darwin and modern science-第102部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



It　may　be　interesting　to　note　that　at　the　somewhat　less　lively　dining　Club…　…the　Philosophicalin　the　founding　of　which　his　friends　Lyell　and　Hooker　had　taken　so　active　a　part；　Darwin　found　himself　more　at　home；　and　he　was　a　frequent　attendantin　spite　of　his　residence　being　at　Downfrom　1853　to　1864。　　He　even　made　contributions　on　scientific　questions　after　these　dinners。　　In　a　letter　to　Hooker　he　states　that　he　was　deeply　interested　in　the　reforms　of　the　Royal　Society；　which　the　Club　was　founded　to　promote。　　He　says　also　that　he　had　arranged　to　come　to　town　every　Club　day　〃and　then　my　head；　I　think；　will　allow　me　on　an　average　to　go　to　every　other　meeting。　　But　it　is　grievous　how　often　any　change　knocks　me　up。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　II。　pages　42；　43。）

Of　the　years　1837　and　1838　Darwin　himself　says　they　were　〃the　most　active　ones　which　I　ever　spent；　though　I　was　occasionally　unwell；　and　so　lost　some　time。。。I　also　went　a　little　into　society。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　pages　67；　68。）　　But　of　the　four　years　from　1839　to　1842　he　has　to　confess　sadly　〃I　did　less　scientific　work；　though　I　worked　as　hard　as　I　could；　than　during　any　other　equal　length　of　time　in　my　life。　　This　was　owing　to　frequently　recurring　unwellness；　and　to　one　long　and　serious　illness。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　69。）

Darwin's　work　at　the　Geological　Society　did　not　by　any　means　engage　the　whole　of　his　energies；　during　the　active　years　1837　and　1838。　　In　June　of　the　latter　year；　leaving　town　in　somewhat　bad　health；　he　found　himself　at　Edinburgh　again；　and　engaged　in　examining　the　Salisbury　Craigs；　in　a　very　different　spirit　to　that　excited　by　Jameson's　discourse。　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　290。）　　Proceeding　to　the　Highlands　he　then　had　eight　days　of　hard　work　at　the　famous　〃Parallel　Roads　of　Glen　Roy〃；　being　favoured　with　glorious　weather。

He　says　of　the　writing　of　the　paper　on　the　subjectthe　only　memoir　contributed　by　Darwin　to　the　Royal　Society；　to　which　he　had　been　recently　electedthat　it　was　〃one　of　the　most　difficult　and　instructive　tasks　I　was　ever　engaged　on。〃　　The　paper　extends　to　40　quarto　pages　and　is　illustrated　by　two　plates。　　Though　it　is　full　of　the　records　of　careful　observation　and　acute　reasoning；　yet　the　theory　of　marine　beaches　which　he　propounded　was；　as　he　candidly　admitted　in　after　years　（〃M。L。〃　II　page　188。）；　altogether　wrong。　　The　alternative　lake…theory　he　found　himself　unable　to　accept　at　the　time；　for　he　could　not　understand　how　barriers　could　be　formed　at　successive　levels　across　the　valleys；　and　until　the　following　year；　when　the　existence　of　great　glaciers　in　the　district　was　proved　by　the　researches　of　Agassiz；　Buckland　and　others；　the　difficulty　appeared　to　him　an　insuperable　one。　　Although　Darwin　said　of　this　paper　in　after　years　that　it　〃was　a　great　failure　and　I　am　ashamed　of　it〃yet　he　retained　his　interest　in　the　question　ever　afterwards；　and　he　says　〃my　error　has　been　a　good　lesson　to　me　never　to　trust　in　science　to　the　principle　of　exclusion。〃　（〃M。L。〃　II。　pages　171…93。）

Although　Darwin　had　not　realised　in　1838　that　large　parts　of　the　British　Islands　had　been　occupied　by　great　glaciers；　he　had　by　no　means　failed　while　in　South　America　to　recognise　the　importance　of　ice…action。　　His　observations；　as　recorded　in　his　Journal；　on　glaciers　coming　down　to　the　sea…level；　on　the　west　coast　of　South　America；　in　a　latitude　corresponding　to　a　much　lower　one　than　that　of　the　British　Islands；　profoundly　interested　geologists；　and　the　same　work　contains　many　valuable　notes　on　the　boulders　and　unstratified　beds　in　South　America　in　which　they　were　included。

But　in　1840　Agassiz　read　his　startling　paper　on　the　evidence　of　the　former　existence　of　glaciers　in　the　British　Islands；　and　this　was　followed　by　Buckland's　memoir　on　the　same　subject。　　On　April　14；　1841；　Darwin　contributed　to　the　Geological　Society　his　important　paper　〃On　the　Distribution　of　Erratic　Boulders　and　the　Contemporaneous　Unstratified　Deposits　of　South　America〃；　a　paper　full　of　suggestiveness　for　those　studying　the　glacial　deposits　of　this　country。　　It　was　published　in　the　〃Transactions〃　in　1842。

The　description　of　traces　of　glacial　action　in　North　Wales；　by　Buckland；　appears　to　have　greatly　excited　the　interest　of　Darwin。　　With　Sedgwick　he　had；　in　1831；　worked　at　the　stratigraphy　of　that　district；　but　neither　of　them　had　noticed　the　very　interesting　surface　features。　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　58。）　　Darwin　was　able　to　make　a　journey　to　North　Wales　in　June；　1842　（alas！　it　was　his　last　effort　in　field…geology）　and　as　a　result　he　published　his　most　able　and　convincing　paper　on　the　subject　in　the　September　number　of　the　〃Philosophical　Magazine〃　for　1842。　　Thus　the　mystery　of　the　bell…stone　was　at　last　solved　and　Darwin；　writing　many　years　afterwards；　said　〃I　felt　the　keenest　delight　when　I　first　read　of　the　action　of　icebergs　in　transporting　boulders；　and　I　gloried　in　the　progress　of　Geology。〃　　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　41。）　　To　the　〃Geographical　Journal〃　he　had　sent　in　1839　a　note　〃On　a　Rock　seen　on　an　Iceberg　in　16　deg　S。　Latitude。〃　　For　the　subject　of　ice…　action；　indeed；　Darwin　retained　the　greatest　interest　to　the　end　of　his　life。　　（〃M。L。〃　II。　pages　148…71。）

In　1846；　Darwin　read　two　papers　to　the　Geological　Society　〃On　the　dust　which　falls　on　vessels　in　the　Atlantic；　and　On　the　Geology　of　the　Falkland　Islands〃；　in　1848　he　contributed　a　note　on　the　transport　of　boulders　from　lower　to　higher　levels；　and　in　1862　another　note　on　the　thickness　of　the　Pampean　formation；　as　shown　by　recent　borings　at　Buenos　Ayres。　　An　account　of　the　〃British　Fossil　Lepadidae〃　read　in　1850；　was　withdrawn　by　him。

At　the　end　of　1836　Darwin　had　settled　himself　in　lodgings　in　Fitzwilliam　Street；　Cambridge；　and　devoted　three　months　to　the　work　of　unpacking　his　specimens　and　studying　his　collection　of　rocks。　　The　pencilled　notes　on　the　Manuscript　Catalogue　in　the　Sedgwick　Museum　enable　us　to　realise　his　mode　of　work；　and　the　diligence　with　which　it　was　carried　on。　　The　letters　M　and　H；　indicate　the　assistance　he　received　from　time　to　time　from　Professor　Miller；　the　crystallographer；　and　from　his　friend　Henslow。　　Miller　not　only　measured　many　of　the　crystals　submitted　to　him；　but　evidently　taught　Darwin　to　use　the　reflecting　goniometer　himself　with　considerable　success。　　The　〃book　of　measurements〃　in　which　the　records　were　kept；　appears　to　have　been　lost；　but　the　pencilled　notes　in　the　catalogue　show　how　thoroughly　the　work　was　done。　　The　letter　R　attached　to　some　of　the　numbers　in　the　catalogue　evidently　refers　to　the　fact　that　they　were　submitted　to　Mr　Trenham　Reeks　（who　analysed　some　of　his　specimens）　at　the　Geological　Survey　quarters　in　Craig's　Court。　　This　was　at　a　later　date　when　Darwin　was　writing　the　〃Volcanic　Islands〃　and　〃South　America〃。

It　was　about　the　month　of　March；　1837；　that　Darwin　completed　this　work　upon　his　rocks；　and　also　the　unpacking　and　distribution　of　his　fossil　bones　and　other　specimens。　　We　have　seen　that　November；　1832；　must　certainly　be　regarded　as　the　date　when　he　FIRST　realised　the　important　fact　that　the　fossil　mammals　of　the　Pampean　formation　were　all　closely　related　to　the　existing　forms　in　South　America；　while　October；　1835；　was；　as　undoubtedly；　the　date　when　the　study　of　the　birds　and　other　forms　of　life　in　the　several　islands　of　the　Galapagos　Islands　gave　him　his　SECOND　impulse　towards　abandoning　the　prevalent　view　of　the　immutability　of　species。　　When　then　in　his　pocket…book　for　1837　Darwin　wrote　the　often　quoted　passage：　　〃In　July　opened　first　note…book　on　Transmutation　of　Species。　　Had　been　greatly　struck　from　about　the　month　of　previous　March　on　character　of　South　American　fossils；　and　species　on　Galapagos　Archipelago。　　These　facts　（especially　latter）；　origin　of　all　my　views〃　（〃L。L。〃　I。　page　276。）；　it　is　clear　that　he　must　refer；　not　to　his　first　inception　of　the　idea　of　evolution；　but　to　the　flood　of　recollections；　the　reawakening　of　his　interest　in　the　subject；　which　could　not　fail　to　result　from　the　sight　of　his　specimens　and　the　reference　to　his　notes。

Except　during　the　summer　vacation；　when　he　was　visiting　his　father　and　uncle；　and　with　the　latter　making　his　first　observations　upon　the　work　of　earthworms；　Darwin　was　busy　with　his　arrangements　for　the　publication　of　the　five　volumes　of　the　〃Zoology　of　the　'Beagle'〃　and　in　getting　the　necessary　financial　aid　from　the　government　for　the　preparation　of　the　plates。　　He　was　at　the　same　time　preparing　his　〃Journal〃　for　publication。　　During　the　years　1837　to　1843；　Darwin　worked　intermittently　on　the　volumes　of　Zoology；　all　of　which　he　edited；　while　he　wrote　introductions　to　those　by　Owen　and　Waterhouse　and　supplied　notes　to　the　others。

Although　Darwin　says　of　his　Journal　that　the　preparation　of　the　book　〃was　not　hard　work；　as　my　MS。　Journal　had　been　written　with　care。〃　　Yet　from　the　time　that　he　settled　at　36；　Great　Marlborough　Street　in　March；　1837；　to　the　following　November　he　was　occupied　with　this　book。　　He　tells　us　that　the　account　of　his　scientific　observations　was　added　at　this　time。　　The　work　was　not　published　till　March；　1839；　when　it　appeared　as　the　third　volume　of　the　〃Narrative　of　the　Surveying　Voyages　of　H。M。　Ships　'Adventure'　and　'Beagle'　between　the　years　1826　and　1836〃。　　The　book　was　probably　a　long　time　in　the　press；　for　there　are　no　less　than　20　pages　of　addenda　in　small　print。　　Even　in　this；　its　first　form；　the　work　is　remarkable　for　its　freshness　and　charm；　and　excited　a　great　amount　of　attention　and　interest。　　In　addition　to　matters　treated　of　in　greater　detail　in　his　other　works；　there　are　many　geological　notes　of　extreme　value　in　this　volume；　such　as　his　account　of　lightning　tubes；　of　the　organisms　found　in　dust；　and　of　the　obsidian　bombs　of　Australia。

Having　thus　got　out　of　hand　a　number　of　preliminary　duties；　Darwin　was　ready　to　set　to　work　upon　the　three　volumes　which　were　designed　by　him　to　constitute　〃The　Geology　of　the　Voyage　of　the　'Beagle'〃。　　The　first　of　these　was　to　be　on　〃The　Structure　and　Distribution　of　Coral…reefs〃。　　He　commenced　the　writing　of　the　book　on　October　5；　1838；　and　the　last　proof　was　corrected　on　May　6；　1842。　　Allowing　for　the　frequent　interruptions　through　illness；　Darwin　estimated　that　it　cost　him　twenty　months　of　hard　work。

Darwin　has　related　how　his　theory　of　Coral…reefs　which　was　begun　in　a　more　〃deductive　spiri