Book Review 1: Charles Darwin

Q23) Diary of James Kincaid, ship's boy aboard the HMS Beagle.


Day1:


Charles Darwin gave me his notebook! I am so honoured by his generosity. I am going to use it as my very own diary. I went exploring with Mr Darwin today. He took notes of every single living thing that he saw. We scoured the coasts and found a strange looking thing. it had eight legs and changed colours when Mr Darwin tried to grab it. It was called an octopus, so said Mr Darwin. He was most disappointed when he heard that it was not a new discovery. Nevertheless, he is putting together his scientific discoveries, making notes and cataloguing finds.


Back on board the ship at night, we showed the crew the octopus we saw and caught in the afternoon. They were all intrigued about why it glows in the dark. To preserve it from rotting, Mr Darwin placed the octopus in a jar of alcohol.


Day 2:


That night we set sail and in the morning, arrived at yet another island. The days continued to be warmer and the waves less choppy. Mr Darwin spends much of the day trawling the waters for plankton and jellyfish. We were travelling to Tierra Del Fuego to bring back the three fuegians Jemmy Button, York Minister and Fuegia Basket back to their village. They had been brought to England as a part of an experiment.


Later that day, Mr Darwin went to collect the countless types of butterfly, beetles and spiders on this new island. He was even glad to be caught in a tropical rainstorm that soaked him through in seconds. But his high spirits did not last for long. When he saw the slaves