Galapagos
Industriously collected all the animals, plants, insects & reptiles from this Island. — It will be very interesting to find from future comparison to what district or "centre of creation" the organized beings of this archipelago must be attached.
I ascended the highest hill on the Isd, 2000 ft. — it was covered in its upper part with coarse grass & Shrubs. — The remains of an old Crater were very evident; small as the whole island is, I counted 39 conical hills, in the summit of all of which there was a more or less perfect circular depression. It is long since the Lava streams which form the lower parts of the Island flowed from any of these Craters: Hence we have a smoother surface, a more abundant soil, & more fertile vegetation. — It is probable that much of the Lava is of subaqueous origin.
*In a letter to Henslow from Sydney written four months later, CD said: 'I last wrote to you from Lima, since which time I have done disgracefully little in Nat: History; or rather I should say since the Galapagos Islands, where I worked hard. — Amongst other things, I collected every plant, which I could see in flower, & as it was the flowering season I hope my collection may be of some interest to you. — I shall be very curious to know whether the Flora belongs to America, oris peculiar. I paid also much attention to the Birds, which I suspect are very curious.
Industriously collected all the animals, plants, insects & reptiles from this Island. — It will be very interesting to find from future comparison to what district or "centre of creation" the organized beings of this archipelago must be attached.
I ascended the highest hill on the Isd, 2000 ft. — it was covered in its upper part with coarse grass & Shrubs. — The remains of an old Crater were very evident; small as the whole island is, I counted 39 conical hills, in the summit of all of which there was a more or less perfect circular depression. It is long since the Lava streams which form the lower parts of the Island flowed from any of these Craters: Hence we have a smoother surface, a more abundant soil, & more fertile vegetation. — It is probable that much of the Lava is of subaqueous origin.
*In a letter to Henslow from Sydney written four months later, CD said: 'I last wrote to you from Lima, since which time I have done disgracefully little in Nat: History; or rather I should say since the Galapagos Islands, where I worked hard. — Amongst other things, I collected every plant, which I could see in flower, & as it was the flowering season I hope my collection may be of some interest to you. — I shall be very curious to know whether the Flora belongs to America, oris peculiar. I paid also much attention to the Birds, which I suspect are very curious.
Captain Fitzroy’s Journal
After completing the necessary observations in Post-Office Bay, we weighed and worked round to an anchorage off Black Beach: and at nine in the evening Mr. Chaffers returned, having been round the south side of this island after visiting the small eastern islets. He found much difficulty in landing on them, but succeeded, and from the top of Gardner Islet saw a dangerous breaker about a mile to the south eastward.
After completing the necessary observations in Post-Office Bay, we weighed and worked round to an anchorage off Black Beach: and at nine in the evening Mr. Chaffers returned, having been round the south side of this island after visiting the small eastern islets. He found much difficulty in landing on them, but succeeded, and from the top of Gardner Islet saw a dangerous breaker about a mile to the south eastward.
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