THE JOURNALS OF DARWIN & AUDUBON

HMS BEAGLE

At the end of 1831, Charles Darwin embarked on a five-year voyage around the world. He was in his early twenties, unknown, and looking for something to do that would propel him forward in life. His task aboard the Beagle was simple: keep the captain entertained with his company. While on his travels, Darwin kept a journal. Another traveler, John James Audubon, also kept a journal. In 1820, he set out down the Mississippi River in search of birds to shoot and then to paint. In a sense, Audubon was his own captain. He was also an artist, and American of French descent. Like Darwin he was unknown. But he knew what he wanted to do, and he was willing to leave his family behind in order to achieve his goal. As a result of their respective journeys, both men became famous, and helped shaped how future generations view the world of nature.

Using broad categories I would say there are two main types of writing that Darwin employs in this book: curious traveler and observing scientist. Here is an example, taken from his account on July 5th, 1832, of Darwin writing as a traveler: “The sea was so highly luminous, that the tracks of the penguins were marked by a fiery wake, and the darkness of the sky was momentarily illuminated by the most vivid lightning” (70). And here is a sample of Darwin writing as a scientist: “The remains of these nine great quadrupeds, and many detached bones, were found embedded on the beach, within the space of about 200 yards square” (96). Most of the early chapters are the former type. Darwin writes about what he sees in the landscape, in nature, and in human society. His travels are not without risk, as he must depend upon the hospitality of those who would give him food and shelter as well as upon the gauchos and others who help assure his safety when traveling away from the Beagle. It might be more fitting to call Darwin an explorer.

Chapter 5 offers the first sustained writing effort effort of Darwin as scientist. Here he is looking at the landscape, with its flora and fauna, and trying to figure out the evolution of animals to this area and how vegetation does or does not relate to the size and abundance of the animals such as ostriches and the rarer Rhea that area living here as well as to the extinct animals whose fossils have been found in a deposit by a beach. Darwin uses Historical Geology to reconstruct what happened and offers his ideas that contrast with conventional wisdom. Darwin is the young scientist staking out his territory, his place in the world of science. We know in hindsight what waits for Darwin once he gets to the Galapagos. But his journeys around South America offer him an excellent place to prepare.

While nature and science are the main areas of interest for Darwin, the reader can observe him struggling to make sense of two human evils: slavery and Indian wars. His moods and thoughts often differs about these social issues. In chapter 5, he seems to see the wars as a necessary evil, though he abhors the practice of killing Indian women and children. While he condemns this as an affront to his Christian morals, he does not seem to realize the same thing is going on in North America.

Audubon writes in a different style and with a different purpose. He uses his journal to record his activities, to note where he is traveling and under what conditions. He is quick and almost notational in his writing style: “I saw several Flocks of Ducks in the Morning before We had cleaned our Guns==hundreds of Meadow Lark Alauda magna  few travelling Southwest----the Wind Rose and brought us to Shore, it raind and bloed Violantly until the Next Day--” (4). This passage, taken from his October 12th, 1820, entry also shows Audubon’s quirky spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization. His style is reminiscent of Emily Dickinson’s.

Audubon also uses his journal to gripe about his money problems. in addition to hunting and painting, Audubon stops in art stores in cities to try and sell his art work. He stays with wealthy families for a time and tutors the usually talentless children in painting. Often times Audubon gets cheated out of money owed him. 

Unlike Darwin, Audubon feels the tug of home. Despite his future goal, which he is determined to achieve, Audubon is always looking back to the family he left behind. His first journal entry opens with these lines; “the feelings of a Husband and a Father, were my lot Lot when I Kissd My Beloved Wife & Children with an expectation of being absent for Seven Months--”(3).

Journals are used to record a person’s private thoughts. But when a person becomes famous, as did Darwin and Audubon, their journals become public. I think the audience for these journals want to glean some understanding of the mind and character of these two great men. Darwin in the better writer. But Audubon is appealing in his directness and touching in his despair over money and being alone. Audubon was an artist, but he had to know a lot of science to write about and paint his birds so accurately. Darwin was a scientist, but his journal entries rival the talents of a strong creative writer. Their journals are of great benefit.

AUDUBON