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Collection Summary
| Creator: |
Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882. |
| Title: |
Letter [manuscript] : Valparaiso, to Charles Whitley, College, Durham, 1834 July 23. |
| Date Range: |
1834 |
| Collection number: |
MS 4260 |
| Extent: |
4 p. |
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Introduction Scope and Content
Letter, Valparaiso, 23rd July, 1834 to Charles Whitley, College, Durham, written in the Beagle.
Background
Charles Robert Darwin was born in Shrewsbury in 1809 and was educated at Edinburgh and Cambridge Universities. Although his preference was geology, Darwin was appointed naturalist in 1831 for the voyage of the H.M.S. Beagle. Darwin's observations formed the basis of his theory of evolution by natural selection which he published in On the origin of species by means of natural selection (1859), and, The descent of man (1871). The Beagle was in Sydney, Van Diemen's Land and King George Sound from 12 January to 14 March 1836, during which time Darwin made observations on the geology of the Blue Mountains and collected flora and fauna. His interests in Van Diemen's Land were sociological and geological, resulting in a vivid account of the subjugations of the Aboriginals. His account of the voyage, Journal of the researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited by H.M.S. Beagle, was published in 1839. Darwin's visit to Australia provided him with further evidence of evolution and natural selection. He maintained long-term academic and personal interests in Australia.
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Preferred Citation
Items from this collection should be cited as [manuscript item title],
Letter [manuscript] : Valparaiso, to Charles Whitley, College, Durham, 1834 July 23., National Library of Australia, MS 4260, [manuscript item number].
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