail from Monte Video; 16. Lay Beagle ashore for repair, view of surrounding country; 17. Enter Pacific, Chile; 18. Earthquake; 19. Shells, coal, scenery, night travelling; 20. Challenger wrecked on the mainland, crew saved; 21. Andes, Galapagos, land-tortoises, volcanoes; 22. Otaheite, Papiete, missionaries; 23. Continuation of the meeting at Papiete, sail from Otaheite, Feejee Islands; 24. New Zealand; 25. Missionaries, trade, settlers; 26. Sydney, Hobart Town, Mauritius, Azores; 27. Remarks on the early migrations of the human race; 28. A very few remarks with reference to the Deluge; Index.