“During this days ride, there was not much interest, excepting from the novelty of this manner of travelling.— The country is much the same; more uneven & hilly; a sort of miniature alpine district; the whole surface, however with the exception of the bare rock is covered with a short green turf. — And this indeed is the picture of all which I saw: — it sounds very delightful riding over so much turf; but positively I at last became so tired of the endless green hills that I thought with pleasure of iron-shod horses & dusty roads. — It is very rare to meet a single individual, and we did not till close to Las Minas.” (May 10)

As is often the case, Darwin tended to get board when traveling though a countryside that was monotonous (he never seemed to be that fond of the Rio de la Plata region in general).  I think he got a little spoiled as a result of his first visit to the New World involving the endless variety of the Brazilian rainforest – something that he would never see matched in the cooler climates.

Some farmland for sale today near Minas (from fusedworld.com)

Darwin also describes the town on Minas itself:

“The town of Las Minas is considerably smaller than Maldonado, & of the usual symetrical figure. — it is seated in the plain of the Rio St. Francisco, & is surrounded on all sides by the low rocky mountains. — It has rather a pretty appearance, with its church in the middle. — the outskirting houses all arise out of the plain, like isolated beings, without the usual (to our eyes) accompaniment of a garden or court. — This is the case with all the houses in the country, & gives to them an unsociable appearance.” (May 10)

Today Minas is a city of about 38,000 people.  I’m not sure the population in Darwin’s time, but given that the town was founded in 1783 and that it had about 10,000 people at the beginning of the 20^th century, it is likely that it was a couple thousand people at best. Considering that it had just been decreed a town in 1830, it may only have been several hundred people. The name of the town means “mines” in Spanish. At least in modern times, that mining seems to be focused on marble, feldspar and various metals, though it does not seem to be a large enough industry to get a lot of press.

As for the church in Darwin’s diary, it is unclear which one he is talking about – several older Roman Catholic churches are listed in the city today. The center of the town is Libertad Plaza, which honors one of the local hero who helped gain Uruguay’s independence from Brazil – Juan Antonio Lavalleja. (Read a little more on Lavalleja in the Legacy of the “Thirty Three Orientals”.) Keep in mind Lavalleja’s revolutionizing had taken place less than ten years before Darwin’s visit.

Plaza Libertad (from wikimapia.org)

While staying at an inn (pulperia) for the night in Minas, Darwin visited the local watering hole.  Here he encountered a colorful group of Gauchos with whom he shared drinks and cigars (another great non-traditional image of Darwin to relish):

“This night we stopped at a Pulperia or drinking shop, which also sells a few other things. — The evening was very tiresome as we were obliged to remain the whole time amongst a set of drinking stranger before the counter & with scarcely a place to sit down. — This was however the only night, in which we did not sleep at private houses. — During the evening a great number of young Gauchos came in to drink spirits & smoke cigars. — They are a singularly striking looking set of men. — generally tall, very handsome, but with a most proud, dissolute expression. — They wear their moustachios & long black hair curling down their necks. — With their bright coloured robes; great spurs clanking on their heels & a knife, stuck (& often used) as a dagger at their waist, they look a very different race of men from our working countrymen. — Their politeness is excessive, they never drink their spirits, without expecting you to taste it; but as they make their exceedingly good bow, they seem quite ready, if occasion offered, to cut your throat at the same time. ” (May 10)

Yup – picture Darwin in a cowboy saloon forced to drink whiskey to be polite.  Not your traditional image of the man who changed the world of biology… (RJV)

PS – For more on gauchos see Darwin & the Gauchos: First Contact.

Map showing the region north of Maldonado, including the town of Minas(from Google maps):

As in any good adventure (and much like a similar expedition he took in Brazil), Darwin starts by describing his companions:

“The weather being fine I persuaded my two guides & companions to start on our ride. — Don Francisco Gonzales, & Morante, a sort of servant of his, were both well armed, & having plenty of friends & relations in the country were just the people for my purpose. We drove before us a troop of fresh horses; a very luxurious way of travelling as there is then no danger of having a tired or lame one. — I agreed to pay 2 dollars a day (about 8s..6d) & all expenses on the road. — Such is the hospitality in this country, that the latter for 12 days only cost me about 16 dollars. — As the rivers were very full we only went a short distance; a little beyond the head of the Laguna del Potrero. I was inclined to think my guides took too much precaution with their pistols & sabres; but the first bit of news we heard on the road was, that the day before a traveller to M: Video had been found, with his throat cut, lying dead on the road. —it happened close to a cross, a record of a former murder.” (May 9)

I love that the criteria he used to pick his guides were that (1) they happened to be going in the direction he wanted to go, (2) they had a lot of friends that he could meet, visit and stay with on the road, and (3) they were well armed with guns and swords. And heck, it only cost $2 a day plus expenses. Not bad – using an inflation calculator, that is still just a little under $50 a day in today’s dollars. Of course, Robert Darwin footed the bill anyway …

Alas no record of Don Francisco or Morante that I can find.  But if anyone from the area knows a connection to a historical figure or local family, please let me know. I was thrilled in March when a descendant of one of Darwin’s traveling companions wrote in with a comment to the site.  What a cool personal touch (see the comments in Strangers on a Trail).

Darwin goes on to describe the journey – in particular, how he astonished the locals with trinkets and tricks.  Picture Darwin – the traveling showman.  Read on…

“We dined at a Pulperia, where there were present many Gauchos (this name only means “countrymen” & those who dress in this manner & lead their life). — I here found out I possessed two or three things which created unbounded astonishment. — Principally a small pocket compass. — in every house, I entered I was asked to show its powers, & by its aid told the direction of various places. — This excited the liveliest admiration, that I a perfect stranger should know the road (for direction & road is synonimous in this open country) to places where I had never been. — At one house, a young woman, who was ill sent to entreat me to come to her room & show her the compass. If their surprise was great, mine was much greater to find such ignorance; & this amongst people, who possess their thousands of cattle & “estancia’s” of great extent. — It can only be accounted for by the circumstance that this retired part of the country has seldom been visited by foreigners. I was asked whether the earth or sun moved; whether it was hotter or colder to the North; where Spain was & many more such questions. — Most of the inhabitants have an indistinct idea, that England, London, N. America are all the same place; the better informed well know that England & N: America are separate countries close together; but that England is a large town in London” (May 9)

My favorite of his tricks was producing fire from his mouth using a state-of-the-art match called a promethean (patented in 1828):

“I had in my pocket some promethians, which I ignited by biting them between my teeth; to see this the whole family was collected; and I was once offered a dollar for a single one.” (May 9)

OK – aside from image of Darwin lighting matches between his teeth for money, the other thing you should know is that the promethean match had a bulb of sulfuric acid at the tip, that when broken started a chemical reaction and ignited the match.  That’s right – Darwin was cracking open capsules of sulfuric acid in his mouth! (Not to be confused with Doctor Who’s everlasting promethean matches – made from wood that grew as fast as it burned. That is another story, another time …) Anywho…

Darwin also mentions how his work as a naturalist drew some suspicion and helped “pay the bills”, and how his inability to speak the local language led people to think of him as a bit of a simpleton:

“It is the universal custom to ask for a nights lodging at the first convenient house. — The general astonishment at the compass and other things was to a certain degree advantageous, as with that & the long stories my guides told of my breaking stones, knowing venemous from harmless snakes, collecting insects &c I paid them for their hospitality. — Being able to talk very little Spanish, I was looked at with much pity, wonder & a great deal of kindness. — Some few however, I think, gave me the credit of having a good deal of the Dousterswivel about me.” (May 9)

Dousterswivel was another one of Darwin’s many references to literature of the day. In this case, it was a character from Sir Walter Scott’s book The Antiquary written in 1816. It is the story of an amateur archeologist/historian who “collects” artifacts and seeks the love of a young woman.  Herman Douterswival is a character who is described as a “charlatan professor”. Scott refers to him in the book as, “A tall, beetle-browed, awkward-built man, who entered upon scientific subjects, as it appeared to my ignorance at least, with more assurance than knowledge”. (Not that long ago, Darwin also compared himself to another questionable historical character – Baron Munchausen (see Tall Tales and Land Planarians).)

Sir Arthur and Dousterswivel Searching for the Treasure, by the Dalziel Brothers:

By the end of he day the travelers where close to Minas:

“We slept at a friend of Gonzales; & in the morning proceeded on to the town of Las Minas.” (May 9)

The journey continues tomorrow… (RJV)

“I rode about four leagues into the Camp to the head of a large fresh water lake called Laguna del Potrero. The object of my ride was to see a white marble, from which lime is manufactured. — The day was beautiful & it was a pleasant ride over hill & dale of turf & surrounded by endless flocks of cattle, sheep & horses.” (May 4)

I say “appears to be” for a couple of reasons. First, the only reference I can find to Laguna del Potrero is a small region labeled on the Google Map below (the larger body of water to the North of that location is an arm of Laguna del Sauce):

Secondly, I’m having a hard time finding and reference to a marble quarry in this area, nor can I see one zooming in on satellite views of the area (via my friend Google Maps). However, I do know that there are some classic “marbles” sold as decorative stone for tabletops, etc. that comes from Uruguay.  Is there a connection? Probably not, as the marble found at this specific location seems to be a relatively small deposit that is not well exposed, but you can bet I’m going to say a few things about it anyway.

In the world of decorative stone, almost everything is called either granite or marble. However, as I  often point out to my students, names used for marketing stone are not always the same as rock names used in geology. To geologists, marble has a much more specific meaning – it is a metamorphic rock that forms from the exposure of limestone (a sedimentary rock) to high temperature and pressure. Limestone is made of basically one mineral – calcite (calcium carbonate). So when that rock is metamorphosed, there are not a lot of different elements present to rearrange into new minerals.  So during metamorphism the atoms simply recrystallize, forming new calcite crystals which are, in many cases, coarser then the calcite grains they started out as in limestone. (For a lesson on metamorphic rocks see Old Schist and Other Gneiss Rocks.) 

Interestingly, limestone most commonly forms in relatively shallow, warm ocean water.  That means that anywhere you find limestone or marble today, there was once a shallow tropical ocean.  Something to ponder, considering that you can find these rocks distributed throughout the world today.

Some Uruguay marble that can be found for sale at stonecontact.com.

Pure marble is white (think about the famous Italian marble used in sculptures). Any color in the rock comes from impurities (e.g., reds from rust minerals) or layers of other minerals. Darwin notes that marble at this location “contains asbestus, large crystals of Hornblende. & mica in planes”. The presence of hornblende and mica (presumably biotite) suggest it may have looked something like the first sample in the picture above.

Darwin’s Geologic Notebooks tells us a little bit more about this particular layer of marble.  In the area west of Maldonado he notes that there is a lot of gneiss (a metamorphic rock that forms under high temperature and pressure). Within the gneiss he describes a layer of “limestone” – almost certainly marble, since it would have been exposed to the same high temperatures and pressures as the surrounding gneiss. Darwin goes on to add in his Geologic Notebook that this small layer of “limestone” “was discovered & worked by the present owner of a Lime-kiln.”  Lime is essentially the term used to describe calcium-bearing oxides (such as CaO). It is frequently extracted from limestone (hence the name) or marble in a kiln – a type of oven that “cooks” the lime out of the limestone.) Today, lime is a main ingredient in cement.

For the next several days, heavy rain kept Darwin from exploring any more rocks.  But it did give him some time to practice something that he frequently mentions was one of his weak points – Spanish:

“During the greater number of these days, there has been torrents of rain & heavy thunder storms. — The whole country is in a state of inundation, even so that many lives have been lost. — the oldest inhabitants have never seen such weather before. — It has necessarily prevented me from making a trip into the country which I had intended to have almost finished by this time. In consequence of these delays & the bad weather I have scarcely been able to set about anything. It anyhow has afforded me some good lessons in being patient & in speaking Spanish.” (May 5-8)

“By noon we arrived at the anchorage of Maldonado & found there, our schooner, all safe & snug.” (April 28)

“I took up my residence on shore, & procured lodgings at a well know[n] old lady, by name Donna Francisca. — The day was spent in vain efforts to make any sort of comfortable arrangements. — The rooms are very high & large; they have but very small windows & are almost destitute of furniture. — They are all on the ground floor & open into each other. — The very existence of what an Englishman calls comfort never passed through the builders mind. ” (April 29)

“I rode a few miles round the town; the country is exceedingly similar to that of M: Video, but rather more hilly. — We here have the same fine grass plain, with its beautiful flowers & birds, the same hedges of Cactus & the same entire absence of all trees. After pacing for some weeks the planck decks, one ought to be grateful for the pleasure of treading on the green elastic turf, although the surrounding view in both cases is equally uninteresting.” (April 30)

“The day has been miserably spent in attempts to transact business by the aid of vilely bad Spanish. — The Beagle sails tomorrow for M. Video & will return in about a fortnight. ” (May 1)

“The torrents of rain almost entirely prevent me doing anything. It is impossible to go any distance into the country; as all the rivers are unusually full, & a bridge is an invention scarcely known in these parts.”(May 2/3)

Maldonado is located in Uruguay at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, about 100 km west of Montevideo. (Image from Google Maps)

The town was established by about 100 settlers in 1755 – only about 75 years before Darwin set foot there in 1833.  (I always like to think of the equivalent today.  That would be like be visiting a city that was first settled in 1940. Does such a place exist? I imagine so, but it was not like Darwin’s time when virtually every place he visited was relatively “new” from a European perspective.) Today (according to the 2011 census) Maldonado has over 62,000 residents – which makes it still small compared to over 1.3 million in the capital city of Montevideo. In addition, it seems to be overshadowed by the smaller beach resort community of Punta del Este, located on the peninsula just south of the city.

Maldonado (from UYPhotographers blog)

Darwin describes his first impressions of the town in early May, 1833:

“The city of Maldonado is in reality only a small village; as is universally the case in [a] Spanish town, all the streets run in parallel lines cutting each other at right angles. — & in the centre is the Plaza with its Church. — I never saw so quiet, so deserted a looking place; it has scarcely any trade, & none by water untill these few last years; it appears only to be a collection of land-owners & a few of the necessary tradesmen, such as blacksmiths & joiners, who do all the business for a circuit of 50 miles round. Nearly the only produce of the country is cattle & horses. — These are both in wonderful numbers. — Every person, even it is said to the beggars, rides; it is thought quite out of the question to walk ever so short a distance. — As a proof, how very common horses are, the price of a saddle will buy three good ones. — It is a most beautiful exhibition to see the boys riding on bare-backed colts & chasing each other over hill & dale, & twisting about in a manner which no one till he has seen it would believe a horse capable of. — Their method of riding is certainly the most perfect & graceful, for showing the full power of a horse in all its actions.” (May 2/3)

Throughout May, Darwin would explore the countryside around the town – collecting samples and geologizing.  More on these adventures in the coming days. (RJV)

“We arrived there a little after noon. … During our absence, things have been going on pretty quietly, with the exception of a few revolutions.” (April 25/26)

I mean – what’s a few revolutions among friends?

This unrest didn’t seem to phase Augustus Earle who had stayed behind in Montevideo to try to recover from a painful rheumatism (joint pain).

“I went on shore & saw Mr Earl; he remained at this place, during our whole cruize, in hopes of recovering his health, in which respect, however, I am afraid he has had little success.” (April 25/26)

For those that don’t remember, Earle was the artist in residence on the Beagle, though his illness kept him from participating much (see The Art of the Beagle – Augustus Earle).  It would not be long before he gave up on trying to “recover” and would head back home.

This, of course, was an exciting time for the crew, because it was also the first time in 6 months that they were able to receive mail from home. Darwin received at least four letters include those “dated Sept. 12th, Octob 14th, Novem. 12th, & Decr 15th.” I thought I’d spend the rest of this post with some “news from home”. I could not find any record of a letter dated December 15^th, however, the other three letters where all written by Darwin’s loving sisters.

Caroline Darwin:

From Caroline Darwin – 12 September 1832:  This letter was particularly touching in that it was the first letter Caroline wrote to her brother after hearing about the malaria deaths on the Beagle last spring.  These deaths, timely news on the cholera outbreak in England, and the recent death of a near relative – Fanny Wedgewood – all seem to have made Caroline particularly sensitive to the perilous situation that Charles was currently in. She wrote:

“I do hope you are very prudent & do consider the forlorn state you would be in a long bad illness with the miserable accommodation you would have in one of your scrambling expeditions, as indeed you had experience of from what your journal says— I know it is nonsense & “all foolishness” to use your own expression writing at this distance wishes & cautions but I must do it dear old Tactus as a relief to myself” (Correspondence from Caroline Darwin, 12 September 1832)

In addition, it must have been exceedingly exciting for him to hear how much his family enjoyed reading his diary, which he had been sending back home in regular installments.  Caroline notes:

“I have written to you since reading your journal which I liked exceedingly. I do hope when you have any safe opportunity you will send us some more of it. it gives us all so much pleasure & interest reading about you & it brings the Country &c in such a lively manner to one— I have never told you dear Charles what great pleasure your most affectionate dear letters give me & us all, you would be I am sure rewarded for the trouble of writing if you saw the delight a letter from you is received with” (Correspondence from Caroline Darwin, 12 September 1832)

From Catherine Darwin – 14 October 1832 : Catherine’s letter contained all sorts of gossip about mutual friends and relatives – filling her brother in on the latest happenings at home. It is funny how the “folks back home” get caught up in daily life.  So much so that Catherine notes that:

“People here think you will find cruizing in the South Seas such uninteresting work, that it gives us some hopes you will perhaps return before the Beagle.” (Correspondence from Catherine Darwin, 14 October 1832)

I particularly like how Catherine describes here father’s interest in the work of contemporary naturalist – James Audubon:

“Papa is also planning buying Audubon’s Book on American Ornithology; the author sells it himself, and will not allow any separate number to be sold, unless you take the whole which is 40 guineas in price. The Plates are magnificent, as they ought indeed to be. You will like to see some of the Plates of your old Friends again, when you come home.” (Correspondence from Catherine Darwin, 14 October 1832)

I imagine this book, and the familiar birds of home, was something that Darwin truly was envious of.

From Susan Darwin – 12 November 1832: Like her sisters, Susan spends much of her letter speaking about the goings on back home – something that seems mundane to the reader today, but which was probably comforting to Charles after being away for nearly a year and a half. Like her sisters, Susan is also interested in better understanding what Darwin was doing and where he planned to go – trying to get a better feel for these things by reading more about the places he was visiting:

“I must ask you a very ignorant question. Are you going to explore down towards the South Pole or not? or only the coasts of America? I must get Earles book to read, for that will put a little sense into my head I hope.— The Penny & Saturday Magazines make the chief reading of the house at present, which we find cheap and profitable.” (Correspondence from Susan Darwin, 18 November 1832)

The first magazine Susan refers to has the awesome full name of the Penny Magazine of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge published by the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (SDUK). The goals of the magazine were to bring science to the working classes.  What a great concept!

October 27, 1832 Issue of the Penny Magazine (from Wikipedia Commons):

Some of Susan’s readings also uncovered more information about the sorts of sticky situations her brother was getting himself into:

“I saw in the Paper last night that there had been an insurrection at Monte Video when 50 of the Crew of the Beagle were called upon & put it down” (Correspondence from Susan Darwin, 18 November 1832)

How hard it must have been to hear that your brother had been quelling revolutions by reading about it in the newspaper!  At least the paper would have reported if there had been any fatalities, but she had no idea what had happened in the last six months.

It is pretty clear from al these tender letters that Darwin’s sisters all cared very much for him and that they took great pleasure in reading his correspondence and sending letters to him in the field.  On the other hand, Darwin’s brother Erasmus, who also carried very much for him, barely corresponded with him at all during the trip.

On the 27^th, the crew set sail for a short trip down the coast to the town Darwin would call home for the “winter”:

“Having landed our French passengers & having received all parcels & letters; after dinner weighed anchor & made sail, with a fresh breeze for Maldonado.” (April 27)

In a couple of days, he would be looking for a room to rent. (RJV)

“It blew half a gale of wind; but it was fair & we scudded before it. — Our decks fully deserved their nickname of a “half tide rock”; so constantly did the water flow over them.” (April 20)

“At noon 300 miles from Maldonado, with a foul wind.” (April 21)

“Our usual alternation of a gale of wind & a fine day.” (April 22/23)

And Wednesday brought more than just wind:

“We are off the mouth of the Plata. At night there was a great deal of lightning; if a hurricane had been coming, the sky could not have looked much more angry. — Probably we shall hear there has been at M. Video a tremendous Pampero. Our Royal mast head shone with St Elmos fire & therefore according to all good sailors no ill luck followed. — It is curious how the R. Plata seems to form a nucleus for thunder storms; phenomena which both to the South & North of it are comparatively rare.” (April 24) (See A Mighty Pampero and Watching a 19th Century “Plasma Screen” for more on these meteorological phenomenon.)

“At daybreak we found a current had set us several miles to leeward of Maldonado; as the breeze was both strong & fair the Captain determined to run on to M: Video.” (April 25/26)

ALl this talk of breezes led me to thinking I’d write a few words about the wind today. So here goes…

As you may recall, Captain FitzRoy was somewhat obsessed with the weather himself – trying to learn how to use air pressure to predict storms at sea and save lives. FitzRoy’s teacher and supporter, Francis Beaufort, was even more interested in the wind and, in fact, is probably best know for the Wind Force Scale that now bears his name. Furthermore, although the scale goes back to the early 1800′s, it was FitzRoy who was actually one of the first sea captains to really test out the scale during his Beagle voyage. (It was adopted and used by all ships in the Royal Navy in 1838, shortly after FitzRoy’s “trial run”).

Sir Francis Beaufort was born in Ireland in the late 1700′s and one story suggests that his life was shaped by a shipwreck he experienced as a young man – a wreck that was supposedly caused by a bad nautical chart.  For the rest of his life, Beaufort was involved in coastal surveying, creating accurate nautical charts, and better understanding the weather – all in the name of making the sea a safer place for sailors and their ships.

Sir Francis Beaufort by Stephen Pearce

In the 1790′s Beaufort joined the Royal Navy and quickly rose through the ranks, achieving the rank of commander in 1800 and captain in 1811. During this time he served in for the navy in the Napoleonic Wars (where we received several injuries) and was tasked with survey work – even surveying the mouth of the Rio de la Plata (where Darwin had arrived on April 24, 1833).

A couple of years before the Beagle started its second voyage (in 1829), Francis Beaufort became the British Admiralty Hydrographer of the Navy – a post he would hold for 25 years. During that time he promoted science as a member of the Royal Society and helped to found the Royal Geographic Society. He achieved the rank of Rear Admiral in 1846 and was knighted 2 years later.

But Beaufort’s most memorable accomplishment was probably the creation of a standardized wind force scale – a scale that bears his name today.  Up until this point, there was no quantifiable meaning of a gale or breeze – so their usage was inconsistent.  Beaufort, building on the work of earlier attempts, standardized the terms by creating a scale that ranged from 0 to 12 – thereby allowing those who observed the weather to “speak the same language”. Initially the scale was based on the way the wind impacted a ship and its sails, though over the years it became more directly related to wind sped and oceanic conditions.  Here is what the version that Beaufort gave to Robert FitzRoy in 1831 looked like  (from the Weather Doctor):

Since it was adopted by the Royal Navy in 1838, the scale has been modified and standardized to specific wind speeds, ocean conditions and wave heights.  But the basic principle (and the ranking from 0-12) still remains the same. Here is a modern version of the scale (fancy version – such as the one shown here – also include pictures of the oceanic conditions):

If you want to get a sense of what these wind speeds translate to in the real world, check out this short video showing a man in a wind tunnel exposed to winds ranging up to about a 7 on the Beaufort Scale. Now picture what this must feel like on a small sailing vessel. Keep in mind that winds would have get to be about 2x faster than the highest speeds in the video to reach the minimum of a 12 on the scale.

By the way – it appears that Darwin was not using Beaufort’s scale in his diary entries, as the names he uses (e.g., foul gale, gale of wind, etc.) do not match the names on the official scales shown above.  I find this interesting because (1) FitzRoy seemed to share a lot of his meteorological ideas with Darwin and (2) Darwin loved to describe things accurately – in many cases uses calibrated scales such as Werner’s color scales mentioned in earlier posts (see A Thousand Shades of Blue). It seems like he should have known about the scale by now. (RJV)

“The climate here is quite celestial; cloudless blue skys, light breezes & smooth water. — We hear that this has been a very fine season; how strange it is, that the short distance as compared to the whole surface of the globe of this country from T. del Fuego, should make so much difference. — so that those rapid currents in the atmosphere, which have attained a velocity of from 60 to 100 miles per hour, should not even here be felt. — As the wind is too light, every one is grumbling at this fine weather; we have been slowly working up the bay of St Matthias to Port St Antonio, where we yet hope to find the Schooners.” (April 18)

Moonrise over the southern shores of the Gulf of Matias (from Panoramio on Google Maps by jorgecaze):

The next day the captain decided that the search for the schooners was over for now and it was time to return to Uruguay – the survey crew would have to remain on their own for now. Fortunately, the Beagle had recently encountered a trading ship that had spotted Mt. Wickham and his men.  So, Darwin could at least remain confident that his friends and crewmates were probably just out of sight and not lost at sea.

“All our plans have undergone a complete revolution. During the night the soundings were very irregular & in the same proportion dangerous, so that we were obliged to heave to and in consequence of this a current set us far to the South. In the morning a fresh NW breeze sprung up; from these various disadvantages the Captain gave up the attempt to find Mr Wickham or of landing me at Rio Negro, & made sail for Maldonado. — If the wind, that omnipotent & overbearing master, permits it, the Beagle will touch at Maldonado & proceed on to M. Video & Buenos Ayres. — I intend stopping at the former place, as it possesses the two great advantages of retirement & novelty.” (April 19)

This is the first time since last fall that Darwin seems downright chipper – excited about geology, thrilled with the nice weather, and excited about the “novelty” of settling down (if only for a few months) in Maldonado. What probably appealed to him the most was the thought of being off the ship (and away from seasickness) for more than a day for the first time in nearly 6 months. Though I’m sure the though of warmer climes probably did not hurt either.

But first he still had to get to Uruguay, and the next week wouldn’t all be smooth sailing. Tomorrow the winds start to blow and the Beagle heads north… (RJV)

When we last left our heroes, they were cruising along the coast of Argentina in search of Mr. Wickham and Mr. Stokes and the survey boats La Paz and La Lièvre.  On the 15^th, they thought they might have found their crewmates, but alas, it was just a small trading vessel:

“Whilst we were beating up to our station at the mouth of the Rio Negro; a small Schooner was seen beating down to us. — Every one immediately declared, they knew by the cut of her sails, that she was Wickham’s. It turned out differently; she was a trading vessel to Rio Negro & brought news of our little Schooners. They were all well a week since & were then ready to sail to the South to the Bay of St Joseph. They had suffered one loss in Williams, the marine, who fell overboard in the river & was drowned.” (April 15)

No specific details remain of the marines on board the Beagle, but this would have been the 5^th fatality on the voyage after the 3 men killed by malaria last year and the recent drowning in the Falklands of Edward Hellyer.

The Beagle continued on in search of the schooners.  Although Darwin was uncomfortable on board, he was willing to suffer in the name of geology:

“As the distance at present is under 100 miles, the Captain determined to run down & pay the Schooners a visit. Mr Wickham will go in the Beagle to Maldonado & Mr Stokes will remain in command. — This arrangement has materially affected me as the Captain has offered that one of the little Schooners, should take me up to the Rio Negro, after staying a few days in the Bay of St Joseph. — For the sake of the geology this is of the highest interest to me; otherwise the passage in so small a vessel will be sufficiently uncomfortable.  (April 15)

The next two days brought more of the same – the search of the schooners and geologic temptations – glimpses of interesting strata along the shore.  The Beagle traversed what is shown on maps today as the Gulf of St. Matías on it’s way to San José Bay.

The large embayment in the middle of the image is Darwin’s Bay of St. Mattias – the small inlet on the southern side of the gulf is what (I believe) Darwin refers to as the Bay of St. Joseph; to the north of the bay is the Rio Negro (from Google Maps):

“We have been standing, during the day, across the great Bay of St Matthias; as the place is unsurveyed we heave to at night:— The weather has been beautiful but too light; the mild warm climate & blue sky is most throughily enjoyed by all of us after our boisterous cruize in the South. What we saw of the coast consisted entirely in horizontal cliffs; in these, the divisions of the strata run for miles together exactly parallel to the surface of the sea. — It looks an El Dorado to a Geologist; such modern formations must contain so many organic remains.” (April 16)

“We reached St Josephs Bay, this is a grand circular expanse of water, opening by a narrow mouth into St Matthias. the crook of land which forms it is a remarkable feature in a chart of the coast of Patagonia. — It was expected that Mr Wickham would have been here, but to our sorrow, & more especially to the French passengers, who are very anxious to arrive at M. Video, the little Schooners were not to be seen. The wind being very light & a strong tide setting into the bay, we were obliged to let go a stream anchor. This gave me a most delightful opportunity of taking a glimpse at the cliffs. — They abounded with fossil shells & were in many respects very curious & interesting. My visit was so short that there was only time to see how much was missed. At night, as soon as the tide turned, the anchor was weighed & we proceeded in pursuit of Mr Wickham. ” (April 17)

Image of the strata exposed on the southern shores of the Gulf of St. Matías near San José Bay  (from Jose Pavoni on Panoramio)

Given the vicinity and nature of the deposits Darwin describes, it is likely that these were similar in age and type to the strata in nearby Bahia Blanca where Darwin discovered his ground sloth last fall – relatively young marine sediments.  Knowing the riches that these deposits had yielded earlier, I can only imagine how excited Darwin must have been to explore these new exposures and all the potential they held.

Did he uncover a new species? Did they find Mr. Wickham?  Alas, the  story will have to continue tomorrow… (RJV)

“In the morning we were off the mouth of the Rio Negro. Nothing was to be seen of the Schooner. In vain we endeavoured, by firing a gun & hoisting a pilot signal to procure intelligence from the shore. — We suppose the sea on the bar prevented the pilot from coming out. — Thus during the whole day we continued to cruize backwards & forwards. — It was exceedingly annoying; as every one was most anxious to hear that Wickham & his party were all well. — The coast is like, what we saw so much of, about Bahia Blanca, either sandy dunes or a horizontal line of low cliffs. (April 13)

The mouth of the Rio Negro is located on a headland near the modern city of Viedma, Argentia, on the northern border of the Rio Negro Provence. Upstream of the coast, the river flows for 550 km (342 mi) from where it “forms” at the convergence of the Limay and Neuquén rivers/tributaries. It drains just over 100,000 km² (~39,000 mi²) of land surface (its drainage basin) and has an average discharge of about 760 m³ per second (~30,000 cubit feet per second). Today the river is an important source of irrigation for Argentinean fruit orchards and vineyards, and also provides “fuel” for several hydroelectric dam projects. In Darwin’s time the town of Viedma was a small Spanish fort, that had just been established in 1779 (making it the oldest settlement in Patagonia).

Map of the Rio Negro and surrounding parts of Argentina (from Instituto Geográfico Militar) – Click map for a larger image:

Just a quick review of all the survey vessels Darwin refers to, in order  to remind everyone what he is talking about. Aside from the Beagle, FitzRoy had purchased at leat three other boats to help with the survey work:

1. The La Paz and La Lièvre were purchased and fixed up last fall in Bahia Blanca.  They were left with Mr. Wickham and Mr. Stokes to continue surveying the coast. They were last seen by the Beagle on its way to Tierra del Fuego last December.
2. The Adventure (formerly the Unicorn) was recently purchased in the Falklands and set sail for the mainland a few days before the Beagle under the command of Mr Chaffers.

On the 14^th, the Beagle finally found the Adventure, thought the La Paz and La Lièvre were still unaccounted for:

“In the middle of the day, a Sail was seen a long way off in the SW. — We immediately made chace & soon found to our joy it was the Schooner. — Mr Chaffers came on board & reported that the Schooner had made good weather of it; but that the gales had been very heavy. — The Captain altered his plans & ordered Mr Chaffers to proceed directly on to Maldonado in the Rio Plata, & there wait our arrival.” (April 14)

The search for the two smaller boats would have to wait. It is amazing, when you really think about it, that after several months apart it was even possible for  ships to meet up along a remote section of the coastline.  It was not like today where a cell phone, GPS or internet connection can help people meet up anywhere, anytime. There were no such lines of communication in 1833, so the men had to rely entirely on plans made several months ago and the word of passing ships to figure out how to find their friends. It was not always perfect, but still pretty impressive. (RJV)

“After cruizing about the mouth of the Sound to complete the survey, we stood out to sea on our way to the Rio Negro.” (April 6)

“Our usual luck followed us in the shape of a gale of wind; being in the right direction we scudded before it; by this means we run a long distance, but it was miserable work; every place dark wet & the very picture of discomfort.” (April 7)

“The weather to day is beautiful; it is the first time for three months that studding sails have been set. — We attribute all this sun-shine & blue sky to the change in latitude; small although it be. — We are at present 380 miles from the Rio Negro.” (April 9)

“We expect to arrive at our destination tomorrow morning. — the weather latterly has been tolerably good but there was too much sea to allow me to be comfortable.” (April 12)

The studding sails are the sails that extend out from the right and left of the Beagle‘s primary sails, as seem in the image below (HMS Beagle with porpoises (ca. 1900 by Robert Taylor Pritchett)). Studding sails effectively increase the sail surface area and, therefore, capture more wind. Typically they are used in light winds, as they would make the ship too unstable if the winds were strong. For more on the Beagle‘s sails see Mizzenmasts and Moonrakers.

During this week-long voyage, Darwin was sailing across the shallow continental shelf that connects the Falkland Islands to South America. Continental shelves, on average, are only about 100 m (~300 ft) deep, and as noted in an earlier post (see Sailing on the Edge of a Continent) are actually a part of the continental crust. The shelf connecting the Falklands to the mainland, however, is not completely uniform and has some various in the depth of the water.

The following image (from evolutionary biology and author Jerry Coyne’s Why Evolution is True blog) shows the relative depths of the continental shelf between South America and the Falkland Islands.

The numbered regions represent the land that would be exposed by dropping sea level.  During the last glacial period sea level was about 120 meters lower (III on the maps) though some data suggests there were times that it was 140 meters lowers (IV on the map).  In any case, you can see that even under those more extreme conditions, the Falklands are never completely connected to the mainland – the area shown in light blue would still be covered in water.  It is entirely likely, however, that during glacial times sea ice covered the narrow channel (light blue), making it possible for large mammals, such as the Falkland wolf, to cross over from the mainland.

By the weekend the Beagle was approaching the mouth of Argentina’s Rio Negro – the location of Darwin’s next big adventure. Stay tuned! (RJV)