Caa Voyage

Charles Darwin is widely credited with making huge inroads into our understanding of the Origin of Species. His seminal work, published in 1859, stemmed from his observations and collections made while he was the on board naturalist on the survey ship HMS Beagle.

Much has been written about Darwin’s findings and thoughts, but little attention has been made to the context in which this was made possible. The role of the survey ships in providing the British Admiralty with detailed hydrographic maps and Charles Darwin with an extensive exposure to the natural world has been evocatively and carefully highlighted in this book.

In an interwoven, yet seamless account, Taylor brings together, for the first time in one volume, the reasons behind the Beagle's second voyage (1831-1836) and the contributions the different characters – artists, surveyors and the onboard naturalist Charles Darwin – made to its success.

Layout and Appeal

Taylor has laid the book out in a logical and well-thought out manner; each chapter gently flows into the next. The origins and design of HMS Beagle are presented in the first chapter. The next three chapters deal with Captain Robert Fitzroy and his choice of crew, including of course Darwin himself. The art of surveying at sea is presented with some emphasis on the importance of the natural history of the land and sea on the study of hydrography. The important role of the two onboard artists, Augustus Earle and Conrad Martens, is also discussed. Finally the legacy of the Beagle’s voyage – a mammoth subject, only touched on here – is highlighted.

The book will appeal to both academic historians and anyone who’s interested in how the world was mapped out and the contribution of the onboard naturalist to that process. In an age before photography and modern communications, the reliance on the keen observational skills and draftsmanship of the artists is beautifully illustrated here. Most pages in Taylor’s account are peppered with drawings, paintings, maps and extracts from letters.

Despite the density of information presented, the style is highly readable and gripping. It would be difficult not to be drawn into the appeal of the Beagle story. The nineteenth century world of survey shipping was fraught with danger and not for the fainthearted. These were pioneering times and there is a real sense of reflected achievement on reading this account.

HMS Beagle’s Second Survey Voyage (1831-1836)

• Voyager1

• Star Trek Voyager Cast And Crew

• The Lost Voyage Cast

• 1200 Kawasaki Part Voyager

  Find 1986 Kawasaki Voyager 1200 right here at Motorcycle Superstore. We’ve got everything you need to get the most out of your 1986 Kawasaki Voyager 1200 right here.

• International Voyager Media