The Red Notebook

Your truly, writing in the Beagle Project blog today:

The Dickens Connection
Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. On days such as these, it has become something of a tradition to write a blog post linking the subject of the anniversary in question with the theme of the blog—no matter how tenuous the link. Charles Dickens and HMS Beagle? That’s quite a tall order. All right, I’m game…

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[Cross-posted from the Beagle Project blog]

On 22nd May, 1826, His Majesty’s Ship Beagle set sail from Plymouth on a surveying voyage to South America.

Neither Darwin nor FitzRoy were on board. This was Beagle’s first voyage. Her more famous second voyage was to begin five years later.

But her first voyage was not without incident: hardship; scurvy; several deaths; the suicide of Beagle’s captain, Pringle Stokes; his temporary replacement by Lieutenant Skyring; his official replacement by the 23-year-old Robert FitzRoy, who joined the ship at Montevideo; surveying; the discovery and naming of the Beagle Channel; the abduction of four young Fuegian natives.

The first Beagle voyage was to establish Robert FitzRoy as an able and talented ship’s captain, making him the logical choice to fulfil the same role on what was to become her far more famous second voyage. The need to return the young Fuegians to their homeland was surely a factor in FitzRoy’s acceptance of the commission; Stokes’s suicide a key factor in FitzRoy’s decision to take a gentleman companion on the voyage.

In other words, were it not for the events of the first Beagle voyage, history might have been very different.

The following two items just came up one after the other on my RSS reader. Their juxtaposition pleased me:

Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary: Captain Fitzroy’s Journal: Reflections following the visit to the Galapagos (2)

Striking instances of the manner in which high land deprives air of its moisture may be seen at the Galapagos. Situated in a wind nearly perennial, those sides only which are exposed to it (the southern) are covered with verdure, and have water: all else is dry and barren, excepting such high ground as the passing clouds hang upon indolently as they move northward. In a similar manner may we not conclude that western Peru is deprived of rain—since the easterly trade wind which carries moisture, and consequent fertility, to eastern Peru, is drained, or dried, as it crosses the Andes? And may we not extend this reasoning to other countries similarly situated, such as Patagonia, perhaps Arabia, and even Africa, upon whose arid deserts no moist wind blows? Currents of air, moving from ocean to land, convey vapour; but as these currents pass over high land, or even a considerable extent of low country, much if not the whole of their aqueous contents is discharged, and until such a body of air has again acquired moisture, it is found to be dry, parching, and unfavourable to vegetation.

Mick Hartley: Wet Uluru

It doesn’t often rain on Ayers Rock, but last week it did – and photographer Peter Carroll was there (via):

[Photo © Peter Carroll]

I don’t make a habit of republishing unsolicited emails, but I received one earlier this week which contained some interesting historical information about Robert FitzRoy. I record it in its entirety below for posterity:

TO BE AUCTIONED

2nd December 2009

Bosleys Military Auctioneers & Valuers
Marlow, Buckinghamshire SL7 2BS
01628 488188
http://www.bosleys.co.uk

A fine and interesting presentation sword, presented by Lord Hardinge, Governor-General of India, to Admiral Robert Fitzroy, Captain of the ‘Beagle’ on Charles Darwin’s legendary voyage of discovery.

The 80cm wide flat solid blade perhaps imitating an Indian tulwar blade with the proof mark of Henry Wilkinson of London struck under the langet, the blade is un-numbered and undecorated except for the short presentation inscription ‘Robert Fitz Roy from Lord Hardinge’, etched within an ornate eastern style cartouche; on the reverse side of the blade a similar cartouche is filled with a long inscription in Persian incorporating the date 1847, the cartouche and inscription in heavy gold overlay, the hilt of Indian make of mameluke style and although now lightly patinated would appear to be of watered steel, with the typical open panels which would display this, the hilt is decorated with fine quality intricate gold koftghari floral borders, the quillons with sprays of flowers, no provision for a sword knot, contained in its fine quality black leather scabbard with three large copper gilt mounts, the top locket with opposing hanging rings, the centre mount with a single ring, and bottom chape, all of which are covered with deeply chased sprays of acorns and oak leaves, the bottom chape additionally chased with a seashell and intwined dolphins, the locket back with applied embossed shield with makers details ‘Henry Wilkinson gun & sword maker Pall Mall London’, minor staining to blade, a little wear to highlights of gold koftghari, some wear to gilding of scabbard mounts and scabbard stitching fragile, but overall in good condition.

Footnote

The Persian inscription on this blade is dated 1264 in the Hijra calendar, which equates to 1847 in the Christian calendar; it is also dated using the arabic numbers for 1847, a most unusual practice. The Persian inscription literally translates as follows:

‘The blade of this sword will shine if it is used for the right cause. With the wrong cause, it will rust and the rust will become its scabbard’.

Sir Henry Hardinge, first Viscount Hardinge of Lahore (1785-1856), field-marshal, born at Wrotham, Kent, 30 March 1785, third son of Henry Hardinge. He was first gazetted in 1799 and went on to see much active service in the Napoleonic campaigns. He was beside Sir John Moore when he received his fatal wound at Corunna, served with Beresford during the Portuguese campaign and with Blucher at Quatre Bras, where he lost his left hand. His services resulted in the award of the Army gold cross with five clasps and he was made a KCB in 1815. In 1844 he was appointed governor-general of India and, at the end of the following year, the Sikh army having crossed the Sutlej, the first Sikh War had commenced, waiving his right to take supreme command, he served under Gough as second in command throughout the war. On the successful conclusion of that campaign he was raised to the peerage as Viscount Hardinge of Lahore. He returned to England in 1848, was raised to the rank of field-marshal in 1855, and died the following year.

Vice-Admiral Robert Fitzroy (1805-1865), hydrographer and meteorologist, born at Ampton Hall, Suffolk, 5 July 1805, second son of Lord Charles Fitzroy. He entered the Navy from the Royal Naval College in 1819, and after service in the Mediterranean and on the coast of South America, he was appointed to the command of the Beagle. Sailing from Portsmouth in 1831 with Charles Darwin aboard and returning to England in 1836, of this famous voyage little need be said here. In September 1842 he accepted the post of conservator of the River Mersey, but resigned in 1843, on being appointed governor and commander in chief of New Zealand. He was superseded in 1845, returning to England where he was appointed superintendent of Woolwich Dockyard in 1848. He was appointed in 1849 to the command of the frigate Arrogant, but retired from active service the following year. In 1851 he served briefly as private secretary to his uncle, Lord Hardinge. Advanced in 1857 to the rank of rear-admiral and to vice-admiral in 1863, both on the retired list, he committed suicide in 1865.

One-hundred and fifty- seventy-seven years ago today, on 24th August, 1831, the 22-year-old Charles Darwin received news that Captain Fitzroy was looking for a naturalist and companion for his forthcoming voyage to survey the southern extremity of America.

For more on this subject, see my post from two years ago entitled Henslow’s letter.

Darwin later described the Voyage of the Beagle as ‘by far the most important event in my life’. It’s wonderful to think that, some day in the not-too-distant future, young scientists will once again set sail on a new Beagle.

Postscript: Oops!

On this date in 1833, whilst in the Falkland Islands, Capt. Robert FitzRoy bought a schooner to accompany HMS Beagle:

Captain FitzRoy’s Journal: 9th March, 1833

At this time I had become more fully convinced than ever that the Beagle could not execute her allotted task before she, and those in her, would be so much in need of repair and rest, that the most interesting part of her voyage—the carrying a chain of meridian distances around the globe—must eventually be sacrificed to the tedious, although not less useful, details of coast surveying…

I had often anxiously longed for a consort, adapted for carrying cargoes, rigged so as to be easily worked with few hands, and able to keep company with the Beagle; but when I saw the Unicorn, and heard how well she had behaved as a sea-boat, my wish to purchase her was unconquerable…

FitzRoy’s decision to buy Unicorn, which he promptly renamed Adventure, was to earn him a sharp, long-distance reprimand from the Admiralty. This reprimand was probably a factor in FitzRoy’s subsequent nervous breakdown later in the voyage.

But FitzRoy’s unapproved purchase of the schooner meant that he was indeed able to achieve far more surveying work during the Beagle voyage.

Downloading to my iPod as I type…

Royal Society Podcasts: Robert FitzRoy FRS: sailing into the storm (mp3)

John Gribbin is the author of more than a hundred books of popular science, including ‘FitzRoy: the remarkable story of Darwin’s Captain and the invention of the weather forecast’. In this talk, he discusses FitzRoy’s career as captain of HMS Beagle and as a pioneering meteorologist.

Postscript: I have now listened to the podcast. It was very interesting, although the recording quality was pretty poor.

See also: FitzRoy’s Bicentenary

On this date in 1831, Darwin and Fitzroy met for the first time. The following day, Darwin wrote to his sister:

… I write all this as if it was settled but it is not more than it was.—excepting that from Cap. FitzRoy wishing me so much to go, & from his kindness I feel a predestination I shall start.— I spent a very pleasant evening with him yesterday: he must be more than 23 old. he is of a slight figure, & a dark but handsome edition of M^r. Kynaston.—& according to my notions preeminently good manners: He is all for Economy excepting on one point, viz fire arms he recommends me strongly to get a case of pistols like his which cost 60£!!, & never to go on shore anywhere without loaded ones.— & he is doubting about a rifle.— he says I cannot appreciate the luxury of fresh meat here.— Of course I shall buy nothing till every thing is settled: but I work all day long at my lists, putting in & striking out articles.— This is the first really cheerful day I have spent since I received the letter, & it all is owing to the sort of involuntary confidence I place in my beau ideal of a Captain.—

In his autobiography written towards the end of his life, Darwin added:

Afterwards, on becoming very intimate with Fitz-Roy, I heard that I had run a very narrow risk of being rejected, on account of the shape of my nose! He was an ardent disciple of Lavater, and was convinced that he could judge of a man’s character by the outline of his features; and he doubted whether any one with my nose could possess sufficient energy and determination for the voyage. But I think he was afterwards well satisfied that my nose had spoken falsely.

Fitzroy was a keen amateur physiognomist.