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

Published in 1839, this three-volume work describes both a surveying voyage of the South American coastline and Darwin's voyage of discovery.

Charles Darwin (Author), Robert Fitzroy (Author), Phillip Parker King (Author)

9781108083133, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 July 2015

670 pages, 18 b/w illus. 3 maps
22.9 x 15.2 x 3.7 cm, 0.97 kg

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. Volume 1 of this three-volume work, published in 1839, describes that 1826–30 expedition, while Volumes 2 and 3 cover the second voyage. Compiled by Robert Fitzroy (1805–65), captain of the Beagle from 1828, Volume 1 is based on the journals of Phillip Parker King (1791–56), the expedition's commander, whose account of his earlier survey of Australia is also reissued. Tasked with surveying the coast from Montevideo to Cape Horn and north to Chilóe, and 'collecting and preserving specimens of … natural history', the expedition spent its first two field seasons around Tierra del Fuego, enduring hunger, scurvy and severe weather. It reached Chilóe in 1829, and returned to England a year later.

1. Departure from Monte Video
2. Enter the Strait of Magalhaens (or Magellan)
3. Prepare the Beagle for surveying the Strait
4. Eagle Bay - Gabriel Channel
5. Loss of the Saxe Coburg sealer
6. Patagonians
7. Leave Rio de Janeiro
8. Humming-birds, Fuegians, whales
9. Winter setting in, scurvy
10. Account of the Beagle's cruise
11. Bad weather, perilous situation
12. Adventure sails from Rio de Janeiro to the River Plata
13. Beagle and Adelaide anchor in Possession Bay
14. Frost and snow
15. Extracts from the journals of Lieutenants Skyring and Graves
16. Province and islands of Chilóe
17. Beagle sails to sea coast of Tierra del Fuego
18. Adelaide's last cruise
19. Termination of the Andes, zoological remarks
20. Beagle sails from San Carlos
21. Cape Desolation
22. Mr Murray discovers the Beagle Channel
23. Glaciers, mountains, tides
24. A few nautical remarks upon the passage round Cape Horn
Appendix
Index.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]